Microsoft Kinect is definitely eagerly looked forward to by everyone, and it is potentially a liberating game controller experience. However, some rumours about strange limitations are making the rounds, which started with news that Kinect works only if the users are standing up, and now, with information that Kinect will only support 2 active players at a time.
So while Microsoft Kinect was meant for the “entire family”, it looks like party play will have to be adopted, to give everyone a chance to play. The information was found in set of specifications revealed by Play.com, so you should bear in mind the fact that there is no official confirmation. Check out all the specs below:
Sensor
Colour and depth-sensing lenses
Voice microphone array
Tilt motor for sensor adjustment
Fully compatible with existing Xbox 360 consoles
Field of View
Horizontal field of view: 57 degrees
Vertical field of view: 43 degrees
Physical tilt range: ± 27 degrees
Depth sensor range: 1.2m – 3.5m
Data Streams
320×240 16-bit depth @ 30 frames/sec
640×480 32-bit colour@ 30 frames/sec
16-bit audio @ 16 kHz
Skeletal Tracking System
Tracks up to 6 people, including 2 active players
Tracks 20 joints per active player
Ability to map active players to LIVE Avatars
Audio System
LIVE party chat and in-game voice chat (requires Xbox LIVE Gold Membership)
Echo cancellation system enhances voice input
Speech recognition in multiple