Currently, only a couple of simple hand gestures have been featured. There’s the pinch-to-zoom capability that we should all be familiar with. A Kinect developer demonstrated this feature through a maps application. By gripping both his hands, he was able to zoom in and out using the corresponding movements. He also demonstrated that rotating his arms would also rotate the map. The hand gripping motion was shown to also be able to manipulate actions in games like Jetpack Joyride.

Alongside hand gesture recognition, Microsoft discussed Kinect Fusion. Kinect Fusion analyzes the entire environment and objects in the environment to generate a 3D map. It allows users to hold the Kinect and scan objects or rooms in order to form 3D models. This new service will prove to be very useful for 3D printing, scanning buildings, and scanning bodies. It may even provide a new road map for gaming and augment reality apps.

Both of these new features will be included in an upcoming SDK most likely to be released later this month. Developers can get to work implementing these new features and bringing a whole new generation of apps to Kinect for Windows. These new features, combined with the yet-to-be-announced next-gen Kinect sensor should bring a whole new user-experience to PC users.

[via The Verge]

The next-generation Kinect sensor is said to be able to stream 1920 x 1080 at 30fps, and will come with a USB 3.0 connection. The sensor will also have a wider field of view, going from 57.5˚ horizontally and 43.5˚ vertically to 70˚ horizontally and 60˚ vertically. The new Kinect will also be able to allegedly track six players rather than just two.

On top of the RGB stream being full HD, the depth stream will also be higher resolution at 512 x 424 instead of 320 x 240. The new Kinect will also come with an IR stream for the first time, with a resolution of 512 x 424. Thanks to the improved streaming abilities, the sensor will be able to separate objects in close depth proximity, as well as capture depth curvature around edges better.

What’s perhaps most interesting, though, is the lack of a vertical tilt motor in this next-gen Kinect sensor. We’re not sure why exactly Microsoft would cut this out, but it most likely has to do with cutting down on production costs. Again, this is all just a leak and is unconfirmed, so we’re definitely taking it with a grain of salt, but hopefully we’ll hear more about the Xbox 720 and the new Kinect at E3 in June.

[via The Next Web]

Microsoft also announced that they have sold over 24 million Kinect sensors worldwide. Granted it hasn’t been out as long as the console itself, but for only being out on the market since 2010, 24 million is certainly a respectable number. The Xbox Live community has also increased to 46 million users, which is a 15% increase from last year.

The Xbox 360 is the best-selling console in history, and for the past 24 months, the console as been at the top of the charts for every single month throughout the past two years. On average, Xbox Live users spend 87 hours per month playing games and utilizing various entertainment apps inside the online service, and the console is moving towards more of an entertainment device than ever before. Microsoft says that 18 billion hours of entertainment were racked up in 2012 on Xbox 360 consoles.

With the plethora of content that’s available on the Xbox 360, it makes sense that more and more people are using the gaming console as primarily an entertainment device, and Microsoft knows that. So, we could see the next-generation Xbox focused more towards the entertainment crowd than what we originally thought, while still catering towards gamers, of course.

[via Trusted Reviews]

The developer calls it Gesture TV, but don’t expect this to be a replacement for your Google TV remote, though. It’s mostly made for experimental purposes, since a few key features of the Google TV remote control aren’t supported yet. Plus, the app must run on a PC, so you’ll have to have your PC up and running with your TV in order to make it work.

Then again, the project shows what’s when developers can get a hold of remote control APIs for various TV platforms. Gesture TV is based on Anymote, which is Google’s remote control protocol, and it’s also used on other apps like Chromeremote. From the video, the gesture control runs pretty smooth for the most part, with just few minor hiccups.

The developer notes that there are two modes to the gesture control in the app. There’s pointer mode, which allows you to move the pointer around the screen using one hand, while keeping your other hand at your side, and then there’s gesture mode, which is activated when you hold up one hand and then the other. You can do things like swipe down to go home or swipe left to go back.

[via GigaOM]

Kinect Fusion works by using Kinect sensors to scan 3D objects and environments in real-time. When the sensors are passed in front of an object or environment, or when an object is moved in front of the scanners, the object is recreated in 3D. According to the announcement over on at MSDN, this allows for the capture of environmental or object information in a way that isn’t viewable from any one perspective.

Kinect Fusion pieces together thousands of frames, and can render and update new models nearly instantly. Some of the proposed uses for the Kinect are in 3D printing, body scanning, gaming, and industrial design, with an industrial version of the Fusion sensor costing somewhere in the ballpark of $50,000. The Kinect Fusion can create models of entire rooms in addition to individual objects.

It might be a bit before we see the Kinect Fusion incorporated with Kinect for Windows, however. The SDK was updated last month, and brought with it a bunch of new features, including, according to Tech Crunch, the ability to access depth data beyond 13-feet, which is necessary for Fusion. A Kinect sensor for the SDK can be picked up for $249.

