Kinect-optimized Xbox 360 Dashboard preview
By Paul Miller 
posted June 15th 2010 8:27AM
posted June 15th 2010 8:27AM
The best part is the voice control, however, allowing you to speak "Xbox" and then a command like play, pause, back, forward, stop, Zune, etc. It's ripe for abuse (pausing your S.O.'s seventh Netflix screening of The Constant Gardner ad nauseam), but Microsoft says it's working on eliminating random commands that might seep into conversation. Our biggest worry is that we're going to see confusion and fragmentation of functionality with the divergent UI requirements that Kinect apps and regular Dashboard apps require -- we can't imagine the Facebook or Last.fm folks being super thrilled at creating an all-new app just to support Microsoft's whims, but we're told just such apps are in the works. Is the existing Dashboard really so complicated that Kinect couldn't control it? Check out a video of this puzzling Kinectasticness after the break.
It will be more tiring than using a controller.
Fun gimmick though.
Hell yeah it is going to be fun. This looks pretty slick though. Microsoft should continue doing stuff like this. Stop being so damn stagnant. This is a good step towards that. Lets wait and see.
@PaulElmy Loving Microsoft's new interfaces.... expect to see them from consumer products to web services like Hotmail and Messenger, and it's going to be really awesome...
@Paul Elmy Exactly what I think. It'll get really popular for sure thanks to the great Xbox marketing, but people will have the same complaint they had with the Wii ("I haven't used it in 6 months").
The way Microsoft is selling it, it's trying to position it as THE way to use your Xbox, but IMO people will buy it and use it as a fun party system or once in a while with some specialty games instead of their main Xbox experience. I don't think many would have the patience to watch a movie or listen to Zune music with their hands instead of a precise controller.
Don't get me wrong though, this is still cool as hell. Can't wait to try it, but I'm not fully sold yet.
@MrHashbrown The good news is that one will have the controller to fall back on when playing the hardcore games (I hope!).
@Paul Elmy
tiring....really? somebody needs to play Your Shape for Kinect.
I look forward to Kinect and all it has to offer. the vids look great. I just hope I enjoy the experience
It would be nice if I could just say "Xbox, on" to turn on the xbox. Looks like that's still gonna need a remote or i'd have to get up and turn it on...
@Paul Elmy Yeah, using a controller is easier and more precise, but this definately has its own benefits if you're not sitting in your sofa, but have the Xbox playing music in the background it's nice that you don't have to go and pick up the controller to do something.
And if Microsoft didn't have this functionality you can put alot of money on people complaining about it :)
Looks fun, but bit too much involement for me though.
"Good question though, I don't have an answer for it" - helpful!
I think the NXE would work better its perfect for the scrolling and swiping gestures. Plus this looks like it'd be difficult to use sitting down. The new music/media apps look great though.
Do not want.
@FaceOfGenius
People like you need to shut-up and wait for thing to come out and see proper reviews before you start blabbing your crap.
@FaceOfGenius: Do not have to have.
@FaceOfGenius then dont get
@FaceOfGenius Chill out, the guy only stated he does not want it. Why dont you show similar detest for people who stated that they do want this?!?! Without seeing the final product those peoples impressions are just as invalid.
Blah, wrong button, that was directed @ZuurKen
In that video everyone is so depressed for some reason
@MrT
I think they are tired, after a long day.
@MrT
because justin bieber was playing....
you guys really do "worry" about the most mundane things. if you find that waiting an extra 1.5 seconds for an app to launch to be frustrating, maybe you shouldn't be using the thing in the first place? i find this to be quite a nice feature. it will keep you from launching apps you didn't intend to, which i think would be more frustrating.
@BIGGEN I'd like to see some kind of hand gesture to select. Closed fist to move the cursor around then BING, open hand to select! Like magic ^_^
Just sit completely still and don't talk during movies. Hey we need one of these in movie theaters!
@randylm just put a machine guy and it is ready to hunt for humans..
Doesn't look like Wii Channels at all.
Do voice commands work while playing a game? If so, that's dangerous for parents (or wives) when they come in the room and say "Turn that Xbox OFF"
@randylm unless it knows who's voice is tied to the XBL account and disregards other voices. Otherwise, I foresee a jump in divorce rates.
@randylm I'm lookign forward to tryign to watch a video that says xbox stop in it.
@Eli Haj Yeah true
@randylm
How great would that be to screw with a friends DVD or ripped collection. Put a 5 second clip in there of you saying "XBOX OFF", hilarity will ensue.
So it picks up people near you who then have to get out of the way or stay perfectly still? This is awesome...no really.
/sarcasm.
@Tes
Really, we all get you are not thrilled by xbox at this point. It's ok.
@Duke
The only console I own is an Xbox...what's your point?
