14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s Creative Director for the Kinect, Kudo Tsunoda, talked about the sensor for the Xbox 360 and emphasized that a next-generation experience is completely possible with the current version of the device as developers just need to start using its features in new ways.
The Kinect sensor for the Xbox 360 has become a best seller despite the fact that not a lot of quality games have actually appeared for it or made use of its different features.
This is why Microsoft’s Kudo Tsunoda believes that a Kinect 2 isn’t needed just yet, as developers have barely scratched the surface in terms of the things possible with the current device.
"I think that waiting for the next big thing isn't about waiting for the Kinect 2. It's more about all the great invention that can be done in software without having to go out and spend money on a new device," Tsunoda told VentureBeat.
"I do think that the next evolution of the experience will come as developers get better and better at working with Kinect. I think right now we're in an area where you're going to start seeing some amazing Kinect experiences based on things like using voice or using full body or using identity. And then I think going forward you're going to see a lot more people really blending all of the different features of Kinect together to build some really rich and immersive new types of experiences," he added.
A next-generation Xbox 720 has been rumored for quite some time and plenty of reports mentioned that a Kinect 2 sensor would either be bundled with or built right into the console.
Such a thing won’t happen, according to Tsunoda, who is adamant that the current device can support new things.
"It's not where you have to wait for Kinect 2 for something to be different as much as the more that we're able to play with Kinect and update Kinect over time, all of the capabilities in all different types of scenarios, we're going to keep pushing. I think that, again, it means both the evolution of existing features as well as the invention of new ones," he concluded.
The Kinect is already playing a big part in the Xbox 360’s new role as an entertainment center but games designed specifically for it are few and far in between. Do you think more developers will start taking advantage of the sensor?