The most futuristic device you can have in your living room...hacked
Posted 11.19.2010 at 1:45 pm
30 Comments
Kinect Shadow Puppets
Theo Watson
Microsoft's Kinect is amazing. The first time you try the "crank that" Soulja Boy dance on Dance Central, or slam a ping-pong ball in Kinect Sports using only your awkward, flailing arms--those are moments of sheer futuristic glee. The Kinect, as we noted in our review, is definitely lacking in must-have games, but the potential of Kinect is way bigger than merely video games. Luckily, hackers have almost immediately stepped up to free it from the shackles of the Xbox. Here are six of the hacks we've seen already.
The Kinect's combination of hardware and software allows it to do some pretty incredible things. The video sensors basically spit out thousands of little light dots to measure distance and movement, and thanks to the analysis software, are able to do some incredibly impressive things. Just try out Your Shape: Fitness Evolved--the game tracks your tiniest movement with near-total precision. Unfortunately, the audio side of things has proved harder to take advantage of, largely because it's Microsoft's software that makes the Kinect able to filter out ambient noise, distinguish between speakers, and adjust volume so you never have to yell. But surely that will come--the Kinect has only been available for two weeks, remember.
Still, the Kinect is a limited device at the moment. You can play the few Kinect-specific games that are available and control a few parts of the Xbox experience, but most of the Kinect launch games are underwhelming, and Kinect can't be used to control the vast majority of the Xbox dashboard. Netflix, especially, is begging for it--just imagine being able to say "Xbox! Play 30 Rock, season two, episode seven, on Netflix," or swipe through seasons with a wave of the hand. That kind of control is totally possible, but hasn't been implemented yet.
Luckily, Microsoft's plans for Kinect, as well as Kinect's processing software, won't stop at just a few video games. Kotaku explored some of the things Microsoft's got in store, which include implementation in other devices entirely (computers, tablets, smartphones, cars), controlling live television, and all kinds of other stuff. But since nobody wants to wait for Microsoft to roll out these new applications, hackers have stepped up to see what can be done with Kinect right now. (And don't worry--it's been hacked to work with Mac OS X, too.)
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That is awesome.
So cool.
This certainly got me interested to going back and playing with some computer vision projects. Viva Ubuntu!
The lag is what bothers me most with the Kinect. Having a delay of a half second or whatever is pretty noticeable. I know it's a first gen camera/controller system and they had to keep the price down, but if they can make the lag disappear on a next gen version, it will be a much better tool for developers and hackers alike. Still great, though.
@Kormiko: I don't have an XBox or a Kinect, but I assumed the lag was just from the hacked software. Is there such a noticeable lag in actual Kinect use?
-IMP ;) :)
And to that idiot who called me ignorant suck on these technoballz you female dog
I'm surprised you didn't recognize Hector Martin aka marcan42 aka marcan as the creator of the driver or that he created the driver in less than three hours. Something as awesome like that should have been on this article. You should also take a look at his tracking of a rectangular surface to display his laser scanner projector...
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Awesome, but how long will Microsoft(MoneyMonger) allow this,as soon as there is a significant and game changing hack it will sue them and take their doings...
I wish Google came out with this, then it would have definitely given opensource access and in turn leading to unimaginable possibilities(much more wild what we are seeing here,cuz with Google it would not be hacking,it would be using exposed API's)..
I know i know many of u consider Google also or Google as evil,but come on guys-Google earned its fortune by giving as free services ,is'nt it in it self awesome...
why, mr. Anderson, why, why do you persist?
Because I Choose To...
Regards
This is the only way Kinect impresses me - with its *non*-gaming potential. As far as motion-sensitive gaming is concerned, a Wiimote or Move controller is far better.
I notice the computer is an Apple.
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Kinect can hadle fingers just fine. As Karl said, it is about reading points, no neccessarily limbs. If you are close enough and the 40 points are are focused on your hands, the fingures can be tracked. If you go to Primsense's web site they already demonstrated this.
@Elven: the chip set is the same minus the processor. M$ is tracking fewer point and using the xbox processor to reduce lag. M$ can unlock any of the original features with software. There is no need for a plus version of Kinect until the next Xbox is released, and that will be part of the xbox design.
Commodity Tips
Kinect can hadle fingers just fine. As Karl said, it is about reading points, no neccessarily limbs. If you are close enough and the 40 points are are focused on your hands, the fingures can be tracked. If you go to Primsense's web site they already demonstrated this.
@Elven: the chip set is the same minus the processor. M$ is tracking fewer point and using the xbox processor to reduce lag. M$ can unlock any of the original features with software. There is no need for a plus version of Kinect until the next Xbox is released, and that will be part of the xbox design.
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am glad to see they are putting the device to a good use.
A lot of my mates are big xbox fans and they will defend Kinect till the end, as many people will, but the fact it, these people claim to be 'hardcore' gamers. which is fair enough, but at the end of the day, however good a dance game may be, it is still exactly that...........a dance game.
It's surprising how so many of these 'hardcore' gamers have suddenly become such great fans of dancing!
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My personal favorite is Oliver Kreylos' 3D Holographic program.
The Multitouch Surface is also very cool.
One potential function I'm excited about (depending on the resolution of the 3D map, which I'm not sure of) is 3D scanning. I'd love to be able to scan my Warmachine models into 3D meshes.
Also, a Kinect/projector single unit item would be SWEET. They'd be totally badass for my gaming rooms when I open up my gaming nightclub.
Actually, a traditional MS Surface would still probably be better for something like that. At least you could build one fairly easily using a Kinect.
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Wow,the picture is so amazing.And how strong the softare is."You can play the few Kinect-specific games that are available and control a few parts of the Xbox experience,but most of the Kinect launch games are underwhelming, and Kinect can't be used to control the vast majority of the Xbox dashboard. "Is it ture?I hope I can have it.
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This is so cool. I have been waiting for Minority Report data minipulation for years finaly some one did it. SWEET!!!
Imagine carrying a pocket projector, but it's also a computer that recognizes input through the kinect's technology.
Now that would be neat.
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too bad it wouldn't be very practical unless it was some sort of space-age 3D hologram projector...
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