[via Tech Crunch]

This updated kit will include several new features that will bring the Kinect for the desktop environment into the future. This update also brings Kinect Studio 1.6.0 up to full Kinect Windows 8 SDK compatibility as well. This SDK also adds support for .Net 4.5 as well as Visual Studio 2012. Have a peek at some of the additional features this update brings with it:

• Color Camera Settings may now be optimized fully
• Support for VM – windows running in Virtual Machine, including Parallels, VMWare, Hyper-V
• Color, Depth, Skeleton Coordinate APIs amongst others
• Accelerometer exposure in API
• Infrared Stream color image format exposure in API
• German speech recognition
• New raw Bayer color image format support
• Extended depth data beyond the four meter limit in place now – with quality reduction as depth increases

What we’re seeing here is an update to the system that brings forth a new age for the Kinect in modifications as simple as depth perception – note here that you’re also able to get as close as 50 centimeters with this update, too. You’ll see Kinect working well into the future, both as a developer and as a consumer of lovely Kinect-ed apps – both here and on the Xbox, mind you! Have a peek at a collection of recent Kinect updates in the timeline below as well.

Specifically, this gadget is geared toward mapping the inside of buildings. Developed by MIT, the device combines a laser range finder with the depth-perceiving abilities of Kinect to generate maps of an area in real time. The unit also houses a CPU to process and construct the map (in the prototype, the user has a laptop in his backpack constructing the map as he walks around), and the map can be sent back to a remote station so those outside of the building can get an idea of its layout.

Also included in this package is an inertial sensor to compensate for the fact that it’s hard to keep the laser perfectly level while walking, and a barometer to measure changes in air pressure, allowing the gadget’s user to map out multiple floors. This technology was developed for use in emergency situations, with applying it to search and rescue operations specifically mentioned. The prototype seems to be a bit bulky at this early stage, but the developers imagine a finished product that is handheld. Check it out in action in the video posted below.

The US Air Force and the Office of Naval Research helped MIT with the project, which suggests that this device could have some military applications in the future. For now, its simply in its prototype stage, but that doesn’t change the fact that its still a really interesting device. What do you think of this latest MIT creation?

[via MITnews]

Nissan wants to get car shoppers excited about the new Pathfinder ahead of the actual vehicle being available for test drives and close inspection. The company has chosen 16 of its dealers across the nation and is piloting a new program called the Pathfinder Kinect Experience. Sixteen dealerships around the country will have a virtual 2013 Pathfinder SUV to explore using Microsoft Kinect for Windows technology.

Using the Kinect Natural User Interface car shoppers will be able to climb into a virtual Pathfinder and explore the vehicle using motion and natural human gestures. The virtual exploration system and each dealership will include a Kinect for Windows kiosk with a computer, TV, and Kinect hardware. The shopper will be able to explore the exterior of the vehicle, select colors, bend down to inspect wheels, view the front and back of the vehicle, and climb inside for a virtual experience inside the SUV.

The Pathfinder Kinect Experience will be available in select dealerships across 13 states from August 20 through the end of November. Nissan says that this program is paving the way for a broader virtual showroom allowing shoppers to explore new Nissan vehicles months before they’re available in dealerships. If the pilot program in the 16 dealerships around the country is successful, Nissan says that it could extend the Kinect virtual showroom to all 1100 dealerships around the country.

Depending on where you live in the world, the price will be dropping by different amounts. At the moment it appears that Japan and EMEA will not be getting any sort of price cuts at all, and on October 4th, the price will be dropped in Australia and New Zealand. The price drop hitting today will take place in North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific regions where Kinect is sold.

This price drop is ready for the holiday season, of course, making the Xbox 360 a unit that’s once again a console to be desired by gaming kids and adults of all shapes and sizes. The Kinect continues to have games developed for it specifically, with several big-name brands popping up in the next few months. For those of you looking to get in on the Kinect game here and do not have an Xbox 360, there’s also a Kinect for your PC – but there’s no price drop there, you should note.

Have a peek at our timeline of Kinect bits and pieces below to make sure you’re fully up to date on all things body controlled fun and action. It’s time to get busy with the next level of strange game-controlling action, and Microsoft demands that you participate as soon as possible. Right now!

Since then, Microsoft has delivered enhanced features, but for the vast majority of gamers, it has become a bit of a novelty. Sure, it’s a neat way to command the Xbox or shout some orders in games, but beyond that, it delivers little value to the average person trying to sit down, relax, and enjoy a title.

For that reason, I’m interested in finding out how the peripheral will be incorporated into the next console Microsoft offers, the Xbox 720. According to reports, the console will be integrated directly into the device, meaning it won’t be an extra accessory. But for those of us who like to have our consoles tucked away in cabinets, that’s a problem.

Beyond that, I’m sure Microsoft will deliver a host of improvements to the Kinect to ensure that it has better quality, an improved microphone, and faster response times. For those who use the Kinect often, that’ll be a major selling point.

But what about the rest of us?

