Replacement Kinect for Xbox One??

fastest fingerfastest finger Posts: 12,862
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There have been a few rumours floating around that the Kinect for Xbox One costs MS almost as much to make as the console itself.

Xbox One is reliant on a Kinect being plugged in, so what happens if your Kinect gets lost, damaged, stolen etc? Your console would be effectively bricked I assume.

Your console will most likely be safely tucked away on your entertainment unit, but with you Kinect sensor on the front of the unit, on a shelf, or balanced on top of the TV there seems plenty of opportunity for it to get damaged.

Do you think you'll be able to buy a new Kinect separately? And if so, how much? A £200 bill doesn't seem far fetched judging by the reports on manufacturing costs. But bearing in mind that the £429 package is already heavily subsidised, could it be even more? I asked MS this question and they replied "Nothing has been announced currently but keep a look out for future updates on this". So either they simply don't know, or don't want to tell us yet.

Anybody worried about this?

Comments

  • deans6571deans6571 Posts: 6,137
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    ...not a direct response to your post so apologies for that but personally, I think the new Kinect has to be the ugliest thing I have ever seen!!!

    Its so damn square - its hideous! There is no way I would have that monstrosity sitting on top of my slimline HDTV (like my current Kinect is doing).

    The current Kinect is all curves and smooth lines (much like the current Xbox really) however, the new one is just angles and straight lines and just looks like a box (much like the new Xbox).

    Whoever designed it needs to be sacked.............!!!!
  • fastest fingerfastest finger Posts: 12,862
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    It is ugly. And big. And a weird shape. I've not seen it in a home environment, but it looks like the microphone array hangs off the front of it, so it's going to have to sit right in the edge of your TV unit. And it looks too big to safely balance on the top of a modern flat screen TV. If you've got one with a ultra slim bezel, then the microphones could actually cover a little of the screen. An obvious casualty for an accident.

    Hopefully I'll get to see one in the flesh in about 8 weeks, but from what I've seen so far I just don't get what MS is up to.
  • Anime_FanAnime_Fan Posts: 373
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    It is ugly. And big.
    So big in fact that I know more than a few people who don't have any room for it around there TV & are thus not buying an XB1 purely because of that (My included).

    in my case my tv is on the wall in a recess with no room above or below for anything with the consoles in a rather small cupboard to the right.
    there's so little room that it was hard enough trying to fit the 360's power brick in there without it falling out every few minutes.


    im sure kinect 2 is fine for all those with 60" tv's with tons of room, yet for most its just going to be an inconvenience.
    i imagine its going to be a real issie on the new super flat tv's with no bezel to really attach it to.
  • fastest fingerfastest finger Posts: 12,862
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    Something else bugs me. They've got this feature where by using facial recognition different users' profiles and control preferences can be assigned to the controller they are holding.

    That all sounds clever and rather cool, but does this mean that Xbox Live stores your image and details in the cloud, therefore recognising you on any console? Because that's kinda creepy. Or, do you have to fanny about storing new profiles and getting people to gurn for the camera whenever there's somebody new in the room, just in case they might want to play?
  • Danger CloseDanger Close Posts: 3,281
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    To answer the OP, I think as long as the spycam is plugged in the console will work as you can have it switched off anyway.


    As for the placement issues. Mine will be going behind the TV facing the wall with some kind of MacGyvered cover. Unless I can figure if you can remover the mic and camera without shorting the system.
  • Red ArrowRed Arrow Posts: 10,889
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    To answer the OP, I think as long as the spycam is plugged in the console will work as you can have it switched off anyway.


    As for the placement issues. Mine will be going behind the TV facing the wall with some kind of MacGyvered cover. Unless I can figure if you can remover the mic and camera without shorting the system.

    I wonder if laptop owners, most of which come with a webcam built in are as paranoid :confused:

    "Apple are going to invade it's users privacy by having webcams installed on all devices...oh no!" :rolleyes:
  • Danger CloseDanger Close Posts: 3,281
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    Red Arrow wrote: »
    I wonder if laptop owners, most of which come with a webcam built in are as paranoid :confused:

    "Apple are going to invade it's users privacy by having webcams installed on all devices...oh no!" :rolleyes:

    I'd say more realist than paranoid.
    I know a few people who cover their laptap cam.
    Do you really think cameras attached to any network can't be hacked? now I'm confused.
    GCHQ spends millions every year on surveillance of UK civilians. Do you not think they check our emails, texts and even forum posts?

