5 Things You Need To Know About The Kinect

Guest Post by Britney Baker of PrepaidCellPhones.net. If you’re interested in submitting a guest post, contact me.

If you are considering purchasing a Microsoft Kinect device to use with your Xbox 360, before you go out and spend the $150+ dollars for the system, there are a few things you should take into consideration.

photo credit: Jon Åslund

1. The Kinect does not need a controller.

When watching demos or viewing commercials for the Kinect, many people ask where the controller is located. The answer is your body. With its sophisticated motion sensing technology and voice recognition, there is no need for a separate manual controller. You can control your Xbox 360 by addressing it with the prefix ‘Xbox’, or you can use your hands to navigate the menus. The hands free approach is what makes the Kinect one of the most appealing devices on today’s market.

For example, say you are watching a movie on your 360 and the phone rings. Instead of hunting around for the controller to pause the movie before you answer the phone, you can simply say “Xbox pause”, and Kinect will recognize your command and pause itself accordingly, allowing you to answer the phone. Once you are finished, you can say, “Xbox resume” and pick up your movie as you were.

2. The Kinect needs at least 8 feet of space.

Because it is a motion sensing device, you will need plenty of space in order for the camera to detect you. The cameras within the device need to see your entire body, so standing back around six feet is necessary. This means you need at least eight feet of space in front of the device in order to operate properly.

3. The Kinect is compatible with the older Xbox 360.

If you have an original Xbox 360, you will still be able to use the Kinect. However, you will need to purchase an adapter to plug the device into the back of the machine, as it uses a proprietary connection instead of a USB connection.

4. The Kinect can detect multiple people using the device.

Many people ask whether the sensor can handle more than one person on the screen. In fact, the Kinect features jump in/jump out technology, which means a person who wants to join in can merely jump into the view of the sensor in order to start playing. Once they are finished, they can jump out without the need for the original player to stop or restart the game.

5. The Kinect can detect people who are sitting down.

When the device was first debuted as Project Natal, many reporters and media types reported having trouble with the device detecting sitting people. This is because of the way the wire frame algorithm for the Kinect was rigged, placing the hip point below the leg point when people are sitting. This has now been changed with the release of the Kinect, so it does not have problems detecting individuals.

Britney Baker reviews prepaid cellphones for PrepaidCellphones.net. Her latest review looked at Tracfone.