SSX and The Sims coming to Kinect?

Microsoft have seemingly registered the domains SSXKinect.com and KinectSSX.com. Could EA be working on a new SSX title for Kinect? With SSX: Deadly Descents recently announced, the franchise is finally making its comeback, so it's a distinct possibility.

There is little else to go on, but a snowboarding title seems like the perfect fit for Kinect and SSX will give developers a bit of creative leeway given its less realistic, arcade gameplay roots.

Could it be one of the rumored April titles? Will we see it at all? I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Update: TheSimsKinect.com also looks to have been bought by Microsoft. It seems unlikely that they would randomly purchase Kinect related domains for two of EA's biggest franchises. Could the pair indicate a publishing deal between Microsoft and EA for some Kinect games? Again, it's all complete speculation at this point, so we're still playing the waiting game. GDC in late February is a likely candidate should Microsoft have something to announce.

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Kinect accurately using Web, Windows and Angry Birds with one hand

The Kinect open source community is still making astounding progress. User griffindodd has enabled accurate hand tracking that not only allows him to navigate Windows as if using a real mouse but also play Angry Birds, play solitaire and browse the web! All just by open and closing his hand to confirm selections.

KinEmote's new custom image recognition system shown in this tech demo allows users to left-click and even click and hold to drag objects just like a real mouse.

The action is performed by closing the fingers of the hand to 'click' the virtual mouse button, this new technique is infinitely more accurate than existing solutions that require users to use a 'push' motion to select an option.

With this new level of amazing accuracy KinEmote users will be able to play games, surf the web and navigate Windows using this XBox Kinect camera in ways that were never possible until now.

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2K bringing Carnival Games to Kinect

2K Play has announced that they will be bringing Carnival Games: In Action to the Xbox 360. The original Carnival Games for the Wii is the third best selling third party game for the system, selling over 7 million on the Wii and DS combined.

Like the original game, In Action will take place in a theme park in which the player will be set traditional challenges such as Alley Ball, Wheel of Chance and Milk Bottle Throw. The game will also allow players to take part in larger events such as hot air balloon races, and roller coaster riding.

"With the immersive controller-free experience of Kinect for Xbox 360, a new generation of gamers will literally be able to ‘step right into’ the larger-than-life Carnival Games experiencer.” said 2K Play's VP of business development Steve Lux.

The game, which will be titled Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do in the US, will be available in April.

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Q&A with THQ's Ben Sipe, Lead Producer of Fantastic Pets

THQ is no stranger to success in the motion gaming genre and they're now set to take on Kinect with two family oriented titles. Dance Paradise, a Dance Central-esque game which features simultaneous multiplayer and 40 licensed songs (more than any Kinect game to date). Plus Fantastic Pets, the first Augmented reality game for Kinect. Today we've got Ben Sipe, Lead Producer for both games, to answer a few questions about Fantastic Pets. We've also got the first finished box-art and an exclusive image. Dance Paradise will be available soon and Fantastic Pets on April 12th! 

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Microsoft readying "mind blowing" second wave of Kinect games for April?

Tech blogger Robert Scoble has claimed on Twitter that Microsoft could be readying a second wave of "mind blowing" Kinect games to be released in April. Scoble, a former employee of Microsoft having left in 2006 to become a full-time blogger, still has close ties with the company. This wouldn't be the first time he has hinted at a Microsoft product launch ahead of an official announcement.

There currently aren't any noteworthy releases scheduled for April, but many of the previously announced first party 2011 titles that have Kinect fans excited such as Project Draco, Codename D and Haunt, have no solid release date, so an April launch is feasible. There is also the rumoured Gears of War Kinect game which could be titled Gears of War: Exile, a name recently trademarked by Epic.

Peter Molyneux, Creative Director of Microsoft Game Studios Europe said back in August 2010 that Kinect should not be judged on its launch, but on the second wave of titles. He told Joystiq, "To be a launch title is very, very hard. And, actually, I've played Kinect Sports. I've actually played a hell of a lot of Sports. And it's pretty good. And Kinect Adventures is pretty good. Considering the amount of time, I think they're pretty good experiences. I think anybody that gets Kinect and buys those titles, they're not gonna be disappointed. But they should really, really be excited by what comes next. 'Cause that's what I judge Kinect on".

Whenever the second wave of titles is announced, be it for April or any other time, we'll keep you up to date. It's likely that Microsoft will have something to say at GDC at the end of February.

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Proof That Kinect Can Control an FPS as Well as a Mouse + Keyboard?

A gentleman by the name of Bill Maxwell has uploaded an amazing video of him controlling a First Person Shooter using Kinect. If anyone has any doubts that Kinect can be used for Hardcore games, just check out the video below.