When did the rule "only positive comments unless it's a gadget I personally don't like" come in?
@Tes
It seems like that's always been the mentality in the comments on here. That's what starts about every fanboy war regarding anything.
we complain about movement and wonder why obesity is an issue......
@buffalosolja42
I'm not obese...but after a hard days work, when I get home I don't want to have to do semaphore to get a movie started and then have to sit perfectly still so that the controls don't keep popping up.
@Tes If your so tired then shut-up and use a controller/remote then. You guys make it sound like you have to use it.
@ZuurKen
Are you dense? No one makes you buy or use anything, people are commenting on a gadget in the COMMENTS section of a fucking GADGET blog you dick. No one here need buy a Chinese knock-off KIRF yet we all comment on them anyway right? That's what the comment section is for. There is news about a new gadget...people are discussing the failings or relative merits of it. If the conversation makes you uncomfortable because it isn't the blind fanboyism you know and love go do something else.
@ZuurKen
Okay, that's at least twice you've done it in this thread. "Shut-up" should be "shut up". There is no hyphen unless you are using it as a compound adjective like "shut-in".
(I wouldn't have said anything, but I got tired of hearing you rudely tell people to shut-up.)
@Tes Here's an idea. Why don't you just not purchase this optional peripheral that is in no way necessary for you to buy? That way, you can continue controlling your media the way you like.
@snickitz
I WANT to purchase it...that's the point. I read Engadget to see cool things that I may purchase...I'd like for those products to be complete and well thought out. The fact that Engadget asked the guy at the demo what would happen if he moved while the film was playing and all he had was "Uum...well..." says there are a bunch of use cases that the customer would stumble across that the people who took your money didn't think about. They will then tell you an update is coming and then you wait...how many times has that scenario played out?
@Tes
Don't make personalized scenario comments if you do not want people to point out the flaws in your personal scenario logic, on the days that you are tired do not use the Kinect interface, getting pissy does not advance the discussion.
@timmy2000
The personal scenario logic is...don't buy it?! Well that "logic" could apply to every flawed bit of kit ever produced. You've just fixed every bug known to man! Awesome!
And I get pissy at ignorant comments that only aim at what you said rather than what you're talking about. As you can see the interface seems to be one or the other...it lacks the highlighting or "in front" type interface the current dashboard has that lets you know what is selected if you're using a controller, so you have to switch between them?
@Tes I don't know if the guy was informed properly. Wouldn't you have to wave for the video controls to come up? Not sure just thought that would be how it works and that isn't a likely gesture when your watching a film.
@petebob796
He says "what if I'm scared" and to be fair then does a very unrealistic pansy double hands in the air type gesture that not many men would do, but it did bring up the video controls. Is all comes down to how accurate is the Kinetic and how much tolerance does it have for gestures that are similar to waving that you may or may not do?
@Tes
You talk about not wanting to move around after a hard days works but how hard are you working if you can leave a million comments of every Kinect article?
@Tes Actually, I have to agree with you. I am not thrilled in any way about this new feature. It's just pathetic fling they are trying to create, to make people buy something that is not yet finished, nor is the technology behind nor are the homes that they are trying to brainwash.
I mean, voice and gesture command are not nearly finished and polished techniques, so why should we buy it? And it should definitively not be sold in a $10 plastic box.
Apple, on the other hand, knows how to do things. First of all, they use robust aluminum, and secondly and most importantly: they don't ever release a feature/technology that is not polished and completely finished, and only then do they implement it the best way they can. And that's what we all like about Apple, and that's what makes me waiting for Apple to release this kind of features, no matter how long it will take.
It all looks, the friends and interface, way to poached from the Wii.....but what does Ballmer care???Hes got enough money to not only steal form other, but make things that dont work (50+% of all Xbox 360's have broken....)
@recoyote
turn on a Wii, and wave a hand in front of the screen. ¿What?! ¿nothing happens? ¿how is that possible?
I guess advanced MoCap and voice command control is NOT the same thing as pointing an infrared stick to the screen. Maybe.
And by the way...¿50%+RRoD? ¿really?. I'm sure you have a link to prove such a claim. ¿Can we see it, please?. Make sure is not an article from 2008, though.
Need's lots of refinement (such as eliminating that hold to select system which just sucks) but at least the hardware is there. I would have preferred a grab to select motion, but something tells me its not that precise
Now they need to add voice to text so text entry can be done via voice for MSN instant messaging and other facilities. If there is something that sucks the most, its text entry via the controller. Plugging in a keyboard just isn't practical for some.
@Ruben
I seriously doubt the speech-to-text will happen. It's not the same thing to have a few preprogrammed voice commands than to have full fledged voice recognition.
And for your MSN duties on your console, the Messenger Kit (the small keyboard that can be attached to the controller) is practical enough already IMO.