The fact is, the Kinect is unable to escape its inherent functionality as a device that lets folks control the on-screen action with motion. It’s a gimmick in some games, and something that has delivered little value in far too many titles. The issue isn’t Kinect’s functionality; it’s the very way in which we actually play video games.

Realizing that, I don’t think Microsoft should make Kinect too important to the experience of playing the Xbox 720. It’ll be a nice addition for those who enjoy that type of gaming, but for everyone else, the peripheral will be an extra feature they pay extra for and receive little benefit from.

Given Microsoft’s success so far in the gaming space, I don’t think it’s dumb enough to miss that point. In fact, I can see the software giant making Kinect an important, but not too important component in the gaming experience in its Xbox 720. It’ll be there for those who enjoy it, and for everyone else, it’ll be something they show off at a couple of parties and quickly forget about.

Given Microsoft’s latest strategies, I think the company’s focus with the Xbox 720 will be graphics quality and entertainment options, in that order. Microsoft knows that solid graphics that look much better than current-generation hardware is vastly important. But the company also knows that the longer it can keep people engaged with its console’s software byway of movies and television shows, the greater its chances of hurting the competition.

Although I’m not sure when Microsoft will launch its Xbox 720, I’m fairly positive that Kinect won’t be as integral to the gaming experience as some believe. The future of gaming rests solely in the hands of content. And while Kinect can supplement entertainment experiences, it can’t create them.

Microsoft knows it. And it won’t let its love for its peripheral get in the way of that understanding.

The feature will tie into the game’s career mode too, with the player developing a reputation of using bad language and story lines forming around that character trait. Other functions of the game include issuing voice commands to swap out players or change formations of the squad. Otherwise the game will follow previous iterations closely, although EA claims the game’s AI has been tweaked to be more creative.

Fifa 13 marks yet another high profile title to make use of the Kinect for Xbox 360. Back in April, Bethesda announced that Skyrim would see an update to make use of voice commands, allowing you to shout out attacks or access menus, items, and followers. Other software titles, meanwhile, have taken a different approach. Kinect Sesame Street encourages children to interact with characters on the screen, while Nike+ Training motivates users into more exercise and activity using the sensor bar.

Kinect Sesame Street will see characters from the popular TV show talking to children through the television screen, then reacting based on movements picked up the Kinect. The game encourages children to move around depending on the scenario, and even instructs them to remain perfectly still during others, but there’s an option for kids to simply watch the episode without participation as well. Similar functionality will be built into Kinect Nat Geo.

Nike+ Kinect Training will see users performing exercise and training with the assistance of an on-screen coach, with goals able to be set and a nagging alert that can be configured for certain smartphones. Kinect Sesame Street and Nat Geo will cost $49.99 each when they go on sale on September 18th, with episode packs costing $29.99/2400 MS points, and individual episodes costing $4.99. Nike+ Kinect Training, meanwhile, will cost $49.99 and go on sale on October 30th.

[via Major Nelson]

I envision this sort of technology being used to watch people as they view things like ads before a streaming video. The technology will watch for details on the viewers mood to show that a commercial isn’t appealing. Perhaps the person pitching the product is annoying or the product is of dubious value to you. In either case, the patent outlines a setting where the Kinect would know the ad was unappealing and wouldn’t show it again.

I think one way to get people to watch advertisements rather than skipping or ignoring them is certainly to tailored ads to individual user tastes. However, I see people being concerned over privacy with the camera watching their every grin and grimace. What do you think, would this be something you would welcome to tailor ads more to your taste, or is it a simple invasion of your privacy?

[via DigitalTrends]

Ubi Interactive is a startup based in Munich, Germany and the company’s system will turn any surface, including walls into a touchscreen. I can see turning a large wall into a touchscreen being very important in education or when delivering a presentation in the business world. The Microsoft Kinect sensor is used with a regular projector to become a multitouch PC projection system.

The system works in much the same way is an interactive whiteboard or a giant tablet screen. As you can see in the video here, the system supports gestures for zooming in and out and more. The video shows a normal projector throwing an image on a pane of frosted glass suspended in the middle of a dimly lit room. The Microsoft Kinect sensor is placed on the other side of the glass to capture the hand movements of the user and send the movement data to Ubi’s special software running on a Windows PC. That same computer is running the projector as well. The system also works for gaming with touch games such as Angry Birds.

[via Wired]

Microsoft has included Kinect Studio with the 1.5 SDK, which allows developers to record and playback data captured by Kinect. Microsoft believes this will shorten development time and should help with debugging. The new update also brings 10-point skeleton tracking, letting the head and arms of a human to be tracked in real time. A Face Tracking feature has been worked into the SDK, which can accurately track facial features such as the shape of a mouth and location of eyebrows.

The new Kinect SDK is available in four new countries (Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan), plus an assortment of new languages (French, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese). The company says that additional countries will be added in June, which include Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, India, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.

