Sunday, February 27, 2011

Why Kinect’s Future Is Brightest Of All

Why Kinect’s Future Is Brightest Of All

Now that the dust has settled and Kinect is out the door, it’s becoming quickly apparent that Microsoft’s motion controller is on to a bit of a roll. With sales surging and the big M talking down claims of enforced stock shortages in order to ramp up the peripherals desirability, no one could have honestly predicted we’d be here last E3…

With sales of Kinect doing all sorts of good business, we decided we should take a look at the real reasons why it’ll outlast and beat the competition…
Kinect isn’t for gamers. The Wii wasn’t for gamers. They’re specifically designed for people who don’t play games. Microsoft doesn’t need people who like Call Of Duty or Halo to buy an 360; clearly, you already have one. If the Xbox was to succeed and reach the kinds of numbers Nintendo’s Wii has been doing, it needed to reach out to a larger audience. Kinect works successfully here because, unlike Move, it doesn’t have any pretensions of being anything other than a game changer. Move still works with shooters and genres we’re all used to playing with a pad, but that’s an unnecessary concession. The Kinect has had laser like targeting and so, in the long run, audiences that don’t play games are already interested in the sorts of experiences Kinect can offer.

Why Kinect's Future Is Brightest Of All

Another glaring issue; Kinect’s games are nearly totally removed from the sorts of experiences that have been the 360′s bread and butter for years. This is both a good and bad thing. When you take a look at titles like Get Fit With Mel B or Kinectimals the traditional ‘game’ template cannot be applied. Once again, this is appealing to all those people that gawp at Halo and COD with a condescending air. Kinect is the perfect peripheral in this regard, even more so than the Wii and Move – traditional experiences are almost impossible with Kinect. Its accuracy is enough for it to function, but inaccurate so that score attack games or anything that really requires ‘skill’ is made redundant. Kinect is more about the act of doing than the skill required to do it – perfect for families and people that shudder at the thought of spending time chasing an arbitrary number.
It looks like the future
Well it does. Where as the Move looks like a slightly advanced Wii, which we suppose in many ways it is, but that does totally ignores the improvements it makes. For the general public though, these perceptions don’t really matter, it’s what you can see in front of you that counts. When someone is moving a menu around like they’re in Minority Report, then that’s when people get excited. It’s also really easy to use with no confusing buttons, despite the on-screen menus becoming far more complicated and difficult to manoeuvre as a result

Ultimately, Kinect’s success is down to the huge audience it attracts that have invested in it because of its potential. With no traditional game at launch, it should have been abundantly clear that Microsoft was entering into a much wider and considered market and we should stop looking at Kinect as something that will change our gaming lives. Perhaps a few games will come along to make us sit up and take notice, but for those of us that like gaming with a pad, Kinect won’t change this. But it will make Microsoft’s machine the home hub for everyone in the family, and that’s the reason Kinect has the brightest future of all the motion controllers.
from - http://www.360magazine.co.uk/community/why-kinects-future-is-brightest-of-all/

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Kinect Controlling Windows 7

Kinect Controlling Windows 7

Microsoft’s latest gaming platform Kinect was hacked only a couple of days ago after it was released. A driver was developed that allowed it to interact with Windows 7 but at the time it served no practical use, until now anyway.
A couple of students at the MIT Media Lab Fluid Interfaces Group are having a go at redefining the way humans interact with machines. They’ve come up with a pretty good example to show just what they can do.
They have created DepthJS, a system that lets Javascript communicate with Microsoft’s Kinect in order to navigate web pages, and do more. Now it isn’t by any means the best way to navigate the web but it definitely could become a viable option with a little bit of work.
If you are one of those people who are willing to step outside of the developer world and into open source software than you will definitely want to check out Evoluce’s gesture solution based on the

company’s Multitouch Input Management (MIM) driver for Kinect.
One of the most impressive things it does is allow simultaneous multitouch and multiuser control of applications (including those like Flash and Java) running on a Windows 7 PC. What’s more, Evoluce promises to release software “soon” to bridge Kinect and Windows 7.
So this is some pretty exciting stuff and will be great if it works properly, check it out in the videos below

