How is the Kinect working out for you? Good, great? Well, Rare studios is looking to make the experience even better. Rare studio manager Scott Hensen told MCV that the Kinect has more potential than what’s currently out in the market and they’re looking for better ways to exploit it.
One could probably maintain an entire blog full of impressive Minecraft feats, but Nathan Viniconis has just done something extra special: Using depth and color information from Microsoft’s Kinect motion-sensing camera, he’s generated gigantic statues of himself within the world of Minecraft.
I’ve never played Kinect. There were times the opportunity presented itself (press events, visits to a friend’s home), but for myriad reasons (read: self-consciousness) I always declined. Even after I watched “i do internet”‘s amusing video starring a young boy trying – and failing – to play a Kinect game, I still don’t have much interest in giving it a shot. However, a strong desire to check out more Kinect-related videos cropped up. Mission accomplished?
Keep reading to check out the video, if only for tips on how to screw up your friends’ Kinect gaming sessions. (Via Reddit)
One of Kinect’s most unique features is the ability to track motion in three dimensions, and yet you don’t see a lot of games playing up this angle. So leave it to a clever artist and engineer, Memo Akten, to do the job with the now open-source Kinect drivers. This video shows Akten drawing all around himself with a single hand, then using two hands to rotate the image freely. Though Akten only creates simple squiggles in the video, I imagine that a really obsessive artist could create some amazing 3D sculptures. Yep, this Kinect hacking idea is getting pretty awesome in a hurry. Make sure to check out the Interactive Puppet Prototype as well. [Vimeo via Game Culture]
For all intents and purposes, Atomic Accessories’ Game Boat is just a plain old water raft. But hey, put it in front of a TV with Kinect for Xbox 360, and it’s “de facto the first accessory for the peripheral which doesn’t need any.” I love the brutal honesty.
Well don’t I feel silly waiting for an hour to try Kinect for Xbox 360 during E3. Microsoft is taking its motion-sensing camera on the road, touring Kinect around 32 U.S. cities, starting this weekend. Many of the games that were playable at E3 — Kinect Sports, Kinect Adventures, Kinect Joy Ride, Kinectimals and Dance Central — will be there. First up is Macy’s in Manhattan, on Saturday and Sunday, and the Mall of America in Minneapolis, from now until August 22. You’ll also be able to try Kinect at Microsoft’s four retail stores, in Scottsdale, Ariz.; Mission Viejo, Calif.; Denver; and San Diego. Full list of cities after the jump.
