Microsoft unveils Xbox 'Kinect' motion controller

[gmb45]

Microsoft has not yet confirmed a release date for Kinect

Microsoft has revealed final details of its Xbox 360 hands-free motion control system, which it has rebranded Kinect.
The device, which was originally codenamed Project Natal, was showcased ahead of the opening of the E3 games expo, which starts on 15 June in LA.
Microsoft has said Kinect will hit shelves before the end of the year.
It will face competition from Sony's PlayStation Move controller and Nintendo's upgraded WiiMotion Plus.
Both are expected to feature at the E3 expo, which runs from 15-17 June.
Kinect was shown off at a glitzy event alongside compatible games, which support the new hands-free interface and, in some cases, the facial and voice recognition capabilities.
These ranged from jumping and flying games to a yoga simulator and Star Wars shooter, in which players control a virtual light sabre and use hand gestures to control action on the screen.
There was also a virtual pet, which can be controlled and played with using Kinect. Microsoft says it will release the full details of its games at another media event on 14 June.
Another Kinect game that was demoed on the night was Dance Central from MTV Games which allows the player to coordinate their dance moves in time to an on-screen prompt.
Although less than two minutes of it was shown, with No Doubt's Hella Good track thumping in the background, it illustrated the various new markets that Microsoft hope its new controller will expand into.
Although an exact release date for Kinect has yet to be announced, some retailers have already published web pages in anticipation.
Game says it will be available on pre-order from 13 June 2010.

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BBC News - Microsoft unveils Xbox 'Kinect' motion controller

[johnboy1974]

nice post gmb- i was wondering what had happened to project natal

consider posting this in the xbox360 threads too.

[alunfennell]

And @ a price of over 140 quid I don't see it selling very fast, when its the adverage price of a basic console, they should have spent the time and money fixing the problems of there consoles first rather than making the 360 into a Wii.

[Jim_UK]

Not sure I want to wave my arms about like a loon when playing games, I'll be giving this a miss.

[chroma]

Its gonna flop badly for a number of reasons.

How many people have enough room for starters? who wants to rearange furniature to play a game?

Its stupidly expensive to boot.

It doesnt have any killer apps, that is to say who wants to fork out the price of a wii too play what merely ammounts to wii clone games at this point?

The demographic for the 360 is also wrong, hardcore gamers have proven time and time again that they have no time to be toying with novelty items, it gets in the way of shooting people.