World of Warcraft controlled with Kinect is pretty impressive

Following video shows World of Warcraft controlled with full-body control.

The Flexible Action and Articulated Skeleton Toolkit (FAAST) currently supports the PrimeSensor and the Microsoft Kinect using the OpenNI framework.

[whateva]

wonder what they will do next

[Spydiggity]

i always thought it would be cool if you could hook up wow to a treadmill. the only way to move would be to run on it. and if you wanted to regen health or mana you'd have to eat a carrot or something...... of course, the hackers would figure out a way to let them just eat cake or a poptart and ruin the whole great experiment.

[R2D2]

@Spydiggity - Its coOl but you are forgetting that Jean-Luc Picard was born to Maurice and Yvette Picard in La Barre, France, on July 13, 2305, and dreamed of joining Starfleet.He failed his first Starfleet Academy entrance exam, but was subsequently admitted and became the first freshman to win the Academy marathon. His academic training in archaeology is mentioned in numerous TNG episodes and he continues to pursue archaeology as a hobby; he also remarks at one point that he failed a semester of organic chemistry. Shortly after graduation, Picard was stabbed in the heart by a Nausicaan, leaving the organ irreparable and requiring replacement with a parthenogenetic implant; this would prove near-fatal later. Picard eventually served as first officer aboard the USS Stargazer, which he later commanded. During that time, he invented a starship evade & attack tactic that would become known as the Picard Maneuver.

[rockleex]

Wow, this looks so limited. Lol.

[SillySundae]

However, this wouldn't really work for the following reasons:

- Huge amount of time moving around WoW. This will be a bit tiring IMHO.
- Fast paced battle if you do PVP. (I'm a rogue ... so yeah). PVP is about mobility --> see different class abilities (Root, Blink, Sprint, Crippling poison, hamstring, etc)
- Long amount of time in raids.
- Lot's of AoE evasion in raids.
- Sheer number of spells to map.
- Do you know how many frostbolts, sinister strikes, sunder armors, are thrown in a dungeon? .. let alone in raids? I don't think I can wave my hands that many times.

Cool concept ... but not efficient

I remember the scene in INDIANA JONES.
This guy was being all martial arts on Indy (looks cool right?).
... so what did indy do?
He drew a gun, pulled the trigger. LOL.

Again as with most other hacks ...
the question will be: ... WHY DO THIS?

[mrcash]

I agree, but is interesting to see this tech implemented in more than just rail games. They could definitely design a different game around this.

[SillySundae]

... yup.

However, with non rail games
... the question of mobility is always there.

To me the only thing this video shows is that Kinect has the ability to implement movement ... but in a LESS EFFICIENT way.

What I'm trying to say is that most Kinect hack videos are meant to show:
- HEY! I CAN DO THIS.
- HEY! LOOK THIS IS COOL.

Which sometimes make people forget the important questions that comes with them:
- YOU CAN DO IT. (But is it any better?)
- IT'S COOL. (But why would you do it that way?)

Aren't TOOLS and GADGETS supposed to aid in efficiency?

[ct03]

"Aren't TOOLS and GADGETS supposed to aid in efficiency?"

The iPad (or tablets in general) doesn't exactly improve efficiency compared to a laptop or even a netbook. And yet there's apparently a huge market.

[SillySundae]

.. yes.

But I'm NOT talking about SALES here.
(I'm not the type of person who buys things becasue other people do. I buy it for what it can offer me.)

TRUE...
There are people who likes touchscreen more and the slick look of the IPAD more.
BUT...
I can't say the same about people who'd like to bend their waists and wave their arms for extended periods of time RATHER THAN USE controllers or keyboards.

-----

But you know, IPAD is a set efficiency tools wrapped in a different package. Could you say the same for Kinect?

The apps alone make you efficient.

And going back to Kinect ... I want to see apps for it that makes me more efficient.

(i.e. I think their focus should be more on head and shoulder tracking, and voice recognition ... and let the controllers do their jobs)

[HarryMonogenis]

This is amazing!

[imvix]

Its pretty retarded actually. I am a X Wow player. This would totally gimp gameplay.

[Zir0]

Wow very clever way of moving around in a 3D world, so much for the need of a joystick lol.

Kinect's possibilities are endless.

[Neckbear]

So wait, you'd rather lean foward/backwards to walk/run, and use your arms to control the camera, instead of just moving a single joystick around with your thumb/use WASD?

The fuck?

[ct03]

"So wait, you'd rather..."

Where in the post did he state this? N4G is amazing at putting words into people's mouths.

He said it's a clever way of moving around. And it is. Doesn't mean it's the preferred way.

[RedRedSuitSDF]

@above...

yep... nobody said that at all. This is the PS3 fanboys that are in defense mode, and trying to take anything remotely cool away from Kinect. All these hacks are to show what the possibilities are of what Kinect can do with the right programming.

Don't let the sony bots fool you. If this same video was using Move wands... you'd see a different side to these guys, and everyone would be talking about how cool that could be, and agree's would be marked everywhere.

[nnotdead]

"so much for the need of a joystick lol." if the joystick is not needed, then its easy to see Zir0 would rather(at least as willing to use),"lean foward/backwards to walk/run, and use your arms to control the camera..."

[Biggest]

"Don't let the sony bots fool you. If this same video was using Move wands... you'd see a different side to these guys, and everyone would be talking about how cool that could be, and agree's would be marked everywhere."

If you used the Move wands you wouldn't have to worry about moving around, would you? I'm not saying I'd rather use them for a MMORPG (I most definitely would not. Retarded way of control for such a game in my opinion), but you wouldn't have to worry about movement or camera control at all. Keep up the good fight against the Sony fanboys. If you worry about them enough you'll be able to overlook common sense and eventually believe that motion control used for a game that most players spend hours per session is a great idea. You will believe it. I trust you to.

[Chris399]

where resources (RAM, CPU, Standard HDD) are several times more powerful than 360 hardware. Also note that PCs are open architecture, whereas consoles are not. Until I see any of these "hacks" running on actual 360 hardware, they're just curiosities, not realities.

When MS brings Kinect to the PC (which is inevitable), we might see some cool stuff. Still, the gap between what is possible on the 360 w/ Kinect and a PC w/ Kinect will always be vast.

[nickjkl]

wait what does control scheme have to do with pc parts

its like saying theres this new controller coming out that gives you near infinite possibilities it uses your mind man

and then you come out of nowhere with CPU POWERRRRR DAT GPUUUUUU

is basically what just happened
besides what you just said is the 360 cant run kinect

[Baka-akaB]

how about reading properly what he is saying ?

PC can handle all of the potential uses for kinect , the 360 doesnt .

There are facts that MS doesnt even deny nor hide . Like the 360's cpu being a bit taxed with kinect usage .

Thanks to their great work it's reduced a lot , but it's still there . What strain would there be on a platform with endless upgrade potential ? Virtually none .

Do you think MS only built kinect for the 360 ? nope they will most likely use it even better on their next generations of consoles coming with better hardware , and obviously pc .

[RedRedSuitSDF]

@above.

How do you know it can't handle it? Do you work on Kinect? Are you just spouting off opinion as fact? Lot's of FUD going on around these parts.

Loving all the experts on this site that work on Kinect, and can say what it can, and can't do. I remember a time when people said you couldn't sit to use Kinect.

Well guess what.

[Chris399]

None of these Kinect "hacks" have been shown to work on retail 360 units. They're all being done on PCs, likely on machines several orders of magnitude greater in power than a 360 (5 year old proprietary tech).

You don't need to be an "expert" to see that these hacks are running on PCs, it's in all the videos for Christ sakes.

[Baka-akaB]

@miDnIghtEr20C
Sorry i can't get the clue for you . It has to come from within .

There are aspects of the tech that microsoft itself even commented upon .

But feel free to call the creators of the device liars too , in your great and blind fanboyism

And you know whats funny ? Again guys like you will be among the first to hype and praise the enhanced performance of kinect on a probable "xbox 720" .

PS : guess what btw ? some people around here talk about tech stuff , because well it's actually part to their job .

[Biggest]

"How do you know it can't handle it? Do you work on Kinect? Are you just spouting off opinion as fact? Lot's of FUD going on around these parts."

Here's a question for you, miDnIghtEr20C. Have you seen any of the hacks for Kinect used on a 360? I know that you want to believe the Kinect can bring you the stars from the sky. Microsoft has already spoken of its limitations when used with the 360. The limitations are obvious in the games already released for it.

[nickjkl]

yea ok guys sure this hack is so special for pc because its doing something the 360 games using kinect now dont do use gestures to control your character

[cereal_killa]

Kinect's possibilities are endless on PC! fixed

[Xfanboy]

WOW would be the fastes way to sell kinects if it works!!

WoW in the living room?? looks good on hdtv!!

[MajestieBeast]

Lol combat looks even slower with kinect then with the mouse and keyboard. I can alrdy imagine it omg whats the warrior doing. Uhmmm guys kinect aint registering my movements and everyone dies thanks to kinect.

[Xfanboy]

oh im a pc gamer but i dont play WoW so that's why i didn't know the difference..

[theafroman]

kinect never ceases to amaze me.

[Moentjers]

that someone found something to do with it amazed me

[ChickeyCantor]

Im sorry but he looks retarded.
Im not dismissing the tech behind it, but its...i mean look at him.

[hennessey86]

i though kinect couldnt do hardcore titles. oh the sony fanboys will be pleased lol

[rekof]

It can't.

