Microsoft’s original Kinect sensor was extremely popular when launched back in 2010, and as we draw ever closer to the release of the Xbox One, we’re looking forward to seeing what the next-gen Kinect is made of. Microsoft has waxed lyrical about it and its various new capabilities for quite some time, but while we might have thought we knew the new motion sensor inside out, the Redmond company has dropped a little more interesting information. Talking at the London Eurogamer Expo, Microsoft’s Phil Harrison spoke of how the new Kinect will include the ability to understand two people talking at the same time, which take things quite a bit further than we’ve ever seen in the gaming world.
Harrison also revealed that the sensor will be able to detect whether a user has their mouth open – even in a dark room – and and with Kinect shipping alongside every new Xbox One console right from the get-go, millions of gamers will immediately have the opportunity to check it out.
The popularity and adoption rates of the first Kinect were unprecedented, and shortly after its release, it was considered in some markets to be the fastest-selling gadget of all time. As such, Microsoft has worked incredibly hard to nurture and improve the Kinect experience as a while, and features such as the above detailed by Harrison will certainly go down well.
The second coming of Kinect is a more finely-tuned experience, capable of carrying out a myriad of tasks at any one time. As well as being able to track thumbs, it can also detect one’s heart rate simply by scanning a face, and for multiplayer interactivity, it can detect various movements of up to six players, which is a definite win for gamers.
As we saw at the console’s launch ceremony a few months back, the Xbox One isn’t all about gaming. In fact, the Windows maker looks to be making quite an obvious play for those consumers seeking entertainment, and Kinect will also be a big part of that as well.
The Xbox One becomes available on November 22nd, and with that still being around two months from now, we’ll no doubt see more tidbits revealed by Microsoft between now and then.
(Source: Polygon)
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