Looking for games that use the Xbox Live camera [closed]

Question

I have the Xbox Live Vision camera, but I just got a Kinect. Since I won't need the camera anymore, I was thinking of mailing it to a friend that lives a state over. The problem is, I don't know of any games that make use of the video chat functionality these camera's provide.

Uno, on XBLA does. And I think I saw an advert for a Command & Conquer game that supported it. That's it.

Does anyone know of some games my friend and I can play and video chat at the same time?

Asked by CalicoBeard

Answer

A quick trip to Wikipedia can help you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Live_Vision#Compatible_games

Answered by Kappei

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Kinect Joy Ride: Playing the game with wireless controller

Question

Is it possible to play Kinect Joy Ride with wireless Xbox 360 controller? I don't own Kinect yet.

Asked by Mehper C. Palavuzlar

Answer

No. If a Kinect game has the purple case with Kinect on it (which Joy Ride does), you have to have the sensor to play the game, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinect#Software

Answered by Doozer Blake

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Is it possible to disable Kinect support while playing Mass Effect 3?

Question

I've been playing the Xbox 360 version of Mass Effect 3 and since I have a Kinect attached to the system, the game automatically "uses" its functionality. That is, whenever I or anyone or anything else the room makes a noise, a small red microphone appears in the upper left-hand corner. This is pretty distracting, especially when it happens in the middle of an intense fight.

Is there a way to turn this functionality off other than just unplugging the Kinect sensor?

(Sorry for the blurry picture. It's tricky taking a photo of your TV during a firefight with a controller in your hands.)

Asked by johnjon

Answer

You can disable Kinect support:

• Pause the game
• Go to the "Options" menu
• Choose "Narrative"
• Move down to "Kinect Player Dialect" and choose "Disabled."

Back out of the menu, and you'll stop getting mic icons! This also disables the icons in the center of the conversation wheel, for instance.

Answered by agent86

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Does Kinect Sensor Lens need cleaning?

Question

Is it necessary to clean the Kinect Sensor Lens periodically? If yes, how should I do that?

Answer

I found the answer in Kinect support page:

In most cases, your Kinect sensor lens will not need to be cleaned. However, if you find smudges or dirt on the lens, follow these instructions to clean the lens without damaging it.

First, use a soft lens cleaning brush to clear away dust or dirt particles. Then use a clean microfiber cloth that is designed to clean lenses, and gently wipe the lens in a circular motion.

If a clean microfiber cloth does not remove smudges and fingerprints, you can use a cleaning solution designed for cleaning camera lenses or glasses. When using a cleaning solution, apply the solution to the microfiber cloth. Do not apply the cleaning solution directly to the lens.

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What are my options for motion control on the three consoles?

Question

What are my options for motion control on the three consoles? What are the pros and cons of each motion control system on the Wii, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3?

Answer

The real question you want to ask yourself is "what kind of games do I want to play." That question affects the "best" choice pretty heavily.

Hopefully, the below list will give a better overview to help your choice.

The Nintendo Wii

• Largest current library
• cheapest standalone console
• You can acquire controllers (wii-motes) or even wii motion-plus versions packaged as parts of certain games.

Playstation Move

• Most expensive controllers
• Most expensive console
• requires peripheral (Playstation Eye)
• Small game library, (some current playstation games getting retroactive support)

Microsoft Kinect

• most expensive peripheral (the Kinect itself)
• excellent non-kinect 3rd party support (you may buy a kinect, but at the end of the day, you can fall back on Halo, if that's your kit)
• no extra costs in controllers
• small game library, few (none?) "hardcore" games with kinect support.
• Milo was just plain creepy.

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Space requirement for dancing game

Question

I recently bought an Xbox 360 with Kinect and now my girlfriend really wants one of the dancing games (e.g. Just Dance 3 or Dance Central 2). I'ld be happy to buy her one of those games but my concern is whether or not she will be able to play it. My Kinect sensor is only able to see the top half of the body so I'm not sure if she can actually play it. Does the dancing games for the Kinect track the movements of the legs?

Answer

My wife has Dance Central for the Kinect, and it does track your entire body. Leg movements are involved in practically every dance routine. For us, the couch is around 6' from the TV in the Xbox 360 room, and we have to push it back about another 2-3' in order for her to have enough room to dance.

As a more "real world" test, if you have Kinect Adventures, (which is likely since it's typically the pack-in title for the Kinect) and the game complains that you're not far enough away for "2 player play," you probably don't have enough room.

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Missing pushups in UFC Trainer

Question

I am about 3 days into my first 30 day challenge on UFC Trainer and have been getting frustrated that the game isn't picking up all of my push-ups.
I can grind out 20 or so ( don't laugh (; ) in the allotted time, but can barely get the game to register 12 or 13. Does anyone have any tips on getting all of my push-ups to count? I've tried going slower, adjusting the angle of the Kinect, adjusting the angle of my head while I do push-ups, nothing seems to make a difference. I am thinking it is something to do with being low to the floor, as I experience some trouble with situps as well. I'm working out on hardwood floors, could that make a difference?

