14 DAY TRIAL // Kinect is marketed by Microsoft as a new way to experience video games, based on natural motion of the player, but one of the most interesting uses for the new device will be in controlling the dashboard of the Xbox 360 console, with motion tracking used to make it easier for the user to navigate the menu system and the various options, in a process which will probably not be too different from what Tom Cruise does with his natural interface in the movie Minority Report.
And now screenshots have been leaked showing how the Xbox 360 Dashboard is set to change once Kinect comes out, which will happen at some point in early November. The images from Logic Sunrise are probably from inside Microsoft and they refer to the motion tracking system by its previous name of Project Natal. It seems that a new Natal Tuner options will appear in the System Options tab of the interface, allowing users to customize how the motion tracking works.
The entire interface seems to be somewhat more boxy that it is at the moment, with sharp corners. The stacking effect that put each panel slightly behind the main one while also making it smaller has also disappeared, probably in order to make it easier to actually grab each window and drag it to the forefront using Kinect.
The Xbox 360 has been using the same dashboard since November 2008, when the so called New Xbox Experience was introduced in order to make the home console more attractive for casual users. Microsoft has been saying that it is treating the launch of Kinect in the same way it would treat the launch of an entirely new console so it would make sense to also make changes to the dashboard to make the entire interface feel new. More screens will probably be offered once the launch date for Kinect draws near.