News - Grab to click coming to Kinect for Windows soon

[HEXUS]

Small gesture interface tweaks could have a big impact upon usage.

Read more.

[jimbouk]

That makes it a tempting addition to a Windows 8 based media PC. Hopefully it can be controlled while sitting on the sofa rather than standing up!

[GaryRW]

The new hand state recognition will allow better interactivity with a UI, simulating a left click or grab interaction.

If the Leap Motion does live up to its promises, recognising a single click and/or drag seems light years behind the 10 point/finger tracking and gesture recognition LM is promising. My understanding was that Leap Motion was also promising user definable gesture recognition, but my memory might be wrong on that.

Whatever Microsoft is planning it better improve its size and pricing combination if the Leap Motion, due to launch in less than a week, lives up to its promise

I thought it was a 13th May launch date, not March. Here's hoping you guys are privy to to a change in the launch date!

[mtyson]

Sorry I boobed, it is definately 13th May not March... https://www.leapmotion.com/

I thought it was a 13th May launch date, not March. Here's hoping you guys are privy to to a change in the launch date!

[crossy]

Currently the Kinect system only sees the hand as a “point” but recent work by the research team has implemented open and closed hand states.

Actually I tend to use a kind of open/close hand gesture since it seems to get the Kinect to recognise better in some circumstances. Although that leaves me open to some leg-pulling ... "why is dad waving bye-bye to the tv?"

My problem with the current Kinect though - apart from the acres of space it seems to need - is that the XBox integration isn't complete. So there's still stuff that you need to use a controller for (and I don't mean in the setup of the Kinect itself) which jars if you've been used to doing all the pseudo Minority Report stuff that Kinect facilitates.

I've got to say that if they can do an updated Kinect that can work over a lot small distance - say 2-4 inches then that's going to be the "must have" peripheral for folks who've gone to Windows 8 on non-touch devices. Metro/MUI just feels utterly unnatural being driven with a mouse. And if they could also get it to work with Windows 7 then heck, I'd probably buy one! Get it working over short distances, and price it properly and they could have a real sales winner come Christmas.

And of course, best of all, the non-touch nature of Kinect means no fingerprints on the screen to have to wipe off (continuously).

[Obscurity]

After watching the video all I could think was how terribly innacurate and laggy it was in contrast to leap motion.

[TheAnimus]

Aren't the too differen't things thou?

Leap Motion for up close, Kinect for 1m+?

[GaryRW]

Aren't the too differen't things thou?

Leap Motion for up close, Kinect for 1m+?

That was my understanding, which is why I had assumed Leap Motion would have been bought up by microsoft or at least a partnership struck to really push Windows 8 to those people (like me) who just aren't convinced touch screen has a place on a desktop or laptop.

Basically, what Crossy is saying above about working on a 2-4 inch distance sounds pretty much a perfect description of what Leap Motion seems to be offering, but precisely what (the current) Kinect doesn't do.

Having skim read that EuroGamer article that talks about Kinect being shrunk into laptops, it doesn't sound promising - things like "dream", "it's not going to happen tomorrow" and "It turns out [Kinect]'s infrared so when you go out in the sunlight the sun is a big infrared source that drowns it out" all sound fairly negative to me.

[crossy]

That was my understanding, which is why I had assumed Leap Motion would have been bought up by microsoft or at least a partnership struck to really push Windows 8 to those people (like me) who just aren't convinced touch screen has a place on a desktop or laptop. Basically, what Crossy is saying above about working on a 2-4 inch distance sounds pretty much a perfect description of what Leap Motion seems to be offering, but precisely what (the current) Kinect doesn't do.

Agree with what you're saying and Leap Motion seems like a pretty neat gadget in itself - if they can do one that can attach to the top of a laptop screen (rather than being stuck on a fixed position on a desk surface) then heck, I'll buy two! And yes, while touchscreen makes sense on a tablet, personally I think when you start getting to the larger sizes then it doesn't work nearly as well (apart from the obvious annoyance of having to degrease your screen). As has been said here before - having to lean forward to poke a screen makes ZERO sense - most folks I've seen have their screens at more than arms length away.

[hapilynvraftr]

Well i think this is just the first development so further upgrades will be done.
yes leap motion is better in camera/sensor based gadget.

im not sure if this one is true but if it is. i think MYO Gesture control gadget look more promising. here's the link www.getmyo.com