Originally Posted by BigDaddyCool (Post 3095724)

Originally Posted by BigDaddyCool (Post 3095794)

Originally Posted by Hasney (Post 3096094)

Didn't realise it was motion controlled, thought it was joypad.

It looked shit when it was shown anyway, with a price and motion control, it may now fuck off.

Originally Posted by Kotaku

Ahead of next week's E3 in Los Angeles, two new titles for Microsoft's motion-control peripheral, Project Natal, have been revealed.

Those hoping for a wave-your-arms version of Halo or Fable are out of luck, though, as the two games are simple party titles (ie glorifed tech demos), similar to the kind we've seen for the system so far.

One is Living Statue, which according to a piece on the LA Times "lets players record their avatars dancing and singing karaoke-style, then e-mail the video masterpiece to their friends".

The second is Obstacle Course, in which "players pull, dodge and jump their way through a series of levels resembling what you would find at summer camp, sans the mosquitoes."

Of more interest to those hanging out for proper games is the final line of the report, which says "there will be about a dozen more Natal-licensed titles from other game developers unveiled Monday and Tuesday". A dozen games from companies that aren't Microsoft? Add those to the titles Microsoft itself will have ready and that's quite a launch lineup. Hopefully not all of them involve jumping around like a maniac.

Originally Posted by IGN

Tonight at a Microsoft event the company announced that the official name of their new motion-sensing controller for Xbox 360 is "Kinect." As we reported earlier a number of games were unveiled in a USA Today story that went up shortly before Microsoft could officially break the news.

From that event we've see a group of games that will accompany this new hardware that allows gamers to use their body as a controller. These games include:

A Yoga/Tai Chi Game: (official name to be announced)
A Soccer Game: (official name to be announced)
Joyride : A racing game where players can steer using their hands.
Kinect Sports : Boxing, bowling, beach volleyball, track and field, soccer and table tennis.
Kinectimals: Play with 20 different kitties like a lion, cheetah and tiger.
Kinect Adventures: River rafting with multiple players that move their bodies in the raft.
Dance Central : A So You Think You Can Dance game made by MTV games.

Along with Kinect games using Disney and Star Wars characters, there were also dashboard apps showing motion controls used to interact with Netflix. The dot on the screen follow where you point.

Users can also use motion controls to scroll through photos, start live video chats with friends, and share photos. This is done through a kinect app on the dashboard.

Originally Posted by IGN

Well, E3 2010 has officially kicked off with Microsoft's debut of Kinect (formerly Project Natal) at a glitzy event at the Galen Center. To say I was disappointed with Kinect would be putting it mildly. After waiting at the Galen Center for a couple of hours, other than the name, Kinect, nothing was revealed except a handful of pre-recorded demos where actors clearly pretended to control the on-screen characters (avatars) with their own body movement. At several points the avatars would move before the actors did, ruining the illusion of a real live demo of Kinect. This body-synch debacle makes Milli Vanilli's legendary lip-synch outrage look tame by comparison.

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/...1276494327.jpg
His arms not matching the position of the avatar was just one of the giveaways it wasn't being controlled live.

The Kinetic 'body-synchs' that were shown off included rafting down a river, Olympics, yoga, a mildly cool Star Wars demo where the avatar slashed enemies and reflected laser bolts, a tiger pet patting simulation and a handful of other disappointing snippets. The Kinetic camera was also shown navigating on-screen menus with cool Minority Report-style waves of your hand, as well as video conferencing.

I'll be able to report a lot more definitively tomorrow once I've actually tested out Kinetic but for the moment the body-synch balls-up has left a bad taste in my mouth. Laughably, a huge animatronic elephant with in-built projector screens was the highlight of the crazy spectacle.

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/...1276494411.jpg
The animatronic elephant stole the show.

A very disappointing first act, Microsoft. Let's hope tomorrow things can be turned around.

Originally Posted by Kalyx triaD (Post 3110910)

Could have sworn I posted the news here, but I left it in the News thread (by mistake). (I) Should be more careful in the future (in regard to wear I post specific news). I tend to 'jump the gun' when I get a scoop, racing to post it first. Kinda like getting the by-line.

Originally Posted by Hasney (Post 3111269)

http://video.destructoid.com/#164359

Star Wars Kinect. Probably shift a few units.

Originally Posted by Drakul (Post 3111124)

I've never heard of Jim Sterling until now but I don't think I like him. Walking out in the middle of a conference, even if it was bad or he was thirsty and then writing a bunch of "derps" on a page isn't exactly professional.

If he was with a team from Destructoid, walking out for a drink or because it was bad isn't much of a problem because other guys are still seeing the conference through for the site. Writing "Derp de derp" because he didn't like it is pretty unprofessional. If he didn't like it, tell us in a way that's a little more "journalist" and a little less "forum troll".

Originally Posted by Kalyx triaD (Post 3111616)

I assure you, Jim Stirling is awesome. One of my favorite VG journalists/bloggers. More than a few times he hits the nail on the head.

