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The 2010 Microsoft CES Press Conference is a wrap, and while the majority of the show was focused on Windows Phone and PC’s, there was some talk regarding the Microsoft Kinect. The motion device has sold over eight million units worldwide thus far, shattering all expectations and becoming a worldwide phenomenon faster than anyone ever expected. 50 million systems have been sold as well, and 30 million Xbox Live members have been registered. The best part? Microsoft is just getting started. First off, the company will introduce Kinect-style controls when it comes to movie viewing. All three of Xbox Live’s major movie-viewing programs will use motion controls sometime this spring, including Netflix, Zune and Hulu Plus, which is confirmed to arrive within the next few months. Users will be able to activate their programming either using their hands or voice commands, motioning where they want to go to a point in the movie without the need of a remote control. Microsoft demonstrated this with a pair of movies during the press conference, including Christopher Nolan’s groundbreaking Inception and the latest Twilight Saga film, Eclipse.
But probably what turned the most heads at the press conference is the new Avatar Kinect feature, which was rumored a couple of days ago and is now confirmed to arrive this Spring. Avatar Kinect is reserved exclusively for Xbox Live gold subscribers, and you’ll need a Kinect in order to take advantage of it. It’s a social service that allows you to chat with friends in a number of surroundings, including a tailgate-style sit-around, a talk show, a TV news set, and a winter hospice. Over 15 creative sets will be available to choose from, and your Avatars will be able to chat with one another in real time. Think of it like video chat, but with the use of your virtual characters. (So, yes, you don’t have to worry about how you look anymore.) Anything you do in real life will reflect on your Avatar, including body movements and lip synchronization. So it’ll be like you’re virtually there talking with your friends. Furthermore, you’ll also be able to record these videos and post them directly to your Facebook.
Now, considering there’s news sets and talk show sets, we could easily see this as a way to socialize with your fans or friends, as well as introducing a new way to do news shows or host podcasts. It would sure beat messing around with Skype, that’s for sure. No word yet on how many users can use Avatar Kinect in chat at once, but we’re assuming that several folks can jump on and join in on the discussion fun. We’ll be sure to give this service our full attention when it releases later this spring. So, yeah, no new games were announced, though the House Party program will kick off next month with Uprising: Hard Corps and Beyond Good and Evil HD in tow (check our separate news story for details). Still, it was an eventful press conference and overall experience at CES 2011; one filled with great information about the Kinect features to come. And just think what the company might be cooking up for E3 2011.
