310°

Microsoft's Research Depth Enabled Kinect

People in the Xbox business unit researched the concept and determined it couldn't be done, Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer said. "They concluded it was impossible. It wasn't going to work,".

But then they decided to approach workers in Microsoft's research arm. Researchers there in a wide array of fields including depth sensing, machine learning, speech recognition, gestural interface, computer vision, identity recognition, sound processing and parallel computing got together to build what is now known as Kinect.

5677d ago Replies(4)
Seijoru5677d ago

They didn't conclude it was impossible lol, they concluded that it wouldn't give the kind of experience a real gamer could enjoy. At most Kinect is just a machine made for shovelware and at the least for things like headtracking and navigating menus.

a_squirrel5677d ago

I really can't see me playing halo with this. Just sayin'

XactGamer5677d ago

I can't see you playing Halo period.

talltony5677d ago

Sony passed on this tech. It just isn't practical but Microsoft didn't care they thought they could sell the idea that "you are the controller anyways"'kinect just isn't practical.

Chaostar5677d ago

"Few companies have the research depth to build something like Kinect..."

But two passed on the technology first?

"Microsoft came up with the concept behind Kinect..."

Who are they trying to fool or do they actually believe MS invented this tech?

Just seems like there's a lot of misinformation creeping around the interwebs involving Kinect. Why can't they just focus on what it can actually do, which, at the minute, isn't much. The tech is just not ready for advanced interation with computers... maybe with a decent internal chip and a few other hardware revisions future versions of these cameras may have a lasting inpact on the industry but not right now.

dizzleK5677d ago

speaking of misinformation-

"Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata was offered the chance to sign up the device that became Project Natal - but turned it down as he didn't believe he could launch it at a mass-market price."

http://www.computerandvideo...

it was passed up on by nintendo because they couldn't sell it cheaply enough, not because it was sh*t.

Silver3605677d ago

MS purchased 3DV but they are using Primesense' tech so it isn't the same tech that Nintendo was shown. According to the article PrimeSense is even providing the chips for Kinect.

blackpanther255677d ago (Edited 5677d ago )

"Iwata-san only ever invests in something he can guarantee will work for a Nintendo audience," the exec told us.

"He also had some worries around latency during gameplay."

from the same article.....not saying natal is crap but for for argument purposes read your source

DJMarty5676d ago

Sony also passed on Kinect tech, because it was very limited. And guess what it turns out Kinect has huge limitations, namely it don't work with most genre's.

Buttons & triggers are needed, gestures don't cut it.

nveenio5676d ago

Sony passed because they knew the tech wouldn't support the hardcore market. Microsoft doesn't support the hardcore market, and that's why they picked it up. If they DID care about the hardcore market, they wouldn't build machines that break if you play them too much.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 5676d ago
Blaze9295677d ago (Edited 5677d ago )

"Microsoft came up with the concept behind Kinect..."

Who are they trying to fool or do they actually believe MS invented this tech? "

seems you are the one being fooled yourself. How does coming up with a concept translate to inventing the tech? Coming up with the Kinect concept, of course Microsoft came up with the concept behind it. It's FOR the Xbox 360 and what it does and will do is MICROSOFT's concept of what they need/want it to do on the Xbox 360. From the Kinect dashboard, using it to video chat with LIVE and MSN members, ESPN use, etc. that is all Microsoft's CONCEPT for Kinect.

No one said they invented the technology....

Chaostar5677d ago (Edited 5677d ago )

@Blaze The concept of controller free gaming using a camera device was NOT concieved by Microsoft. The Eyetoy is proof of this but I'm unsure if Sony even came up with this concept themselve either.

As for voice recognition, thats been done before too obviously. My point stands, Microsoft didn't create a new concept, they applied an old one to their own product.

How am I wrong?

Edit: Oh I see, I put tech when I meant concept, my bad... but they didnt come up with the concept either.

@dizzleK Did I say they passed because it was sh*t? no, so don't project your anger.

Triella5676d ago (Edited 5676d ago )

Loads of bullshit MS didn't reserach anything and didn't come with any concept ... they just bought the cam makers and licenced the techno from other companies.

