Kinect can't read sign language after all


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Kinect can't read sign language after all

Microsoft has said the Kinect camera for Xbox 360 won't be able to understand sign language after all - at least for the time being. A patent for the device, spotted last week, suggested sign language recognition would be a feature.

But Microsoft has since told Kotaku, "Microsoft files lots of patent applications to protect our intellectual property, not all of which are brought to market right away. Kinect that is shipping this holiday will not support sign language."

According to Kotaku's sources it's all down to the camera's resolution, which was much higher in the original design. The model making it to market later this year has a lower resolution and therefore isn't able to recognise individual fingers as well as limbs.

"Patents are about protecting inventions and their uses - it doesn't follow that everything you read in the patent will make its way into the final shipping device," explains Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter.

"Patent applications need to be far-reaching enough to cover not only current technology but also subsequent evolutions of it, or spin-off ideas based on the same fundamental concepts. "Sign language recognition is a step beyond the final shipping device - the resolution just isn't there - but then the application also talks about connecting the camera to a PC and that's not going to happen in the short term either. Both of these scenarios are simply possibilities for utilisation of the sensor."

So there you have it. Roll on The Future.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-08-11-kinect-cant-read-sign-language-after-all

Thank you very much...

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Isn't that off topic? I would post that in a "kinect" thread.

Well I posted it because someone mentioned earlier that Kinect has potential because of its sign language capabilities :pinch:

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Kinect can't read sign language after all<<snip>>

Thank you very much...

Did you read the other Eurogamer article from August 7th about Kinect? Here's an excerpt:

That said, an investigation into the perceived limitations of Kinect reveals an intriguing truth: the device itself is merely a vehicle for supplying data to the console. What defines most of its capabilities is the software, and that is in a constant state of evolution. Forgetting this is a big mistake in evaluating the potential for Kinect as a gaming platform.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-the-case-for-kinect-article

It's an interesting read, going into how different studios are using the information Kinect provides. Some can use the skeleton over avatar approach while others, like Ubisoft, use the raw data from Kinect for their own purposes.

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Well I posted it because someone mentioned earlier that Kinect has potential because of its sign language capabilities :pinch:

yea that someone was me and this new info doesn't contradict to what I said. Kinect has more potential as a technology, right?

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Did you read the other Eurogamer article from August 7th about Kinect? Here's an excerpt:

http://www.eurogamer...-kinect-article

It's an interesting read, going into how different studios are using the information Kinect provides. Some can use the skeleton over avatar approach while others, like Ubisoft, use the raw data from Kinect for their own purposes.

Yeah it is an interesting read - and means that devs will do niftier things as time goes on.

But it doesn't change that fact that, whilst it is amazing technology, whilst it is trying something that hasn't been tried before, the hardware has been gimped to reduce costs so it can't achieve all the things that were boasted about when it was first unveiled (and before someone tries to make this PS3 vs 360, yes I know the PS3's features were cut down before release too).

And even after cutting down the hardware, it's still ?130. So to bring this back on topic...Move pricing is much, much more accessible (in the same way that the 360 was and the PS3 wasn't...)

I'd just like to say some of us are using the dark theme, and when stuff like this gets posted where the text colour has been specified as dark, it makes it very hard to read :/ ( Unless the colour problem is caused because of some messed up stylesheet styles, in which case it isn't your fault, but other quote boxes are fine so I have doubts.. )

Er, surely the simpler solution would be for you to stop using the dark theme, because no one else will know what problems you're talking about?

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I seriously doubt that they downscaled the camera to pathetic 320x240 as mentioned on engadget and other places. I am almost sure that the resolution is at least 1MP otherwise the photos that Kinect shoots would look really bad on TV. Almost all of them look decent quality (watch any Kinect demo and checkout the photos at the end).

They also demoed it on engadget show where it could read facial features - I think people are just jumping to conclusion.

Edit: screencaps from Engadget show #10 around 50min mark

post-62693-1281553370593.png

post-62693-1281553378203.jpg

post-62693-12815533850512.jpg

I really doubt that's done with a QVGA camera.

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Devs already said it detects finger movements.

That was probably under the previous 640x480.