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Kinect for Xbox 360: Six possible business uses

By Larry Dignan
June 15, 2010, 11:01 AM PDT
Takeaway: Microsoft launched its Xbox Kinect, a gaming unit sans controllers, and this pup goes on sale November 4, 2010. Here’s a look at six potential business use cases.
This is a guest post from Larry Dignan of TechRepublic’s sister site ZDNet. You can follow Larry on his ZDNet blog Between the Lines, or subscribe to the RSS feed.
Microsoft launched its Xbox Kinect, a gaming unit sans controllers, and this pup goes on sale Nov. 4. Will this technology make it to the business world and how would it be used?
This Kinect technology, which allows you to use gestures to play games instead of a touch pad, joystick or wand, has been billed as one of Microsoft’s most important launches.
Mary Jo Foley pondered gesture-based business applications, but many of us were a touch stumped about the use cases. With that in mind, here are five potential uses and we’ll be happy to take write in candidates.
PowerPoint presentations with more oomph. What would make PowerPoint slides more interesting? How about a “wax on, wax off” Karate Kid (the first one) hand wave? Just imagine the fun gesture things you could do to move along a slide show. If you were buff, say like a gymnast, you could do all sorts of interesting things to move a presentation along. Of course, your antics may distract from your beautiful slides, but most of us wouldn’t pay attention anyway.


Teleconferencing. More intuitive video conferencing — telepresence anyone? Microsoft said Video Kinect will be more intuitive and track your movements and adjust automatically. In other words you can walk around without leaving the camera. You can seem Microsoft building this feature into Office at some point.
Vertical industry uses. In the healthcare industry, you can envision a doctor gesturing to go through a series of X-rays. You could also do this approach with touch, but Kinect for business could eliminate the need to carry a tablet around.
Employee training. In a factory — or any other environment where change management is critical — you can envision Kinect being used for simulations of specific tasks in a nuclear reactor, assembly line or anyplace else.
Modeling in creative industries. An architect could use Kinect to spin virtual models and manipulate them with his hands.
Better security. Xbox Kinect is supposed to recognize you and your gestures. Apply this technology to your laptop or PC and the security implications become clear. Kinect could eliminate passwords. One downside: You could get a black eye and break an arm playing rugby and your PC may not know you since a) your face will be a mess and b) you’ll be left to gesture with one arm.
There are probably a few more use cases we’re forgetting, but don’t be surprised if Microsoft doesn’t try and take parts of Kinect to the enterprise in the future

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Microsoft's motion peripheral

You become the Xbox 360 controller with Microsoft's motion peripheral
The Nintendo Wii made waves when it came out in 2006.
It wasn't because of an exciting array of incredible launch titles - there weren't any. And it absolutely wasn't due to the Wii packing dazzling HD graphics - it doesn't.
It was all down to the motion-controlled gaming interface which put players inside games for the first time.
Playing a tennis game suddenly became about swinging and hitting a ball, instead of using your fingers to hit the right buttons on a control pad in the right order. Gaming was revolutionised.

kinect

Four years and 75 million worldwide Wii sales later, Microsoft and Sony have now both released their high-tech answers to the Wii-mote, and they couldn't be more different

kinect

While Sony's PlayStation Move uses the PlayStation Eye camera to detect and measure the location of high-tech and spatially-aware handheld controllers, Kinect has no physical controllers to speak of at all.
The idea is that your body is the controller. It's up to the Kinect games and apps to use the camera and microphone to work out what you're doing and what you're saying, and to interpret your commands in the appropriate fashion.

from - http://www.techradar.com/reviews/gaming/games-consoles/controllers/microsoft-kinect-905010/review

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Future of Entertainment Starts Today Kinect for Xbox

NEW YORK — Nov. 4, 2010 — Last night, New York’s famed Times Square went controller-free, as the Crossroads of the World was transformed into a dancing, singing, A-list celebration for today’s North American launch of Kinect for Xbox 360. A full day of demos, star-studded appearances and a massive, choreographed dance routine culminated in an excited line of thousands of fans eagerly waiting to take home the future of home entertainment, now available at more than 30,000 retailers nationwide
Unlike any other consumer technology available today, Kinect for Xbox 360 lets you use your body and voice to play your favorite games and entertainment, literally turning you into the controller. Simply step in front of the revolutionary sensor, and Kinect sees you move, hears your voice and learns how you play. No buttons. No barriers. Just you. With 17 Kinect games available this holiday season — including dance, fitness, sports, racing and family experiences — Kinect gets everyone in the family off the couch, on their feet and in the game.

