This is Kinect with Windows Phone 7 (video)
While Microsoft hinted at some of the planned Kinect and Windows Phone 7 synergy at Mobile World Congress, we now get a peek at what that might look like.
In the future, people sitting next to you on the couch with their Windows Phone 7 device will be able to jump in on a game you're playing on the Kinect.
At least that's the message being delivered by Microsoft in a technology demo video that shows off the company's vision it outlined earlier today in Barcelona during Mobile World Congress.
The technology preview, which runs less than a minute in length, shows off a male player going up against the computer in Rally Ball, a mini-game included in the Kinect Adventures title that ships with Microsoft's Kinect unit. In it, he's joined by a female companion who fires up an app on her Windows Phone 7 device to take over as his opponent.
Microsoft takes the demo one step further, adding a second player on the Windows Phone 7 device, who is also able to fire out a barrage of virtual rubber balls. Falling in defeat, they all share a laugh and the demo ends.
One interesting prospect this introduces is that Microsoft may have found a way to dramatically increase the number of players who can partake in Kinect games, which could be especially useful for people with small living rooms. The Kinect requiresa certain amount of play space, which can be especially hard to come by when there are two players, something that for Kinect Adventures and other two-player games require several additional feet of depth to make work well.
Have a look at the video for yourself below, just keep in mind this does not necessarily mean the functionality will be added to the current version of Rally Ball: