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geekhack Community => Input Devices => Topic started by: maclover on Wed, 10 November 2010, 17:56:17

Title: xbox kinect hacked, useful as a pointing device?
Post by: maclover on Wed, 10 November 2010, 17:56:17
The Xbox Kinect is a fancy* webcam with a microphone that can detect objects. It has been hacked and can be used with regular personal computers.

Demonstration of it working on a PC


*A video showing the infrared dots it projects


Do you think it would be useful to be able to be able to wave your arms in front of computer and make it do stuff?
Title: xbox kinect hacked, useful as a pointing device?
Post by: Lanx on Thu, 11 November 2010, 04:18:04
i should be getting my kinect now (gf was flipping channels saw the dance game on jimmy falon and said, i want that) but it's shipping my 15ft usb cable seperately, now i gotta wait for that since i have a projector and that's a long throw distance. (tho i think i may have 2 10ft usb extensions somewhere.
Title: xbox kinect hacked, useful as a pointing device?
Post by: zefrer on Thu, 11 November 2010, 04:53:56
Anything that forces me to get up and physically move to use my console/computer is an instant no-no for me :heh:

I consider it a step back, with regards to input interfaces, personally.
Title: xbox kinect hacked, useful as a pointing device?
Post by: Rajagra on Thu, 11 November 2010, 13:22:37
Quote from: zefrer;245311
I consider it a step back, with regards to input interfaces, personally.


I don't believe for one moment it can be an efficient way of passing information to the console. Strictly a fun item.

Careful with that step back. It may interpret it as confirming a purchase.
Title: xbox kinect hacked, useful as a pointing device?
Post by: zefrer on Thu, 11 November 2010, 14:34:21
Haha no, no intention to either.
Title: xbox kinect hacked, useful as a pointing device?
Post by: WhiteRice on Thu, 11 November 2010, 20:46:40
With the right software...

Title: xbox kinect hacked, useful as a pointing device?
Post by: sethstorm on Thu, 11 November 2010, 23:10:25
Or with the right hardware, do something else entirely :P
(http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/1077703382_ngFHz-L.jpg)

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/11/5/ (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/11/5/)
Title: xbox kinect hacked, useful as a pointing device?
Post by: netwebber on Sat, 13 November 2010, 00:21:50
Quote from: zefrer;245311
Anything that forces me to get up and physically move to use my console/computer is an instant no-no for me :heh:

I consider it a step back, with regards to input interfaces, personally.


Agreed. I like having a 5000+ dpi mouse, so I can have three monitors and move my fingers barely more than than an inch to cover my whole desktop. (Or use a trackpoint, for just a millimeter or so!) And touch typing doesn't take that much movement either.  

OK, so I like reverse pinching for zooming and pinching for zooming out. But that's on my 3-inch iPhone, or on a touchpad. Right now I'm using a laptop without a Trackpoint so I'm running Scroll++ to let me scroll with the touchpad. It's better than using the side of the touchpad, but it's still annoying.

If you thought RSI with a keyboard and mouse was bad, just wait until the Kinect-type interfaces.

WhiteRice, I almost posted that video the other day. The step-zoom gesture (0:24), I could get into. The jog-wheel (2:44) was also a nice touch.

They got zooming backward (0:07, 1:04). Reverse-pinch will probably last longer than the double-click.

I don't like pinky-to-select (0:39). I've lost the use of each of my pinky fingers for a few weeks (at different times) to injury...
Title: xbox kinect hacked, useful as a pointing device?
Post by: Findecanor on Sat, 13 November 2010, 06:49:23
Quote from: netwebber;246218
If you thought RSI with a keyboard and mouse was bad, just wait until the Kinect-type interfaces.

I recall that someone on this board once wrote that the occupation group with highest percentage of RSI-sufferers was sign language interpreters ...

Anyway. Here is another gesture interface from Microsoft's research. Mind-bogglingly simple tech.
Title: xbox kinect hacked, useful as a pointing device?
Post by: maclover on Sat, 20 November 2010, 07:37:03
the future is here: http://www.[vimeo]vimeo.com/16985224[/vimeo]
Title: xbox kinect hacked, useful as a pointing device?
Post by: Lanx on Sat, 20 November 2010, 10:29:43
kinect sucks, didn't really have fun, i mean it was good novelty with dance central/kinect adventures but i couldn't stand the lag.

there was a noticable 1 or 2 second lag between the camera and seeing yourself onscreen. I can't play a game with that big of a handicap!