Do you know how many companies work with Z-cam motion sensing control ? Here are just a few :

Gesturetek (software licenced to MS)
Mesa
PMD Technologies
Canesta
Willow Garage
3DV (bought, killed and buried by MS)
Prime Sens (which received a $20 milion funding by MS)
Tzyx
Hokuyo
Sick

etc.

DelbertGrady5677d ago

Here they come again. Brace yourselves.

MariaHelFutura5677d ago

What are you talking about?

Kinect sets itself up to fail, that people like to talk about it shouldn`t be surprising. It looks like a massive waste of time when MS/360 only owners were hyping it up like it`s god`s gift to gaming. Most 360 owners on this site don`t even find it attractive....at all.

R2D25677d ago

you only posted your hate for MS like a million times in every Kinect article.

MS is teh evil and they want to control us by using Jedi mind tricks.

TheColbertinator5677d ago

Just because you hate Kinect doesn't mean you hate MS.I know many people who are still picking up Gears 3 and Halo Reach but not Kinect.Maybe some gamers dont want to play Kinect dancing games

IdleLeeSiuLung5677d ago (Edited 5677d ago )

It's as if Kinect raped your sister, killed your parents and is now the hero!

It's an accessory, if you don't like it go play with your Xbox 360/PS3. Do we really need the same trolls uttering the same comment every time a Kinect article comes up?

Megaton5677d ago (Edited 5677d ago )

Bubbles for Colbert. Everyone I know with a 360 thinks it's a joke, but that doesn't mean they like their 360 any less. They'll all still be buying their Halos, Gears and Fables. I just don't see how anyone not employed by Microsoft can honestly defend it based on what has been shown. Unless that kinda family-friendly shovelware is just your style, in which case I gotta wonder how you stumbled upon a site like this.

MicroSony4Life5677d ago

be new here. Have you seen Maria's comment history, clearly a PS3 troll who hates the Xbox.

For some reason I think GWAVE and MARIA are the persons.

TheColbertinator5677d ago

@MicroSony

No I have been in this site since early 2008 and I have seen all kinds of trolls come and go.I know who are the true trolls of this site and Maria cannot compare with the worst trolls on N4G.

Its just another day,another trolled Kinect article on N4G.

MariaHelFutura5676d ago

Thanks Steven. BTW, anyone who want to add me on XBL send me a PM. I only have XBLS though.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 5676d ago
trane075677d ago (Edited 5677d ago )

You're already here mr uno bubbles. Pot can't call the kettle black. You OF ALL people have got no room (or bubbles) to make such a statement.

insomnium5676d ago

Can you people remember the way Soda acted when Ghostbusters was found to be inferior (before the update) on PS3?

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 5676d ago
5677d ago
Show all comments (57)
40°

Microsoft has revoked the DMCA takedown that forced an indie Minecraft-like off Steam

Microsoft claimed the indie game uses "Minecraft content."

90°

Microsoft Expects More Xbox Content and Services Revenue Decline Despite Game Pass Growth

During the conference call for Q2 of FY2026, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood talked about the future of the xbox business.

Read Full Story >>
simulationdaily.com
dveio16d ago

«partly offset by growth in Xbox Game Pass.»

I take it with a big grain of salt. They've been reporting nothing about GP, only words.

We still don't have any hardware numbers, no software units sold, no subscription numbers, no PC vs console GP, we don't have any profit numbers ... we literally have nothing but overall revenue and words.

Reaper22_16d ago

Does it really matter? Are you shareholder? Gamers have to stop acting like these companies owe us something. Its obvious everything is down. Thats completely normal in all businesses. It will be up and down again.

dveio16d ago

Yes, since they don't get tired spewing out word salad 12 months a year.

"Biggest launch", "millions of players", "growth of", "here look our revenue", "We buy ABK", "We'll bring you 1st party every quarter", "Biggest this, biggest that", "We always wanted to share games with everyone", "We're growing", "biggest launch", "millions of players", ... you get the point.

They either shut up.

Or deliver numbers like Nintendo, Playstation, hell even Tencent does.

On a sidenote:

Just years ago, Microsoft wanted to buy out a whole lot more than just Zenimax and ABK. They even wanted to push Sony out and collect Nintendo in.

