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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Hulu’s new subscription-based Hulu Plus service will be coming to the Sony PlayStation 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360, but gamers will have to wait a few more months to experience it, the company confirmed Tuesday.

Hulu Plus will be $9.99 per month and will provide access to full seasons of current TV shows, as well as full runs of series that are no longer on the air. It will initially launch on the Apple iPad, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4, the iPod touch third generation, and Internet-enabled Samsung TVs and Blu-ray players.

Later this year, it will launch on the PS3, with support for the Xbox 360 coming in early 2011, Hulu said. Sony and Vizio TVs and Blu-Ray players will also be added in the fall.

Hulu Plus will initially be invite-only, and those interested can apply for an invite on the Hulu Plus Web site.

For more details, see the rest of this story on pcmag.com.

If you tuned in to this month’s Engadget Show (and you did, right?), then you caught a glimpse of our recent jaunt to Bristol, Connecticut where we toured the inner workings of the world leader in broadcast sports. ESPN’s got far more technology going on than you might imagine, with an entire “emerging technology” group dedicated to sprucing up the content you see on screen. We couldn’t quite squeeze everything into The Show, so here we’ve cut up an extended version of our tour that shows off even more of the magic behind the scenes. Ever wonder if a place like ESPN would rely on common toys like an Xbox 360 or iPad to control on-screen play demonstrations? Curious to know what kind of sensor tag technology is being worked on to give viewers a real-time look at how high skateboards (and eventually snowboards) are getting in halfpipe? Hop on past the break and mash play — there’s a lot more to ESPN than just homers, World Cup equalizers and Not Top 10s.

Host: Darren Murph
Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm and Nina Sokoler
Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger
Filmed by: Chad Mumm
Edited by: Chad Mumm and Michael Slavens
Music by: Glomag, Nullsleep
Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec

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Continue reading The Engadget Show: Xbox 360 and iPad on the clock at ESPN’s headquarters

The Engadget Show: Xbox 360 and iPad on the clock at ESPN’s headquarters originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:04:00 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.

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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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