Xbox Kinect

[Tiwaking!]

Okay for starters: I dont like this whole idea of full body motion controller malarky. Its gimmicky. Its stupid. Its exhausting.

This afternoon I got my first and probably last ever go at using the Xbox Kinect. S.I.T purchased a device and it is to be used for testing purposes.

The setup was fairly painless. Voice recognition is required for some reason. Also there is a 'pause' posture where if you perform said posture, the game 'pauses'. This can get quite annoying when you're stretching as it misreads it as a pause.

BASICALLY if you've used eyetoy then you've used this. Its just a minor upgrade. The only positive thing I have to say about the kinect is: It has some amazing motion capture technology which I would love, LOVE to play around with. Unfortunately its facial expression detection isnt as good as the playstation move.

Here is a video of me playing Kinetic Adventures: River Race. It was pretty immersive using the chair. The only reason I am playing is because the detector refused to acknowledge the presence of the guy standing in front of it and somehow picked up my skeleton when I was sitting behind him.

There are more videos (you can even see another guy filming me playing in this video) and I'll try to put them online.




One of the funniest things is at the end of a game it takes pictures of 'highlights', very similar to any eyetoy game. One of the guys playing kept removing his clothes so the snapshots looked like a very energetic strip show.

p.s I will also not get out of a chair for a game which does not involve murdering something.

[Arnifix]

I cannot wait to karate chop ghost in the cock while pretending to play some bullshit kinect game. Prodding his cock with a move controller makes us question our sexuality too much to be a valid option for genital punishment.

Also, it tends to make the virtual dog thing jump at his junk, which is creepy. Electric dogs know how to hurt us!

[Ping]

I played it for the first time tonight and thought it was alright.

BTW Tiwaking, your video is marked as private.

[Tiwaking!]

I played it for the first time tonight and thought it was alright.

BTW Tiwaking, your video is marked as private.

I know. The video is not on my channel and our lecturer made the creator take it down and I am pretty sure I wont be allowed to upload the other videos I took.

So if you missed watching the video: Tough.


Also, give these ideas a try when you next play:

1) Start randomly dancing. It looks hilarious. No break dancing though, dont want you to hurt yourself.

2) Play with your crotch. Urr, I mean "Use your crotch as a controller". Yeah, I got a few disturbing looks when I said I was going to do this. Please make sure you keep your clothes on.

3) Start taking your clothes off while playing. The pictures Kinetic Adventures takes makes it look like the game is stripping you naked while you play.

[Mithster18]

Eyetoy for the PS2 didn't take up too much room and you could play it sitting down. But from what I've seen to play kinect you need the size of a lounge to play it, which is probably why they're marketing it towards family fun over an OMGFORZAROFLHALO experience. I do like the idea though, just not right for "serious" gamers at the moment.

[Ping]

I know. The video is not on my channel and our lecturer made the creator take it down and I am pretty sure I wont be allowed to upload the other videos I took.

So if you missed watching the video: Tough.

Wait, what??
Why post it if no one can watch it, illogical!

[Pyromanik]

A major breakthrough in the quest for interactive porn.

[Tiwaking!]

A major breakthrough in the quest for interactive porn.

This afternoon I spent some time playing a surprisingly fun game:

Harmonix: Dance Central

This is where the kinetic really shines, reading your feeble attempts at dance moves. HOWEVER: During the song breaks you get to go into 'freestyle mode' where it will take snapshots of you in action and show them after the musical break ends.

Apparently they can get uploaded to your xbox live account and, if you are naked during the snap shots, you will be banned.

edit:

Wait, what??
Why post it if no one can watch it, illogical!

It was online for one day before being removed. I would put it on my channel, but I know 100% that one of my classmates will watch it in class and my lecturer will catch me.

Then I shall be in really big trouble.

[Bell]

I do like the idea though, just not right for "serious" gamers at the moment.

This is true, but FPS devs may one day use the kinect in addition to standard controllers to give you cool shit like headtracking.
The hate towards this device from hardcore gamers has been quite hilarious, they are making stuff like this to expand into other demographics and bring more people into gaming, it shouldn't even effect you.
Well unless you think its edgy or cool to be a gamer and want to stay in the minority.

I've shown afew non-gamers the kinect and my workmate has done the same, and quite afew of them are now excited about playing games when they never have been before.

[Spork]

^^ Not true at all, I mean, consoles do the same thing, but thanks to consoles the Battlefield series has changed completely.

Where's my BF3?

Also, COD is crap as fuck now because of consoles.

[Mithster18]

^^ Not true at all, I mean, consoles do the same thing, but thanks to consoles the Battlefield series has changed completely.

Where's my BF3?

Also, COD is crap as fuck now because of consoles.

Definitely, not reallly a big fan of the BC series, only play them because they're there. Hoping BF3 will be super-über-epic on the PC with 128 players with BF2ness + more and consoles only getting like 16 or 32 (Maybe 128 for PS3 like MAG) players or whatever the max they can handle is. BC seems to be scaled down to seem more similar to COD that a traditional BF game.

MW2 is over there ->

X = Battlefield series + What it needs
X=
I've been doing too much physics study lately...

[Spork]

Alright you're good to go!

[Tiwaking!]

I've shown afew non-gamers the kinect and my workmate has done the same, and quite afew of them are now excited about playing games when they never have been before.

Hi Bell!

I've been working on a, well, I've been trying to make a fighting game which is basically a 2D fighter with a more interesting input system.

It reads in the hand signs/hand inputs you use to cast spells, exactly like in the anime Naruto. You have your normal 2D interface and the ability to use the special moves either through the interface or two 'preset' (commonly used) moves.