DigitalFoundry rarely uses speculation without saying so, so they're getting their info from someone/something credible. And they've actually used Kinect. So it seems a little ridiculous for you, I or anyone else here to bluntly deny what they're saying.

In fact, here's the article: http://www.eurogamer...spec-blog-entry

I seriously doubt that they downscaled the camera to pathetic 320x240 as mentioned on engadget and other places. I am almost sure that the resolution is at least 1MP otherwise the photos that Kinect shoots would look really bad on TV. Almost all of them look decent quality (watch any Kinect demo and checkout the photos at the end).

They also demoed it on engadget show where it could read facial features - I think people are just jumping to conclusion.

If DigitalFoundry is correct, then all those demos were simply using the older, better hardware.

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What is the deal with Kinect press/marketing? The amount of things said incorrectly, or with confusion so far is a right mess.

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Whatever happened to waiting for it to come out and then seeing how it ends up? We're still months away.

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That was probably under the previous 640x480.

DigitalFoundry rarely uses speculation without saying so, so they're getting their info from someone/something credible. And they've actually used Kinect. So it seems a little ridiculous for you, I or anyone else here to bluntly deny what they're saying.

In fact, here's the article: http://www.eurogamer...spec-blog-entry

If DigitalFoundry is correct, then all those demos were simply using the older, better hardware.

That show was recorded in late June, same time frame as the article you linked above. They even demoed most of the usual games. The hardware looked like the shipping version. I don't think they would need to cheat that way?

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What on earth good would it do to have it support sign language in a console environment. All the voice commands have dedicated hand gestures and there isn't enough time in any game I know to make sign language worth while.

Its still a hell of a lot more an impressive piece of technology than Move.

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What on earth good would it do to have it support sign language in a console environment. All the voice commands have dedicated hand gestures and there isn't enough time in any game I know to make sign language worth while.

Think outside the box young grasshopper.........Why does it have to be used for games?

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What is the deal with Kinect press/marketing? The amount of things said incorrectly, or with confusion so far is a right mess.

What is the deal with people not reading. Are people missing the fact that somebody found a patent from MS on this and reported it as true, while MS turned around and claimed it wasn't.

But I am sure they knew that.rolleyes.gif

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Think outside the box young grasshopper.........Why does it have to be used for games?

Because its a videogame console. I clearly stated "in a console environment" so as to distinguish from the fact that it can be used with PCs and other devices. By the time its mainstream for those devices, it'll probably be able to read sign language.

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Well obviously they don't need to support sign language itself...but by not having the capability to do so it also means it can't read any hand gestures of similar accuracy.

It would be amazing if it could track my finger as I moved across the menus etc...to me that would be really impressive. But based on the demos so far, and the articles from journalists, it can only really track your forearm.

All of this aside...MS really needs to stop using "lifestyle" videos for their marketing. They are always so cringe worthy it's unbelievable. How can the people filming it not be laughing their arses off?!?

http://www.eurogamer.net/videos/xbox-kinect-lifestyle-video

:blink: if i ever found myself doing any of these things, i would shoot myself.

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Well obviously they don't need to support sign language itself...but by not having the capability to do so it also means it can't read any hand gestures of similar accuracy.

It would be amazing if it could track my finger as I moved across the menus etc...to me that would be really impressive. But based on the demos so far, and the articles from journalists, it can only really track your forearm.

All of this aside...MS really needs to stop using "lifestyle" videos for their marketing. They are always so cringe worthy it's unbelievable. How can the people filming it not be laughing their arses off?!?

http://www.eurogamer...lifestyle-video

blink.gif if i ever found myself doing any of these things, i would shoot myself.

seriously, they are a bunch of bullcrap.

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:blink: if i ever found myself doing any of these things, i would shoot myself.

Just wait until you have a family... :shifty: Ahhh... the youth is wasted on the young...

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But based on the demos so far, and the articles from journalists, it can only really track your forearm.

Nah, it can track hands easily too. It's pretty slick.

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Oh damn lol. But remember there are hundreds of different sign dialiects. What we sign in Australia is called AUSLAN. What people in USA signs is Amercian Sign Language (ASL). Would be very hard work for MS. Maybe leave it to specialised disability development groups (I use AUSLAN but can speak (ablet crappy at it lol)).

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