[mac_sparrow]

indeed, or to be more precise (sorry, kinect) it as yet to prove so, and this isn't it

[kinf-of-zon]

It cant because the controls don't improve on the original one,its more interactive but not efficient.

[arragionthegreat]

playing with my feat on a keyboard and mouse or controller would be more efficient,.. and work every time,..

[SillySundae]

... it can't (at least not for this type of game).

See my post above ... #1.2

[Lyr1c]

I wasn't aware that WoW was a hardcore game.

[hennessey86]

a hardcore game then. Id hate to be a sad pathetic fangirl, oh well lol

[Lyr1c]

Apparently it's too late.

[tatotiburon]

and they continue to push kinect even futher, can't wait to see what is next

[mac_sparrow]

an interesting concept, but having played WoW I cannot see a legitimate use for it

[SillySundae]

See my post #1.2

Imagine being a tank and losing aggro because some of your aggro generating moves didn't register.
... RAID WIPE

Or your taunt didn't register at the right time.
... DEAD HEALER
... GROUP WIPE

Or a DPS class whose attacks are not registering quickly.
... TANK will OUTDMG you
... abandon Kinect or YOU GET KICKED FROM RAID

Or a healer whose "would've been" a "tank saving" heal didn't register.
... WIPE

[MRMagoo123]

I agree about the kinect being a huge liability and if you where in any kind of fulltime raiding guild you would be /gkick faster than you could blink but there is one thing i dont agree on and thats the dps statement because at the moment with the vengeance stack that tanks get now while taking damage its very hard to be higher dps than a pally tank on alot of fights its just crazy there getting 10 to 11k dps on most fights.

[ActionBastard]

And yet another use of Kinect that has nothing to do with the 360 or 360 Kinect games. Break out the party hats.

[blackburn5]

@ Action Bastard. You hit the nail on the head there. So far we haven't seen much about these hacks or apps being used on the 360. Maybe they should forget about using Kinect as a gaming platform and just use it as an interface device on the PC with occasional gaming applications. From what I have seen so far gaming doesn't seem to be one of Kinect's strong points.

[xYLeinen]

Not impressed. Yet again it proves that Kinect is a casual device.

[hennessey86]

why is kinect a casual device. Lets take dance central for instance there are no other dance games that track your full body movements in the way kinect can do. unlike say the wii or move were the only thing that gets tracked is the controller so if anything kinect is hardcore and move and wii are casual. I have kinect and i am having alot of fun with it while your on here trolling something you havnt played.

[xYLeinen]

This is not trolling I'm afraid. It's my perspective on a hardware. I have yet to see a hardcore Kinect game. You argue with dance central but that isn't something a raider of WoW, a dedicated FPS player or someone who is playing hours of car simulator would play and give up their hardcore games.

[Biggest]

First of all. . . Dance Central is NOT a hardcore game. It's a dancing tutor. Someone tricked you if you believe it's a hardcore game.

Second of all. . . The Move package is a Move controller paired with a PSEye. If you remove the Move controller you are left with a camera that can track your movements.

Last of all. . . How in the hell are you having a lot of fun with Kinect while people are here "trolling" when you're right here trolling alongside us? Are you dancing in a hardcore fashion with a wireless keyboard in your hands? You're pretty cool if so.

[MRMagoo123]

A dancing game hardcore .............does not compute .........syntax error...............please reboot.

[NYC_Gamer]

every cool feature of kinect seems to be on pc instead of the 360

[BABY-JEDI]

Whatever will be next from these KRAZY KIDZ working with Kinect?
i just want to also say that Kinect Dance Central looks like a good party game ; )

[CrzyFooL]

Finally!! Something to get WoW nerds out of their fucking chairs!!

[MRMagoo123]

this wont get wow players out of there chairs if us wow players used this as a controlling device we would fail in all aspects of the game from pvp to pve the game needs reflexes to stay out of crap on the floor in raids and to blow cds to get out of stunlocks in pvp kinect is fail.

[jneul]

THEY REALLY ARE TAKING THIS PEW PEW PEW TO THE NEXT LEVEL, LEANING TO GO FORWARDS/BACKWARDS LOOK VERY AWKWARD, NOT TO MENTION LAG ON THE CONTROLS ARE PRESENT...

[Ruggadagod]

the game is still boring.

[pwneddemocrat]

It's time to make the Porn Game damn it !
Kinect has the potential now
i want to complete some achievements with those ladies lol

[hot111]

nice

[Zuriel]

I guess this is technically an applicable use of Kinect considering the 11 million people or so who play Warcraft.

However, there is no way in hell Blizzard would ever devote time to integrating Kinect or the like into their game, they are way too lazy. All there will be are outside user or developers doing these sorts of things.

And yeah, no one who plays warcraft would ever put forth the time into mastering this, a mouse is so much easier.

[strickers]

Problem again is...............Any control like this is better with Move.If you don't agree you either haven't used Move or you are retarded.