Today at E3, Microsoft finally unveiled the long-awaited productized version of the Project Natal video inteface for the xBox 360. The new official product name is "Kinect". We first saw this device demonstrated at E3 last year, and the hype has been growing ever since.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, Kinect allows you to play games on your xBox 360 by simply moving your body. It's similar to the Wii Remote in concept, but you don't have to hold any sort of remote control device. Simply save your hands and magic happens. Sounds familiar?
Watching the Kinect demos and reading about its capabilities got me thinking... This is an opportunity for someone to make a really good video theremin. Today's video theremins are fun, but quite honestly they're all "toys" at best. With the detailed movement resolution Kinect has, the full body image recognition, and its ability to map your face onto an on-screen avatar, you could imagine a really special video theremin interface. What if you could perform on a virtual RCA Theremin as Leon Theremin himsef?
I have no idea if there will be an easily accessible development SDK for the Kinect, but surely someone will figure out how to write code for it sooner or later. What that time comes, I hope they think about making a video theremin with Kinect!
Read More: Xbox 360 Transforms the Way Everyone Has Fun (Microsoft.com)
