Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Nyko Zoom for Kinect available now [update]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/14/nyko-zoom-for-kinect-available-now-works/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/14/nyko-zoom-for-kinect-available-now-works/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/14/nyko-zoom-for-kinect-available-now-works/#comments
The Nyko Zoom is a lens attachment for the Xbox 360 Kinect that simply, snugly connects over the front of the device. The $30 peripheral, which is available now, makes it so that players can stand about 40 percent closer to the Kinect. In other words, it allowed those with cramped, furnished living spaces, like most of the Joystiq team, to get their Kinect on.

If you don't need the Zoom for space-saving purposes, don't bother getting it. It won't help if you've already got ample area. It basically works by squishing and widening the playing field so, where a single-player game used to work optimally at about seven feet (nine feet for two players), it now functions well at four feet (six feet for two players). The playing field now ends at around eight feet with the Zoom, instead of ten feet without.

Games we tested (Dance Central, Your Shape and Kinect Adventures) worked as intended with the lens on. An awkward side-effect of the lens is that it does create what appears like dead space around the perimeter of your feedback screen (viewable on the dashboard and in some games), but if your body moves into those spaces it will still be recognized. The Zoom also creates slight distortions in the player's silhouette; again, the system still recognizes bodies and creates the correct vector skeleton of the player, it's more an issue of just noticing that it "doesn't look right," instead of it actually affecting games.

If you live in cramped quarters and the Nyko Zoom will let you properly play Kinect (or just avoid moving the furniture around to do so), the attachment is worth the investment.

Update: Although the lens did work for us with the games we tested, we are receiving and reading feedback that is making us uncomfortable about recommending this product. At this time, we will simply say that the Nyko Zoom is available and results vary.

Continue reading Nyko Zoom for Kinect available now [update]

JoystiqNyko Zoom for Kinect available now [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>KinectmicrosoftNykoNyko-ZoomxboxWed, 14 Sep 2011 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Nyko Zoom potentially delayed one month [update]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/07/nyko-zoom-potentially-delayed-one-month/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/07/nyko-zoom-potentially-delayed-one-month/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/07/nyko-zoom-potentially-delayed-one-month/#comments Look honey, we know you're anxious to start waving your arms around, but your Kinect might need a little more time to get over its fear of intimacy. We know you were hoping the Nyko Zoom, the close-encounters enabling Kinect lens cover, would bridge the gap between you two. We know you've been looking forward to that August 13 release date with bated breath, but it looks like you're going to have to wait a little longer.

According to Amazon and Gamestop listings for the product, the peripheral-peripheral's launch has been pushed back until September 13. We've reached out to Nyko for confirmation, but at the moment it looks like your tiny dormroom will remain Kinectimals-free for another month. Your Kinect loves you, it really does, it just needs its space right now, you know?

Update: We've heard back from Nyko, and things are exactly as they seem: "Due to overwhelming demand from consumers and retailers we're increasing our initial production run and pushing the launch date back accordingly to ensure that all our partners are adequately supplied on launch day."

[Thanks, Sacra!]

JoystiqNyko Zoom potentially delayed one month [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 07 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>delaydelayedfear-of-intimacykinectmicrosoftnykonyko-zoomrumorxboxzoomSun, 07 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Nyko Zoom blows up your Kinect space on Aug. 23]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/06/nyko-zoom-blows-up-your-kinect-space-on-aug-23/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/06/nyko-zoom-blows-up-your-kinect-space-on-aug-23/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/06/nyko-zoom-blows-up-your-kinect-space-on-aug-23/#comments Whether it's due to an unspoken social fragility, or simply a disdain for your odorous pit stains, the Kinect simply doesn't want you anywhere near its personal space. Most of you don't mind backing off, but even the most spartan living room might not allow for enough distance between bodies and the motion-sensing eye. (In fact, most spartan living rooms see players plummeting into a paved, cylindrical abyss after they take a step back.)

Enter: Nyko Zoom. Launching on August 23 for $30, Nyko's clip-on lens claims to enable Kinect games within 40% less space, essentially fooling the sensor into thinking you're way over there when you're RIGHT HERE. Joystiq's got quite a few cramped gaming caves between its writers, so we'll be testing the Zoom's big talk as soon as we get our hands on some hardware.

It's weird to think that amongst all the silly Kinect bits and bobs (including those that physically bob), we might finally find some use in the one that turns the camera into Mr. Magoo, cosplaying as Sam Fisher.

JoystiqNyko Zoom blows up your Kinect space on Aug. 23 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>kinectmicrosoftnykonyko-zoomperipheralsrelease-datexboxzoom-for-kinectWed, 06 Jul 2011 17:30:00 EST