What We Know About Kinect

Last year, at the 2009 E3 video game conference, Microsoft announced Kinect, a revolution in video gaming. It is taking the motion controls that the Nintendo Wii popularized to the next level. Instead of using a controller to move around, you use your body and your body becomes the controller. Since you already know how to use your body and move it around, you’ll be able to jump into games (literally) and know how to play it. Although all of the details about Kinect haven’t been released yet, here are some of the clues that we know about it:

The original name, Project Natal was just a code name – For about a year, Microsoft was calling Kinect "Project Natal". Hopefully, a name change late in the game doesn't spell confusion for Microsoft's would be customers, but I think the promotion of it will definitely help to clear up any confusion about the new name.

Kinect is not the new Xbox – Many people thought that Kinect would be the next generation of the Xbox 360, but it’s only an accessory or addon. Not every single game will be made to work with Kinect, but there definitely should be plenty of Kinect games that will be released that will support the Kinect Natal motion controls. In fact, there are 15+ games set for launch, and plenty more coming out in the months following the November release.

Kinect uses voice controls – Microsoft really made Kinect into the full body experience. Not only will you be able to use your limbs to control what happens on screen, but you’ll also be able to use your voice. This is good for speaking commands when choosing an on-screen menu with your hands may not be as intuitive.

No price details – As of this writing, there have not been any price details that have been announced. There is always speculation, but prices range from $50 to $150 in the rumors, so there really is no solid information on that front. The release date though, is set for November 4, 2010.

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