Kudo Tsunoda
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Kudo Tsunoda: 'Waiting for the next big thing isn't about waiting for the Kinect 2'
Last summer, try as we might, we couldn't get too much out of Microsoft's creative director for Kinect Games, Kudo Tsunoda, about what's next from the interactive peripheral. More recently, in an interview with Venture Beat, Tsunoda was a little more verbose about what he thinks the next big thing in Kinect is -- and it isn't a Kinect 2. The good news is, he believes that no new hardware will be required, and the innovations will likely come from developers, as they better understand and utilize the capabilities. A combination of voice, tone and facial recognition along with motion detection will likely be the tools that push the experience into the next era -- such as allowing users to participate in a game's story like an actor. Hit the source if you want to read the full interview, but you can be sure we'll be at E3 again this year to beat him, and others, with the question stick once more.
Kudo Tsunoda doesn't tell us a thing about Windows 8 support for Kinect
Microsoft asked us to drop by at E3 to chat up a generically identified "Xbox executive," imagine our surprise when we found Kudo Tsunoda hiding behind door number six. Wearing his signature shades, Kudo gave us a brief primer on what makes Kinect great, or at least a heavy endorsement of Kinect Fun Labs. While we can certainly dig the bite-sized gadgetry Fun Labs has to offer, we like to dig deeper -- will the Kinect hardware ever be integrated into other devices? Any plans for Microsoft's 3D tracking camera and Windows 8? Kudo did his best to feed our ravenous appetite for answers. It wasn't easy on poor Kudo, of course -- more than once we saw him glance longingly at his wrangler, a friendly PR rep keeping him from spilling the beans on anything too awesome. Probing about Windows 8 and Kinect produced one such look, and while our man very lightly suggested that Microsoft does more than games -- and that the dual-camera device might start showing up on other devices -- the big M had nothing to announce at that time. Kudo did go on to say, however, that we can expect to see new, innovative, "oh my gosh, I can't believe Kinect can do that" experiences at E3 year after year, citing this year's keynote for some recent examples. While we couldn't coax any leaks about Xbox or Kinect successors out of the man, it's good to see Microsoft's continued dedication to improving the platform.
Kinect Star Wars not due until holiday 2011
No matter how many times you call up LucasArts and suggest in your best Jedi voice, "You will release Kinect Star Wars soon," the game apparently won't be out until holiday 2011. Kinect evangelist and creative lead Kudo Tsunoda told the BBC as much in a recent interview, calling it and an upcoming Forza project the two Kinect-enabled games he's most excited for next year. "We have a Kinect Star Wars game coming out for next holiday," Tsunoda said. "I've seen a bunch of the game and it's super compelling." Presumably he's seen more than what we saw at E3 this year, clumsily demonstrated in this video. "Another one next year is Forza," he added, alluding to vague plans to integrate Kinect into the racing franchise, before boasting that it was "the best racing game of this generation of consoles." "Those are the two games I'm most excited about," Tsunoda concluded. As far as 2011's current Kinect prospects go, those would seem like safe picks, but we're wondering if developers aren't thinking outside the box enough -- just imagine if you were to somehow combine the two concepts ... perhaps mounting light sabers on high-end race cars? Now that would be something exciting enough to get us off the couch.
Jimmy Fallon gives everyone in his audience a Kinect
Giving out Kinect to a studio audience just seems like the classy thing to do these days. Oprah did it, and now Jimmy Fallon is doing it too. Last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, after demoing Kinect Sports and Dance Central with Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda and Harmonix's Naoko Takamoto, the affable host announced that everyone in the audience would be leaving with an Xbox 360 Kinect bundle. We're happy for the audience, but the event was overshadowed by another occurrence. It was something rarely seen on the mortal plane, something more precious than a unicorn: Kudo wasn't wearing sunglasses. Jimmy and Kudo actually discussed the missing eyewear before staring their play session, and it turns out he took off the shades for his mother. Say it with us: Awwwwwww.