Originally Posted by Hasney (Post 3111901)

C'monnnn worst launch week for hardware ever.

Originally Posted by Smelly Meatball (Post 3113377)

Officially neither Kinect nor the games have any price since Microsoft never mentioned anything about pricing during or after the show.

Originally Posted by Indifferent Clox (Post 2561808)

This could be the future of gaming.

Originally Posted by Kalyx triaD (Post 3113420)

Originally Posted by Drakul (Post 3113901)

I actually thought MGS Rising was going to be a Kinect title for a sec.

Originally Posted by Drakul (Post 3113908)

You're not a fan of Kinect, are you?

Originally Posted by Kane Knight (Post 3113911)

Hey Drakul, have you tried anything powered by Nuance? I used to have trouble with voice recognition, but my mobile phone works damn well at recognising my speech patterns.

Originally Posted by Kalyx triaD (Post 3113420)

Originally Posted by BigDaddyCool (Post 3114092)

Originally Posted by Hasney (Post 3114922)

Black and White Kinect would be pretty awesome, if you can use a joypad for the camera controls. Don't want to walk around a world tbh.

But the god parts where you're the giant hand, hells yes.

Originally Posted by Hasney (Post 3114922)

Black and White Kinect would be pretty awesome, if you can use a joypad for the camera controls. Don't want to walk around a world tbh.

But the god parts where you're the giant hand, hells yes.

Originally Posted by Hasney (Post 3121106)

This is the only Kinect game that interests me, but you may as well call it Rez Kinect or something. That's not a bad thing :D

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Originally Posted by Kotaku

A British retailer has posted a set of technical specifications for Microsoft's upcoming motion-control peripheral, Kinect. Interestingly, it says only two "active" players can be tracked at any one time.

While the camera can track "up to six people", it can only handle two "active players" at a time, relegating the rest to support roles at best, and idle spectators at worst. Asking for six players at once may have been a pipe dream, but with the Wii supporting four players, a limit of two "active players" will be a let-down to owners upgrading and expecting the whole family to be able to play at once.

The specs in full are below:

Sensor
Colour and depth-sensing lenses
Voice microphone array
Tilt motor for sensor adjustment
Fully compatible with existing Xbox 360 consoles

Field of View
Horizontal field of view: 57 degrees
Vertical field of view: 43 degrees
Physical tilt range: ± 27 degrees
Depth sensor range: 1.2m - 3.5m

Data Streams
320x240 16-bit depth @ 30 frames/sec
640x480 32-bit colour@ 30 frames/sec
16-bit audio @ 16 kHz

Skeletal Tracking System
Tracks up to 6 people, including 2 active players
Tracks 20 joints per active player
Ability to map active players to LIVE Avatars

Audio System
LIVE party chat and in-game voice chat (requires Xbox LIVE Gold Membership)
Echo cancellation system enhances voice input
Speech recognition in multiple

The specs carry with them a disclaimer, reading "This information is based on specifications supplied by manufacturers and should be used for guidance only", but if you were ever going to take a set of specs on face value, you'd take the ones provided by the, you know. Manufacturers of the device.

Originally Posted by RoXer (Post 3140527)

Thanks for my nuts in yr. tech

Originally Posted by Kotaku

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets...tionsports.jpg

Does this look like a Kinect game to you? An Xbox 360 game that has you doing some body-puppetry of an avatar on your TV? Well, it is the Kinect game I played yesterday.

This is a screenshot of Motion Sports, a Ubisoft launch game for the Xbox 360 Kinect that takes a peculiar route. Yes, "you are the controller." Your body manipulates the actions in six themed sports games, including the only one Ubisoft is letting people like me play yet, American Football.

The peculiarity is that you do not control a ghost-form of yourself nor a cartoony Avatar. You control a guy that looks like he is from a high-end Madden game. For the vast majority of you reading this, that means that you will be controlling a character that looks nothing like you and looks awfully like someone who is their own person — i.e. someone who isn't going to stick their arm out just because you stick your arm out.

Motion Sports' American Football mode gave me my first experience controlling a realistic-looking Avatar. It was an odd experience, one that had me repeatedly forgetting that I was in control. The American Football mini-game is simple. You control a running back who is trying to avoid opposing players as he runs to the end zone. The running is automatic. But you can jump, duck, stiff-arm or even do a 360-degree spin to evade. If you mapped this to a controller it would be both simple and obvious to control: a button press to jump, maybe a shoulder-button pull to dodge right. When it is just your body, though, I found it hard to even remember that I was in control.

I would see the guy run on his own and see a defender running at him. I would jump and my guy would jump. Then more automatic running and the approach of another defender. I would forget I was in command and my guy would be tackled. This happened several times.

Why?

Consider the avatars we have controlled with our bodies during the brief era of motion-controlled games.

We have controlled unrealistic-looking characters rendered by the relatively low-powered Wii.

Those of us who have played Microsoft's Kinect games at press events have controlled cartoonish Avatars.

With an Eyetoy, we've all had a chance to control digital "reflections" of ourselves.

