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IPFS News Link • Entertainment: Games

Xbox's Project Natal Is Finally Official, Dubbed Microsoft Kinect

• PopSci

We've been watching Project Natal, Microsoft's controller-less motion detection system for Xbox 360 develop for months, but as the video gaming conference E3 launches this week, Microsoft has unveiled the final hardware and a new name: Kinect.

A few months ago, we took an exclusive look at the hardcore machine learning behind Kinect's unbelievable motion recognition powers.

Other than the final, shiny hardware and the new name, further details are scant. Some leaked promo materials suggest a November release date, which would make sense to coincide with the Holiday buying season.

Beyond the hardware itself, you can expect many Kinect-enabled gamesto be announced over the course of the next few days. Those already announced include a Star Wars game from LucasArts, a Disney game, and a Wii-sports-like title called "Kinect Sports," according to Kotaku.

So while the news continues to roll in, refresh yourself on how the whole thing works here.

Update: A November 4 release date was confirmed today at Microsoft's press event in Los Angeles, as were 15 launch titles. The pricing scheme of $150 standalone and $100 bundled with a new console remains a fairly strong but unconfirmed rumor.

 

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