Entering the Age of Controller-Free Interactive Technology - Research Paper Example

?Entering the Age of Controller-Free Interactive Technology Introduction The growth and development of technology seems to be unstoppable. One day, an impressive and relevant gadget is born only to be replaced by an even better gadget just a few months later. The same is true in the world of gaming, as more and more people have fallen under the spell of vicarious experiences they can now have access to in the virtual world. Gaming technology has come a long way from the antiquated portable Game and Watch to the early video game consoles like Atari, Nintendo Family Computer and old versions of Play Stations. Now, three gaming consoles dominate the market namely Nintendo Wii, Sony Play Station 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360. This paper will focus on Microsoft Xbox 360’s latest additional feature called Kinect which is a gadget designed to work with the Xbox for controller-free gaming and entertainment experiences. The article of Dudley-Nicholson (2010) entitled “Microsoft’s Back in the Game” which came out in the Herald Sun on November 17, 2010 is the springboard article for this paper. Originally known by the code name of Project Natal, Kinect for Xbox 360 works by using a camera to track 48 parts of the human body, from head to hips, knees to feet and identify colors. An infra-red projector and image sensor detects objects in three dimensions. It is also equipped with microphones to identify voices by removing background noise (Dudley-Nicholson, 2010). Basically, it has been designed to recognize players and interact with them accordingly. Kinect is a “sensitive, intelligent, motion capture system that continually scans the room, and can sniff out people, faces and detailed motions” (Children’s Technology Review, 2010, p. 23). In the game, an individual can drive a car by pretending to hold an invisible steering wheel or kick a ball with an invisible soccer ball. The camera’s recognition of faces works in tandem with the motion sensor allowing the assignment of players for a game. This paper will discuss each usability attribute of Kinect based from current research. The usability attributes to be discussed are testing, accessibility, cross-cultural differences, interface styles, learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors and satisfaction. Testing Kinect has been thoroughly tested to work efficiently with the Xbox 360. It has built-in features that anticipate the Xbox’s potential downsides like heat. Gizmodo (2010) points out that Kinect tests out the heat in its environment with a sign warning passers-by in all caps, , DO NOT OPEN CRITICAL TEST IN PROGRESS. A tiny built-in fan turns on in demand when Kinect assesses a hot environment when the heat produced by the the three sensors and the atmosphere around it mix to create conditions warmer than Microsoft would like (Gizmodo, 2010). Leyvand et al. (2011) report that the developers of Kinect designed the system to reduce mistaken identities. From the tests, it still commits mistakes, but the system allows the players to correct their identity by running through the Kinect Identity process again to reduce the chances of future misidentifications. Ben Kilgore, Xbox’s general manager, claims that Kinect maps out as many people as it can detect depending on their distance from the sensor. It shades the people in different colors. However, if a person lines up with another, they both turn into the same color. Kilgore says the “design focus” was for two people (Gizmodo, 2010). Accessibility Microsoft is an organization committed to serving people of all kinds of abilities. It claims that its mission is to help people and businesses to realize their full potential with the innovation and technology they produce. However, as Kinect is its newest product, it has yet to develop more accessibility features for disabled users. As it is originally designed for full-body motion it has an inherent physical nature of the gameplay that may not serve disabled users well. Microsoft is working to improve the system’s skeletal tracking technology so that game developers may create software that incorporates seated play, along with more features to allow more users of various abilities to enjoy Kinect technology. In the mean time, people with limited mobility may still enjoy Kinect’s controller-free entertainment features like ESPN on Xbox LIVE, Zune and Video Kinect (Xbox Support, 2010). Since Kinect is new, it is expected that consumers will find a lot of limitations while using the product. As with any 1.0 technology release, consumers may decide whether to buy it right away and be considered one of its first users or wait until they come up with a better version. Cross-cultural differences Kinect seems to be blind to cross-cultural differences as it detects and remembers each person’s mapped speech and identities. It listens to any human voice no matter what pitch, volume or accent. The acoustical model for every country includes regional accents so any speech is intelligible to Kinect (Gizmodo, 2010). However, in terms of facial recognition, there have been reports that Kinect has difficulty in detecting faces with darker skin (Saint, 2010). The software for facial recognition in Kinect relies on contrast that is why some skin tones might be more difficult to read than others. Some sensitive races