[via The Verge]

The monthly fee would also include a Xbox Live Gold over the course of the two-year subscription, and might even include access to streaming content from cable and sport providers. A two-year warranty will also come along for the ride. Sources have told The Verge that Microsoft is positioning the deal as a competitor to the Apple TV, Roku, and the PlayStation 3.

Just like with the carriers, there will be an early termination fee if you want to break the subscription. The offer will be made available through Microsoft retail stores across the United States, so you probably shouldn’t get your hopes up of seeing this in your local Gamestop.

Would the subscription be enough to entice you? If you head over to Amazon.com and check the Xbox 360 + Kinect bundle, you’ll see it costs $285, while two Xbox Live Gold 12 month codes would cost around $96. That brings you to $381 versus the $459 that you would shell out over the two year period. It’s not a bad deal at all, but you’re definitely paying a little extra for payment flexibility, just like with a cellphone.

The projector is installed underneath the table, with the projected image reflected onto the surface of the table using a mirror. Four lasers are mounted at each corner of the table, and a camera mounted next to the projector captures the motion tracking of the users fingers. The software that goes along with the table allows different colored blocks and textures to be used, as well as position within the 3D space.

The table is reminiscent of Microsoft’s Surface, which housed a 1080p 40-inch display capable of tracking 50 individual points simultaneously. The latest version of Surface also featured cameras embedded into each pixel for more accurate tracking, and was powered by a dual-core Athlon Athlon II X2 processor clocked at 2.9Ghz with a AMD HD 6750M GPU. It commanded a hefty price though: $7,600.

[via Hackaday]

Dragon Ball Z Kinect will let players fight in Story Mode and Score Attack without requiring a controller. Players will be able to deliver over 100 fighting moves, and play with any of the 50 characters on offer from across the DBZ universe. You’ll be able to punch your fists furiously at the sensor to fight opponents, and yes: you’ll be able to deliver the infamous Kamehameha.

In Story Mode, the game will follow the events of Dragon Ball Z in first-person mode. Fights will have the same camera movement as the anime, and players will have to mimic fighting moves and match their character. In Score Attack, players simply battle opponents one after the other in order to rack up the highest score possible.

Dragon Ball Z Kinect will also feature QR Code support. If you hold up special QR codes to the Kinect sensor and scan them, you’ll be able to unlock extra playable characters and power-ups. The game will be released sometime this October in both the United States and Europe. Better start practising your Super Saiyan yell now.

[via Joystiq]

The team was impressed by Mass Effect 3 and the narrative found within the game, and want to aim to achieve something similar with Kinect in the future. Tsunoda went on to say: “We want to get to the stage where not only can Kinect detect what you’re saying but also tone of voice and body stance, and work that into the narrative. There are some really compelling experiences to be gained from that.”

Meanwhile, third party developers continue to take a keen interest in the Kinect. Many attempts have been made to scan real world objects with the Kinect sensor and turn them into 3D avatars, and a new demo has achieved the best results yet. A demo video of ReconstructMe shows the potential of the software, and is free to download. Using a Windows PC and a Kinect, you can freely scan objects and generate 3D models, even using them with a 3D printer.

One 3D model enthusiast, Tony Buser, has modified the Kinect to make it easier to scan objects. First he added a hand-held grip that allows him to move the Kinect more easily, and then he added a pair of reading glasses to the Kinect sensors to that it can scan objects in close proximity more easily.

[via VG247]

Kinect for Windows 1.5′s newest tracking abilities include the ability to track the head, neck, and arms of either a standing or seated person. This new feature will also work with both default and near models – whatever you need! This 1.5 release will be coming with four new languages for speech recognition including Japanese, Italian, Spanish, and French, and will be coming with a slew of new language packs.

Language packs released with Kinect for Windows 1.5 will help the system understand languages as they’re spoken in different regions of the world – French Canadian, English in New Zealand, and Spanish in either Spain or Mexico just to name a few. This system will be further detailed before its release – until then, note this one extra tip: Kinect Studio will be released this update for the Windows platform, this system allowing you to record, playback, and debug clips of users playing all types of engaging games!

[via Kinect for Windows Blog]

As you’ll see in the video below, the folks at ETRONIKA presented their most updated version of their software and hardware combination at the event known as Finovate Europe 2012. This event took place in London and showed the world what it meant to have their application mirror human identification by using the users face and voice, having them speak to the Kinect and look into the camera. This application and environment may well be the way to your banking future!

Once inside the application, after face and voice recognition has taken place and you’re logged in to the bank you’re working with, you’ve got full gesture recognition as well. If a user steps away from the screen and leaves the Kinect sensor area, their session is immediately ended. If a user wants to make a cash transaction, they’ve got to use their phone to enter a PIN number to give double assurance that there’s no foul play.

Have a peek at the photos and video above and below and get ready for a simplified experience with your Kinect-laden computer!

