Recently it was reported that Microsoft had filed a patent that suggested its Kinect motion-sensing camera could read sign language. The truth is, the technology is there. Kinect technically could understand fine, individual finger movements. But the one we’re getting at retail this holiday? Not so much.
So here’s the deal, and you’ve heard it before, so there should be no surprises here: Microsoft cut costs on the Kinect technology in order to make the pricing more retail-friendly. What that led to was a reduced camera resolution, which limits what the camera is capable of doing. Among those things, the ability to understand sign language.
“We are excited about the potential of Kinect and its potential to impact gaming and entertainment,” it told Kotaku in response to the filed patent. “Microsoft files lots of patent applications to protect our intellectual property, not all of which are brought to market right away. Kinect that will be shipping this holiday will not support sign language.”
The implication here is that Microsoft’s investment in this technology doesn’t stop with this holiday's offering. It seems obvious that, provided Kinect doesn’t completely bomb at retail (and hell, even if it does), we’ll be seeing similar and more advanced technology in the future as costs come down. In the meantime, read your own damned sign language.
Kinect Downgraded To Save Money, Can’t Read Sign Language [Kotaku via Edge] [Image]
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Contest:
9:40 AM on 08.11.2010 | 
Ah the old favourite MS adage "Cheap > Good"
Interest and faith in Natal being anything more than a casual cash in -1.
Can you read this universal hand gesture, Microsoft? It's the middle finger.
Seriously though, cost effectiveness I guess. Probably thought that they could find a cheaper way to implements it without jacking up the price later on. 150 bucks is already expensive.
Maybe Xbox Next?
I'm kind of with you. So far the coolest thing I saw with Kinect was manipulating the dashboard/UI with gesture based commands minority report-style.
The gaming applications I've seen thus far don't have me excited, but I'm sure some cool stuff could come from it.
For me it's hard to imagine enjoying many games without the feedback and weight of some kind of physical controller in your hand.
Very nice.
I lol'd.
I aim to please!
x kisses x
@jawshoeuh
I'm with you man, I loved the video where the guy fast fowards with his hand.
Someone needs to do a parady video of trying to watch porn but the video keeps reversing and fastforwarding the same 3 seconds or something...lol
Well shit, if 150$ a pop is retail friendly i sure as hell don't wanna know the non friendly price.
@HEL105: it does, it's just that right now (like most new tech) cost are way too high for it to be popular and hence get people and creators interested, maybe once prices on parts drop we'll see what you expect.
Yeah. It stops when it becomes a gimmick that no one really gives a crap about, at which point it submerges and returns a decade or so later with some new addition, and the cycle continues.
What? So deaf people haven't been playing games because they can't use sign language? what games use sign language as an input method? destructoid have the worst trolls.
It's a little more serious than not being able to use sign language. This lower resolution will mean reduced capability, and for a guy like me, who was thinking of potential uses for the Kinect aside from mass-market garbage, this is a little disappointing. For instance, will the Kinect be able to determine if I'm pointing? Judging from this news, probably not.
Now I'm extremely biased in my views on this as I don't want to ditch my controller for arm waving and what will basically come down to qte and on rail games which is how they are marketing this product (no controller ooooo shiney, bahhhh), I'm hoping that this will bring head tracking in to a lot of games and if that happens I will be happy.
http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Kinect-for-Xbox-360/product/C737B081
# Color VGA Motion Camera 640 x 480 pixel resolution at 30FPS
# Depth Camera 640 x 480 pixel resolution at 30FPS
Thats not bad in any way.
Natal =/= Kinect.
Project Natal CAN follow 6 players (was it 6 or 4 or whatever)
Project Natal CAN see sign language
Project Natal IS pretty cool tech!
KINECT however cannot and is not.
Nice little switcheroo from Microsoft there, hype Natal then at the last minute switch the name and gimp the new one "for retail" while still riding the Natal hype train.
Never trust a big corporation, especially an American one, when they switch the name of something they've been hyping.
I would even possibly say that apart from my personal requirement for buttons and not wanting to hold my arms out in front of me while playing forza and as of yet not seeing a single game I'd be interested in, that Natal could actually, possibly be better than the Move......
But KINECT certainly isn't.
Racing/flight - Can get purpose built controllers with force feedback, would work but why gimp the experience? controller + head tracking
FPS - How would you walk around with no controller? controller + head/arm tracking
3rd person - Same as fps how do you walk around? controller + arm tracking
Sports games - Archery, golf, tennis anything without much movement could work without to much dumbing down.
During writing this I have thought that moving 1 step left/right/back/forward would work if it can track two things body for movement and say arm for view, but I still think it will mainly be shovelware unless they allow a controller (one handed analog stick like the wii/ps3 if they don't want to limit it to head tracking)to be used as well.