“Kinect transforms entertainment and introduces Xbox 360 to millions of new people — families, friends and people of all ages,” said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp., who will ring the opening bell at the Nasdaq stock exchange today. “Years of research and a team of engineers and artists have created something approachable, simple and affordable that everyone can enjoy.”

The Kinect for Xbox 360 Experiential Tour pulled into Times Square at 8 a.m. yesterday, opening its doors to thousands of passers-by who experienced firsthand the magic moment when YOU become the controller. Actor/producer Mark Wahlberg then joined Xbox to get millions of kids off the couch, active and into the controller-free fun, announcing that Microsoft will donate Kinect for Xbox 360 to thousands of Boys & Girls Clubs across the country.

Later that evening, hundreds of choreographed dancers took to the streets with best-selling recording artists Ne-Yo and Lady Sovereign for a surprise concert tribute to the greatest controller ever invented — you. And as the clock struck midnight, the flagship Toys“R”Us in Times Square joined thousands of retailers across the country as they opened their doors and introduced eager customers to a brand new way to play.

“There’s no question that Kinect is going to be one of the hottest holiday gifts of 2010,” said Chris Byrne, The Toy Guy® and content director of TimetoPlayMag.com. “This is active, engaging play that lets the whole family have fun together. Simple for players and elegant in the execution, this is a revolutionary product with something for everyone — games, movies, music — all controller-free.”

Deemed a “breakthrough innovation” by Popular Mechanics, the “best of what’s new” by Popular Science and awarded the National Parenting Publications Awards Gold Award, Kinect for Xbox 360 promises to usher in a new era of entertainment. Kinect transforms everyone’s living room into a movie theater, a sports arena and a social playground, reaching the people that matter most to you, no matter where they live in the world.

And if you’re one of the more than 25 million Xbox LIVE members, you can control movies, music and even live sports from ESPN on Xbox LIVE with the wave of a hand or the sound of your voice. Share your experiences with friends and family over Xbox LIVE and through Video Kinect — a video chat experience that can be enjoyed couch to couch or with Windows Live Messenger.1

Kinect for Xbox 360 is a great value for the whole family. The all-in-one Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect includes the new Xbox 360 4GB console, Kinect sensor and “Kinect Adventures,” priced at $299.99 ERP (U.S.). Or for those who have an Xbox 360 console2 at home, the stand-alone Kinect for Xbox 360, priced at $149.99 ERP (U.S.), includes the Kinect sensor and “Kinect Adventures,” and works with the 45 million Xbox 360 consoles currently in homes worldwide. More information is available at http://www.xbox.com/Kinect or http://www.facebook.com/xbox.

About Xbox 360
Xbox 360 is a premier home entertainment and video game system. With the addition of Kinect, Xbox 360 will forever transform social gaming and entertainment with a whole new way to play — no controller required. Xbox 360 is also home to the best and broadest games as well as the largest on-demand library of music, standard- and high-definition movies, TV shows and digital games, all in one place. The entertainment center of the living room, Xbox 360 blends unbeatable content with a network of 25 million Xbox LIVE members to create a limitless entertainment experience that can be shared at home or across the globe. More information about Xbox 360 can be found online at http://www.xbox.com.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

1 Kinect works with select Xbox LIVE features and content. Xbox LIVE Gold membership and/or additional subscriptions and requirements apply for some features. See http://www.xbox.com/live.

