Microsoft is expected to launch their new Avatar Kinect feature for Xbox 360 in the next few weeks, WinRumours reports.
Craig Mundie, Chief of Research and Strategy for Microsoft, hosted an event on Kinect last week in the US. During the event he revealed that Avatar Kinect will be launched in the next few weeks, by means of a dashboard update for the Xbox 360.
Microsoft’s zany CEO Steve Ballmer first announced and demonstrated Avatar Kinect at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this January. It takes the accessory’s tracking accuracy to the next level, incorporating facial feature tracking such as mouth and eyebrow movement.
Avatar Kinect allows Kinect users to interact socially online through their Xbox LIVE “Avatars”, the customisable character that represents a gamer online. Users can meet online through Xbox LIVE and will be taken to a location on screen (sort of like a chatroom environment) where they can interact using movement and speech, which is interpreted by the Kinect sensor and then relayed on screen using the Avatars.
Are you excited about Avatar Kinect? You can see a preview of how it works below. Don’t forget to let us know what you think!