This is all being done with one hand. The software allows him to use one handed gestures that control direction (turn right/left), forward/reverse (variable speed), look and target (up/down), jump, change weapon, fire and continuous fire. Just imagine the possibilities when head and full body tracking come into play.

The Kinect open source community never ceases to amaze!



Thanks Timothy!

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Kinect hardware outsells Move 5:1; Software 13:1

The first round between these two motion rivals is over and it's a knock-out in favor of Microsoft's Kinect. Industry Analyst Pachter had this to say:

"About one fifth of PS3 sales included bundles with Sony’s Move controller, suggesting a modest third month (we have chosen not to subscribe to peripheral data). About half of Xbox 360 sales included bundles with Microsoft’s Kinect peripheral, as Xbox 360 Kinect console bundles outsold PS3 Move console bundles by 5:1," Pachter said.

"Microsoft announced that it has shipped 8 million Kinect units since launch (in November), which was raised from its earlier goal of 5 million. More significantly, in our view, the top two selling Kinect software titles outsold the top two Move titles by over 13:1."

What does this mean for us gamers? If these sales are anything to go by then Kinect should be receiving generous 3rd Party support. Let's see if the trend continues in 2011.

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Free Content For Dance Central?

If you have a Facebook account head on over and 'like' the Official Dance Central page! If they obtain 1000 new 'likes' by next week they'll release some mysterious new game content! A new song perhaps? Here's the original post in question:

Hey Dancers! We have some game-related treats to give, but first we need you to spread some Dance Central love! If we get 1K new page likes, we'll give you a *sweet* prize next week! Spread the word and don't forget to vote in the character battle!

Let's make it happen guys! Spread the word!

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Yoostar 2 - Kinect Trailer

Yoostar 2 is the sequel to the original Xbox 360 Vision Cam based game. Adding Kinect support solves a ton of problems with it's predecessor. The first game had trouble dissecting you from the background if you weren't in the right lighting conditions but with Kinect that's not a problem. Kinect allows for real-time background removal regardless of lighting conditions giving players a real-time "green screen" to put themselves into the movie. Check out the Yoostar 2 Kinect footage below and let us know what you think!

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Looking for a new Kinect game?

The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout demo is available for Xbox LIVE gold members! Click here to download it to your Xbox 360 and check it out!

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Avatar Kinect - First Trailer!

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8 Million Kinect Sensors Sold

Microsoft just made the announcement at CES. Blowing their initial 5 Million sold estimate out of the water.

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Microsoft: Steve Ballmer's CES 2011 Keynote

Itching for some new Kinect news? Steve Ballmer is scheduled for a CES keynote tonight and will cover all manner of things Microsoft from Windows 8, Windows Phone 7 to Xbox 360 and Kinect. This is where we should get more details and possibly a demonstration of Avatar Kinect. Stay tuned as we'll keep you updated on all the new details. In the meantime check out a preview of the Kinect keynote below:



You can watch the Keynote yourself live here or here. Starts 9:30 Eastern and 6:30 Pacific time.

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How You Become The Controller

The Xbox Engineering blog just posted a piece on Kinect:

"You are the controller." If you've been following the buzz surrounding Kinect, you've probably heard this phrase tossed around. From plugging leaks with your hands and feet in Kinect Adventures! to changing songs with the flick of a wrist in Zune, Kinect opens up a new way to naturally experience your entertainment.

But once you get over the magic of opening the disc tray with the wave of a hand like you're a Jedi, you might start to wonder how it all works under the hood. In this blog post, I'll focus on the secret sauce behind the human tracking system and how it allows game developers to produce Kinect-enabled experiences.

The piece goes into analog vs. digital input, the heart and brains of Kinect and the Human recognition software. Check out the full story here.

Thanks Marcus!

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Microsoft set to unveil 'Avatar Kinect' at CES?

Microsoft look set to talk about Kinect at their opening Keynote at CES tomorrow. It should come as no surprise given Kinect's huge success last year, and it looks like we'll be seeing some new software too. Backstage screenshots have leaked clearly showing the title for something called 'Avatar Kinect'.

According to WinRumors, Avatar Kinect is to be a software update over Xbox Live which

"will allow Kinect owners to interact with each other using their avatars. The avatars will have a separate area, much like Nintendo’s Mii channel, that will allow for users to control them using Kinect and interact to watch content or play game."

This is unlikely to be a PS Home-like fully developed virtual world and more like party chat with friends allowing full Avatar control and mini-games. We'll keep you up to date with exact details of this and any other Kinect related news at CES over the next few days.

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The First Kinect RTS?

It looks like R.U.S.E, a Ubisoft developed Real-time Strategy game, is getting Kinect support. Evoluce just released a video of the game being controlled with Kinect. Typically RTS games have struggled on consoles due to clunky controls compared to the precision of a mouse and keyboard on the PC. It seems to control flawlessly here however. Check out the video below and let us know what you think!

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