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New Xbox One Experience update drops Kinect gestures; usage was "very, very low"
- Thread starter chadskin
- Start date
hydrophilic attack
Member
It's 2015. All devices you own will track anything you do with them. It sucks, but it's not at all unique in this regard
brokenwatch
Member
This feature is actually really annoying and activates for me all the time while watching Netflix. It will start fast forwarding or rewinding if someone is talking and moving their hands. I have been hoping just for an option to disable it, but this works, too.
Shin-Ra
Junior Member
Microsoft severed that limb when they opened up the Kinect motion UI reserves to developers wishing for the extra performance. It introduced an inconsistency to where gesture recognition worked.
Before MS opened up the Kinect reserves to games, was the transition from game to dashboard more responsive?
Before MS opened up the Kinect reserves to games, was the transition from game to dashboard more responsive?
Alx
Member
Well most of Gaf has hated kinect since the beginning, especially when it was all the rage on the 360, so it's not really a signn. Heck there are many people here who are proud to say they didn't even take theirs out of their box, which baffles me tbh (you bought it, why wouldn't you at least try it ?)
Anyway kinect on the new generation is certainly less popular as a gaming device as it was on 360. There is a lack of support from the devs, and the audience is not the same as the one of the later part of the generation (both are certainly related).
I think MS could have done a much better work promoting it, and I'm disappointed they give signs of dropping features now, when the new dashboard and Cortana would have been a good opportunity to build on it.
ThatOneGrunt
Member
It breaks my heart that they are taking this feature away. I might be a rare use case, but when my daughter was an infant, there were a million occasions where I was holding my daughter with one arm, and navigating the UI with the other. It was perfect for those times where I didn't want to speak commands out loud to wake the baby or find the remote. In that period I came to really like the gesture controls for scrolling through content in Plex or other apps.
I'm using the NXOE now and they've completely removed all gestures. From the UI and third party apps. I reflectively still try to use it. I raise my hand over my head hoping that the palm cursor shows up only to get nothing. It's almost like losing a limb and definitely feels like a downgrade. I may have been part of that small sample of users, but taking it out completely makes me sad.
I'm using the NXOE now and they've completely removed all gestures. From the UI and third party apps. I reflectively still try to use it. I raise my hand over my head hoping that the palm cursor shows up only to get nothing. It's almost like losing a limb and definitely feels like a downgrade. I may have been part of that small sample of users, but taking it out completely makes me sad.
Shin-Ra
Junior Member
How does repeat volume adjustment work?
"Xbox, volume down, down, down, down, down"
or
"Xbox, volume doooooooooowwwwwwwwwwnn"
?
PhineasRed
Neo Member
I know where you are coming from on this, kinect will always have a special place with me with how I was able to use it to keep myself entertained while Lookimg after our infant son. But for me it was the voice commands not the gestures. My kinect voice recognition worked so well I could (and still do) navigate everything with little more than a whisper while walking him around the house to put him to sleep (or if he was refusing to sleep). The gestures never worked for me though, they would pop up every time I put my feet up on the coffee table and it would annoy my wife. They actually detracted from the experience.
Goodacre0081
Member
so, apart from twitch broadcasting/skype is the camera used at all?
nevermore2782
Member
As most of us here, I mainly use my Kinect for voice commands but also for Cable TV stuff (I think my media remote needs it?) anyway....if they are burying the gesture commands, will will the Kinect basically just be a heavy microphone and IR receiver or whatever? Like, is Cortana taking over for voice commands? and for those who don't have Kinect, what is their solution going to be for voice (if they decide they want it) - $150 is still kinda steep for a Kinect that nobody wants and now has less use.
Alx
Member
The RGB camera is also used for user identification and QR code scanning. There are also subtle uses like dimming the led of the console in dark rooms.
Journey
Banned
I disagree that Kinect was the culprit to Xbox One having less power than the PS4. MS was set on having 8GB of ram, and at the time, chip density did not allow for more than 4GB of GDDR5, therefore DD3 + eSram had to be used. eSram took extra space in the GPU die which in turn meant sacrificing some compute units which is the real reason why the PS4 GPU is more powerful.
Budget wise, MS actually spent more money than Sony according to sources that priced each part (eSram is expensive).
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/te...-costs-90-more-than-ps4-to-make/1100-6416404/
Kinect was added on top of the cost and brought the price up to $499, in other worse Kinect did not cut into the budget at all. Without Kinect MS would just end up with the Kinectless package they have today. Sony pretty much lucked out that 8GB of GDDR5 became possible right on time, because I can't imagine the PS4 experience with just 4GB of ram for games plus the OS.
The former, but you can set how many steps you want it move each time. I have mine set to 5 steps per command, so if I want to go from 50 to 45 I would need to do two commands (my receiver goes in 0.5 increments).
Shin-Ra
Junior Member
Sounds like a PITA if you regularly adjust volume in smaller and larger increments.
ThomasAnderson
Member
Won't be missed. I wouldn't mind seeing a scaled down Kinect similar to the PS4 cam for voice commands and video streaming for $50.
Juke Joint Jezebel
Member
Won't miss them! I use voice more anyway. Makes finding certain content much quicker and easier.
It's pretty perfect for turning down volume for commercials and turning it back up when your show/sporting event is back on. Plus when Cortana launches you'll be able to say how many steps you want to adjust it.
MisterNoisy
Member
Maybe they'll release/include a microphone-only addon down the road then? The voice control stuff is great, but I've never used the gesture nonsense.
