Kinect

Kinect for Xbox 360[2], or simply Kinect (originally known by the code name Project Natal[2] (pronounced /nəˈtɒl/ nə-tahl)), is a "controller-free gaming and entertainment experience" by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 video game platform. Based around a webcam-style add-on peripheral for the Xbox 360 console, it enables users to control and interact with the Xbox 360 without the need to touch a game controller through a natural user interface using gestures, spoken commands,[3] or presented objects and images. The project is aimed at broadening the Xbox 360's audience beyond its typical gamer base.[4]

Kinect is scheduled to launch worldwide starting with North America on November 4, 2010.[2] No official pricing for the device has been announced, but as of June 2010 many US retailers, including Microsoft's online store,[5] are offering the accessory for pre-order with a price of US$150,[6][7]
Contents
[hide]

1 Technology
2 History
3 Software
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Technology

The Kinect sensor[3] is a horizontal bar connected to a small base with a motorized pivot, and is designed to be positioned lengthwise below the video display. The device features an "RGB camera, depth sensor and multi-array microphone running proprietary software",[8] which provides full-body 3D motion capture, facial recognition, and voice recognition capabilities. The Kinect sensor's microphone array enables the Xbox 360 to conduct acoustic source localization and ambient noise suppression, allowing for things such as headset-free party chat over Xbox Live.[3]

The depth sensor consists of an infrared projector combined with a monochrome CMOS sensor, and allows the Kinect sensor to see in 3D under any ambient light conditions.[3][9] The sensing range of the depth sensor is adjustable, with the Kinect software capable of automatically calibrating the sensor based on gameplay and the player's physical environment, such as the presence of chairs.[10]

Kinect is based on software technology developed internally by Microsoft and range camera technology by Israeli developer PrimeSense, which interprets 3D scene information from a continuously-projected infrared pattern.[11][12]

Described by Microsoft personnel as the primary innovation of Kinect,[13][14][15][16] the software technology enables advanced gesture recognition, facial recognition, and voice recognition.[17] According to information supplied to retailers, the Kinect is capable of simultaneously tracking up to six people, including two active players for motion analysis with a feature extraction of 20 joints per player.[18] Depending on the person's distance from the sensor, Kinect is capable of tracking models that can identify individual fingers.[9][17]

According to information supplied to retailers, the Kinect sensor outputs video at a frame rate of 30 Hz, with the RGB video stream at 32-bit color VGA resolution (640×480 pixels), and the monochrome video stream used for depth sensing at 16-bit QVGA resolution (320×240 pixels with 65,536 levels of sensitivity). The Kinect sensor has a practical ranging limit of 1.2–3.5 metres (3.9–11 ft) distance. The sensor has an angular field of view of 57° horizontally and a 43° vertically, while the motorized pivot is capable of tilting the sensor as much as 27° either up or down. The microphone array features four microphone capsules,[5] and operates with each channel processing 16-bit audio at a sampling rate of 16 kHz.[18]

Because the Kinect sensor's motorized tilt mechanism requires more power than can be supplied via the Xbox 360's USB ports,[19] the Kinect sensor features a special connector combining USB communication with additional power. Redesigned "Xbox 360 S" models include special AUX ports for accommodating the connector,[20] whereas older models require a special power supply cable (included with the sensor[5]) which splits the connection into separate USB and power connections, with the USB connecting to the console and the power being supplied from the mains by way of an AC adapter.[19]
[edit] History
A January 2010 promotional banner indicating the expected release of Kinect (then "Project Natal") by holiday 2010

Kinect was first announced on June 1, 2009 at E3 2009 under the code name "Project Natal". Following in Microsoft's tradition of using cities as code names,[3] "Project Natal" was named after the Brazilian city of Natal as a tribute to the country by Microsoft director Alex Kipman, who incubated the project,[21] and who originates from Brazil.[3] The name Natal was also chosen because the word natal means "of or relating to birth", reflecting Microsoft's view of the project as "the birth of the next generation of home entertainment".[14] At the E3 announcement, Microsoft said that over one thousand software development kits began shipping to game developers that same day.[1]

