Tue, Nov 29, 2011 | 06:36 GMT
Report: Kinect 2 powerful enough to lip-read, more
Eurogamer’s rumouring that the next version of Kinect will be powerful enough to lip-read and “detect when players are angry”.
The piece, citing a “development source,” says the device will come bundled with future Xbox consoles and “offer improved motion sensing and voice recognition.”
The site claims the hardware will “lip-read, detect when players are angry, and determine in which direction they are facing. Kinect 2 can track the pitch and volume of player voices and facial characteristics to measure different emotional states.”
The increase in capability has apparently been achieved by dropping the need for Kinect to be attached to the main console by USB, increasing the bandwidth between the devices and allowing for an increase in CCD size from 320×240 pixels.
Talk of Microsoft’s next Xbox has been a permanent fixture this year, with Xboxygen providing the most recent rumour that firm details of the box will appear at CES in January.
It’s thought that Microsoft will, again, release two versions of the console: one basic and one more fully-featured for those prepared to spend more.
Talk of the “Next Box” has gathered pace in the second half of 2011, with chatter beginning in earnest around E3. EA was tipped to have started work on the machine – a story that was quickly denied – with a further two stories pinning a reveal on E3 2012.
Four Microsoft CVs turned up mentions of “Xbox next-gen” in October, with a Develop story later that month claiming Microsoft would show the console for the first time at E3 2013.
CES 2012 runs from January 10-13.
20 comments
#1
G1GAHURTZ
28/11/11, 12:36 pm
I hope MS don’t go the same way as Nintendo and forget the core gamers.
#2
Razor
28/11/11, 12:44 pm
Is it too early to be hyped for E3?
#3
Blerk
28/11/11, 1:10 pm
Being able to detect when players are angry should come in handy given the general quality of Kinect games so far.
#4
Patrick Garratt
28/11/11, 1:21 pm
I’ll believe it when I see it, quite frankly.
#5
Freek
28/11/11, 1:24 pm
It’ll be funny if it fails to demo properly due to Kudo Tsunoda douchebag sunglasses getting in the way of Kinect 2 reading his emotions.
#6
Psychotext
28/11/11, 1:25 pm
Increasing the resolution shouldn’t increase the cost too much… but, you’ll need some serious processing power to be able to handle all that data.
#7
Patrick Garratt
28/11/11, 1:31 pm
I’ve yet to see *any* mainstream recognition tech work as advertised. Siri’s a great example of it. It just can’t understand some people. Kinect couldn’t even work out when people were sitting down for God knows how long, so to magically leap to being able to lip-read is a quite a feat.
#8
Blerk
28/11/11, 1:34 pm
Maybe it just reads emotions from lips rather than actual words?
Smiling? Happy.
Frowning? Sad.
See teeth? Angry.
Mouth open? Surprised.
Tongue out? Call police.
#9
Freek
28/11/11, 1:34 pm
It’ll probably turn out that Kinect 2 does what they promissed Kinect 1 would be but fail to deliver on the all the super next gen stuff they’ll try to hype it for.
#10
viralshag
28/11/11, 1:36 pm
From all the tests a new colleague has tried with his new iPhone 4s and Siri, it’s apparently not compatible with people from Leeds.
#11
Patrick Garratt
28/11/11, 1:40 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqWAQl1bv1k
#12
G1GAHURTZ
28/11/11, 2:54 pm
^^ LOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!
#13
Razor
28/11/11, 3:20 pm
To be fair, it sounds like he’s saying “udder”…
#14
Patrick Garratt
28/11/11, 3:22 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F_QePH4ki0
#15
Colin Gallacher
28/11/11, 3:35 pm
As long as Kinect 2 allows me to do this – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXN7vLPsDSM – I’ll be happy.
#16
GrimRita
28/11/11, 3:37 pm
Can you imagine if Saints Row the third came to this? You want to pop down the pub and your ball and chain is home boring you. ‘Xbox’ Entertain my wife……… need I elaborate?!
#17
G1GAHURTZ
28/11/11, 3:45 pm
@Pat:
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That one’s a classic!!
#18
Patrick Garratt
28/11/11, 4:11 pm
“WORK.”
#19
GrimRita
28/11/11, 4:13 pm
Oh man that is one funny video.
#20
NiceFellow
28/11/11, 4:15 pm
…Dave, although you took very thorough precautions in the pod against my hearing you, I could see your lips move…