Microsoft Introduces Kinect for Xbox 360
At a live event featuring Cirque du Soleil, Microsoft unveils Kinect, formerly code-named Project Natal on the eve of the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. The Kinect is a controller-free gaming device that Microsoft is positioning as an entirely new way to experience entertainment in the living room. The Sunday-night Cirque du Soleil show illustrated this concept by telling the story of a boy and his Xbox 360. He begins the show playing Xbox alone with a traditional controller, but when he and his family are introduced to Kinect, they all enjoy games and entertainment together. A commercial-free version of the Cirque du Soleil show will air on U.S. television on Tuesday, June 15, at 3:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. EDT on Nickelodeon, MTV and other channels.
The slim black Kinect sensor plugs directly into any Xbox 360. Despite its small size, the Kinect device contains a camera, audio sensors, and motion-sensing technology that tracks 48 points of movement on the human body. It has the ability to recognize faces and voices. With Kinect, game-players no longer need to memorize different commands for a hand-held control. You are the controller, said Mike Delman, corporate vice president of Global Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business. You simply step in front of the sensor and Kinect sees you move, hears your voice and recognizes your face.
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