As we learn more about the Microsoft Kinect, we end up asking a few more questions. Using terms like "Active Players" and "Skeletal Mapping" is just a tad confusing. Play.com and 1up.com have taken a look at the official technical specs for the Kinect, giving some impressive frames per second, and a great field of view for the television.
According to the specs, it's also able to track up to 6 players - but only two "active" players will be mapped to Xbox Avatars. I suppose Microsoft didn't want to have to deal with 6 people dancing around someones livingroom, creating hazardous conditions for collectables, furniture, pets, and other players.
Two players though? Only two? Nintendo 64 had 4 people crowded around approximately 5" of television screen space at a time. Maybe someone has a huge livingroom/game room that they'd like to play in? I for one am a bit saddened by the 2 player limit, but maybe the "active players" means something different. What do you think?
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
320x240 16-bit depth @ 30 frames/sec
640x480 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
Source: 1up.com