Microsoft Kinect Full Specifications & UK Pricing Detailed

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Following on from news that the Microsoft Kinect (formerly known as Project Natal) is set to retail for £150 in the US its now been confirmed, thanks to a listing on ShopTo that the Microsoft Kinect is set to cost UK gamers some £130 whilst, thanks to another retailer, we can at last feast our eyes on the Microsoft Kinect’s full technical specifications.

Firstly, let’s concern ourselves with the Microsoft Kinect’s UK pricing which has been obtained via ShopTo who list the Microsoft Kinect’s pricing as £129.99 but who are presently offering the Kinect as available for pre-order for £124.86 with a shipping date of 19th of November 2010.

As far at the Microsoft Kinect’s full technical specifications are concerned, these come to us via UK retailer Play.com who list the Kinect’s full technical specifications as follows.

Sensor

• Colour and depth-sensing lenses
• Voice microphone array
• Tilt motor for sensor adjustment
• Fully compatible with existing Xbox 360 consoles

Field of View

• Horizontal field of view: 57 degrees
• Vertical field of view: 43 degrees
• Physical tilt range: ± 27 degrees
• Depth sensor range: 1.2m – 3.5m

Data Streams

• 320×240 16-bit depth @ 30 frames/sec
• 640×480 32-bit colour@ 30 frames/sec
• 16-bit audio @ 16 kHz

Skeletal Tracking System

• Tracks up to 6 people, including 2 active players
• Tracks 20 joints per active player
• Ability to map active players to LIVE Avatars

Audio System

• LIVE party chat and in-game voice chat (requires Xbox LIVE Gold Membership)
• Echo cancellation system enhances voice input
• Speech recognition in multiple

Interestingly, as you’ll note from the above details, whilst the Microsoft Kinect can track up to 6 people only 2 people appear to be able to be tracked as ‘active players’, meaning that if you have more than 2 people looking to get involved only 2 of those can actually be gaming at simultaneously whilst the rest are relegated to simply looking on. So, if you had visions of your whole family playing together you’ll need to manage your expectations accordingly.