This means that people who are not obsessive fans of the series can simply stick to using the two moves (which they can change) whereas hardcore addicts have almost free reign of any move they know.

Using the Wiimote works but its abit clunky. Since I will get to use the Kinetic next year in HCI, how well can the Kinetic read hand/fingers?

I noticed in Dance Central that it is fairly amazing at capturing a persons motions. I was very surprised because it seems so much more of a polished interface in Dance Central than in the flagship title: Kinetic Adventures.

[SmiLinSniPeR]

Now this was interesting.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40316967/ns/technology_and_science-the_new_york_times

[private_hell]

i like the kinect and i dont even own an xbox - sonys move is little more that wii motes with object tracking, where as the kinect is amazing technology

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

If and when Kinetic is able to be used with XNA games, i'll get it.

[Bell]

I've shown afew non-gamers the kinect and my workmate has done the same, and quite afew of them are now excited about playing games when they never have been before.

Hi Bell!

I've been working on a, well, I've been trying to make a fighting game which is basically a 2D fighter with a more interesting input system.

It reads in the hand signs/hand inputs you use to cast spells, exactly like in the anime Naruto. You have your normal 2D interface and the ability to use the special moves either through the interface or two 'preset' (commonly used) moves.

This means that people who are not obsessive fans of the series can simply stick to using the two moves (which they can change) whereas hardcore addicts have almost free reign of any move they know.

Using the Wiimote works but its abit clunky. Since I will get to use the Kinetic next year in HCI, how well can the Kinetic read hand/fingers?

I noticed in Dance Central that it is fairly amazing at capturing a persons motions. I was very surprised because it seems so much more of a polished interface in Dance Central than in the flagship title: Kinetic Adventures.

It doesn't really do fingers.
How exactly are you going to get to use the Kinetic next year, are you going to use the hacked libs?
The hackers have done some decent stuff so far but are still along way off decent skeleton tracking.

The dance central dudes worked really hard on the UI interface and it shows, it wasnt easy being in the first group of kinect developers because nothing had been figured out, everyone had to prototype a shitload to see what worked.
Dance central also has the advantage of time, kinect adventures has to give you instant feedback to make your avater move and jump as soon as possible.
Dance central doesn't need to give you instant feedback because it is just a scoring device, it doesn't actually translate your actions into the game world like adventures.

[Tiwaking!]

It doesn't really do fingers.
How exactly are you going to get to use the Kinetic next year, are you going to use the hacked libs?
The hackers have done some decent stuff so far but are still along way off decent skeleton tracking.

Thanks for the feedback Bell

I assumed Ken knew the ins and outs of xbox kinetic, but it looks like some actual study is going to be required.

From the kinetic menu systems a remake of Arx Fatalis would definitely be doable. Might try and make that idea reality.

edit: New Kinect video uploaded

[Bell]

Okay for starters: I dont like this whole idea of full body motion controller malarky. Its gimmicky. Its stupid. Its exhausting.

Sounds like you might be enjoying this gimmicky stupid exhausting motion control busniess

[toofast]

I have never got this negative view of kinetic from more serious gamers. Kinetic has impressed me a lot. It seems a prime example of giving game devs good tools, and letting them innovate good games, rather than trying to adapt existing games to that. I would probably never get a ps move or wii, but i would consider the kinetic

[Bell]

I've pretty much played all of the release titles now.
Some titles are complete and utter shit, while others have really impressed me with how fun they are.

Great:
Kinect sports - nearly all of these games are fun especially against flatmates
Dance Central - really polished and a well thought out use of Kinect, just abit hard to get into as a male but chicks love it.

Good:
Fitness evolved - if you like fitness stuff it is really good, you can't cheat it so really get a proper workout (I was sore the next morning after a 20min session)
Kinect Adventures - pretty fun with afew people but can get old quick and is boring single player

Bad:
Sonic Riders - really shit controls, especially the menus
Joy Ride - just a terrible idea gets boring after 1 lap, why the fuck would you want to control a car with a virtual steering wheel that gives you no feedback the whole time I wanted to grab a controller and if the game had a controller it would still be the worst racing game i've seen in years. 1/10

Kinectimals - this is aimed at kids so hard to judge, but it just seems to slow and repetitive I think kids would enjoy Kinect sports far more than this but maybe 6 year old girls would love it I just don't know.

[Tiwaking!]

I've pretty much played all of the release titles now.

I know this is very short notice but:

I have to demonstrate the XNA 'cannon game' running on the xbox360 on Monday. How hard would it be to make it work using the Kinect as input?

Libraries, code and tool advice is incredibly welcome

I've got all monday to do it and will have pretty much free reign over its use.

[Apostrophe Spacemonkey]

You're probably the most expert on the Kinect here.


Kinect isn't supported by XNA yet.

The closest someone could do at the moment is some kind of video processing from a video stream maybe.

[Spork]

So, the Kinect is about 100% better than Move?

[Bell]

I've pretty much played all of the release titles now.

I know this is very short notice but:

I have to demonstrate the XNA 'cannon game' running on the xbox360 on Monday. How hard would it be to make it work using the Kinect as input?

Libraries, code and tool advice is incredibly welcome

I've got all monday to do it and will have pretty much free reign over its use.

No idea use google, im not sure how the hacked librabies are going but I'd say they would be quite messy to work with currently and trying to hook them up to XNA and your xbox would be a big stretch by monday
 I only develop using the official licensed kinect SDK as an licensed Xbox developer so there is noway you can get the same tools and libraries as I do.