Kinect allows users to talk to their TVs

"Kinect will change how humans relate to technology," says Xbox camera chief

 Microsoft’s new Xbox One ships with a camera that could redefine gaming and entertainment - but is a huge, expensive gamble for the company.
The inclusion of the Kinect - a combined infrared sensor, camera and microphone - is thought to be one of the reasons Xbox One is £100 more than PS4. Microsoft is betting big on the camera that sits on your TV.

But it’s no mere gizmo - it’s a vision of the future of computing and entertainment, says Scott Evans, Microsoft’s Group Product Manager for the sensor.

“Kinect will fundamentally change how humans relate to technology,” says Evans. “For decades we have been living in a world where computing and entertainment experiences are deaf and blind, relying on us to press physical buttons on keyboards, remote controls, or touch screens in order to communicate our intent.”

Kinect allows users to talk to their televisions - saying “Xbox, on” turns on the console. It also recognises people using biometrics, so if you hand the controller to someone else, it “knows”.

 

The sensor is sensitive enough to see people’s heartbeats through their skin, enabling exercise games that truly “tune up” the user - or even allowing for horror titles that “pace” their shocks.

Microsoft’s previous Kinect device met a cult following - users have designed systems where it scanned bodies and designed clothes to fit them - and even offered voice feedback so the blind could do yoga.. 

                     Kinect will let players lean left and right to control characters, using a controller at the same time

But the technology under the bonnet of the new sensor is rather different, Evans says. In the past five years, motion sensors have developed rapidly - Kinect  arrives at a time when PC makers such as HP and Asus are adding motion-sensing technology from Leap to their PCs, allowing users to prod and point at screens.

“The core of Kinect is its 3D vision system which has more than three times the fidelity of its predecessor - it also has a HD 1080P color camera, which is great for Skype communication from the living room, and an all new 2D vision system called ActiveIR which works completely independent of room lighting – even complete darkness,” Evans says.

A larger “field of view” ensures that one of the biggest gripes about the old system is addressed - the gadget now works well in smaller rooms.

It will also be the first voice-command system for games that works properly, Evans promises. 

“There are higher fidelity microphones and improved signal processing that allows the sensor to cut through room noise and game sounds to hear your voice commands more clearly, even from sitting on the sofa several meters away.”

In games, you’ll be able to “talk” to characters - although don’t expect to be thrown into an interactive film or novel, quite yet.  Scriptwriters and computer processors can’t keep up with the demands of “real” conversations.

 

                                 Project Spark, a world-building game, will support Kinect on the Xbox One

  “Already games like Skyrim have taken voice in game to amazing places, enabling you to speak Shouts in a fictional Dragon Language,” Evans says. “I expect voice will play an increasingly key role in gaming and entertainment experiences in the future.

Instead, you’ll start slowly - with a dog. In Call of Duty Ghosts, the player will be able to issue commands to his dog by voice - saying “Fetch” or “Heel”, or telling the dog to bark to attract attention.

The improved motion sensor - which can now capture tiny gestures - should woo hardcore gamers, Evans says. The first Kinect lacked the sensitivity and accuracy needed for fast-moving action gaming, and Kinect games such as Kinect Star Wars were widely mocked. Game site IGN said, “These are not the games you’re looking for.”

This time, though, Evans, says, Kinect will tempt even gamers who have been welded to joypads for decades to try “full body gaming” - by working alongside normal game controls.

 

“This is not gesture detection. It’s full analogue mastery – where games can see subtle movements such as a twist of the wrist or a lean in the spine, the type of precision that allows a gamer to really perfect their skills to master the game,” says Evans.

“This precision also enables Kinect to see human movement while holding a controller. Lean into a turn or raise the controller to bring up your shield – all from the sofa with your fingers never leaving the controller.  This capability can enhance a hardcore game in ways that have never been possible.”

Avatars in games will also look far better on Xbox One, courtesy of Kinect - an ability that PS4 won’t share.

“In Kinect Sports Rival, the sensor scans your body and face and automatically builds a digital athlete version of you called your Champion. It looks like you - but it’s cartoonised, using Kinect’s “understanding” of facial expressions, and the designers’ artistic abilities.”  

 

The sensor has already generated scare stories - that it’s a spy, watching in the dark - and so far, the games seem sport-focused. There is a Zumba title on launch day - and some early action titles such as Ryse removed voice and motion features during development.

That will change, though, says Evans.

“Kinect is bringing vision and hearing capabilities to the living room, enabling the Xbox One to better understand us – who we are, what we are doing, and what we are saying,” he says.

Xbox One is released on November 22.

 

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