The exact nature of the Kinect media box’s connectivity is apparently yet to be finalized, but coax or an optical output for audio is also a possibility. Integrated WiFi would get the STB online, though there’s no word on wired ethernet as on the Xbox 360.

Navigation, unsurprisingly, would rely on voice commands and gestures, the Kinect tracking technology used to move viewers through menus and options. However the Xbox Companion app released recently for Windows Phone handsets would also be compatible. Unknown is whether existing Xbox 360 gamepads could be connected, or indeed if Microsoft will bundle a traditional remote for those turned off by voice/gesture and without a Windows Phone device.

Microsoft is supposedly aiming for a sub-$200 price tag, or more likely in the region of $150, to better compete with rival smart TV boxes such as the new breed of Google TV hardware. Previous rumors have also suggested the software company is shopping for an ex-TV exec who could help it create unique shows and other content.

Talk of a two-pronged next-gen Xbox attack was rumored back in November, and these new leaks seem to fit in with talk last year. Casual gaming, such as Fruit Ninja Kinect, would be supported on this STB Xbox version, though serious gamers would be expected to pick up the true next-gen console for more immersive play.

The XBOX 360 isn’t the only one that should be receiving applause for number of units shipped. Motion-sensing device, Kinect continues living up to its original hype with the sale of 18 million units, nearly double the 10 million units sold as of March 2011. The Kinect has been doing so well that it was featured in Guiness World Records. From November 2010 to January 2011 Kinect sold 8 million units, making it the fastest-Selling Consumer Electronics Device.

More good news for Microsoft comes in the form of their XBOX Live user base. There are currently 40 million people who use the service. Those in attendance at CES are expecting to hear more awe-worthy statistics from Microsoft’s Steven Ballmer.

[via Joystiq]

One of the harsh realities of online clothes shopping is without the ability to try on the clothes you’re looking to purchase. With the help of this software and Microsoft Kinect, users will be given the opportunity to see how clothes fit prior to purchase. The software is fairly accurate that it will be able to tell you whether the clothes you are trying on are too loose or snug. Before taking advantage of this users must first register an account.

Bodymetrics has had seven years to hone their technology in body-mapping. One of their services has been available to shoppers at the Selfridges department store in London. With nearly a decade of experience, Bodymetrics believes PrimeSense 3D will change how people shop online because of the software’s ability to obtain hundreds of accurate measurements in seconds. The anticipated price for PrimeSense 3D is approximately $150.

[via Mashable]

Currently, Kinect is only offered through a motion and voice sensing hardware that works with the Xbox 360 gaming console. The sources suggest that this move to license and integrate the technology into TVs is part of Microsoft’s plans to aggressively push the Kinect technology into as many homes as possible, with or without an Xbox 360 gaming console.

Microsoft is already planning to release new Kinect hardware that’s designed to be used with desktop PCs. This new Kinect for Windows will be optimized for PC scenarios such as by shortening the USB cable and tweaking the software so that the Kinect camera can perceive depth at shorter distances. The company has also begun a Kinect Accelerator program to more rapidly advance the technology.

[via ZDNet]

Optimizing the Kinect hardware for PC usage will involve several adjustments, such as shortening the USB cable to ensure a reliable connection for all kinds of computers as well as including a small dongle to make the device connect more easily with other USB devices.

Software-wise, the Kinect for Windows will have to be tweaked to enable the depth camera to perceive objects as close as 50 centimeters in front of the device, or about 1.5 feet. This so called “Near Mode” could enable a whole new category of up-close apps to be developed.

The Kinect for Windows hardware should launch commercially in early 2012. Microsoft had released a Kinect for Windows SDK beta version for testing and academic use back in June and launched a Kinect Accelerator program last week that will pick ten finalists to receive $20,000 in funding to advance the development of Kinect.

[via WinRumors]

The Kinect for Windows SDK has now hit beta 2 and you can download it right now to play with. The SDK still supports the Kinect on machines running Windows 7. It offers APIs for raw sensor streams and human motion tracking. The SDK allows devs using C++, C#, and Visual Basic via Visual Studio 2012 to access the capabilities of the Kinect.

The SDK allows raw sensor streams to be accessed that are generated by the Kinect sensor. The SDK supports skeletal tracking, advanced audio capability, and it comes with sample code and documents. The SDK installer is under 100MB and easy to install. The official website for Kinect for Windows will go live here, the link is not live as of the time of writing.

The new Xbox LIVE dashboard is expected to take on more of a Metro UI style similar to what’s seen on Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 and Windows 8 interfaces. Some of the key new features to the platform include more integrated Kinect voice and gesture controls, Facebook sharing, cloud storage for game saves and Xbox LIVE profiles, and a new social broadcasting feature called Beacons.

Bing search and support for YouTube are also expected to arrive with the new dashboard. The addition of Bing and the deeper Kinect integration will allow users to easily do voice search for movies, music, and other content on their Xbox 360s. A Marketplace will also likely be introduced to offer applications created for the console.

