When the Kinect first launched last November, gamers were (to put it charitably) a bit skeptical. Here was a device with incredible technological potential, and the most impressive game that came out with it was a dance simulator. More »
As for Windows Phone, Microsoft unfortunately isn’t providing much in the way of specifics — on its earnings call, it only went as far as to say that “product reviews are good” and “customer satisfaction is high,” and that developer interest has increased following its announcement of the Nokia partnership. It was unsurprisingly a bit more eager to divulge specifics for its gaming business, though, and revealed that it sold 2.4 million Kinect sensors in Q3, along with 2.7 million Xbox 360 consoles — the latter of which is a new third quarter record for the company.
Microsoft announces record Q3 earnings: $16.43 billion revenue, $5.23 billion net income originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It’s true, per Major Nelson Hulu Plus will launch on Xbox 360 tomorrow amid a slew of promotions, the first of which will provide free access to the service for all US-based Xbox Live members (free or paid) through May 6th courtesy of Jack Link’s Beef Jerky. We should be able to get some hands on time with the app in a few. Until then you can imagine what it will be like to watch 24 The Confession in HD or every episode of Spaced through your console in between rounds of messin’ with Sasquatch (explanation after the break).
Update: Now with screens plus details on the giveaways and a demo of Hulu Plus w/ Kinect after the break!
Gallery: Hulu Plus on Xbox 360
Hulu Plus on Xbox 360 launches tomorrow, all members get a free week thanks to beef jerky originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Microsoft’s Kinect is clearly gunning to grab the Guinness record for most Guinness records. Back in March, the hands-free peripheral nabbed a certificate naming it the “Fastest Selling Consumer Electronics Device,” and now the Xbox Live and Kinect Sports teams are the joint owners of the record for “The Largest Online 100 Metre Sprint” — after Microsoft managed to convince 10,539 of its closest pals to help it run in place via Xbox Live earlier this month. According to Redmond, the long-winded accomplishment is under consideration for inclusion in a Guinness volume — though admittedly only the Gamer’s Edition spinoff, itself a shoo-in for “most superfluous record book.”
Microsoft Kinect shatters hyper-specific Guinness world record originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 05:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Here’s something to ponder — will Hulu Plus launch on the Xbox 360 before or after we can sign back into the PSN and change our passwords try out the PS3’s latest version? Sony better hurry, since copies of the June issue of OXM have been spotted that claim the service will launch April 29th, kicking off a month-long giveaway of items including vacations, game systems and Hulu Plus subscriptions to random users. Joystiq confirmed with OXM that the date is actually in the magazine so all that’s left now is the official word, a new app on our dashboards and plenty of gesture and voice controlled madness.
Hulu Plus comes to Xbox 360 April 29th according to OXM originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Continue reading Microsoft patent application shows custom Kinect gestures, roaming user profiles
Microsoft patent application shows custom Kinect gestures, roaming user profiles originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A student known on YouTube as Keysosaurus created a Kinect app that lets users put themselves in the middle of a Tetris board. He developed the game to track the movement of a Wii Remote, allowing him to control the classic puzzle game exclusively with motion controls.
It’s not the most visually stunning thing we’ve ever seen, but you can’t deny its “coolness.”
Watch the video here
What does it take for a gaming classic to survive in a world ruled by titles like Portal 2 and Homefront? A Kinect hack, a Wiimote, and some electronic elbow grease, apparently. Trinity College student Keysosaurus — as he’s know to his YouTube pals — has used a bit of C#, XNA, and OpenNI coding to play 3D augmented reality Tetris using Kinect body controls and a Wiimote. The Kinect gestures do most of the work, rotating the board, zooming the camera in and out, and moving the pieces into place, while the Nintendo controller is used to rotate. Video’s after the break, but beware, the familiar strains of “Korobeiniki” have been replaced by smooth guitar jazz, so turn the volume up at your own risk.
Continue reading Augmented reality Tetris game uses Kinect hack, Wiimote, smooth jazz (video)
Augmented reality Tetris game uses Kinect hack, Wiimote, smooth jazz (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 10:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Personal Robotics Group at MIT may have already strapped a Kinect to a iRobot Create, but BiliBot did them one better by adding an arm to the mix — not to mention this cherry-red frame. Better yet, you can order your own BiliBot Developer Edition now for the affordable price of only $1,200. OK, maybe calling $1,200 “affordable” is a bit of a stretch, but in the world of programmable robotics that’s not half bad, especially when you consider this self-contained robotics platform comes with its own Ubuntu-booting Core i3 computer with 4GB of RAM. The preinstalled ROS software can be used to steer the bot using data gathered through the battery operated Kinect and also to control the arm, which is connected to geared motors instead of more traditional servos. Those motors allow the BiliBot to lift three pounds up to a height of 17 inches — perfect for beer delivery, provided you’re sitting. Watch it navigate a relatively obstacle-free room in the video after the break.
[Thanks, Travis]
BiliBot combines Kinect, iRobot Create and gripper arm for affordable ROS fun (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 02:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Yes, this is what happens when you combine Kinect with a recliner on a motorized platform — perfectly normal people doing awesome zombie impersonations! This week at Microsoft’s MIX 11 web developer conference, the enterprising Clint Rutkas of Coding4Fun / Channel 9 fame showed off his Kinect-driven “Jellybean” armchair on stage during the keynote, and later let our very own Sean Hollister take it for a spin. Sadly, we missed our chance to capture this special occasion on video for posterity when the laptop used to control this armchair overlord ran out of juice in the final stages of our practice run. The motorized platform uses eight batteries, four omnidirectional wheels each with its own motor, and a pair of motor controllers connected to a laptop which interprets the input from Kinect (using the new SDK for Windows) and provides visual feedback to the driver. A gesture interface brings the entire contraption to life and even includes a hand signal to recline the armchair. Take a look at some closeup shots in our gallery below and watch our video of the recliner in action after the break.
Gallery: Kinect-driven armchair hands-on
Continue reading Kinect-driven ‘Jellybean’ armchair hands-on (video)
Kinect-driven ‘Jellybean’ armchair hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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