Home Gaming Who Wants To See Kinect’s Tech Specs?

Who Wants To See Kinect’s Tech Specs?

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KinectClose.jpg

Kinect will be launched by Microsoft towards the end of this year and after getting some time with it at E3, we wonder how much will change by the time it hits the shelves.

Online store Play.com’s Kinect page is now up, and on it is the complete technical specs for the new controller-free device that Microsoft hopes will change our lives forever. According to the specs which, by the way, are “based on specifications supplied by manufacturers and should be used for guidance only” Kinect is only going to be able to handle a maximum of 2 active players.

No 4 player gaming? Oh noes.

It says that it will be able to track up to 6 players, of which 2 can be active, that means that party games will still exist, just don’t expect to be able to have 4 people playing at the same time.

Here are the specs:

Sensor

Colour and depth-sensing lenses
Voice microphone array
Tilt motor for sensor adjustment
Fully compatible with existing Xbox 360 consoles

Field of View

Horizontal field of view: 57 degrees
Vertical field of view: 43 degrees
Physical tilt range: ± 27 degrees
Depth sensor range: 1.2m – 3.5m

Data Streams

320×240 16-bit depth @ 30 frames/sec
640×480 32-bit colour@ 30 frames/sec
16-bit audio @ 16 kHz

Skeletal Tracking System

Tracks up to 6 people, including 2 active players
Tracks 20 joints per active player
Ability to map active players to LIVE Avatars

Audio System

LIVE party chat and in-game voice chat (requires Xbox LIVE Gold Membership)
Echo cancellation system enhances voice input
Speech recognition in multiple

This information is based on specifications supplied by manufacturers and should be used for guidance only.

Source: Play.com via Kotaku

Last Updated: June 30, 2010

11 Comments

  1. I like that xbox live Party chat option.. Do you have any idea if it you’ll still require like a headset to hear what your buddies are saying or does it play nicely through the TV’s speakers, and not so half muted like when you play without a headset?

    Reply

  2. lans

    June 30, 2010 at 10:47

    those specs look very similar to playstation eye :tongue:

    Reply

  3. Nick de Bruyne

    June 30, 2010 at 11:17

    Yeah, except for… you know, that whole part about skeletal tracking and depth.

    Reply

  4. lans

    June 30, 2010 at 11:54

    lol yea i know it does that skeletal stuff but still it reminds me of playstation eye!!!

    so im deducing that if more than six moving objects, like me, 2 of my friends a cat a rat, and a bird flying through the window

    and then a third friend comes and wants to watch us play natal, and natal will say “no game for all of yous?!!!” :sideways:

    Reply

  5. Gavin Mannion

    June 30, 2010 at 13:21

    According to the Kinect PR people it will work perfectly without a headset…

    That is actually one of their selling points

    Reply

  6. Nick de Bruyne

    June 30, 2010 at 13:51

    He makes a good point though, in my unboxing and interview video that I posted up recently, they told me that it could replace it yes, but he is right in wondering if they have done anything to improve the sound of the voice that comes out of the TV speakers, because it’s usually terrible. Like listening to Sylvester Stallone after 10 drinks

    Reply

  7. Bobby Kotick rides the wave

    June 30, 2010 at 14:55

    Probably because it is merely an augmented PS eye, (complimented with better software, but still ultimately 5 year old technology). I thought the addition of 4-player was supposed to be its ace up the sleeve. :sideways:

    Reply

  8. Bobby Kotick rides the wave

    June 30, 2010 at 14:57

    Software!

    The whole skeletal tracking thing sounds like a ruse to me. My guess is it still relies heavily on outlines and extrapolates from that, which would therefore account for Natal struggling to read you when you’re sitting or the fact that you’re actually a paraplegic.

    Reply

  9. Bobby Kotick is a patriot

    June 30, 2010 at 16:09

    Funniest thing I read on Kotaku about the Kinect:

    “Report: Here Are Kinect’s Technical Specs
    It’s an EyeToy.”

    Reply

  10. lans

    June 30, 2010 at 23:13

    oh by the way 4 people can play just need to buy 2 natal s and 2 xboxes for all the rich nerds

    Reply

  11. Gavin Mannion

    July 1, 2010 at 02:57

    Well in reality that’s what Microsoft has always been doing in gaming. The Xbox and Xbox 360 are simply low spec computers in a box.

    For Microsoft it’s all about the software, Sony love the hardware and Nintendo hammer on about the games.

    Reply

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