2 190 MB of storage required

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Kinect brings games and entertainment

Kinect brings games and entertainment to life in extraordinary new ways, with full body play. Arms, legs, feet, and hands, with Kinect there are no controllers, just you. It’s so natural, so intuitive that technology evaporates, letting the natural magic in all of us shine through. All you need to do is jump in.
Kinect works with your Xbox 360 to bring you extraordinary entertainment experiences. Kinect's unique sensor and specially designed games transform full body movement into game play. And the great news is Kinect works with every Xbox 360 console.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

How Kinect may change home entertainment

How Kinect may change home entertainment
Microsoft is readying a new assault on the living room armed with a motion and voice detection system called Kinect that the company hopes will transform not just gaming, but home entertainment.
Microsoft led off the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles Monday with a news conference that laid out how the Kinect system, formerly named Project Natal, will work in concert with its Xbox 360 game console to bring a new level of interactivity to the living room

Monday, February 7, 2011

Kinect Sensor Description

Coming this holiday 2010, Kinect will turn YOU into the controller for games and entertainment, and it will work with every Xbox 360. Unlike 2-D cameras and controllers, Kinect tracks your full body movement in 3-D, while responding to commands, directions, even a difference of emotion in your voice.
  • You are the controller. Kinect provides a whole new way to play. It uses a sensor to track your body movement and recognize your face, even listen to your voice. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips, or speak, you and your friends will be able to jump instantly into any Kinect experience.
  • Off-the-couch play. Kinect provides gameplay that gets you off the couch, on your feet and in the fun. Each Kinect experience is designed to get players moving, laughing, cheering and playing together. Kinect makes social gaming off-the-couch fun.
  • Personalized play. Kinect provides an in-game experience in which the player’s face and voice are recognized. Greet and speak to characters in the game, or simply step into view of the sensor to log into Xbox LIVE and connect with friends. Kinect is smart enough to remember voices and faces. Fun has never been so personalized.
  • Full-body play. Kinect provides a new way to play where you use all parts of your body — head, hands, feet and torso. When you're the controller, you don't just control the superhero, you are the superhero. Full-body tracking allows the Kinect sensor to capture your movement, from head to toe, to give players a full-body gaming experience.

Kinect Adventures Features

  • Easily hook up with friends with Video Kinect, no headset required.
  • Sign into your profile by just stepping in front of the sensor
  • Kinect games give you the freedom to jump, duck, and spin your way through a unique adventure.
  • Kinect uses cutting-edge technology to provide a whole new way to play
  • Kinect Adventures game
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Thursday, February 3, 2011

I played with Kinect today

So I headed down to Macy's in NYC to try out Kinect. At first I got off the subway and just went into Macy's and eventually found the setup
So 1. I was like, wow small little demo. Weird. But no one was even looking at it when my gf and I went up but we hopped on and a crowd immediatly developed (and who would blame them, it honestly just is cool how it works). So the game they had was the Kinect Adventures an they were showing off the Roller Coaster game where you collect coins. A few things stood out:
1. Pretty cool how the Kinect just recognizes when someone else steps into play. Legit the woman just said to my gf "ok just step in " an boom it split the screen.

2. There is a delay....nothing terrible at all, but it took one game to get used to it. Also this was just setup in the clothing section and every once and a while the avatar did a weird thing like arm janking up...but i chalked it up to the crowd behind us. But with that said i was impressed it was able to keep track of the original players even with crowds moving behind us.

3. The game was fun. Like had that "first time playing the wii" fun...which for the target audience MS is aiming for is key. But also added with the fun is how goddamn tiring it is haha. Both my gf and I are gym goers (in fact she just ran a 5K like 3 weeks ago) yet we both started sweating haha.


4. The pictures were a cool touch...almost like a roller coaster ride where you memorize where the camera was, i knew when it would come so i went a little harder.

5. Also it really is just impressive how well it works. Like you can't half ass anything. You have to dodge obstecals on your little board thats moving but you can't just lean...i had to take steps to avoid some.

Anyway...we played 2 games then i recorded this little girl playing (she was pretty good at the beginning) but she looked like she had fun and even the crowd were laughing and cheering her on:
from - http://forum.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?t=646109