You bet your butt I'm demanding numbers.

16d ago
Christopher16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

In an article discussing industry matters, telling people to not worry or want better information on the industry is antithesis to the whole point of it. I'm going to try this out with all those review articles. I mean, who cares about scores, just try it out for yourself, that's the only opinion that matters.

dveio16d ago

«In an article discussing industry matters, telling people to not worry or want better information on the industry is antithesis to the whole point of it.»

Well.

That's it.

Case closed!

Profchaos16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

He might be a shareholder you can get a etorro or whatever online platform about and throw 20 bucks into Microsoft boom shareholder

BehindTheRows15d ago (Edited 15d ago )

Yes, it matters. This is business! Some gamers have to stop acting like it only matters when the company they prefer wants to play ball.

Eonjay15d ago

The fact that shareholders are also in the dark im sure is also completely fine with you and Microsoft doesn't owe them anything either amirite? Not withstanding how silly and potentially inappropriate it is for someone to defend a public company from hiding sales information, you are also completely wrong.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 15d ago
dveio16d ago

@varora

Thank you.

For over 10 years we've been in those quarterly discussions.

Yet Nintendo and Playstation are the only manufacturers that deliver numbers, that deliver proof, that give us numerical baselines to either brag about or compliment them.

The only fraction that's been pulling doooozens of doooozens, hundreds and thousands of word salad bribberish comments out of their Xbox'clestotitis fan cloud is the die hard Xbox community.

And by doing that they're even defending that downward spiral Xbox is suffering from.

Bring the numbers buddies, or else just stfu.

Reaper22_16d ago

Nintendo and Playstation can deliver all the numbers they want. It doesnt matter much because hardware isn't the only way to make money in the industry. Maybe decades ago but not now. That's why you see sony putting more and more games on PC. They know its the games that keeps the money coming. Consoles stagnate but not the software.
The fact is that Microsoft was and is never gonna outsell them. The competition's console sales doesnt really affect Microsoft"s profit margin much if at all.. Look at how many more consoles sony sells and then go look at what they report in profit. The gap is nowhere near the gap in console sold. Hardware doesn't dictate market trends.

IRetrouk15d ago

Microsoft doesn't report xbox profit, so how can we compare them.......
Console sales lead to those software sales, thats not a theory its a fact, old days, these days... doesn't matter, one company is doing much better than the other, and thats partly because of said console sales...

rlow116d ago

I really think Call of Duty underperforming, the raise in subscription prices and Hoods ridiculous expectations of 30% return. Is what led to the lower numbers.

Reaper22_16d ago

Maybe, but COD sold 8 million on xbox which counted for 40% of the sales.

IRetrouk15d ago

Not even close to being true

BehindTheRows15d ago

Show us the article/sources with these sales numbers.

Chevalier15d ago

Could you show us the profit charts while you're at it? Would love to see this 'gap' you mentioned. Should be easy to show that right?

Eonjay15d ago

This whole report is confusing to me until I remember content and service are separate. Content went down... okay we get that because COD 'bombed' but Services went up because of the price increase which mitigated most of the lost from the cancelations. Okay got it.

I wouldn't blame the results on Amy but she sure as hell had unreasonable expectations.

GamePass has put Xbox in a bad position where the absolutely need PlayStation to make their numbers. So if a big game like COD bombs... they got a problem.

The fact that their service revenue (GamePass) can't drive growth on its own is a huge red flag. That was supposed to be the whole point.

16d ago Replies(1)
170°

Microsoft Gaming Revenue Drops 9% Year-on-Year, Content and Services Down 5%, Xbox Hardware Down 32%

Microsoft announced its financial results for Q2 of fiscal year 2026, including an update on its gaming business.

Read Full Story >>
simulationdaily.com
16d ago Replies(7)
1Victor16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

🚨🚓🎼 🎶 🎼 👇

raWfodog16d ago

I don't why people waste their time replying to the alt-account clown. Their comment is going to get flagged as spam as it always does and those comments (and all replies) will eventually disappear. Better to ignore them and carry on constructive debate with those not scared to post with a permanent account.

