Xbox 8, the next iteration of the Xbox console from Microsoft will feature improved interaction between the gamer and avatar. 

Using Kinect 2, when a gamer is using a controller, Xbox 8 will be capable of displaying the user's Avatar in-game mimicing the actual gestures of the controller input.  If the gamer presses the A button to perform a kick, the Avatar will mimic that kick rather than require a gamer to physically kick.  If the gamer is using a steeriing wheel, the Avatar will mimic that too.

In addition, Xbox 8 will allow both you and your friend's Avatar to be displayed when playing a Kinect 2 game that supports on-line multi-player gaming.  The coolest part of this will be voice chat in a game.  The communication system will delay communication until the gamer's Avatar catches up with the other gamers position in-game.  So if as a group, you and four other players are all entering a building but one of your friend's connection is laggy so he hasn't quite caught up with you, the audio and related gestures will be delayed for him until his connection catches up.  

Another feature coming to Xbox 8 / Kinect 2 will be the ability to identify specifically in a room where the speakers are.  Using the microphones on Kinect 2, the device will be able to identify the specific location of each speaker in a room.

The user detection feature currently available with Xbox 360 and Kinect will be upgraded as well.  Multiple users can be uniquely identified at the same time associating them with their gamer profile and Avatar, unlike the current system which is limited to identifying the user associated with the gamertag/profile. 

More specifically for Kinect 2, the big news is that Kinect 2 will be a time-of-flight depth sensing system, rather than the Structre Light technology of Kinect.  One of the major benefits of this change will be the ability to properly identify a user in Sunlit room conditions. 

Not a lot of major stuff, but hopefully you found it all interesting. 

Cheers!

Still not getting it.

Using Kinect 2, when a gamer is using a controller, Xbox 8 will be capable of displaying the user's Avatar in-game mimicing the actual gestures of the controller input.  If the gamer presses the A button to perform a kick, the Avatar will mimic that kick rather than require a gamer to physically kick.


Sorry I couldn't resist. Press a button to kick, what a great idea!

Can't you don't say like it's confirmed but actually it's just your wish (for now at least)

[citation needed]

Please tell me you made up this post with no source of any kind, because it's making me want to cry. So far I got, press a button and your character does something, stereo mic, and proximity voice chat. WHY ARE THOSE FEATURES EXCITING!?!?!?!?

Well, unless I'm totally misunderstanding something, it means that Kinect 2.0 will support button inputs(I.E a "normal" controller" while simultaneously continuing to track your movements. Isn't this what everyone's been asking for? Kinect will finally become viable for actual videogames...maybe.

Like Steel battalion and Ryse?

http://123kinect.com/ryse-game-playable-controller-kinect/19980/

No need for Kinect 2.0 for that, although Ryse might become a 720 launch game.

Well, I guess I have to eat my own words. I had no idea that Ryse used a controller.

I suddenly find myself more interested in the game.

What I got from this is the avatar your friends see on your profile mimics what your character in the game is doing. If that is indeed the correct way to read this, then dev teams will HATE it! Either they will have to use Microsoft supplied software to rig the character armatures or else they will have to port their armature system into Microsoft's software. That would have loads of issues.

Alternatively it could not be 1 to 1. XBOX8 would already have thousands of avatar animations pre made so the game only needs to tell the system "car driving" or "reload pistol type weapon." This would be much more realistic yet downgrade this to a boring feature.

I don't understand what's so special about calculating speaker location unless XBOX8 is trying to replace the receiver. If that is the case they will need tons of models or else people like me wouldn't be able to use that ability.