14 DAY TRIAL // Following the release of its next-generation instant messaging client and the upcoming natural user interface (NUI) device for its gaming console, Microsoft also plans to bridge the two technologies together. The Redmond company premiered the Kinect for Xbox 360, formerly codenamed “Project Natal” at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010 (E3) earlier this week, and is on the verge of releasing the first public Beta of Windows Live Messenger Wave 4. According to the software giant, the two offerings will allow users of the company’s gaming console to connect seamlessly with the giant’s IM community.
“If you’ve been following the E3 conference, you know that (…) Microsoft unveiled new details about the controller-free Kinect for Xbox 360 (formerly known as ‘Project Natal’), including how it enables Xbox LIVE users to have real-time video conversations with hundreds of millions of Windows Live Messenger users,” Piero Sierra, group program manager, Windows Live Messenger & Mail, revealed.
Kinect ushers in a new interaction model for Xbox 360, allowing users of Xbox 360 consoles to do away with traditional controllers or joysticks. Instead, Kinect brings to the table audio and video sensors designed to allow users to interact in a natural way, employing gestures, movements, etc. Up to this point in time, Microsoft has not said exactly when Xbox 360 customers will be able to start communicating with Windows Live Messenger Wave 4 users.
“This functionality will release in the next year, and we’re excited about how it helps make your communication experience even richer by bringing Messenger and your friends directly into your living room,” Sierra added.
Various third-party sources and leaks from Microsoft have indicated that the public Beta development milestone of Windows Live Messenger Wave 4 will be released as early as next week. “When we told you earlier about what’s coming in the next version of Messenger, one of the things we discussed was how we’re improving the core instant messaging experience, and making big improvements to video chat and media sharing with built-in features like HD support, full-screen video chat, and more engaging ways to share photos and videos,” Sierra said.