with darker skin may find this offensive, however, Microsoft denies that it has created a racist technology. Interface styles Kinect has a natural user interface in its infancy. Its special features of being able to track one’s body with full depth mapping, responding to voice commands, having a highly sensitive video camera makes it revolutionary (Gizmodo, 2010). Kinect Hub functions as a new interface wherein users turn on the system and wave at the gadget, which in turn detects them. The user’s voice command navigates the dashboard. Examples of commands are saying “Zune” and Kinect goes to Zune Marketplace. When the user holds up his hands during playback, it allows him to scrub through the video without a remote controller. Orders such as “Xbox play” or “Xbox pause” makes the Kinect obey accordingly (E3 2010: Microsoft Demos 360 Kinect Interface… ) Wolverton (2011) elaborates that Kinect can be used to launch applications, rent and watch movies, play music and tune in a live sporting event just by using gestures or verbal commands. It frees the user from figuring out complicated remote controls. Learnability Users of Kinect swear by its learnability feature. Unlike the Wii or PS3, it has no need for a handset and is likened to work like the computers in the futuristic movie, Minority Report where the characters just move around in front of a screen embedded with a camera that uses infrared technology. In Kinect, such technology tracks 48 points of the body as well as its distance from the gadget’s sensor. This aids the gaming console to accurately interpret what the user is doing in three-dimensional space (Ha, 2010). Once one’s gaming avatar is created, Kinect copies his body movements exactly into the game, so non-gamers will find it so easy to learn how to play the games without referring to certain button commands reminiscent of old, familiar video games with complicated commands assigned to certain buttons and movements of the controller (Mint, 2010). For example, in the game River Rush, players are required to jump over rocks and bushes as they go downstream on a raft. They did not need to learn any other commands that require a controller but will simply move along with another player. That implies that adapting to Kinect’s motion and tracking was very easy. As a bonus, the camera can document a player’s game movements and replay it for review of the gaming experience (Mint, 2010). Wolverton (2010) shares more learnability features. Some games walk the user through sophisticated routines step by step without the need for a controller. This takes away the barrier that keeps players become completely immersed in the game. Efficiency As the Kinect technology is so fresh, it is expected to perform efficiently. Microsoft has taken 3D depth-mapping technology that usually costs up to more than a hundred thousand dollars and made it in volume at a much more affordable price (Gizmodo, 2010). Impressive as it seems, the hardware of Kinect will not be of any use without the amazing software that makes the system work. The efficiency of Kinect’s sound and motion detection is a result of research sone in 200 homes in the US, Japan and Europe. Kinect is meant to calibrate the audio in the room it is in to create an audio profile and to map out the room’s reflectivity. The open microphone attempts to recognize voices from a distance even without a button command (like Push-to-talk) to tell it to listen for voice cues (Gizmodo, 2010). This special feature is made possible by beam forming that focuses on specific points in the room. The audio processor uses the echo profile created to perform multichannel echo cancellation (Gizmodo, 2010). Memorability “Memorability, in the context of user interface design and usability, refers to the degree of an interface design’s ability to be re-used by users without them having to re-learn the system all over again.” (Wireframe Tools, 2011, para.2). This implies that if a system has low memorability, it risks user’s motivation to continue using it because it diminishes productivity due to wasted time and surfacing of errors. This causes users to lose interest in the system knowing they have to re-learn it or else they will not be able to use it efficiently. With Kinect, if all works well, memorability is high as learnability is also high due to its controller-free feature. However, the ever-growing number of features may put the burden on the user to be able to remember how to use Kinect to access such features and the numerous applications available to it. Errors As consumers spend more time with Kinect, they have discovered some errors that need correcting. One is a lag in the delivery of on-screen movements. The lag increases, the faster the player moves (Dudley-Nicholson, 2010). This is explained by the fact that movements trigger pre-animated actions for one’s on-screen avatar (Mint, 2010). Another error is Kinect’s demand for a wider play space since players are required to stand 1.8 meters from the unit. Also, the lack of titles for hardcore games adds to the error (Dudley-Nicholson, 2010). In terms of detection, when players remove an article of their clothing, Kinect’s detection of their identity becomes affected (Wolverton, 2011). Individual changes such as having a haircut or sporting a different outfit confuses the system and requires identity detection of the “changed” individual again. Wolverton (2011) remarks