CES ’11: Microsoft announces Avatar Kinect
Avatar gets upgraded ability, can track facial expression using Kinect.
During their CES keynote yesterday, Microsoft announced the previously rumored Avatar Kinect. The platform will offer a new way to interact with online friends using the popular motion-camera Kinect, which Microsoft said has sold over 8 million units since launch.
Avatar Kinect adds ability to the Xbox Avatar to track a user’s facial expression including smiling, frowning, laughing and even as detail-oriented as the eyebrow movements.
For what exactly Avatar Kinect is, the presentation did not go into much detail. A trailer was shown suggesting that the avatars can represent users in a visual chatroom envrionment with their friends and family. It was unclear if users could control the avatar but at one point, one of the demonstrators jumped out his couch, and his Avatar jumped out of its chair at the same time as well. Users can choose to record their conversation (oh, god…) and share it online.
Avatar Kinect will be released for free to Xbox Live Gold members later this Spring.