Microsoft recently expanded its Xbox LIVE TV content range with the addition of nearly 40 new content provider partners, including Bravo, Comcast, HBO GO, and Syfy. These new channels will only be available to Xbox LIVE gold subscribers and some channels may integrate more Kinect features. To sign up for the beta testing, go to Microsoft’s connect page here.

[via WinRumors]

Amongst the more than 20 countries launching this set of updates are Bravo, Comcast, HBO GO, Verizon FiOS and Syfy in the U.S.; BBC in the U.K., Telefónica in Spain; Rogers On Demand in Canada; Televisa in Mexico; ZDF in Germany; and MediaSet in Italy. A total of 50 new partners in TV have joined this push for the Xbox 360 to become the ultimate living room companion.

On-demand media

You’ll now be able to access markets and streams (as well as your own owned media) with great ease, TV, movies, games, sports video, music, and more. Gesture control of all of your menus with the Kinect allow you to access what you want with a whaft of your hand, voice recognition allowing you to not have to move at all! Live TV is already included on the Xbox 360 via AT&T U-verse, as you know, now this offering is blown wide open by additional partners including, but not limited to, the following:

BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and LOVEFiLM in the U.K.; Antena 3, RTVE and Telefónica in Spain; Televisa in Mexico; and Bravo, Comcast’s Xfinity On Demand service, Crackle, EPIX, Syfy, TMZ, “The Today Show,” UFC, Verizon FiOS and HBO GO in the United States.

Sports coverage is expanded to include such partners as ESPN in the USA, UFC, GolTV, and Maple Leaf Sports in Canada. All this is in addition to the awesome games and apps collection already available via your Xbox 360 connected with the Apps Marketplace – all this connected with the new unified dashboard for Xbox LIVE – so pretty!

Voice Commands and Social Connectedness

There’s an odd – but neat – new voice command system in place that uses a combination of keywords to get you what you want. You’ll see it in the presentation video in this post, but here’s another taste:

Having trouble finding last night’s episode of “The Office”? It’s now only a voice command away. Just say “Xbox, Bing, ‘The Office,’ ” and Xbox finds it.

Microsoft is also pushing their social network connections in this release, noting that you’ll be able to share everything from your game achievements to your music choices straight to Facebook. Whether or not groups like Google+ will be involved at this point is not known.

Sound exciting to you? Have a look at that video and see what you think!

What Zumba Fitness does is take the Zumba program, an program in which dancers do similar moves repetitively in order to exercise effectively, and makes it into a simple game. What you do in the game is just that, shake your rump, and as it’s available for Wii with Wii Balance Board, PlayStation 3 with PlayStation Move and Xbox 360 with Kinect, you can bet it’s got more than a decent opportunity to get into your living room. We got to see this game in action this past week at Pepcom’s 2011 Holiday Spectacular in NYC.

Have a look at this application via Lisa Roth of Majesco Entertainment showing it off, both in detail and in practice, in the video here in the post. This game contains more than 30 routines you can do right out of the box, each of them based on Zumba fitness as it exists in the non-game world. You can set your game up for 20, 30, or 60 minutes intervals or you can just go forever and ever. You can work with several instructors, one of them being the originator of Zumba Alberto “Beto” Perez.

This game is coming out on the Wii on November 8th, 2011 and will include at least one of the unique Wiimote belts you see in the video so that you wont have to strap the Wiimote to your hip with duc-tape. A rather simple, playful, totally realistically applicable concept turned into a real-life gaming experience for your health – and not the of the Steve Brule sort!

To see more hands-on videos with gadgets, games, and technology consumables galore, check out our [Pepcom Holiday Spectacular 2011 portal] and taste the product rainbow!

Nonetheless, Sensui still holds out hope for a surge in Japanese Kinect popularity. “We have received good reviews from the people who have used it” the exec insists, perhaps suggesting that the peripheral needs to be experienced in order for gamers to add it to their must-have list. Meanwhile, he also points to Windows 8′s support for Kinect, and the growth in Windows gaming, as a likely motivator for sales.

Previous reports have anecdotally suggested that Kinect’s vision-based tracking system could prove an issue in small Japanese apartments, with the sensors being designed to recognize players in larger US rooms. Add-ons like the Nyko Zoom promise to address that, being lens adapters that modify the Kinect’s field of view to suit smaller spaces.

The Nyko Zoom clips onto the Kinect and adds its own proprietary lenses. Spaces that usually only allow one person to play, will now be able to accommodate two players. And since the device acts simply like putting a pair of glasses on your Kinect, it is compatible with any Kinect game. It also does not require additional power or batteries.

The Zoom was first shown at E3 2011 and was nominated for Best Hardware in Show by IGN, GameSpot, Machinima, and G4 X-Play. The device is now available on Nyko.com and at select retailers, priced at $29.99.

Those moving avatars can be used in 3D stages of Xbox 360 games to chat between friends online, as well as to “produce your own TV shows.” Whereas other apps have used general gestures tracked by Kinect to move on-screen players, Avatar Kinect goes as far as recognizing individual facial movements: the way your mouth moves during speech, frowning, smiling and other expressions.

There are also 15 virtual environments within which groups of up to eight avatars can collaborate. Microsoft has thrown in plenty of special effects, too, and if you “film” the scene it can be posted up to the Kinect Share site for others to view. Avatar Kinect is available now, as a reasonably hefty 660MB download.

After all, as I noted on these pages earlier this week, the new Mac mini is the best computer to hook up to a television, and I’m a firm believer that the Apple TV is the top set-top box in the market. It seemed like an open-and-shut case.

But then I started thinking about things a bit more deeply. More specifically, I thought about Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Kinect devices and all that they offer. Upon doing so, I came to a new conclusion: Microsoft is actually making Apple look bad in the living room, and it’s doing so with ease.

See, when I think about Apple’s living-room products compared to Microsoft’s, I’m left wanting more. For years now, I’ve hoped that the Apple TV would feature gaming, and it still doesn’t. I’ve wanted it to allow me to record live television, and it doesn’t. And although I don’t have a problem with it, the latest Mac mini’s missing DVD drive is an issue for some folks.

The Xbox 360, on the other hand, comes with many of the things I’m looking for in a home-entertainment device. I can play top-notch video games both offline and online. And if I want to sit back and relax with a favorite movie, I can pop a disc into the device and do so. Even better, Microsoft’s console allows for access to a host of streaming services, including Netflix. Combine that with the Kinect, and I don’t think there’s any doubt that Microsoft is trumping Apple in the living room.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of the Kinect or motion gaming. In fact, I’ve said on SlashGear before that my Kinect is collecting dust. But I can still appreciate innovation when I see it. And I think that Microsoft deserves a lot of credit for delivering a product that breaks down some barriers and sets benchmarks in its respective market.

It’s rather odd to say such a thing about Microsoft. In most cases, it’s Apple that breaks down the barriers and sets benchmarks. But in the living room, the iPhone maker has been decidedly run-of-the-mill. Rather than push boundaries, Apple has stayed well within them. And in the process, it has allowed companies like Microsoft and Sony to win the battle for the living room.

Before Apple fans jump all over this column, allow me to say that I fully realize that Apple knows what it’s doing in the consumer space, as evidenced by its recent financial showing. And in many markets, it has made Microsoft look bad. But whether the company’s fans like it or not, the living room isn’t one of them.

Meanwhile, the Kinect sensor itself is finished in white, while there’ll also be a wired headset included in the box. Kinect Star Wars itself allows gamers to control lightsabers and perform Force moves simply by waving their arms around, as well as pilot Speeder Bikes and take part in Pod races. It’s designed to work with both one- or two-players, and adapt to the second gamer jumping in and out as the game progresses.

LucasArts says that elements from all six of the movies – originals and prequels – have been incorporated, but don’t let that put you off. Star Wars Kinect will go on sale in time for the holidays, alongside the new 360 console bundle. No word on pricing for the special edition Xbox at this stage.

Rather than the Surface’s clever touch-sensitive glass, Evoluce uses a regular 46-inch NEC digital signage LCD (as in the company’s previous I-Voluce system) and suspends a Kinect a meter above. Thanks to the Surface 2.0 SDK you can do all of the usual photo and document manipulation, with multiple people zooming, rotating and flicking digital content around simultaneously; however, unlike Surface, Evoluce’s system can spot how much water there is remaining in a glass placed on the table and other complex analysis.

Whereas the Surface 2 SUR40 is expected to start from $7,600 when it goes on sale later in the year, Evoluce Two will be priced from €4,995 ($7,111). That’s not a vast difference, we have to say, but you do get some extra functionality and a slightly larger (46- versus 40-inches) screen.

Asus has a new Xtion Pro Live that it will be launching soon that has the IR and depth of view sensors that the Pro version has and adds in a webcam. It has a low resolution of 640 x 480, but it does match the Kinect cameras performance. The new Live version of the Xtion Pro is the same size even with the webcam added in.

The Pro Live version also gets a pair of microphones as well. An app store for the Xtion will also be opening that will let developers that make apps for the Xtion line sell their wares. Neither of the Asus Xtion devices have the automatic tilting that the Kinect features. The big downside here is that Asus appears to be charging the equivalent of $300 in Italy for the Pro Live when you can get the Kinect for $165. Availability isn’t known at this time.

[via VR-zone]

With the Zoom Nyko promises to reduce the space needed to use the Kinect from about 8-feet to about 4-feet. I know that 4-feet of free and clear space is much easier to come by in my house so this is a very welcome accessory. The cool part is that Nyko will sell the Zoom for Kinect for $29.99 making it a bargain. Nyko has offered up the official release date for the device as August 23.

