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Forums - Microsoft Discussion - Xbox 8 / Kinect 2 To Feature Improved Interaction Between Gamer and Avatar

Adinnieken said:
JoeTheBro said:
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.

The Xbox 360 in multi-player is peer to peer, so this would be a peer to peer exchange of positioning data.  Since these are Avatar-based games using the Avatar system incorporated with the Xbox 360, it would stand to reason they're using Microsoft software.  You can't use Kinect on the Xbox 360 without using Microsoft software, so I would assume the same is true in Xbox 8/Kinect 2.

It is possible that they may use a short-hand rather than a 1:1 representation.  I'll verify that though.

Wi-Fi speakers?  Better noise cancelling?  Dynamic volume adjustment?

Thank you for the clarification.

 

@BOLD

That is problematic if true. To the consumer that just plugs the system straight up into the TV all it does is add to the cost. Plus what would they do when playing PS4, just not use those WiFi speakers? Meanwhile on the opposite end of the spectrum the audiophile with 7.2 surround sound wouldn't dare use those features because it would be a downgrade to his system. Stuck in between are the guys like me who have a basic home theatre. All my consoles are wired to the receiver which in turn connects to the tv and speakers. In order for me to use these features that are already common on receivers, XBOX8 would need to replace my receiver. I can see why Microsoft would want to do that, but I can't see why the average consumer would want to do that.



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Adinnieken said:
Zappykins said:
Wow, it sounds like it will need some powerful hardware. Still it is very exciting, and I think goes along with some of my predictions/wants.

So, does that mean it will not have a red light pointing at us? And will it still work in dark and dim rooms?

It doesn't really require powerful hardware.  A dedicated hardware thread will likely provided sufficient CPU processing power for the Avatar stuff.

No.  Interms of darkness it won't be much different than the current Kinect.  The major difference is the use of Time of Flight depth sensing and filters to actively filter out anything but the frequency of light Kinect 2 is emitting. 

Ah, so it will still be having an infa-red emitter.  But will also get them away from the PrimeSince equipment too?

Do you think it will use one device or two?  It seems that making ones that sit on each corner of a TV seems like a rather good idea.  Also I am assuming a major upgrade in resolution.

I can see how when people talk in a game on Xlive that they, or their avatar, might appear in a corner as they talk. Sort of like how a Google Hangout works.  Sometimes it would be helpful to have a face go with the voice (or avatar for those so inclined).  However it should be an option.  And the way Kinect already crops you when you speak, it's seems quite possible.

I think it would be so fun to hang out at proposal chats about their upcoming technology.

 



 

Really not sure I see any point of Consol over PC's since Kinect, Wii and other alternative ways to play have been abandoned. 

Top 50 'most fun' game list coming soon!

 

Tell me a funny joke!

JoeTheBro said:

Thank you for the clarification.

 @BOLD

That is problematic if true. To the consumer that just plugs the system straight up into the TV all it does is add to the cost. Plus what would they do when playing PS4, just not use those WiFi speakers? Meanwhile on the opposite end of the spectrum the audiophile with 7.2 surround sound wouldn't dare use those features because it would be a downgrade to his system. Stuck in between are the guys like me who have a basic home theatre. All my consoles are wired to the receiver which in turn connects to the tv and speakers. In order for me to use these features that are already common on receivers, XBOX8 would need to replace my receiver. I can see why Microsoft would want to do that, but I can't see why the average consumer would want to do that.

I never suggested it would include Wi-Fi speakers, I just suggested that feature might be used if it supported them.  Skype is the likely user of that feature.

Wi-Fi speakers as a supported peripheral wouldn't be any more expensive than supporting, idk, Wi-Fi based accessories like the Xbox 360 controller.  Ok, excluding the litigation with Motorola.  It's would be possible to support Wi-Fi TV, Audio, and Networks with relatively little added expense.

The benefit of Wi-Fi connectivity is that it would allow a consomer to have a near wireless setup for their Xbox 8 with TVs and speaker systems that supported it. The notable exception of Kinect 2 and power requiring an actual wire.  If someone has a hi-fi system, an HDMI connection to their TV, or an amplified speaker system directly connected to their console then nothing changes.  You just wouldn't purchase Wi-Fi speakers to use with the console. 

And it wouldn't require an audio receiver.  You don't ampliphy a Wi-Fi audio signal.  The audio signal is split into discrete audio channels via DSP, then sent out to the appropriate speaker via Wi-Fi.  The Wi-Fi receiver then amplifies the received signal.

The other benefit of Wi-Fi Audio built-in is the fact that with a a supported headphone set you can use them with the console without requiring a separate device to transmit the audio, or a dongle connected to the console.  With built-in support it would actually reduce the cost of the headsets.

My point in mentioning Wi-Fi Audio was simply the fact that it could be one possible use of it.



Zappykins said:
Adinnieken said:

It doesn't really require powerful hardware.  A dedicated hardware thread will likely provided sufficient CPU processing power for the Avatar stuff.

No.  Interms of darkness it won't be much different than the current Kinect.  The major difference is the use of Time of Flight depth sensing and filters to actively filter out anything but the frequency of light Kinect 2 is emitting. 

Ah, so it will still be having an infa-red emitter.  But will also get them away from the PrimeSince equipment too?

Do you think it will use one device or two?  It seems that making ones that sit on each corner of a TV seems like a rather good idea.  Also I am assuming a major upgrade in resolution.

I can see how when people talk in a game on Xlive that they, or their avatar, might appear in a corner as they talk. Sort of like how a Google Hangout works.  Sometimes it would be helpful to have a face go with the voice (or avatar for those so inclined).  However it should be an option.  And the way Kinect already crops you when you speak, it's seems quite possible.

I think it would be so fun to hang out at proposal chats about their upcoming technology.

 

No.  Time of Flight is basically the same as LIDAR.  The use of a laser to determine how far an object is from the camera, rather than painting an area in IR dots, and then measuring the brightness of the dots to determine how far away an object is.  It's technology Microsoft picked up from two compaies it purchased.

All indications are it's one device.  The projection system will be separate and there are some interesting details regarding that too.

As with everything Microsoft does, little technological features they create can often have bigger implications.  While much of this simply evolves existing features, other parts of it brings what developers can do with Avatars up to the same level as what can be done in games today.  Also, one other feature not mentioned is the ability to have a friend's Avatar appear as an NPC and allow them to come into a game.