Kinect object scanning adds some color to Joy Ride
As you would expect, Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda has expressed an optimistic viewpoint on Kinect's rarely utilized ability to scan real-world objects and incorporate them into games. At a recent Tokyo Game Show demonstration of Kinect Joy Ride, he revealed a small example of how Microsoft-owned developer BigPark utilizes the motion-sensing camera's capture capabilities. It's not quite a scanned skateboard, but it's enough to spur some color commentary. Kinect Joy Ride features some minor pre-race vehicle customization options, starting with your car's color. If you're dissatisfied with the selection of bold colors in the game, Kinect can take a peek at any item positioned in front of the camera (within a small, on-screen reticle) and transfer its color onto your car. You could apply a dark shade of red (apple), an uplifting purple (GameCube) or a disgusting, sickly white (game journalist arm). It's worth noting that this technology is hardly new -- you might have used it to capture textures in LittleBigPlanet with a PlayStation Eye -- and the implementation is far removed from Kinect's promotional promises. It's not even a particularly interesting addition in the case of Joy Ride, but right now it's in Microsoft's best interests to shift its conversation with consumers, away from, "What can't it do?" and onto "What can it do?"
Tsunoda describes Kinect's object-scanning, controller-wielding future
One of the cooler features Microsoft touted in its first Project Natal (now Kinect) video was the ability to scan objects and use them in your games. Unfortunately, that feature is nowhere to be found in any Kinect game announced so far, and Microsoft has been mum on the subject ... until now. Kinect mastermind Kudo Tsunoda told Eurogamer that although current games may not utilize it now, it's something we can expect in future titles. "Being able to digitise real-world objects and take them into the virtual world ... I think we're going to see a lot more games start using that as well as we go forward." The future of Kinect won't be entirely controller-free, either. While Sony has taken shots at the Kinect's lack of button input, Tsunoda says that "it's not like we're trying to take controllers out of the equation." While the current library is focused on an entirely controller-free experience, Tsunoda says that "games that involve both controllers and Kinect as well are totally possible." "That's one of the unique things about the Xbox platform: we can do controllers; we can do controllers with Kinect, which is more than just motion control, it has voice and human recognition as well." So Kudo, when are you going to reveal the head-tracking enabled, voice-command Halo tactical FPS we just imagined?
Tsunoda, Harmonix address Kinect player limit, but questions remain
It seems like Microsoft's Kinect has been dogged by rumors of its limitations since day one. Some rumors have been busted -- you can play Kinect while seated, for instance -- but others are still nebulous just two months out from launch. Speaking to Kinect boss Kudo Tsunoda, VideoGamer attempted to clarify whether or not Kinect is limited to two "active" players, as was reported earlier this year. Tsunoda's answer: Look at Dance Central. Said Tsunoda, "Dance Central is already incorporating a lot more than two players," adding that "it's not necessarily any kind of limitation as much as it is developers just trying to customize the experiences around what they think is the best way to play." Furthermore, Tsunoda noted that it can be difficult to work loads of players into a game's design, but reiterated that Dance Central is "already incorporating more than two." Not satisfied, we contacted Harmonix for further clarification on this issue. Read the response after the break.
Tsunoda downplays lack of rumble in Kinect
Echoing statements made by Sony's Phil Harrison a few months before the introduction of the Dual Shock 3 (specifically, that rumble was a "last-generation feature"), Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda suggested that the lack of rumble from the Kinect camera wasn't a big deal, by suggesting that rumble isn't a big deal, in an interview with Edge. "The overwhelming thing we've discovered is that rumble is such a rudimentary form of haptic feedback," he said. "It's not like a little rumble in your palm is your whole way of interacting with the world – it's not like, oh, I stubbed my toe and I get a little rumble in my palm." The audiovisual presentation of Kinect games, he said, does more to immerse people than rumble, as evidenced by the instinctive reactions he observed from players. "In many of the games we have, people will crash a vehicle and they'll go totally like this [mimes dodging out of the way]! And even people playing games with a controller, there's always people doing this [mimes driving motion]." Tsunoda went on to sort of address the nagging question of lag. "The way we measure 'lag' is by putting people in front of the experience and measuring their thoughts. Either it feels good or it feels sloppy. It's not how many milliseconds, it's: 'Does it feel good? Does it react fast? Does it feel as if you're in control?'" So what is important isn't the amount of lag, but the perception of lag.