    I don't have a laptop and don't have a webcam for my desktop. My iphone, unless I'm using it sits in my pocket.

    I don't want the Kinect and if I can jimmy it, I will.
  • fastest fingerfastest finger Posts: 12,862
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    Red Arrow wrote: »
    I wonder if laptop owners, most of which come with a webcam built in are as paranoid :confused:

    "Apple are going to invade it's users privacy by having webcams installed on all devices...oh no!" :rolleyes:

    To be honest i havent really looked into all the privacy concerns, but I think the difference is that with a laptop, you look at it, it looks at you, with a very narrow field of vision, while you're actively using it. Your mobile phone is either in your pocket, or face up on a table for most of it's time and voice recognition only works on request.

    With Kinect, it's active 24/7 listening for a certain voice command, it uses facial recognition to see who is doing which activities and is kept in a position where it could potentially survey your main living area and all the people in it.
  • HotbirdHotbird Posts: 10,009
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    Red Arrow wrote: »
    I wonder if laptop owners, most of which come with a webcam built in are as paranoid :confused:

    "Apple are going to invade it's users privacy by having webcams installed on all devices...oh no!" :rolleyes:

    If they are not they probably should be given what we are hearing lately. At least with a laptop you can close the lid when finished and shut the camera away, Kinect will sit on top of your TV 24/7 in a lot of peoples main room which is why I think the issues of been spied on (As well as the timing coinciding with the PRISM program details) is why people are starting to take note and get a little worried.

    TBH we probably shouldn't be worried about been spied on personally as I doubt many (If any) people here do anything to warrant been spied upon, but on the wider subject this is very worrying about what it could mean for our privacy / freedoms in the future.
  • Red ArrowRed Arrow Posts: 10,889
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    I'd say more realist than paranoid.
    I know a few people who cover their laptap cam.
    Do you really think cameras attached to any network can't be hacked? now I'm confused.
    GCHQ spends millions every year on surveillance of UK civilians. Do you not think they check our emails, texts and even forum posts?

    I don't have a laptop and don't have a webcam for my desktop. My iphone, unless I'm using it sits in my pocket.

    I don't want the Kinect and if I can jimmy it, I will.

    Did I say they can't?

    My point was people seem to be screaming from the rooftops that MS are wanting to install a spycam in every living room so the US Government can see what your doing. But people forget that a large % of computers have webcams which can do the same thing yet no one seems to be talking about that.

    I would say it's far easier for someone to hack a webcam on a computer than the Kinect.
  • spanna5spanna5 Posts: 392
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    If people thought there web cam was on 24/7 they certainly would be complaining
  • Red ArrowRed Arrow Posts: 10,889
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    spanna5 wrote: »
    If people thought there web cam was on 24/7 they certainly would be complaining

    Who is to say it isn't? Click on the wrong link and something gets installed on your computer which was able to by-pass your virus scanner and suddenly some Government is able to turn your webcam on without you knowing.

    The Kinect camera isn't on 24/7, just the mic to pick up the command to turn itself on. A feature you can disable in the console settings or heck even turn the console off at the power supply! :p

    I think a lot of people are wanting to bash for the sake of bashing. I bet if the PRISM thing hadn't come out no one would care less about the Kinect listening for one command. In fact a lot of people might find it cool.
  • stefmeisterstefmeister Posts: 8,390
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    The privacy stuff was never really a big issue for me, My main issue has always been that I don't want Kinect, Will never use Kinect & have no room for Kinect (Shelves above TV, Sound-Bar on the stand below it).


    I do kinda get why they want to bundle it with every console, However I still see no reason at all to force everyone to have it plugged in (Especially given the size of the damn thing & the fact it looks horrid).
  • MsLurkerMsLurker Posts: 1,843
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    Red Arrow wrote: »
    I wonder if laptop owners, most of which come with a webcam built in are as paranoid :confused:

    "Apple are going to invade it's users privacy by having webcams installed on all devices...oh no!" :rolleyes:

    I got a sticker covering my webcam :o
  • HappyTreeHappyTree Posts: 4,936
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    Someone in this thread really needs to read the Guardian. It is no longer plausible to call this type of privacy concern "paranoid". It's proven fact.
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