Hasta La Gadget!

Though it’s billed strictly as a technology demo — not something we’ll necessarily see in any imminent over-the-air update — Microsoft showed off a pretty cool demo of how Windows Phone 7’s Xbox Live integration could take advantage of Kinect down the road at Steve Ballmer’s MWC keynote today. How, you ask? Using the Rally Ball game, a Windows Phone user was shown tossing balls to an on-screen character that’s controlled by someone else on an Xbox using a Kinect. Simple, yes — but perhaps as interesting as the Kinect aspect is the viability of real-time cross-platform gaming that Microsoft seems to be throwing its support behind. Seems like a good way to torture your friends into working out from thousands of miles away, doesn’t it?

Update: We have a video of this in action after the break!

Continue reading Microsoft Rally Ball demo shows Windows Phone 7, Kinect, Xbox Live living in perfect harmony (video)

Microsoft Rally Ball demo shows Windows Phone 7, Kinect, Xbox Live living in perfect harmony (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You might think you’ve seen all that can be done with Kinect, but you would of course be wrong. Here’s another example of how Microsoft’s bundle of sensors and cameras can be utilized to freshen up an old concept — in this case a music video — with some arresting new visuals. Just sit back, relax, and hit play.

[Thanks, Joe]

Kinect used to shoot a gorgeous, ghostly music video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 05:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink People Can Be Good  |  Dan Nixon (Vimeo)  | Email this | Comments

The natural evolution to Nao_u’s impressive Kinect– and Vuzix-infused already impressive virtual reality simulator? Guns, of course. A Wii Remote Plus has been added to his project, joining Microsoft’s sensor and VR920 LCD glasses for a VR shooting game that involves, well, lobbing paintballs out of a P90 rifle towards flying disembodied anime characters. Make no mistake, it’s a great technical demo chock full of aesthetic eccentricities. Full details via the developer’s diary, video after the break.

Continue reading Wii Remote Plus joins Kinect and Vuzix shades for 2011’s weirdest VR shooter yet (video)

Wii Remote Plus joins Kinect and Vuzix shades for 2011’s weirdest VR shooter yet (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This isn’t the first time Kinect and Minecraft have crossed paths — scavenge the ‘nets and you’ll find plenty of user interface examples. What Nathan Viniconis has done, however, is different. What you’re looking at above is rendered instantly by way of using what the Kinect sees and constructing an in-world monument in real time. Not only that, but the project has now evolved into a sort of stop motion animation. It’s pretty impressive, even for those who have little to no idea what Minecraft is. All the nitty gritty details are available on the project page. The video, of course, is after the break.

Continue reading Kinect meets Minecraft, animates a giant statue in your honor (video)

Kinect meets Minecraft, animates a giant statue in your honor (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 20:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re sure that a time will come when we’re slightly less amazed by Kinect hacks but, right now, we’re still just seeing one more impressive than the last — and we’re certainly OK with that. This latest comes to us from a group of students at the University of Washington, who had the bright idea to pair Microsoft’s device with some of the robotic surgery projects currently being developed by the university’s BioRobotics Lab. That combo isn’t quite the sentient, Kinect-enhanced robo-surgeon you may have feared, though. The students are actually using Kinect to provide force-feedback to the actual, human surgeons controlling the robotic equipment — something that would have been a $50,000 proposition without Kinect. As you might expect, however, the Kinect-based system isn’t quite ready to be used for actual surgery as it is — while it gets the job done as a proof of concept, the students note that the sensors will need to be scaled down, and the resolution improved in order to be deemed suitable for surgical use.

University of Washington students hack Kinect to aid in robotic surgery originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 06:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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