In all of those cases, it was easy for me to either recognize the puppet-puppeteer relationship between the character and myself or the reflection of me in the TV. Perhaps those set-ups allow the brain to remember the relationship better. I learned on my first try with a nearly photorealistic version of a character under my motion command that it is easier to forget the connection. I am not sure why that is..

After a few tries at the American Football mode I was able to remember I was in control. There was an odd dissonance, though, the feeling of doing something new and something, well, almost invasive of the character's space. When I control a Madden football player with a controller, I am giving him directions. When I control a Madden-style football player with my gestures? That feels exotic and almost... I'm not sure of the term.. invasive? Possessive (in the possession sense?).

This is an odd one, an experience I didn't expect to have and a reaction I don't quite yet understand.

Originally Posted by Drakul (Post 3167288)

Rumours are true. Microsoft confirm Kinect is $150 and will come with Kinect Adventures

Source.

Edit: Microsoft are trying to show us that Kinect is the cheapest option:

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets...ricing_new.jpg

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets...g_existing.jpg

Originally Posted by Smelly Meatball (Post 3167837)

Micorsoft is going to need to have a cheaper gap than just $10 to gain all the "casual" owners away from the Wii. Right now they are comparing their existing package of 1 game to the Wii's 2 games package.

Even the new owner category is a bad comparison since the Wii would get 3 games while Xbox 360 would have just 1. Their advantage turns into a negative should someone want to get 3 Kinect games ($60 cheaper to $40 more expensive after the extra games).

Originally Posted by BigDaddyCool (Post 3167828)

Originally Posted by Extreme Angle (Post 3168548)

When wii launched it only came with wii sports...

Originally Posted by Smelly Meatball (Post 3167837)

Micorsoft is going to need to have a cheaper gap than just $10 to gain all the "casual" owners away from the Wii. Right now they are comparing their existing package of 1 game to the Wii's 2 games package.

Even the new owner category is a bad comparison since the Wii would get 3 games while Xbox 360 would have just 1. Their advantage turns into a negative should someone want to get 3 Kinect games ($60 cheaper to $40 more expensive after the extra games).

Originally Posted by BigDaddyCool (Post 3168701)

Originally Posted by Drakul (Post 3167288)

Rumours are true. Microsoft confirm Kinect is $150 and will come with Kinect Adventures

Source.

Edit: Microsoft are trying to show us that Kinect is the cheapest option:

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets...ricing_new.jpg

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets...g_existing.jpg

Originally Posted by Kotaku

The patent for Microsoft's motion-sensing camera Kinect was released to the public last week, and while we knew most of the stuff contained within, I'd be lying if I said I knew the device could recognise sign language.

But it does. At least, according to the patent it does (things may have changed since, we're checking), as it says that thanks to Kinect's ability to track hand and arm gestures, it can understand somebody signing at it in American Sign Language, and then convert it to either text or spoken word.

A neat feature! It might be totally useless to most of you, but anything that can improve the accessibility of games - and do it as seamlessly as allowing someone to sign at their TV - is a welcome step forward nonetheless.

Originally Posted by Kotaku

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets...le-short-b.jpg

Microsoft's controller-free Kinect platform is getting a 4GB bundle that comes with an Xbox 360, 4GB of memory, a Kinect sensor, a game and a controller. That doesn't look like the only bundle.

The Australian packaging for the 4GB bundle shows what appears to be a 250GB bundle that comes with a 250GB hard drive and a headset.

The console in the 4GB bundle has a matte finish, while the console for the 250GB bundle has a glossy finish.

The packaging for the 250GB also notes this, "Hard Drive includes game and demos."

Kotaku is following up with Microsoft.

Originally Posted by Kotaku

The patent for Microsoft's motion-sensing camera Kinect suggested that the device could understand American Sign Language. Well, it can't. At least, the version going on sale in November can't.

Responding to the claims made in the patent, Microsoft has told Kotaku "We are excited about the potential of Kinect and its potential to impact gaming and entertainment. Microsoft files lots of patent applications to protect our intellectual property, not all of which are brought to market right away. Kinect that is shipping this holiday will not support sign language."

So why did the patent suggest it could? Well, sources close to the evolution of Kinect's development tell us it's because the version of the hardware that'll be available later this year isn't as capable as was originally intended.

The original Kinect had a much higher resolution (over twice that of the final model's 320x240), and as such, was able to not only recognise the limbs of a player as the current model version can, but their fingers as well (which the current version can't). And when the hardware could recognise fingers, it would have been able to read sign language.

But that capability came at a cost, and while Microsoft had always intended Kinect to sell for $150, "dumbing down" the camera would have meant that Microsoft wouldn't be losing as much money on each unit sold, an important point should Kinect prove to be a failure. So dumb it down they did, reducing the camera's resolution (which in turn reduced the number of appendages it'd have to track) and placing the burden for some of the device's processing on the console and not Kinect's own hardware.

This probably isn't the first time you've heard such a rumour, but this latest time at least explains why Kinect can't read sign language!