The Engadget Show - 010: Jimmy Fallon, Kudo Tsunoda, Microsoft Kinect, iPhone 4, Samsung Captivate, Droid X
Well we've made it to our tenth show, and it was nothing short of explosive! For our entry into the world of double digits, we sat down with Late Night host (and all around awesome dude) Jimmy Fallon for a lengthy and hilarious conversation about games, gadgets, "The Wizard," and much, much more. Then Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda joined the team onstage for a demo of the company's Kinect -- including a look at how the underlying tech actually works. Finally, Josh, Nilay, Paul, and Joanna sat down to rap about -- and play with -- the latest and greatest gadgets (including some unreleased gear). Oh yeah, and then we had a near riot during the giveaways! It was one crazy party, and if you couldn't be in the crowd, this is the next best thing. What are you waiting for? Watch it now! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel Special guests: Jimmy Fallon, Kudo Tsunoda, Joanna Stern Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger Edited by: Michael Slavens Music by: glomag Visuals by: Invaderbacca Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec Taped live at Cooper Union, New York City Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 010 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 010 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
Watch the Engadget Show Live! with Microsoft Kinect and Kudo Tsunoda
At 8:00 PM EDT tonight, our friends at The Engadget Show will broadcast a live episode featuring Jimmy Fallon and special guest, Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda. The subject? Microsoft Kinect, of course! (In addition to iPhone 4.) Check out the live stream after the break!
The Engadget Show returns tomorrow, June 23rd with Jimmy Fallon, Microsoft Kinect, Kudo Tsunoda, and more!
That's right, Engadgeteers -- the tables have turned. Tomorrow, June 23rd, The Engadget Show returns full force with a very special guest: Jimmy Fallon, host of NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (and also a major geek). Jimmy will be sitting down with us for the kind of frank, eye-opening, and downright thrilling one-on-one conversation only The Engadget Show can provide. Not only that, but we'll have the Microsoft Kinect live and on stage for a hands-on demo with Microsoft's own Kudo Tsunoda -- so you'll get a chance to see it in action long before it hits shelves this November! And there are lots of other major surprises in-store. We'll also have music from the inimitable Glomag, along with some stunning visuals from invaderbacca. Oh, and did we mention the crazy giveaways? Like... a pair of new Xbox 360s? Seriously, you do not want to miss this one -- it's going to be epic. REMINDER: The Show will be taking place in a lovely new venue, the Rose Auditorium in Cooper Union's New Academic Building (ie. not the TimesCenter), located in Manhattan at 41 Cooper Square. Seating is extremely limited, so get there early! Here's all the info you need: There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free The event is all ages Ticketing will begin at 5PM on Wednesday, doors will open for seating at 7:30PM, and the show begins at 8PM You cannot collect tickets for friends or family -- anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket Seating capacity is limited (only about 200 seats in the theatre), and once we're full, we're full The venue is located at 41 Cooper Square New York, NY 10003 (map after the break) The show length is around an hour If you're a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we'll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com. We'll also be doing our best to stream the show live, so check back here tomorrow at 8pm if you can't make it out to the show. Subscribe to the Show: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (M4V). [Zune] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (M4V). [RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically.
