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.
Its just a novelty feature... Its not like they're replacing the Xbox Dashboard, its just there for all the non-tech enthusiasts to cream over. Why not?
If i recall what i heard before correctly that their Facebook and other apps they added were done internally. So Facebook and last.fm don't mind, their servers are doing the same work as before but Microsoft is just connecting to them slightly different. Microsoft's own developers on the other hand are probably ok with having to update the software they released last year although some might not be.
@Tordre And even if it was done by people from facebook, doesnt microsoft have a good amount of stock invested in fb?
@SskyNnet your correct about that, i forgot they bought a bunch of it. Either way no one is hurting by having to update a program to new tech.
@ZuurKen
Are you dense? No one makes you buy or use anything, people are commenting on a gadget in the COMMENTS section of a 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.
Loved the fact that the Joystiq staff were present as well..Joystiq been very quiet recently, not many new updates, glad Engadget is covering this as well.
So far so massively MEH.. If your sitting there on your own I am sure this would work perfectly..
Introduce a family or friends around you and this will become the most annoying stupid thing on the planet..
i like it. Dont have to reach for a controller all the time. Theres nothing wrong with adding options. some people will like it others wont. I think more people will find its a cool feature to have and will be implemented more in our daily lives.
@neeko18
From the looks of it it takes over the original dashboard. That's from just the video and the screens above, I may be wrong. There just doesn't seem to be any highlighting to show which option is currently selected as would be needed by a controller/remote. If you have to switch between the two it defeats the purpose.
@Tes Check the link in this article. Engadget says you access this new dash by waving at the screen, so it is optional..no harm no foul then. If anyone doesnt like it just dont use the gesture controls.im sure MS will give users the ability to disable gestures on the dash so its not accidentally implemented.
I like new features and i see myself using the gestures instead of reaching for a controller or remote. I am def not a lazy man, i just think its a cool option.
I hope we get these features make it to the consumer level. Google TV would b cool.
@Tes
not necessarily. They could, for instance, have the Kinetic dashboard start up as default, then make the traditional dashboard takeover as soon as a controller is activated. Thats wild geussing, though, until we try the thing for ourselves.
@neeko18
I like it too, to a degree and to the point I'm sure MS has "thought it through" which, we all know more often than not isn't the case. The fact the MS rep had no clue what would happen if you moved while the film was playing and Engadget showed the controls would pop up each time is not good.
@neeko18
I'd also like to point out I like the fact we're TALKING about it like adults not the pissed of fanboys above who would have nothing bad said about it (not like I called it crap, just not great) and going off on crazy rants to move on.
@Hamaki
That would make sense...sort of just move out of the way as soon as you click any direction. Not sure about the waving to start it though. From the guy in the video having to shoo the cameraman out of the line of sight it's not a accurate as we all think.
read this http://www.gamespot.com/users/subrosian/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=m-100-25835017&om_act=convert&om_clk=soapbox&tag=soapbox%3Bsubject%3B1
Microsoft is late to the party and its still not the "best" one.
@lord voldemort
That article has some pretty obvious flaws, IMO:
-according to the logic of the article, "audience is already overexposed to motion gaming", ¿how do you explain that Wii sales are still pretty good even four years after release?
-"casual gaming is turning to mobile market". Yeah, that's right. Good thing Kinetic is not aiming casual gaming nearly as much as they're targeting family and social gaming. ¿seen the videos on E3 showing people getting fun together?. That's the point. That's something you simply can't do on an iPod/Nintendo DS
-"a great deal of the uncharted territory in gaming lies in the hands of people who don't play consoles". Guess what. That's exactly the kind of market kinetic is intended for.
-"The casual audience isn't excited about dedicated gaming machines." yeah, right. ¿how many Wii's were sold this month again?
Anyway, I probably should have stopped reading the article the moment the author used his grilfriend's opinion as some sort of irrefutable proof. But i think the reason of the flaw in the author's logic is that he confuses mobile gaming with casual gaming. Mobile gaming indeed has a trend to non-dedicated devices and very inexpensive mini-game software. That's not necessarily true about all casual gaming.
