Microsoft has just deployed its new Avatar Kinect application for Xbox consoles equipped with the Kinect sensor, allowing owners of the two devices to engage in full 3D chats with friends as well as record videos, edit them, and then share the footage with others. Microsoft promised that it isn't pushing owners of the Xbox console to buy a Kinect, but it's been deploying lots of features that make use of the new sensor in order to turn it into a must-have addition to the regular Xbox experience.
We've already seen lots of games made for the new device, and Microsoft has previewed plenty of new services that will be released later this year for the Xbox and Kinect. Now, the company has finally deployed the Avatar Kinect application, which was presented earlier this year, as a new way to talk to friends through your Xbox avatars, which will behave just like your own body, thanks to the tracking done by the Kinect. What's more, the Avatar Kinect application can also allow you to record, edit and then share footage of your antics online.
Share your video recording with friends by uploading it to KinectShare. But, away from the negativity for the moment, lets focus on what kind of magic we can do with Avatar Kinect.
Avatar Kinect boasts to be something of the future. People being able to transform into something or someone else and become part of a community who can chat about anything, at any time, about what they want, when they want. Microsoft even say that this kind of technology is what Kinect was all about from the get-go, and that video conferencing, while staying anonymous could be used for youth group-therapy sessions, allowing youths to talk with real life people to solve personal problems and issues.
But other than social video chats, what could this technology be useful for? I would like to bet that businesses will not be replacing their usual monthly video-link schedule with Avatar Kinect, unless of course you work in a toy store, but Microsoft have other plans up their sleeve. For the time being, Avatar Kinect will be made available free for all Xbox Live members, but come September 8 the feature will turn gold, meaning that you must have a valid Xbox Live subscription to get in on the fun.
All in all, what do you think of Avatar Kinect? Do you think it is a good idea? Apart from the fun-factor, what else could it be used for? I guess the only way we will find out is to use it and see. Jamie has a background in computer repairs and maintenance along with network administration, he now enjoys utilizing the benefits of new technologies and enjoys writing about anything that brings new technology to the world.
He began writing for Product Reviews in mid and has since expanded his knowledge across a wide-base of devices, he is looking to get more hands-on experience with new devices to gain a better understanding of the latest and greatest technologies.
0コメント