The Kinect 2 will be accurate enough to be able to read lips
Microsoft is already working on the next generation of Kinect, a device they say will be so accurate it will be able to read lips, detect player emotions and determine which direction players are facing. It’s expected that the Kinect 2 will come bundled with future Xbox consoles.
Kinect 2 can track the pitch and volume of player voices and facial characteristics to measure different emotional states. The current Kinect is hamstrung by having to pass data to the Xbox 360 through ageing USB technology - an issue discussed by Eurogamer last year.
When Kinect launched in November 2010 the depth sensor was set at a 30 frames per second limit and a 320x240 resolution limit. The issue relates to the USB controller interface, which is capable of around 35MB/s, but it only uses around 15/16MB/s. This artificial limit is in place because multiple USB devices can be used at once on an Xbox 360.
Kinect 2, however, can feed the next Xbox more information, and thus a higher resolution CCD [charge-coupled device]. “It can be cabled straight through on any number of technologies that just take phenomenally high res data straight to the main processor and straight to the main RAM and ask, what do you want to do with it?” our source said.
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