And there's another mistake: he thinks of Xbox 360 as a dedicated gaming device. It's not anymore, and hasn't been for a while. Zune marketplace, Netflix, ESPN, Last.FM, Facebook...Xbox 360 is more like a Home Entertainment hub. It's meant to be in the center of your living room. And there, Kinect makes all the sense in the world. It's just the author who doesn't get it, not Microsoft.
did Microsoft reveal the type of processor this thing is using?
@ardi
Isn't it using the Xbox processor? It's just plugged in the back using the special USB connection. Doesn't look like it would need any extra processing power thats not onboard the Xbox.
@Tes
Sorry, I meant the Xbox itself. I think I put my comment in the wrong section.
I still don't understand how they think the Zune Player works while seeing a movie. you need to stay still to not bring up the controls, seems uber stupid..they should use an all-system gesture to make controlling through Kinect active/unactive
@TalTara I put in a comment above I thought you had to wave for bringing the controls up. Maybe I am wrong but it would seem a workable solution as it's not a common gesture in your living room.
I still don't understand how they think the Zune Player works while seeing a movie. you need to stay still to not bring up the controls, seems uber stupid..they should use an all-system gesture to make controlling through Kinect active/inactive
I still don't understand how they think the Zune Player works while seeing a movie. you need to stay still to not bring up the controls, seems uber stupid..they should use an all-system gesture to make controlling through Kinect active/inactive
am I reading this right Kinect needs its own dashboard from the original 360 dashboard? or will the entire 360 dashboard work with Kinect?
Hey look! It's the world's favorite South African, Ludwig Kietzman! Why the moody face, Ludwig?
Of course Last.fm and Facebook needn't do anything as both applications or at least the first were created by Microsoft, so they can do what they want and make it work with Kinect etc as much as they need to.
What I am curious about is how will it integrate into the media center extender functionality.
One thing nobody seems to be talking about is that you'll finally be able to access your Zune Pass on the 360. On top of that, it looks like they imported the music interface from Zune, which is a major improvement over the horrible interface they currently have.
I use Last.fm, but I also like to stream music from my PC. If the interface works as well as on the Zune HD & Zune software (artist pics, scrolling text, etc.) it may be one of my favorite features whenever the update rolls out, and will give the 360 more 'ambient' features for parties or when I'm doing something around the house.
Once Kinect is more widespread I would imagine that a Kinect optimized dashboard would become default.
We were debating this last night and it seems that it makes sense to have a sub-area for now. Once adoption rates for Kinect picks up, then you can do a redesign the dashboard to optimize it simply for Kinect. There's a lot of work that has to go into it.
it really looks like a nokia website.
I love how chagrined, heck it seems more totally crestfallen, he looks when his Zune command works at the beginning. What was that about?
Looks like a real PITA!!! Hey Microsoft, how about a browser for the Xbox 360!!!!!!
lame. . .I was hoping for something good. . .but this is not it.
I sense a lawsuit coming in the near future! Some consumer is going to hurt them self and blame it on the some game or function told them to do it!
"xbox, show number, 3, ok" ;)
you shouldnt have to say xbox before everything. what else would you be talking to.
Is it typical for everything to be so unfinished and to have so many unanswerable questions at E3. For some reason this E3 seems especially "still under development" heavy.
"Xbox Justin Bieber" *not thinking anything would happen, lol* *JUSTIN BIEBER INVADES THE XBOX* lol
Can you F womens butts with this thing
Hover to select? I remember doing that on my EyeToy. I found that annoying then too (although, you did have to wiggle your fingers while it was there). I thought the Xbox had a "press" gesture (didn't they have a press video showing it)?
I'm glad that they're honest about how it is in the development cycle. This is obviously a very early build.
Yet again Media Center fans are not invited to the party. Is it too much to ask from Kinect to work on the media center extension features of Xbox?