Windows 8 Tablets to include Kinect in 2012?

OK, I completely just made that up - but wouldn't that have the potential to be a game changer?

I guess the main issue is that the Kinect wouldn't have a fixed point of reference to work off, but with an Intel Core i5(+) to offer additional processing maybe that could be overcome?

That would certainly make a premium Win8 device more attractive and also tie in to the already announced 'XBOX gaming with Windows 8' .  Meanwhile the ARM based tablet could compete in the low end / existing tablet space.

Fingers crossed.

How would that work on such a short distance? Would you be gesturing with just 1 hand slightly above the tablet? What's the advantage of that for a tablet?

@TommyCarlier: I figure they have the close proximity stuff sussed now (according to this weeks announcements). 

I guess the largest area for exploration is going to be interacting with virtual objects in 3d space.  I've seen the recent Kinect 'smoke and mirrors'* demo which looks to open up lots of interesting avenues.

* damned if I can find that link now!

Won't you need 3 hands? 2 to hold the tablet, and the other one to gesture? haha

I can't think of a single Kinect application that would make that worthwhile, to be honest. You'd either have to be far away from the tablet to see anything on it, or you'd be so close that you wouldn't need a Kinect.

edit: just read about near mode and such on the blog. Interesting, but I still don't see how this would be worthwhile in tablets. Maybe head tracking in first person games?

@Bas:But surely the point of an interactive 3d virtual space that a Kinect would bring to the table cannot be achieved by any other means?

Damn, I'm going to have to find that link as it illustrates the concept quite well

Stand by ... 

Hec thats annoying, still no joy.  I believe it was a video from some trade fair recently, on this site (or linked from it) that showed a Kinect based contraption that allowed the user to play with some virtual balls (I know, sounds dodgy, anyone else remember seeing it and can post a link?)

You can hold the table in one pair of tentacles and use the other six pairs for gesturing.

Did I say 'tentacles'?  Um, I meant hands! Hands, you puny human!

Herbie

Near mode seems to be something developed for PCs that don't have touchscreens. Maybe this is part of MS's master plan with Windows 8. Although, they'd have to get the price of the Kinect 2.0 device down under the cost of a new touchscreen monitor.

OK then, I concede, I guess it would already be on Star Trek if it was a good concept ....

Still wouldn't surprise me to see it though - I can't think of many other markets that are as badly in need of some differentiaters.

@Ian2: 

For me, Kinnect was as complete dud. I used it for a couple of weeks after Christmas and since then it's gathered dust next to the much-preferred Wii. Accuracy was hit and miss and the whole reaching about to press buttons on the screen was annoying beyond belief. 

Now, on tablet it might make more sense to me. If you can just swipe above your screen instead of touching it…

Kinect is more than just detecting points. Is it not a 3D camera as well? Think 3D camera video conference on a tablet with a 3D screen...

1 hour ago, Ian2 wrote

@Bas:But surely the point of an interactive 3d virtual space that a Kinect would bring to the table cannot be achieved by any other means?

How would it bring that to the table? You'd hold the tablet at arm's length and then you'd only have your other arm to move in an area as deep as the length of your arm, minus the 50 centimeters the near mode Kinect can't see. That would leave, what, 30 centimeters of space to move your hand around in?

Of course, by the time Microsoft announces that they're working on such a thing, Apple will already have released an iPad with 3D recognition technology.

I can think of one gesture that I'll be using with my W8 box that won't require Kinect...

@DeathByVisualStudio: I wonder if you can link that specific gesture to the reboot function ...

Herbie

Maybe the proposed tablet-based Kinect won't be used for gestures, but instead facial recognition for logging in, or detecting that it's not in a bag and automatically unlocking. Facial expression unlock patterns would be fun.

@Ian2:

The usefulness is limited, but, I support you. Even if we cannot think of something right now, that doesn't mean it is not there.

Not the video I was looking for but interesting: