The new Xbox 360 launched today, and is priced at $299. The older Elite model will stick around for $249 and the Arcade will drop to $149. ESPN and Microsoft said Xbox 360 owners will be able to stream live sporting events if they are also Xbox Live Gold subscribers. A new ESPN channel will feature more than 3,500 live sporting events during its first year.
Microsoft officially announced their full-body motion control system for the Xbox 360, now called Kinect on Sunday evening during the E3 2010 trade show. Microsoft says it will be available in November.
Microsoft director Alex Kipman, originally named it after the Brazilian city of Natal, as a tribute to his country of origin.
A 45-minute theatrical performance by Cirque du Soleil utilized Kinect with a 76-person cast of “dancers, musicians, acrobats and clowns,” with 25-foot high projection screens above the stage.
There are supposedly going to be around 12 titles available when Kinect launches later this year, according to USA Today. Current rumors suggest there will be two version of Natal with the more expensive version priced at $189.
So-called “gesture control” systems utilize camera sensors to detect radar-like beams that hit objects in the room. Such systems have a surprisingly fine level of detail, even able to recognize different hand signals or small movements — even incorporate facial recognition.
Kinect was first announced on June 1, 2009 at E3 2009 as “Project Natal”. Microsoft said that over one thousand software development kits began shipping to game developers that same day. It is scheduled to be released in time for Christmas 2010.
The technology utilizes Microsoft’s software research, with Microsoft adding software control to 3DV, an Israeli 3-D camera company it recently acquired.
A light source puts out a train of short light pulses. Each pulse becomes a “light wall” that moves forward and illuminates the field of view. The energy detected by each camera pixel corresponds inversely to the distance, so the light reflected from a near object is captured completely while the reflection from a distant object appears too late to be captured, explains Broadcast Engineering. The 3DV Zcam offered keying that’s based on range-mapping, allowing objects to be attached to layers, eliminating the need for chroma key.
At the Society for Information Display in Seattle last month, companies showed off 3-D displays that don’t require glasses. These sets often use lenticular lenses, which are integrated into the display and project different images in two fixed directions. But a viewer needs to stand in designated zones to experience a 3-D effect; otherwise the screen becomes an out-of-focus blur.
Microsoft’s prototype display can deliver 3-D video to two viewers at the same time (one video for each individual eye), regardless of where they are positioned. It incorporates Kinect technology to determine location. The market for 3-D-capable televisions is expected to grow from 2.5 million sets shipped in 2010 to 27 million in 2013, according to the research firm DisplaySearch.
Perhaps gesture recognition will be incorporated into public art projects. Experiential marketing — without the marketing.
The Wireless Association announced today a five day interactive event in the main hall of Washington, DC’s Union Station. From June 14th-18th, CTIA will host a 50-foot-wide “Wireless Freedom Dome”– a 360-degree interactive experience where visitors can submit photos and messages using their wireless devices.