Other cool things about the Zoom for Kinect include that it needs no power to operate. It simply clips onto the Kinect and covers the lenses Microsoft built into the device. I would bet that with many people having issues with enough space to play the Kinect as it comes out of the box Microsoft is at work on a solution that will reduce the amount of space needed to use the Kinect in the future.

[via Yahoo News]

Now, several years later, it’s clear motion gaming did work, and looking ahead, it will seemingly play a key role in all Nintendo products.

But Nintendo isn’t the only company that’s doubling down on motion gaming, as we saw last year when Sony launched its PlayStation Move motion-gaming peripheral to some success.

But it was Microsoft’s controller-free Kinect motion-gaming device that stole the show.

When Kinect launched, the Xbox 360 seemed ripe for a refresh. The platform was losing ground internationally to the PlayStation 3, and it was trailing far behind the Wii in the U.S. But after the Kinect launched, the Xbox 360 got a new lease on life, and given sales of the console as of late, it likely won’t be replaced anytime soon.

Like it or not, Kinect has been integral to the Xbox 360’s success. The device has caught on with casual gamers that are intrigued by the idea of playing a video game with only the movement of their bodies.

But as we look into the future of the Xbox franchise, we now need to determine if Kinect should work with the Xbox 720 (or whatever the device will be called at launch). Undoubtedly, casual gamers will want to see it. But what about the hardcore segment?

Yes, games are launching in the coming months with Kinect functionality that might appeal to those folks, but so far, the hardcore segment hasn’t been so quick to jump on the motion bandwagon.

Inevitably, Microsoft will need to determine if Kinect makes sense with the Xbox 720 by evaluating how much value it could add to its next console. And that can only be determined by properly estimating consumer response.

Since I’m a consumer who will undoubtedly buy the Xbox 720, allow me to make my opinion known right now: I don’t want to see the Kinect make its way to the upcoming console. I don’t like motion gaming, I see no value in it, and I’m willing to bet I never will.

I am an old-fashioned, hardcore gamer that enjoys sitting on my couch, and using a controller to play video games. Though the Kinect wouldn’t stop me from buying the Xbox 720, I wouldn’t be happy to see it included.

Do I think Kinect is a neat technology? Absolutely. Do I think it has potential? Of course. But motion gaming isn’t for me. And if the Xbox 720 relies heavily upon it, I won’t be happy.

But that’s just my opinion. Should Microsoft’s Kinect play a role in the Xbox 720? Let us know in the comments below.

The name of the game with NUads is audience engagement. Right now, there are plenty of things to distract us while adverts are on live TV, and little reason not to skip past them on recorded content. Microsoft’s ploy is to make ads social and “irresistibly interactive” by building in simple to use commands and gestures, while advertisers themselves get vital feedback on who is actually paying attention rather than playing Angry Birds on their phone while the promo is showing.

Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE TV service, announced at E3 2011 earlier this month, met with scratched heads as people wondered exactly why the console should be their smart TV STB of choice. With the addition of NUads, however, the reasons that users and content providers might want to get Xbox involved in the viewing experience becomes far clearer. Set to launch in the fall – though with no US partner(s) yet announced – Xbox LIVE TV will compete with the STBs provided by satellite/cable TV providers (many of which are rented to viewers for a monthly fee) and use voice commands to search for shows through Bing on Xbox. Meanwhile the same Xbox LIVE TV functionality will also be available on Windows 8 PCs.

It’s not perfect yet, though. One of the commands – “Xbox Schedule” – automatically prompts the system to send a text message reminder to a user’s phone, prompting them to watch a show when it’s broadcasting. More useful, however, would be the ability to turn your 360 into a DVR, automatically setting the console to record an upcoming film or show. Viewers often fast-forward through the adverts in recorded content, but if Microsoft slotted in fresh NUads – themed to the show as well as other interests as tipped by your Xbox LIVE activities – then that might be enough to persuade them to keep watching. “Xbox Near Me” pulls up a map of nearby retailers offering whatever product is being advertised, but why not do the same for movie times, showing nearby theaters and allowing viewers to book tickets and even reserve specific seats, all by pointing to where they want to be in the theater.

Charge it directly to the Xbox LIVE Points in a user’s account, perhaps, and then shuttle a digital ticket to their Windows Phone device. We criticized Microsoft in our Windows Phone Mango technical preview for not yet making the most of its smartphone/Xbox pairing, and NUads would be a great way of doing that. Something catch your eye on-screen? Flick it over to your phone with a quick gesture or keyword, and watch as a digital coupon shows up on the handset.

Remember, it’s not really end-users that Microsoft has to convince on NUads, it’s content owners and advertisers. If the company can get enough of those onboard, then Xbox LIVE TV will gradually start to offer more shows than rival systems. Once that happens, the users will naturally gravitate toward it. Selling them on the idea of a motion and voice controlled interface wouldn’t be too hard: a Minority Report style advert or two ought to do it.

The sticking point may well be getting everything to gel, something the company has arguably struggled with the most in the past. Microsoft has all the pieces for an advertising rescue mission: now it just has to put them together.