Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Microsoft Debuts Kinect Apps
Microsoft just debuted Kinect, and we all the details from the press conference.
Microsoft is investing heavily in the idea of creating "controller-free entertainment." While we're not sure how this will work with hardcore games, one area where it seems promising is with the Xbox 360 interface, which Microsoft just demoed.
Using Kinect to navigate your Xbox menu seems pretty foolproof. You sign in simply by waving: Kinect will automatically recognize who you are and pick your profile. Once signed in, a menu for Kinect opens up, with rows of icons. You move your hand around in front of you to select the correct icon, then push forward to select it. It looks like you have to move your hand pretty slow, but it would still be more convenient than turning on and off a wireless controller.
Alternatively, you can simply say the category you want, like "Xbox" or "Zune." Inside a movie in Zune, you can scroll through the movie using your hand in a similar manner. Then MS announced that all Xbox Live services can be controlled with Kinect.
Lastly, they debuted Video Kinect, which allows you to video chat with friends, without having to use a headset. Again, you use your hands to select a friend, and then talk like a normal webcam client. You can also select movie trailers and other videos and watch them together (they pop up in between your video and your friend's video). Kinect also tracks your body, so you can move around as you talk, and the camera will automatically follow you. This also means not having to get up to adjust your camera for where you're seated.
Stay tuned for even more Kinect news.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