Hockeymac18
Member
I use "xbox mute" a lot in those situations.
daTRUballin
Member
Yeah, I agree. GAF has always hated Kinect. I don't really have a reason to "hate" Kinect since I've never tried using it. I've never even owned an Xbox console in my life! All I'm saying is that the general consensus is that Kinect 2.0 is dead, but I think this consensus is pretty true. Kinect 2.0 is definitely not as popular as the original Kinect was. I don't think anybody can really argue that.
Xbox, volume down.
Xbox, volume down.
Xbox, volume down.
You can set the increments somewhere in settings to be 1, 2, 3 based on your TV.
//ARCANUM
Member
Something I'm genuinely curious about here:
- Microsoft advertised Xbox One as having gesture controls
- Someone could have theoretically bought the Xbox One with this as their main selling point
- Now Microsoft has completely removed an advertised function (could be considered a CORE function to this theoretical user)
Is there any legal precedent here? Class action lawsuit type of thing? I'm not starting one or anything like that, but didn't they just advertise a feature and strip it out of the console? Isn't that... false advertising or something?
Does the EULA protect them to the point where they can straight up remove functionality?
- Microsoft advertised Xbox One as having gesture controls
- Someone could have theoretically bought the Xbox One with this as their main selling point
- Now Microsoft has completely removed an advertised function (could be considered a CORE function to this theoretical user)
Is there any legal precedent here? Class action lawsuit type of thing? I'm not starting one or anything like that, but didn't they just advertise a feature and strip it out of the console? Isn't that... false advertising or something?
Does the EULA protect them to the point where they can straight up remove functionality?
JayhawkerStL
Banned
There has been option to disable it since day one. Just go into settings for the Kinect and disable gestures during video.
Demoskinos
Member
So they finally gave up did they?
Probably protected by EULA.
anothertech
Member
Happened more on accident than on purpose for us.
Sometimes, more than just a couple, just sitting there watching netflix and those dam hands pop up on the side of the screen and go haywire. Rewinding the show, skipping to the dam end.
Ya, I used it from time to time, but accidental 'gesture' control happened more often.
Voice control is good enough
Sometimes, more than just a couple, just sitting there watching netflix and those dam hands pop up on the side of the screen and go haywire. Rewinding the show, skipping to the dam end.
Ya, I used it from time to time, but accidental 'gesture' control happened more often.
Voice control is good enough
plasmawave
Banned
Gestures mean hand waving stuff and not voice commands, right?
Shin-Ra
Junior Member
That's still not much good if sometimes you make small adjustments (you need to set the steps-per-command for this) and sometimes you make large adjustments because you'd still need to say it multiple times for the large adjustments.
Mr. Giggles
Member
You are correct.
Also, took them long enough... I mean outside of those once in a while occasions did anyone really use it to navigate?
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Poor Milo.
Captain Tuttle
Member
I need a new Kinect, hopefully there will be a firesale
iconoclast
Member
Good. Next step, drop Kinect entirely.
Why? It's entirely optional now and I love it for voice commands, especially for system stuff. It's sad to me how few games actually use it now, especially since last gen games like Skyrim and Mass Effect 3 used it to great effect.
What, no please. Voice command is the best thing. And I don't want to take on a headset to use that.
PetriP-TNT
Member
Ah, memories.
RIP the dream. Maybe next gen.
GrotesqueBeauty
Banned
R.I.P.
PrimaNocta
Member
I bought my Xbox One day 1 and haven't used my Kinect since the first week of release. Just more convenient to use a controller.
ultratruman
Banned
F
That's true, if previous team wasn't so focused on Kinect, we could have had a stronger console than PS4, but it's not such a big deal, Xbox One has already enough power, and i can't wait for this new dashboard. After all games are what really count and i'm having so much fun on Xbox One lately with Halo 5, Tomb Raider(which i'm playing right now) and the upcoming Quantum Break, Scalebound etc
Don't really understand these posts since very few people used Kinect for dashboard gesture navigation back when the system was still heavily advertised with Kinect.
The Cortana update will be coming soon which would even futher negate the need for gesture control on the dashboard. Voice navigation is already faster than gesture, and the Cortana update will make it even faster.
R.I.P.
Isn't that image from a Sony patent filing?
I disagree that Kinect was the culprit to Xbox One having less power than the PS4. MS was set on having 8GB of ram, and at the time, chip density did not allow for more than 4GB of GDDR5, therefore DD3 + eSram had to be used. eSram took extra space in the GPU die which in turn meant sacrificing some compute units which is the real reason why the PS4 GPU is more powerful.
Budget wise, MS actually spent more money than Sony according to sources that priced each part (eSram is expensive).
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/te...-costs-90-more-than-ps4-to-make/1100-6416404/
Kinect was added on top of the cost and brought the price up to $499, in other worse Kinect did not cut into the budget at all. Without Kinect MS would just end up with the Kinectless package they have today. Sony pretty much lucked out that 8GB of GDDR5 became possible right on time, because I can't imagine the PS4 experience with just 4GB of ram for games plus the OS.
This. The fact that the price/tech suddenly lined up was a huge windfall for Sony. It would have been huge hurtle for games to run on 4gb compared to the X1. Design decisions made many months prior suddenly either cause you problems or win you battles for the next 4-6 years.
PrivateRyan
Member
I'd be surprised if they took these out - I know anecdotal evidence never proves anything but nearly every Kinect owner on Xbox One I know uses them.
GrotesqueBeauty
Banned
Shhh, you'll wake the baby!