Kinect Could be Used to Produce More Realistic Avatars

By

For whatever reason, people love interacting with themselves in the video game world. This concept has its roots deep in gaming history and was vetted on the Wii with the interactive Mii avatars. Similar features were added to Xbox Live in a recent refresh and now Microsoft is looking to take those user likenesses and bring them to a new level of realism.

Though the technology may be further off then they’d like to admit, the new Kinect peripheral could potential allow the Xbox to track the body and facial movements of a user. The thought is that the idiosyncrasies of an individual’s movements could then be converted to an avatar that would move similarly and would have the same features as the user. 

According to ComputerandVideoGames.com, “USA Today is carrying an exclusive video showing off the tech, which Microsoft chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie said can be used to ‘create an avatar whose facial animation is very, very realistic, and the quality is almost like a photograph of a person.’”

Tech similar to this was demonstrated when the Kinect was first unveiled, but the device has yet to be used to produce photo-realistic avatars.

There are plenty of games currently in development that are designed to utilize the avatar in them. If the tech being showed off on USA Today can be perfected it could make for an even more engaging player experience.


Chris DiMarco is a Web Editor for TechZone360. He holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University. Prior to joining TMC Chris worked with e-commerce provider Suresource as a contact center representative and development analyst. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.



Edited by Chris DiMarco
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]

TechZone360 Web Editor

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

Lessons Learned from Enterprise Oracle Cloud Migrations

By: Contributing Writer    7/1/2025

Switching to Oracle Cloud can feel daunting. Security risks, unexpected expenses, and performance troubles often turn what seems like an effortless up…

Read More

Protecting Business Assets with Smarter Security Frameworks

By: Contributing Writer    7/1/2025

Protecting your business is more challenging than ever. Cyber threats are increasing every day. Hackers target small and large businesses alike, searc…

Read More

Emerging Trends in Technology and Their Impact on Future Innovations

By: Contributing Writer    7/1/2025

Technology is changing faster than ever. Business owners often struggle to keep up. What's trending today might be outdated tomorrow. Falling behind c…

Read More

Tech Podcast Award Winners Bring Excitement and Enthusiasm to a Range of Important Tech Topics

By: TMCnet Staff    6/18/2025

Tech Podcast Award winners produce engaging, informative, and often entertaining content, bringing valuable insight from industry front lines to the e…

Read More

How Mobile Technology is Driving the Shift to Casino Apps

By: Contributing Writer    6/12/2025

Recent years have seen casino apps completely changing the online casino experience. Thanks to mobile-first technology, apps are becoming the default.…

Read More