Challenge: Make your own Natal demo video, get yourself on The Engadget Show
We hope by now you've seen the video of Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda demoing the latest software to undergo the Project Natal treatment -- Beautiful Katamari and Space Invaders Extreme. If you haven't, you really should, because there's nothing quite like seeing a man gesticulate wildly for seemingly no reason. In that post, a commenter of ours -- aardWolf -- made the genius suggestion that people do their own "demo" videos of Project Natal. We think that's a grand, grand idea... and we're going one better. If you make those videos, we'll put them together in a segment for The Engadget Show. Here's what we want from you, the reader: Film yourself "playing" a game "with" Project Natal Upload the video to YouTube, Viddler, or the video site of your choice tagged with "engadget natal contest" (with quotes, at least on Viddler), and specify exactly what game you're playing. Feel free to give details. Email us at engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com with "natal video" in the subject, as well as the link and any pertinent info you'd like to provide (or you can just leave a link in comments) Lather, rinse, repeat Once we get some good entries, we'll cut the whole shebang together in a segment for The Engadget Show (provided you guys aren't super boring or something -- though we don't think that will be an issue). It goes without saying that by submitting a video you're granting us the rights to use it on the Show and in any Show promotional materials we might produce. Don't worry, we won't sell you into slavery or anything. Probably. In case your memory is super bad, we've included the clip of Kudo after the break.
TGS 2009: Kudo demoes Natal, invents dance craze
As you've probably guessed, the dearth of footage of actual Project Natal gameplay can be attributed to Microsoft's ban on filming the screen during demos of the technology. Hence, the gameplay-less video above, captured by Engadget during a Natal preview of Beautiful Katamari and Space Invaders Extreme. Watch as Project Natal creative director Kudo Tsunoda shows how one rolls giant sticky balls or pushes back extraterrestrial attackers using only one's limbs. Without seeing the screen, we can't be certain how well he's performing these activities, but we can certainly attest to his remarkable dancing prowess.
Video: Project Natal hands-on goes round two with Katamari Damacy, Space Invaders
Several months have passed since our last encounter with Project Natal, Microsoft's controller-free, gesture-based interface. Developer enthusiasm and rumored release dates aside, since that time there hasn't been much in the way of new, concrete details or any title announcements. That didn't stop Kudo Tsunoda and gang from coming to Tokyo Game Show to give the Japanese audience a taste of the title. We managed to get ourselves some more time with the system, which included previous demos Ricochet and Burnout Paradise, along with newcomers Beautiful Katamari and Space Invaders Extreme. This time around, things felt a bit more glitchy than before, with some weird graphical maladies around our virtual wrists and a few occasions where recalibration was required (which is simply accomplished by covering up the sensor with your hand for a couple seconds). Our Engadget Japan correspondent Ittousai couldn't get his hair to detect, but Tsunoda inferred that it was something they were working on as the project continued. Going through the menus, we spotted Lumines among the other games on the console -- Tsunoda wouldn't comment on it, but he did note that adding Natal support isn't something that's likely to be patched into existing titles. Care to take another peek at what you'll look like when Natal eventually comes to your living room? Video demonstration after the break.
Don't expect old 360 games to add Natal support
Speaking to Destructoid, Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda had some bad news for gamers hoping to see old Xbox 360 game updated with Natal controls. The Natal team has been able to effectively implement motion controls in older titles -- like Beautiful Katamari and Space Invaders Extreme -- but Tsunoda intimated that it required large portions of code to be changed. According to Tsunoda, it's not something that developers could easily patch into older titles. In other words, if you want your favorite pre-Natal title to support motion control, you'll have to hope for a full-fledged re-release from the publisher. That's definitely a blow for those hoping to enjoy some of their favorite games with motion control, especially considering Sony can patch motion control into older PS3 titles. Here's hoping Namco sees the light and releases Beautiful Natal-amari once Project Natal hits retail shelves.
TGS 2009: Body-on: Project Natal (with Space Invaders Extreme!)
