Kinect Creators To Make PC Controller 96
Hugh Pickens writes "PrimeSense, the privately held Israeli company that licensed core Kinect technology to Microsoft, is teaming up with PC and peripheral maker Asus to create a similar device for the PC that can be used for browsing multimedia content and accessing the Internet and social networks — basically, the main things consumers use their PCs for. Last month, a Korean game developer claimed that Microsoft was working on a version of Kinect for the PC, but Microsoft hasn't confirmed any such plans."
For games, maybe (Score:5, Insightful)
And a bit of an occasional gesture.
If someone suggest the "minority report-style controls" do a simple experiment:
Stand in front of the mirror and do:
- "file moving" (grand gesture - one side to the other)
- "resizing" (grabing and stretching wide)
- "turning and button pushing" (poking at the different spots of the mirror)
Now repeat for 20 minutes. What are you saying? Your arms are kinda tired? Well duh.
Gestures without a surface to put your arms on are exhausting and hard, especially if you have to do it non-stop for a long period of time.
It may improve your physique eventually (giant strong arms, tiny legs from sitting in the chair)
Occasional gestures are fine. Say, silence alarm by "batting it away" or switch from one screen set to the other with rotational gesture. But for most activities - get a good hand rest, or touch-surface, or a mouse :)
Re:Room size (Score:4, Insightful)
You need a room about 4 times the size of my living room to use the things.
Is your living room a closet? I don't have much space in front of my TV (about 8 feet wide by 8-9 feet deep) and the Kinect works just fine. I don't even use all of that space.