Thanks to anyone with some advice.

Answer

The Kinect isn't really optimized for people laying on the floor - the angle and distance that Microsoft recommends is really designed for people standing up or (potentially) sitting on a couch. I seem to remember reading that the "sitting on the couch" use case to be one they added support for late in the project.

Even standing up, the Kinect doesn't really have 100% accuracy. My family is usually repeatedly frustrated trying to play games with it, even though we've done everything we can to make the Kinect work optimally.

For lying on the floor, you're going to have to experiment with the position and angle of the sensor to get the best results. If it's on top of your TV, try moving it lower. If it's low already, try moving it higher. You may need to get slightly further or closer to the sensor as well. Run the Kinect Tuner between adjustments to give the Kinect the best chance of finding you.

Your motion during the exercise may also matter. Generally, the more motion and the more your distance from the sensor changes, the better chances you have at being detected. However, some of this depends on the game as well as the Kinect.

Unfortunately, it's hard to say what's going to work best - people reporting similar problems said their solutions ran the gamut.

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In what ways will 4GB limit my Xbox usage?

Question

Microsoft recently announced that "Kinect bundle" that includes Kinect and Xbox 4GB. The price is good, I'm thinking of getting one - but I have two questions:

1. In what ways 4GB would limit my Xbox usage?
2. Will I be able to extend the storage if needed, either using internal or external storage?

Answer

The 4GB refers to a 4GB memory unit for the system. You use the storage for saved games, user profiles, downloads from Xbox Live, and "downloading" a game disk to your Xbox for faster loading. The only thing you would be missing out on that really matters is space for demos, videos, and other content from Xbox Live, as you won't have much space for them. Game demos are several GB each, so the built-in 4GB won't hold many.

The upside is that there are several choices to upgrade the space in your system. USB thumb drives can be used for storage space in an Xbox 360. You can buy 16GB flash drives from ~$30 any more, so that's one way you could go. Another method is to buy one of the internal Xbox hard drives. According Aaron Greenberg, via Joystiq, 'this 4GB unit "absolutely does have that expansion bay that we have the opportunity to use in the future."' So you will be able to buy any of the Xbox 360 S-capable hard drives to put in your expansion slot.

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Using the Kinect Microphone for Chat, how does one set it up correctly to use video chat, but not in games?

Question

I am a little confused on a particular config on the Kinect, when it comes to chatting.

If you go to the settings, there is a way to turn 'Microphone on/off for chat'. When I set up my nephews, I left this on, and I am pretty sure that when we played some CoD:Black Ops that night - his kinect was picking up noises in their room and everyone in our game could hear it.

When I set mine up, I had this off.

When we tried to do a Kinect Video chat last night, and it shows your face (while waiting to connect), it noted that my microphone was off. So I went and turned this on in settings, and went about using the Kinect video.

My real question is: How do I set this up so when I do a video chat it works, but when I am just in a game I can use a headset or nothing at all?

Note: There is a slim possibility that he was wearing a headset (and his kinect was not picking up audio), but it was picking up in game noises and rebroadcasting them - and he's far away enough TV that shouldn't matter.

Answer

If you have Kinect configured to be your chat mic and you do not have another chat mic connected for each connected controller then Kinect will be picking up and broadcasting the audio during games.

Examples of when Kinect Mic will be used during a game: (Assumes that the "Use Kinect for Chat Mic" setting is set to "On".)

1. One controller is connected and no chat mic is connected for that controller.
2. Multiple controllers are connected and one or more controller(s) don't have a chat mic connected.

(You are probably hearing chat through your TV or sound system in these cases.)

Examples of when a Kinect Mic will not be used:

1. When the "Use Kinect for Chat Mic" settings is set to "Off".
2. When one controller is connected and there is also a chat mic connected for that controller.
3. When more than one controller is connected and there is a chat mic connected for each controller.

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Is there a way to fine tune a kinect?

Question

I just purchased a Kinect for the Xbox360. It is a bit over sensitive. I currently have the 6 required feet. I want to know if there is a way to 'fine tune' or correct the sensitivity of my movements.

Answer

If you mean how to calibrate the Kinect, then here is the website describing the process.

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Can the voice recognition feature be used to pause and play DVDs and movies?

Question

I just bought kinect and it's pretty cool-- a few minor irritations for a technology as cool as this; it's well worth it.

(irritations such as a small lag in game, but then the sensor is only 50cm from the floor and not in the specification, and having to hold you hand up forever before it selects the menu, I mean a grab action should make it quicker, anyway I guess these could be fixed in a software update)

But can the voice recognition be used to pause and play movies on DVD, on the HDD and on the network?

Answer

Yes!