Explaining Project Natal's mantra of fun and accessibility can't be the easiest task in the world, especially since it has to be done while ricocheting about in front of a motion-detecting camera. And despite that, creative director Kudo Tsunoda makes it look easy, calmly elaborating on Natal's goals and features while he dances about in a room full of journalists. We've heard it before: Natal is Microsoft's sledgehammer, swung straight into the walls that years of button pressing and circle strafing have slowly erected around traditional gaming. We've seen similar attacks from Nintendo's Wii, as well as from the massive genre of the Instrument Protagonist, but Microsoft is hoping for much more than a dent. In the wall. Do you get it? It's like a metaphor and stuff. The bizarre problem with Natal in its early state is that it, um, works. The technology is clearly functional -- heck, it's vaguely magical -- which makes the absence of truly compelling software almost immediately disappointing. Anyone can simply hop in front of the camera, which never seems to stop and ask, "Who are you and where did you come from -- and why are you so fat compared to the last person?" You're recognized within seconds and can start playing a moment later. And then you slap flying balls. It's a bit of an unfair demand considering the product's not due until 2010, but the impatience is testament to the convincing nature of the technology itself. In the meantime, Microsoft is exploring Natal's tricks in two existing games: Beautiful Katamari and Space Invaders Extreme. %Gallery-48663%
Jimmy Fallon rocks out with Project Natal
They weren't just setting up Project Natal on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon set last night for nothing, you know -- Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda was on the show, giving a little demo to Jimmy, John Krasinski, and Stephen Moyer. The games were the same Richocet and Burnout Paradise demos we got to play with at E3, but hey, now it's celebrities looking silly on camera instead of us, right? Some are hypothesizing that everyone had to wear the red jumpsuits to compensate for the bright studio lighting and lack of a uniform background behind the players, but it could have just been a Fallon flourish. We're looking into it -- in the meantime, check the video below. Update: We just hit up Fallon's producer, who told us the suits were just for fun, so that's that. Also, anyone notice Fallon asking Kudo if this would ship in 2010 and Kudo declining to answer during some crosstalk? Good times. [Via Joystiq]
Video: Project Natal invades Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda brought along his baby, Project Natal, and let Jimmy Fallon, John Krasinski, and Stephen Moyer go to town. The footage has made its way onto Hulu and while these are pretty much the same demos for Ricochet and Burnout Paradise that we saw at E3 last week, they're still impressive. If you're wondering about the Harrison Ford garb, apparently it was mentioned that the group didn't wear them for the game's benefit (we couldn't find the clip online explaining it). Is Jimmy trying to start a new fashion trend?You can check out the footage from last night's episode past the break.
Project Natal making a guest appearance on Jimmy Fallon tonight
Remember when Jimmy Fallon said he was "going to treat a video game premiere as if it was a movie premiere"? Yeah, we do too. While Punch-Out!! was cute, it didn't quite cut the mustard around here. How about Microsoft's controller-less wunderkind Project Natal? It's such a hot premiere, it's a year early! Eighteen months early? Two years? Who knows, it's early! Regardless, Fallon's invited Microsoft's own Kudo Tsunoda to show off his sunglasses indoors again (mark our words). But that's not all – he's bringing along a prototype Project Natal camera (see the decidedly unattractive box above) and a demo of Ricochet, the ball-slapping simulator (ahem) they showed off during the E3 keynote. Unfortunately, it's not the best-looking demo we can imagine showing on a 108" display (it's bested by Punch-Out!!) but the tech is what's on display here. Tune in at 12:35pm ET (or thereabouts) to watch for yourself. %Gallery-65582%[Via Engadget]
Project Natal video hands-on, impressions, and further details
We had a chance to go one-on-one with Project Natal -- as well as its steward, Kudo Tsunoda -- and we wanted to give you a little insight on Microsoft's next big play. Plus, how could we pass up an opportunity to show off a video of us essentially flailing around like teenagers on a coffee high? The first thing to note is that Microsoft is very protective of the actual technology right now, so they weren't letting us film or photograph any of the box itself, though what they had was an extremely rough version of what the device will look like (not at all like the press shot above). It consisted of a small, black box aimed out into the room -- about the size of a Roku Player -- with sensors along the front. It almost looked a bit like a mid-size (between pico and full size) projector.
