Posts Tagged ‘Xbox Kinect’

‘Twister’ Game Gets a Tech Facelift

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Remember the childhood game ‘Twister’ from Hasbro, where all you needed was a color board, a spin wheel and a group of friends to get the party started?  Yea—scratch that–you have officially been outdated. Welcome to 2011…Where Majesco Entertainment plans to bring ‘Twister Mania’ to Kinect (however it seems the game itself has absolutely nothing in common with the original, except the name).

Here’s what to expect:

  • Supports up to 8 players
  • Three different gaming modes with 4 variations totaling 16 ways to play with more than 1800 shapes
  • Variations: Creating shapes and challenge friends to recreate said shape (Spot On), positioning body to fit into a ‘hole in the wall’ (Twist & Fit), earn points on how well you can fit into a silhouette of a shape (Shape Frenzy), and surviving a puzzle of colored shapes as a wall crumbles above you (Break it Down).
  • Cost: $49 for the game
  • When: Expected release November 2011

What makes this even better is the snapshot photos of your body contortions after every play session. I think that in and of itself makes it worth it.

How about you? Will you be purchasing Twister Mania, or keeping it old school with the color board and spin wheel?

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Microsoft’s Kinect Breaking Records, Changing Technology

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Ok, pop quiz.

The fastest selling consumer electronics device of all time is…

  1. Apple’s crazy-popular iPhone
  2. Apple’s crazy-popular iPad, or
  3. Microsoft’s motion sensor-based Kinect

Sorry Apple, you lose this round.

If you thought the Microsoft’s add-on camera tracker for its Xbox gaming system would be just be a novelty item appealing to a certain sector of gamers, well you still may be right. But that sector is pretty large and apparently keeps getting larger.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Kinect sold 8 million units from its launch date of November 4 until January 3, the largest 60-day total of any consumer electronics device ever recorded. To date, the Kinect has sold 10 million units.

The Kinect is the ultimate user gaming experience, as the device’s infrared camera tracks body movements which enables users to control what happens on screen with those movements. With games like Kinect Sports and Dance Central leading the way, over 10 million Kinect games have been sold and anticipation continues to build for future releases like Michael Jackson: The Experience.

Microsoft doesn’t plan to stop here. It’s already been announced that the technology will soon be made to work with PCs, which will expand its use from strictly games and into realms including social and other forms of entertainment.

On top of that, developers all over have hacked into the technology to create a plethora of unique uses for the Kinect, including syncing its controls with popular games of yesteryear to creating a virtual keyboard that plays anywhere. These developments have shown so much promise, that Microsoft released a kit to allow further dissection of its technology by curious amateurs.

Microsoft hopes the future of computer interaction changes beginning with the Kinect. Let the records show that Microsoft made history with its groundbreaking device. Now we anxiously await to see how it will connect with us in the future.

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