THE FIRST controller-free gaming console, Xbox Kinect, was released yesterday in the US with the product set to hit Irish shelves next Wednesday.
Microsoft has described the technology, which will cost €150, as “revolutionary” and says demand has already exceeded supply.
“Retailers have been receiving so many orders that we actually cannot meet the initial demand,” said Kieran Penwill, manager of Microsoft Ireland’s entertainment and devices division, “but I am confident we will match the demand for Christmas.”
The Xbox add-on device uses a motion-tracking camera to sense a player’s whole body movement which is then translated to character movements on-screen.
Microsoft is following in the footsteps of Nintendo, which introduced the first motion sensor console, the Wii, in 2006. However, where the Wii, and PlayStation’s version, operate by sensing the movement of a controller, the Kinect senses the actual body movements of the player.
“You are the controller,” said Mr Penwill. “The Kinect will recognise your face and body and know who you are.”
One of the concerns expressed by some reviewers has been that a motion-dependent console like this would require a huge room to use it in. “Designers were particularly conscious of urban environments,” said Mr Penwill, “so the guideline for size is that if you have six feet of space back from the sensor, then you will be able to play it fine.”