Three demos were shown to showcase Kinect when it was revealed at Microsoft's E3 2009 Media Briefing: Ricochet, Paint Party and Milo & Kate.[22] A demo based on Burnout Paradise was also shown outside of Microsoft's media briefing. The skeletal mapping technology shown at E3 2009 was capable of simultaneously tracking up to four people,[14][9][17][21] with a feature extraction of 48 skeletal points on a human body at 30 Hz.[10][21]

It was rumored that the launch of Project Natal would be accompanied with the release of a new Xbox 360 console (as either a new retail configuration,[23][24] a significant design revision[25] and/or a modest hardware upgrade[26]). Microsoft dismissed the reports in public, and repeatedly emphasized that Project Natal would be fully compatible with all Xbox 360 consoles. Microsoft indicated that the company considers it to be a significant initiative, as fundamental to the Xbox brand as Xbox Live,[14] and with a launch akin to that of a new Xbox console platform.[27] Kinect was even referred to as a "new Xbox" by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at a speech for the Executives' Club of Chicago.[28][29] When asked if the introduction will extend the time before the next-generation console platform is launched (historically about 5 years between platforms),[30] Microsoft corporate vice president Shane Kim reaffirmed that the company believes that the life cycle of the Xbox 360 will last through 2015 (10 years).[14]

During Kinect's development, project team members experimentally adapted numerous games to Kinect-based control schemes to help evaluate usability. Among these game were Beautiful Katamari and Space Invaders Extreme, which were demonstrated at the Tokyo Game Show in September 2009.[31] According to creative director Kudo Tsunoda, adding Kinect-based control to pre-existing games would involve significant code alterations, making it unlikely for Kinect features to be added through software updates.[32]

Although the sensor unit was originally planned to contain a microprocessor that would perform operations such as the system's skeletal mapping, it was revealed in January 2010 that the sensor would no longer feature a dedicated processor. Instead processing would be handled by one of the processor cores of the Xbox 360's Xenon CPU.[33] According to Alex Kipman, the Kinect system consumes about 10-15% of the Xbox 360's computing resources.[34] A number of observers commented that the computational load required for Kinect makes the addition of Kinect functionality to pre-existing games through software updates even less likely, with Kinect-specific concepts instead likely to be the focus for developers using the platform.[33]

On March 25, Microsoft sent out a save the date flier for an event called the "World Premiere 'Project Natal' for the Xbox 360 Experience" at E3 2010. The event took place on the evening of Sunday, June 13, 2010 at the Galen Center.[35] The event featured a performance by Cirque du Soleil. It was announced that the system would officially be called Kinect, a portmanteau of the words "kinetic" and "connect", which describe key aspects of the initiative.[36] Microsoft also announced that the North American launch date for Kinect will be November 4, 2010.[37] Despite previous statements dismissing speculation of a new Xbox 360 to accompany the launch of new control system, Microsoft announced at E3 2010 that it was introducing a redesigned Xbox 360, complete with a Kinect-ready connector port. In addition, a new US$199 model is planned for release in the fall (around the time of the Kinect launch), and the redesigned Xbox 360 console is also to be available in a Kinect bundle.[38]
[edit] Software
See also: List of Kinect games

Requiring at least 175 MB of available storage space,[39] the Kinect system software allows users to operate the Xbox 360 Dashboard console user interface using voice commands and hand gestures. Techniques such as voice recognition and facial recognition are used for automatically identifying users. Among the applications for Kinect is Video Kinect, which uses Kinect for conducting voice chat or video chat with Windows Live Messenger users or other Xbox 360 users. The application can use Kinect's tracking functionality and the Kinect sensor's motorized pivot to adjust the camera so that the user is kept in frame even when moving. Other applications promoted with Kinect include ESPN on Xbox 360, and Zune on Xbox Live.[40]

As of September 2009, third-party publishers confirmed by Microsoft to be working on future Kinect titles include Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, CAPCOM, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, Konami, MTV Games, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ Inc. and Ubisoft.[41] 16 launch titles for Kinect have been announced, along with several other titles which have been confirmed to support the technology.[