Avatar Kinect Connects Multiple Users in a Shared 3D Space, Conveying Expressions, Gestures; It's the Revolution We've Been Waiting For (UPDATED With Raph Koster Commentary)

As hinted at last Tuesday, Microsoft is launching Avatar Kinect, a virtual chatroom with avatars who interact via Kinect, for Xbox, coming this Spring for Xbox Live Gold members. The software converts the user's gestures and expressions into a cartoonish 3D avatar, and incredibly, even makes Steve Ballmer bearable to watch. (Two words: Monkey Boy.) View below:

I'll come right out and say it: For all of us who already know about the power of 3D virtual worlds, and have been waiting for everyone else to catch up, this is the revolution we've been waiting for. It is the inflection point that Mitch Kapor predicted to me three years ago, when he told me that with future virtual worlds, "The interaction metaphor is not going to be a mouse and keyboard." (And you would be foolish to bet against Mr. Kapor.) Those who grow up accustomed to Avatar Kinect will expect existing virtual worlds to have that functionality; those already in worlds like Second Life and World of Warcraft will begin to demand their own Avatar Kinect-type features too. (Thanks to USC's Institute for Creative Technologies, WoW already has such a hack.) However, a lot is now riding on Microsoft: If Avatar Kinect is not robust, does not offer users a real variety of interaction, does not make the experience compelling and sticky, the momentum may be lost. Unless, that is, an existing world is officially brought to Xbox Live.

Update, 2:40pm: Eminent MMO wiseman Scott Jennings concurs: "If you look at that and think to yourself 'Um, that sucks, why would I care?' — it’s not for you. It’s for the people who think MMOs, virtual worlds, and hell, even home computers are the realm of the terminally dorky -- but have consoles... this has the potential to be really, really big."

Update 2, 1/7: Now MMO/virtual world/social game developer and thought leader Raph Koster offers his own take, which is pretty enthused. Key sample:

This is indeed a powerful development.... Add in robust enough objects to buy and the ability to customize your space, and you start getting something that feels like, well, Metaplace.com or Second Life with voice chat and kinesthetic controls. But for now, it’s more like IMVU or Lively, probably, and we shall see how it goes.

Much more here.

Comments

[ELQ]

Actually, there's no reason a viewer couldn't be compiled for the xbox live environment using the XNA Game Studio as far as I know. Anybody know why it hasn't already been done?

[Ann Otoole InSL]

Hmmm maybe. Maybe not. Although I would love to see an interface that lets me build with my hands I have little expectation LL has the resources to make it happen. This technology requires capabilities beyond triggering animations to play. As it stands what you see animating on your screen may not even be what someone else sees on their screen in SL.

Long row to hoe I'm afraid. And it could indeed be a mere passing fad.

By the time we get there the entire UI paradigm may have changed again anyway.

Those microsoft avatars are horrid btw. absolute garbage. Someone needs to be fired.

Ah well can't resist. When this happens, and it should, what will we do with the bozos and their certain continuous arm animations?

Oh and using kinect style interfaces for extended periods of time seems illogical. Guess there will have to be the normal UI to use when one gets tired of walking in place or flapping of arms like an idiot to fly. Yea... more to this than is on the surface.

I'm waiting for retinal stimulation displays so we can have "terminator vision". That is the really big "next thing".

[Valentina Kendal]

let's be honest, if this succeeds you just know the people who will make money off it first and best are the porn/sex sites. all over the country people will be paying money to simulate sex acts by themselves in front of their TVs

/me makes *no* comment about your use of the word 'sticky' Hamlet...

[Adeon Writer]

I'll buy a Kinect when it works good on Windows, Mac, & Linux, and has a decent implementation for any non-console virtual world. :)

Still, it's great to see it becoming mainstream.

[Medhue]

Looks like a novelty to me. I'm all up on the technology and will probably get a kinex within a few months, but all these things I see any1 doing with this, is bunk. What is the purpose? People will soon find out that how they move is not all that interesting, and who wants to see people scratching their balls or picking their undies out of those tight places.

The most interesting part of realtime animation in VWs would be for live performances. Beyond that, it won't be anything that people will actually use, at least not for years.

OH, and i totally agree with Ann on the look of those avatars. If they release it like that, it will totally flop. If i want to animate a character in realtime, I want something badass, not cute weeblo people. Might be cool for the kiddies and I'm sure MS will sell millions of kinexs. Fun tho, I don't see it. Might as well just turn the webcam on. I'd be wearing better looking clothes than those avatars.

[Adeon Writer]

Someone has already reworked the Kinect to capture human motion data and automatically generate a .bvh file. In other words, the Kinect hardware, without the x-box, can work with a PC as a home ho-cap device.

[Medhue]

@Adeon - Yeah, I'll probably get the kinex just to have greater mobility when filming motion capture.

To me, I just see an interface problem for everyday use. If you use it, how do you use any interface? If your motion is your interface and your gestures are the triggers, which you'd need alot, then you'd just be some person doing weird gestures all the time using the interface. Even if you could touch an invisible interface, you are still looking weird. If you still have to use your regular keyboard, then you need a desk that is 4 foot tall, and you still look weird. I just don't see a way around it.

STill will be cool for mocaps and live stuff, and cheap enough for any1.

[Allison]

This might be good for specialized usage, but for everyday use, it looks like more novelty than anything else. When we get full brain interface immersion, then maybe that will be something. As for this, meh.

[Pat Powers]

As soon as they figure out a way to have sex with Kinect that's close to the um, natural way, Kinect will succeed like nothing you ever saw. Have virtual sex with beautiful/handsome people from all over the world in the privacy of your own home! Good lord, aren't you people even paying attention to Second Life's most popular activity?

Maybe there'll come along some buzzy/vibratey interface that'll make it a really COMPELLING experience. Third Party, for sure! Or, bondage devices that can be remotely controlled by the other party. It's all about our imagination, peoples!