kinect

Kinect helps GameStop reap record holiday sales

GameStop raked in record revenue during the holiday-shopping season, the retailer announced today.

During a nine-week period that ended January 1, GameStop generated $3.02 billion in revenue, up 5.4 percent compared with 2009. The company saw a 100 percent revenue gain through GameStop.com, compared with the same period in 2009. The company's gift card sales in December were up 32 percent as well, it reported.

The sales figures "exceeded" its expectations, the company noted.

The video game retailer stopped short of announcing individual product sales, but noted that overall hardware revenue was up 7.… Read more

CES: Netflix, Hulu Plus navigation comes to Kinect

Xbox 360 and Kinect owners will soon be able to enjoy easy new ways to wave their way through movies and music.

Microsoft this evening announced a spring software upgrade that will let Kinect owners use hand gestures and spoken commands to watch videos streamed through Netflix and the Hulu Plus monthly subscription service, effectively upping the stakes in the rivalry with Sony's Blu-ray-equipped PlayStation 3.

You'll be able to watch these "controller-free in the living room, the biggest screen in your home," Ron Forbes of Microsoft's interactive entertainment division told the audience at the … Read more

Leaked Microsoft CES slide touts 'Avatar Kinect'

A purportedly leaked slide of Microsoft's 2011 CES keynote speech, snapped by blog Glimpse Dog, shows off an upcoming Xbox 360 feature the company is dubbing "Avatar Kinect."

According to Winrumors, the feature will come as part of a system software update, and will make use of the Kinect camera accessory to map user body movements to their Xbox Live avatar. It's also said to bring the mapping feature to games, and other avatar-enabled areas of the Xbox dashboard and its applications.

Avatars, which came long before Kinect, offer users a way to create a virtual … Read more

Wavi Xtion gives PC Kinect-style controls

Asus has teamed with Kinect hardware maker PrimeSense to develop a device that will let you operate your PC with gestures, in the same way Microsoft's peripheral lets you control Xbox games by flailing around your living room like a nutjob.

The Wavi Xtion system comprises two Wavi boxes (below) and an Xtion camera (above), which you slap on top of your TV. The Wavi boxes wirelessly stream data received from the camera between your computer and telly. The end result is that you can surf the Web, browse your media, and stalk your friends on social networks by … Read more

Pinch to play

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

The FCC approves Net neutrality rules

eBay launches Gifts Nearby to help you shop offline

Microsoft wants to enable the Kinect to recognize finger gestures

The new FourSquare iPhone app lets you comment on your friends' location choices

The state of Oregon will now allow spell check on state exams

And that's all folks! Loaded is on hiatus through the end of the year. We will see you at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for new tech galore! Have happy and healthy holidays!

Kinect to recognize finger gestures, insiders say

Microsoft is looking to improve the resolution of its Kinect motion controller for the Xbox 360 so it can recognize finger gestures, according to insiders. The move could enable much more realistic motion-controlled games.

Gaming site Eurogamer spoke to sources at the company who claim to be working hard on increasing the amount of data the controller's camera can transmit to the console every second. They hope to quadruple the resolution available so that it can perceive a much higher level of detail in your movement.

A voice mail from Santa

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

The FCC is set to vote on new Net neutrality rules today

An app that gives users access to WikiLeaks documents gets yanked from Apple's App Store

Google extends free Gmail calling through the end of 2011

Amazon is issuing a refund for the non-lighted Kindle cover for users who have problems with it. The refund number is 877-453-4512.

Google Earth and Google Maps will track Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve

Microsoft is none too amused by the 3D sex simulation use of Kinect by a company called ThriXXX

Report: Software update to boost Kinect's camera

Microsoft is said to be working on a software update to Kinect's camera system that will improve the console add-on's capabilities at detecting more subtle human gestures.

Eurogamer, which is sourcing the report, says that the update centers around increasing the camera resolution in the Kinect's depth sensor from 320x240 to 640x480, a move Eurogamer says would enable the Kinect to potentially pick up things like finger and wrist movements.

The Kinect system is currently able to pick up and track 48 points on each player's body, though Microsoft's algorithms treat the hands as a … Read more

Crave giveaway: Microsoft Kinect

For this week's giveaway, we've got one of the hot gaming accessories this holiday season, the Microsoft Kinect Sensor, courtesy of Target. Now we're not serving up the XBox 360 to go along with it, but if you were on the fence about picking one of these up, throw your entry in (post a comment), for a chance to win one. (Read our full review here).

We've been trying to get a hold of a Kinect for a while to give away for readers, and, luckily, Target agreed to provide one. Target says it has some … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1372: You're just groping air (podcast)

Today's show is more than a little off the rails, thanks to talk of the Sean Connery "Jeopardy" bot, a giant pancake maze visible from space, moochie friends, and air-groping. But there's news here, too: Facebook adds facial recognition to photo tagging, the Mac App Store is coming, and the dangerous success of the Stuxnet virus. Also, don't drink Donald's beer. --Molly