While all of us have been waiting patiently for the next generation of gaming to arrive via the likes of Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4, a seriously major blow was dealt when it was revealed that the upcoming Xbox One would arrive with an always-on functionality. This created issues with user privacy. However, every coin has two sides and according to the company, the Kinect has more to offer this time than it ever did.
Recently, there were reports that the Xbox One's built in Kinect sensor can actually serve as a biometric sensor, with a finely tuned camera to pick up things such as respiratory rates and heartbeat in humans. In a recent interview with CVG, Xbox Accessories general manager Zulfi Alam confirmed the above.
However, Microsoft is not considering such controller add-ons because, according to Alam, the Xbox One will already come bundled with technology capable of reading player states. "We already have the ability to know what your emotion and heart-rate is, and that's through the Kinect camera," Alam said. "Adding biometric sensors would drain battery life, and we've already got it via Kinect, so why do it?"
The concept of Biometrics has become a topic of huge interest in the gaming industry in recent times. The basic idea is that a controller or system that can somehow gauge player interest and adapt game play accordingly, and this is surely some new-age stuff we are dealing with. Interestingly, even Sony, in the beginning, tried to incorporate such a feature into its Dualshock 4 controller, but ultimately decided against it.
The recent confirmation from Alam comes after Microsoft previously claimed that the next-generation Kinect sensor is sensitive enough to read the player's heartbeat. The statement related to the matter from the company read: "The completely redesigned, revolutionary 1080p Kinect is more precise, more responsive and more intuitive. It dramatically expands its field of view and fidelity."
"It works in nearly any lighting condition, recognizes precise motion control from a slight wrist rotation, and distinguishes your voice even in a noisy room using advanced noise isolation."
The Xbox One is currently scheduled for a November 2013 release.