Hasta La Gadget!

Sure, you know Kinect, but do you know Kinect? While retailers have backed off publishing $150 pricetags for Kinect in bizarre displays of solidarity, UK shop Play.com has up some new specifics on the technology in its listing for the device. Here are a few of the standouts that were news to us:

• Field of view is relatively limited, something we could sense when spending time with Kinect at E3. The unit sees 57 degrees of horizontal and 43 degrees of vertical, with a 27 degree physical tilt to keep you in the action.
• Depth of view is similarly strict, ranging from 4 feet to 11.5 feet.
• Skeletal tracking is limited to two active players at a time, as we knew, but the system can at least keep its eye on up to six people at once — like that totally optional pair of backup dancers in Dance Central.
• Resolution, because we know you were wondering, is detailed as well: 320 x 240, 16-bit at 30 fps (we’re guessing this is the depth camera), 640 x 480, 32-bit color at 30 fps (yeah, this is the color one), and 16-bit audio at 16 kHz.

No huge surprises, and we’re sure a few more details will leak out before launch — can’t you just wait to get “off the couch, on your feet and in the fun”?

Kinect detailed in newly precise tech specs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kinect now playable at Microsoft Stores nationwide — all four of them originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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To hear Microsoft and Sony tell it, you’d think that there’s no question that Kinect and Playstation Move will each become as integral to their respective consoles as a regular controller is. But not every game publisher is hopping on board just yet, and Activision is now publicly voicing some skepticism about the motion controllers. Speaking to Gamasutra last week, Activision COO Thomas Tippl said that he is “absolutely” concerned about what he considers high price points for the devices, and as a result he says that Activision will “have to see how much of an install base they’re going to develop.” Tippl further goes on to say that Activision has “few franchises where we think this could be an interesting value to improve the experience for the player,” and that he doesn’t see it as “something that will be in every game, because I don’t think it’s one size fits all. It’s not going to enhance the experience for every game.” He does ultimately leave it in the hands of consumers, however, so if Kinect sells, we could well finally get a proper Air Guitar Hero game.

Activision taking a wait-and-see approach to Kinect / Move, ‘concerned’ about high prices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That’s right, Engadgeteers — the tables have turned. Tomorrow, June 23rd, The Engadget Show returns full force with a very special guest: Jimmy Fallon, host of NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (and also a major geek). Jimmy will be sitting down with us for the kind of frank, eye-opening, and downright thrilling one-on-one conversation only The Engadget Show can provide. Not only that, but we’ll have the Microsoft Kinect live and on stage for a hands-on demo with Microsoft’s own Kudo Tsunoda — so you’ll get a chance to see it in action long before it hits shelves this November! And there are lots of other major surprises in-store.

We’ll also have music from the inimitable Glomag, along with some stunning visuals from invaderbacca. Oh, and did we mention the crazy giveaways? Like… a pair of new Xbox 360s? Seriously, you do not want to miss this one — it’s going to be epic.

REMINDER: The Show will be taking place in a lovely new venue, the Rose Auditorium in Cooper Union’s New Academic Building (ie. not the TimesCenter), located in Manhattan at 41 Cooper Square. Seating is extremely limited, so get there early!

Here’s all the info you need:

• There is no admission fee — tickets are completely free
• The event is all ages
• Ticketing will begin at 5PM on Wednesday, doors will open for seating at 7:30PM, and the show begins at 8PM
• You cannot collect tickets for friends or family — anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket
• Seating capacity is limited (only about 200 seats in the theatre), and once we’re full, we’re full
• The venue is located at 41 Cooper Square New York, NY 10003 (map after the break)
• The show length is around an hour

If you’re a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we’ll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com.

We’ll also be doing our best to stream the show live, so check back here tomorrow at 8pm if you can’t make it out to the show.

Subscribe to the Show:

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Continue reading The Engadget Show returns tomorrow, June 23rd with Jimmy Fallon, Microsoft Kinect, Kudo Tsunoda, and more!

The Engadget Show returns tomorrow, June 23rd with Jimmy Fallon, Microsoft Kinect, Kudo Tsunoda, and more! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The one thing we didn’t know (officially at least) about Microsoft’s controller-free Kinect sensor was the price. Now it has been added to the official Microsoft Store, coming in at the expected $150.

The Kinect is a bar that plugs into an Xbox 360 and sits atop your TV, just like the Wii’s bar, and allows you to interact with games using your own movement. The difference is that the Kinect has a pair of cameras – one for depth and one for motion – that figure out where you and your body parts are at all time. There are also four microphones to listen to your voice, but no controller to hold in your hand.

The accuracy is, according to those who have tested it, startling. The Kinect can see where your hands, feet and face are, and is even fine-grained enough to recognize when you’re not achieving the right pose in yoga, for example, and offers instructions to correct it, just like a real teacher.

Technically, it seems rather sparse: the two contained in the bar run at just 640 x 480 resolution at 30fps, and microphones in this case are likely just basic. The magic would appear to be in the software which so impressed us with the force-controlling, Light Saber-wielding Star Wars game demoed at E3.

The Kinect is only available for pre-order. You’ll still have to wait until November 4th to get one.

Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360 [Microsoft]

See Also:

• Microsoft Throws Glitzy Coming-Out Bash for Kinect at E3 …
• Hands On: Xbox Kinect Games Give You a Serious Workout
• Analysis: Microsoft's Kinect Controller Is a Wii-Too Product …
• Live Blog: Ubisoft's E3 Press Conference Gets Kinect'ed
• Video: Microsoft Makes Post-Natal Impression with Kinect Star Wars …