1Victor15d ago

@raW: “ I don't why people waste their time replying to the alt-account clown.”
He suffer from from keyboardrhrea and can’t wait the average month of clean posting to have a permanent account.

.
@taco: “ Funny that this website actually works again when there's prime opportunity to slam on Xbox.
LOL it's all admins ever give a shit about
The funny thing is that it’s at random at least for me, sometimes is working find and other times it doesn’t let me do anything even flag the spammers.
This isn’t a us vs them it’s a everyone is in the swamp up to the neck

Tacoboto16d ago

Funny that this website actually works again when there's prime opportunity to slam on Xbox.

LOL it's all admins ever give a shit about

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 15d ago
Outside_ofthe_Box16d ago

Pretty surprising on revenue and content being down. Obviously hardware being down is expected, but you'd think that the GamePass price hike, CoD, and things such horizon 5 coming to PS5 would drive things up. No wonder MS is all-in on the multiplat strategy, don't really have choice at this point. There might be another GP price hike this year.

SimulationDaily16d ago

COD is likely the issue. It appears BO7 is doing significantly worse than BO6. Game Pass is apparently growing, so the problem isn't there.

16d ago
SimulationDaily16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

@Varora: What you "hear" (from your uncle who works at Nintendo?) is irrelevant when the CFO of Microsoft says the opposite in the conference call.
Incidentally, "content and services" are down, not just services, which include Call of Duty. If you don't know how to interpret financials, don't try 😂

Edit: Oh wait... another troll account made 46 minutes ago. I really need to learn to check before engaging. 😂

16d ago
Kurt Russell16d ago

I noped my way out on the last price hike. Whilst Ultimate was convenient for a while being also able to Play on PC, it became too rich for my blood.

CrashMania16d ago

Wonder how the goalposts will be moved this time, it shifted from exclusives and console sales, to revenue, where now then.

Lightning7716d ago

No goal post. It was down last January also. Amy Hood predicted this was gonna happen. You gave us and downs, that's simply how it works.

ocelot0716d ago (Edited 16d ago )

Think it was down last January but I don't know why. There is probably a genuine reason for it.

DivineHand12516d ago

There is no incentive to buy into a closed ecosystem with no exclusives. I wish they would just make windows lite or steam os bootable on the Xbox so long time fans who still own the console can get some enjoyment.

Lightning7716d ago

Closed ecosystem? How's it closed?

__y2jb16d ago (Edited 16d ago )

All consoles are closed eco systems. This in itself is not a problem but a closed eco system without exclusives is pointless when there’s alternatives that have them.

NotoriousWhiz16d ago

That's why xbox's next (and final) "console" will actually be a PC.

Christopher16d ago

This is also why Microsoft has been marketing really hard for the elimination of exclusives in general. They are out of the console business and into publishing games and subscription services. They need exclusives to die so they can end the battle with console markets.

Lightning7716d ago

@yb it's games and services are are on PC, tablets, phones and TV's not just found on Console. Even it's games are on other systems.

It's not closed at all. It's games going everywhere is probably the worst idea MS did you're right about that.

Christopher16d ago

You do know that DivineHand is talking about the hardware losses, not the games, right? The hardware is a closed system. It has seen two digit declines each year for at least 3 years in a row.

derek16d ago

And Microsoft wants to release another super expensive console next gen? Bizzaro world economics over there. Phillip Bartholomew Spencer will be promoted on the strength of these loses. Lol

TriniOutsider16d ago

Their next console has to be released. I could only imagine how much R&D they've already put into their next platform.

derek16d ago

Sunk-cost fallacy in action.

__y2jb16d ago

Yes let’s release so we can lose even more money!

Eonjay16d ago

Its a PC.. I don't think they spent a lot of money to R&D the idea of releasing a prebuilt PC. And they are not subsidizing it so by that token I don't see any reason why they wouldn't release it unless they pivot from hardware altogether.

NotoriousWhiz16d ago

They're just releasing a PC. And they don't intend to subsidize the cost so it's going to priced like any other PC and probably expected to ship PC-like numbers and not the many millions that consoles sell. After that, they'll eventually go third party and xbox hardware will be a thing of the past. Sega says hi.

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