From: Using Kinect to watch movies, play tunes on the Xbox 360

Still, I had fun with the Kinect-ready Xbox features that were under my control. Launch the Zune app, for example, and say "Xbox, Suggest a movie" to start watching previews of new rentals; if you like what you see, you say "Xbox, Watch this" to start watching, or "Xbox, Next" for another preview. Or you can jump into your library of TV episode purchases, waving your hand to select the series and episode you want to watch.

Even better is scanning within a video for a certain scene. You wave your hand, move the floating hand icon over the little white mitt on the progress bar, and then swipe back and forth to scan the video forward and backward. I have to say, I was surprised by the degree of control I had; I was afraid the video would fly all over the place, but Kinect did a great job of tracking even my most subtle movements, allowing me to move forward or back in steps as small as 15 seconds.

Or watch this ad by Microsoft itself

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Is there a space requirement for the Kinect?

Question

Is there a certain amount of space needed in order to use the Kinect? How much of an area do you need to move around in?

Answer

Yes, there is a minimum amount of space required:

The Kinect sensor has a practical ranging limit of 1.2–3.5 m (3.9–11 ft) distance when used with the Xbox software. The area required to play Kinect is roughly 6m², although the sensor can maintain tracking through an extended range of approximately 0.7–6 m (2.3–20 ft).

A bit more practical advice is offered by this article:

Microsoft suggests a space of six feet by six feet in front of the Kinect sensor for one player, and eight feet by six feet for two players.

In "real life terms," my couch is far enough away from my TV that I can pull a queen sized sofa bed out of it without having to move it and still walk between the bed and the TV stand. I still have to move the couch 2-3' back from where it sits to play with the Kinect, and that just barely makes it happy. If you've got a coffee table or anything else between your couch and your TV, you're going to have to move it as well.

Nyko makes a "small room" zoom lens for the Kinect, although I've heard mixed results from using it.

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Does Kinect Really Work?

Question

I would love to hear from someone who has bought a Kinect.

Does it really work?

Is it buggy? Does it require a specific rug or background? Can kids and adults play it?

What are the ins and outs really? I have seen all the Microsoft Videos, but I would like to hear from someone who is not a MS person if it really works.

Answer

I bought a Kinect, and overall I'd say that yes, it does work.

However, it has some (potentially) strict requirements in order for it to work optimally. You need to stand at least 6 feet away from the sensor, ideally more like 8-10 feet. For two players, 8 feet is the minimum. If you are too close to it, it doesn't work really well at all. Some games might need more room than others, though (I've heard that Your Shape wants you to stand at least 8 feet back, with room behind you in addition, but I haven't played it yet).

The movement in-game does mimic your movements, but there is a very slight lag, and it doesn't always get what you're doing correctly (although it is right most of the time).

Overall, I'm happy with my purchase. I did have to rearrange my gaming setup for it a bit so that I had more room to maneuver, but when set up properly it works really well. If you don't have room for it (or can't make room), then I'd suggest holding off on it. the Kinect Support site has some information on how to set it up, so that might help you determine if it would work for you or not.

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Should I get a Wii, Xbox Kinect, or the Playstation Move?

Question

What are the pro's and con's of getting each system?

Answer

The real question you want to ask yourself is "what kind of games do I want to play." That question affects the "best" choice pretty heavily.

Hopefully, the below list will give a better overview to help your choice.

The Nintendo Wii

• Largest current library
• cheapest standalone console
• You can acquire controllers (wii-motes) or even wii motion-plus versions packaged as parts of certain games.

Playstation Move

• Most expensive controllers
• Most expensive console
• requires peripheral (Playstation Eye)
• Small game library, (some current playstation games getting retroactive support)

Microsoft Kinect

• most expensive peripheral (the Kinect itself)
• excellent non-kinect 3rd party support (you may buy a kinect, but at the end of the day, you can fall back on Halo, if that's your kit)
• no extra costs in controllers
• small game library, few (none?) "hardcore" games with kinect support.
• Milo was just plain creepy.

Check more discussion of this question.

Can I play “Brunswick Pro Bowling” without Kinect?

Question

Can I play "Brunswick Pro Bowling" without Kinect, with only a wireless controller on the Xbox 360?

Answer

No, I don't think so. The vast majority of games that use Kinect require it in order to play the game. I only know of one game that supports both the normal controller and Kinect - Child of Eden.

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Using Microsoft Kinect on a PC

Question

Microsoft recently released an SDK for the Kinect for Windows development. Does that mean if I go buy a Kinect, I can use it on my PC now? I'm a developer and would like to fidget around with it, but I want to make sure it will work on my PC first because I don't have an XBOX.

Answer

Yes it will work on your PC (provided it has a USB port).

There is also an open source "SDK" with reverse engineered drivers for Windows and Linux, if the licence for the official SDK is to prohibitive (there are a lot of licence restrictions on the use of the official SDK, a commercial SDK might be released later on).

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