Microsoft’s Game Controller Killer Has a Name

by Guest 15th June 2010, 12:13 pm

Microsoft’s Hype Advisory System reached the red, severe level on Monday. The company announced new video gaming products in a press release under a headline: “Xbox 360 Transforms the Way Everyone Has Fun.”

Clearly, people at Microsoft were overcome by a wave of pride as they penned this statement covering all of mankind. And why not? Microsoft has, after all, come up with an official name for its new technology that will let people play games using their bodies rather than controllers.

Goodbye, Codename Project Natal, and hello, Kinect for Xbox 360.

Come November 4, people will have a chance to buy the Kinect add-on that plugs into Xbox 360 consoles.

As I’ve written about before, this device uses 3-D sensing technology and cameras to look out into a room and see game players. It can track your movements and follow your voice, so away go the controllers and headsets.

Instead, throwing a pass is as easy as your best Joe Montana impersonation.

I had a chance to demo this technology earlier this year and it worked remarkably well. Microsoft has written a ton of sophisticated software to help out the 3D sensors, giving the games an exact picture of your body and where it is in a room.

Engadget has listed out a number of titles that will ship initially for Kinect, and, as you might expect, they’re oriented toward exercise and non-stop movement.

It will be fun to see how Sony and Nintendo try to one up Kinect.

Along with the new device, Microsoft unveiled a new look for the Xbox 360. (You can see that and the Kinect side unit here.) The company also said that subscribers to its online services will be able to watch ESPN sports programming.

(adapted from New York Times on June 14th, 2010)