How Microsoft could instantly make the Kinect awesome.

[migo]

Forget motion controls, make it all about head tracking. We've all (I hope) seen that awesome hack making use of the Wiimote and the sensor bar reversed for head tracking to provide 3D. We also know that 3D with glasses doesn't look as good as 3D with the head tracking does. So Microsoft could work on converting titles to 3D making use of head tracking with the Kinect, so rather than buying a new 3DTV that ends up having lower image quality than 2D (that oily sheen just won't go away), you just buy a Kinect, put it on top of your TV, and games that support it get head tracking. You play with the same controller as always, but if you tilt to get a look around the corner, or just even with generally moving your head, the image changes. It'll look 3D without the loss in image quality or the headaches.

If the choice is $150 to get 3D for 1 person, or $3,000 + $100/pair of glasses, $150 is a really easy choice to make. It's also something Sony would never do, even though the PS3 Eye could theoretically support the same head tracking since Sony also wants to sell their expensive 3DTVs.

 

[Cherry Cola]

It would still be $150 for something that essentially amounts to a gimmick. An expensive gimmick that will only support a small amount of games compared to the entirety of the 360 library.

 

[rileyrulesu]

would you mind linking to that head tracking hack, it sounds cool, and i haven't seen it

 

[Wolfram23]

I support head tracking, but I fail to see how that qualifies as 3D. 3D = 3 dimensional vision, as in depth perception. Head tracking is if anything closer to surround vision, although head tracking 3D surround vision would be great lol.

 

[migo]

Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the dude who did it, and that's the only way to find it on google, so someone else will have to help. I spent several years unable to find it until it was brought up again with regards to the 3DS, on one of the tech blogs, but now there's so much 3DS discussion it's also pretty hard to find.

 

[BadassCyborg]

They could make it awesome by adding an attachment that makes you orgasm when you earn an achievement

 

[VanQ]

I don't see how that would work really, imagine this: some genius developer decides to make it so you have to turn your head to turn the camera but guess what, you die because you are no longer looking at the screen. The idea sounds okay in theory, but in practice it's just going to cause a headache.
In all honesty, as cool as these guys at Nintendo and Sony are trying to make this "3D" crap sounds its just that, a crappy parlor trick that takes advantage of the fact that humans have 2 eyes and no brains.

 

[Mr. Grey]

I had a long winded speech of why this wouldn't work... then I figured out what the hell you were talking about. You mean if you're facing the wall and you tilt your head and body as if looking around it the character looks around it? No turning of the head and such?

I can support that, but I don't know if it can work for third person gaming.

And it seems feasible... I mean, it isn't entirely, but it can be done within budget.

 

[Vankraken]

I don't think the 360 would have the processing power for 3D on that level. Also i would feel it would be annoying that any movement of your head resulted in a change in the display. Talking to somebody, eating food, drinking, shifting your weight, etc would all effect your display and probably become an eye sore as the time between your movement, the device recognizing the change, and the rendering of the changed perspective would create a deplay that would probably be a pain to look at. This could be the next virtual boy in terms of eye irritation. Plus if you have another person in the room i would hate to see how bad the display would be for them.

 

[migo]

I don't see how that would work really, imagine this: some genius developer decides to make it so you have to turn your head to turn the camera but guess what, you die because you are no longer looking at the screen. The idea sounds okay in theory, but in practice it's just going to cause a headache.
In all honesty, as cool as these guys at Nintendo and Sony are trying to make this "3D" crap sounds its just that, a crappy parlor trick that takes advantage of the fact that humans have 2 eyes and no brains.

I guess I assumed to much with people having seen the video. That's not how the head tracking works.

 

[migo]

Basically, how it would work is like this. The TV screen is like a window, if you're looking out the window, everything stays in place, but if you walk over to one side or the other, things move a bit. What you end up getting is parallax. It would be no less disconcerting or weird to talk to someone else or adjust than it would be to do that while watching something happen out your window.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Once again, I think you're going to have to rely on user hacks to do anything really cool with it.

 

[rockingnic]

Here's a thought. Let's use it to track when parents come in and out so it knows when to censor the games. Othwise I find it basically almost useless.

 

[Mr. Grey]

I guess I assumed to much with people having seen the video. That's not how the head tracking works.

If it helps, I saw the video you're talking about.

Took me a bit to realise you were talking about that, though.

 

[Celtic_Kerr]

Hm... I don't know... Peripheral vision issues with a surprisingly large number of people would ruin it... One of my eyes is worse than the other, so my depth perception and peripherial vision isn't the best. I have to work and train my eyes to accomodate.

I don't see the head tracking making TOO much of a difference

 

[TPiddy]

They could make it awesome by adding an attachment that makes you orgasm when you earn an achievement

Hell yes! I'd buy Avatar: The last Airbender and a box of tissues!

 

[TPiddy]

Basically, how it would work is like this. The TV screen is like a window, if you're looking out the window, everything stays in place, but if you walk over to one side or the other, things move a bit. What you end up getting is parallax. It would be no less disconcerting or weird to talk to someone else or adjust than it would be to do that while watching something happen out your window.

This goes right out the window the instant you add another local player. Not to mention, I don't want to hold my head at some stupid angle to see properly because I"m at one end of the couch or the other.

 

[Desaari]

A quick YouTube search yielded this:

 

[migo]

Basically, how it would work is like this. The TV screen is like a window, if you're looking out the window, everything stays in place, but if you walk over to one side or the other, things move a bit. What you end up getting is parallax. It would be no less disconcerting or weird to talk to someone else or adjust than it would be to do that while watching something happen out your window.

This goes right out the window the instant you add another local player. Not to mention, I don't want to hold my head at some stupid angle to see properly because I"m at one end of the couch or the other.

Way to not read the first post, and still no.

 

[migo]

A quick YouTube search yielded this:

Thanks, yes that's the one!