Microsoft Makes Conference Calling Fun With Avatar Kinect

[Tom Goldman]

Microsoft Makes Conference Calling Fun With Avatar Kinect


Microsoft has announced a new Kinect-based group chat system to be incorporated into Xbox Live in 2011.

Microsoft had more than the Kinect [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/106693-Microsoft-Celebrates-Sales-Success-at-CES] to announce at its recent CES 2011 presentation. Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer also demonstrated a new feature coming to Xbox Live called Avatar Kinect.

Dubbed a "new way to socialize on Xbox Live," Avatar Kinect is a group chat system that uses Kinect to detect a user's body movements and translates them onto their Xbox Live avatar. It has a surprising level of accuracy at reading facial movements while talking, smiling, raising eyebrows, or laughing.

Avatar Kinect features many different backgrounds, such as a tailgating party, a "gothy" forest, and space. Why become an astronaut when you can just chat in space through Kinect?

It isn't quite Microsoft's version of PlayStation Home, as it mostly looks like a chat application, but it could be the first step toward a larger project. Avatar Kinect does allow users to record their chats and upload them online, with Microsoft's trailer showing off the idea of creating an Avatar Kinect talk show for Facebook.

So it's basically like video chat without the video and with Kinect-altered Xbox Live avatars instead, which could be a fun little application if integrated into Xbox Live properly. Avatar Kinect will be available for all Xbox Live Gold users in spring 2011.

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[the_pleasure_is_mine]

It looks impressive on a technical level and I like the idea.

Plus it's free which is always great.

I hope they combine this with all the left overs from 1 Vs 100 and combine them into something glorious.

Or not cause either way my brother has the only Kinect in the house right now.

 

[Baby Tea]

Not to shabby, actually.
Fun for friends, and I can see some machinima coming out of it as well.
Don't have a good camera for uploading a video podcast or something? Use this.

Hopefully they'll do more with it, but in the mean time: Not bad.

 

[TheTygerfire]

Why is it that genuinely interesting things are always made to look terrible with "interracial-multicultural-hipster-fun-for-all-ages-promotional-family-and-friends-action"?

 

[MurderousToaster]

Now, Ballmer, if you want me to like your Avatar Kinect system, go completely mental again while using it.

 

[Scarim Coral]

You know what, watching that video give me an idea that they should somehow make a RPG Kinect. How cool would your Avatar look when wearing the fantasy armours and weapons? Just don't ask me how they can incorporate the movement into the game, that their job to do it.

 

[therandombear]

Kinda interesting, that I can understand is gold membership. Now could you start to implement hulu, indie games, netflix and such to the European customers aswell...?

 

[lolmanxe]

ooooh inovation

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

You know what, watching that video give me an idea that they should somehow make a RPG Kinect. How cool would your Avatar look when wearing the fantasy armours and weapons? Just don't ask me how they can incorporate the movement into the game, that their job to do it.

I've decided I love this idea.

Seeing my avatar wielding magical weapons and striking down oversized rats would be nothing short of brilliant.

 

[XT inc]

I see no use for this application, If I sit down on xbox, I am playing a game in a chat group with people playing games. Why would we all join some psuedo room to flail about while we talk when we could be playing games.

 

[LawlessSquirrel]

Microsoft sure loves pandering to the Facebook crowd don't they? They seem to have gotten into the habit of making things worse just to appeal to that one audience.

Ahem...but other than that, I'd like this, if it applied to me. Can't see getting much use out of it other than brief novelty value, but no harm done.

EDIT after watching video: Pretentious bunch, ain't they?

 

[T-Bone24]

Gee, if it works as good as Facebook and Twitter on Xbox I'll definitely never use it.

I admit, it's kind of cool. It'll be neat to toy around with, but I can't see it taking up anyone's time for real. Does anybody use Kinect chat features for more than an hour at most? I use my Xbox to play games and occasionally watch a DVD, not as a video phone.

I don't see the Xbox as a real communication hub outside of social gaming. But, to each their own. Somebody's going to use it to the fullest and all power to them. Looks pretty cool, regardless.

 

[Armored Prayer]

Impressive, I actually kind of like this. If they can implement the tech here to an avatar game(actual games no mini games) I can see this being really fun with friends.

Though all this face movement will be useless for me considering my avatar wears a helmet.

 

[carrylightwithin]

I don't know I could see myself getting some use about this, seeing as a lot of my friends/relatives live far away. I imagine it would be made super easy to use so that my parents could handle it.

 

[teknoarcanist]

Can I be the first to say that I would love to see a game-related talk-show done with something like this on The Escapist? That seems to be the most obvious application.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

Same comment as in the last xbox thread, microsoft keeps making all this cool stuff to make me want to buy an xbox and I'm poor! Think of my children's college fund!

 

[Coliumbos]

Preparing for Pornstar mii-clones in 3... 2... 1...