that in using Kinect. He shifts from using gestures to voice or even the traditional controller because some screens require interaction with them in different ways. This results in a confused user and a messed-up interface. Once Kinect is connected to the Xbox, it does not mean it can be used to navigate the Xbox’s main screen. Controller-free features can only be used with specific Kinect applications and options. Some programs and applications still need a controller such as the Xbox Live marketplace, Netflix or logging into Facebook via the Xbox 360. Errors of inconsistency in Kinect features also surfaced even in the Kinect hub. For some applications voice command would suffice while for others, gestures such as waving at the screen were required. Also, if one is not directly positioned opposite the sensor, he would need to stand up in order to interact with Kinect even if he is only watching a movie (Wolverton, 2011). When Kinect was initially sold out, complaints of breakdown after a few uses echoed. Breakdowns were warned by the dreaded red rings of death error message. Microsoft denies these allegations of Kinect’s errors. A spokesman for Microsoft defends, "There is no correlation between the three flashing red lights error and Kinect. Any new instances of the three flashing red lights error are merely coincidental," (Information Week, 2011). In time, this will be validated. Satisfaction Consumers reported mixed reactions as to their satisfaction with Kinect. Although the technology is novel and highly sophisticated, a result of the collaboration of researchers, developers and product managers worldwide to create a fully controller-free gaming system (Wolverton, 2011), not everyone is impressed due to the errors and glitches that are coming out. It may be caused by the users themselves, in exploring the system, or it can really sprout from the system itself. Like with other technological advances, system errors may be developed due to a variety of factors. Being on its first edition, Kinect stands to be thoroughly evaluated of all its features and limitations. Kinect’s Other Functions and Possibilities Initially created for gaming and entertainment purposes, Microsoft is now looking into other functions of Kinect such as a marketing tool for financial institutions, a surveillance tool, and as an academic tool. Soon, Microsoft will launch a commercial Kinect software development kit allowing academicians, researchers and other enthusiasts to exploit the gadget for any potential application in their respective areas of expertise (Chilingerian, 2011). Conclusion With the advances in modern technology that abound today, it is becoming common to see new innovations every few months. A tiny gadget such as the Kinect system can do wonders to spice up gaming and entertainment to a higher notch. This further whets the appetite of developers of such technology and software to come up with even better gadgets. This millennium has been witness to the launching of new products that were vaguely unheard of or even imagined in the past generations. The dream of virtual interaction with game characters and the traversing through cyberspace in search of entertainment, social networking and knowledge is now within reach. With Kinect, being freed from using a controller is even a reality. The human mind is never satisfied as it continually conceives of new ideas to implement and create intelligent technology to make life more convenient. This is evidence that no matter how impressive new technology continues to develop, human beings will still reign as its masters. References Chilingerian, N. (2011) Microsoft Kinect: From Living Rooms to CU Branches?, Credit UnionTimes, May 4, 2011 Dudley-Nicholson, J. (2010) Microsoft’s Back in the Game. Herald Sun, November 17, 2010 E3 2010: Microsoft Demos 360 Kinect Interface For Content, (2010) Microsoft demonstrates how Kinect can control the Xbox 360 experience. Retrieved on 24 May, 2011 from http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/109/1097037p1.html June 14, 2010 Gizmodo (August 5, 2010) Deep Inside Xbox 360 Kinect and Why It's the Future of Microsoft Kinect. Retrieved on May 23, 2011 from http://search.proquest.com/docview/734905243?accountid=13552 Ha, P (2010), Look, Mom, No Hands!, Time, 176, 19, p. 65 Information Week- Online (Jan. 5, 2011) Microsoft Denies Kinect -Related Xbox Failures Kinect for Xbox 360, Children's Technology Review, Jul2010, Vol. 18 Issue 7, p23-23 Leyvand, T., Meekhof, C., Wei, Y., Sun, J. & Guo, B. (2011) Entertainment Computing, Computer, April 2011 Mint (2010) Why non-gamers should rejoice, November 23, 2010 Saint, N. (2010) Consumer Reports Says Microsoft's Kinect Isn't Really Racist, Business Insider. Retrieved on May 22, 2011 from http://www. businessinsider.com/microsofts-kinect-has-trouble- recognizing-dark-skinned-faces-2010-11 Xbox Support (2010) Accessibility and Kinect, http://support.xbox.com/en- us/pages/kinect/more-topics/accessibility-kinect.aspx Wireframe Tools – Wireframing Tools – Prototyping Software – Wireframe Software By Pidoco (2011) User Interface Design Terms explained: Memorability – Part 1. Retrieved on May 25, 2011 from http://www.wireframe-tools.com/user-interface-design- tems-explained- memorability-%E2%80%93-part-1 Wolverton, T. (Nov. 22, 2010) Kinect is cool, but Microsoft needs to work out the bugs. Buffalo News [Buffalo, N.Y] 22 Nov 2010 Read More