No one can deny that Microsoft’s Kinect is one revolutionary piece of kit. It wowed audiences when it was first revealed to the public and the admiration has turned into great sales for Microsoft and for the Xbox 360. The Kinect allows for a new level of control for video games – one that does not require you to hold any sort of controller. The Kinect camera “sees” you in three dimensional space and depending on the game translates what you do to movements within the game or application.
The Kinect is a smash hit, there’s no doubt about that. But because it is new technology there were certain glaring shortcomings that users discovered when they got their Kinects. One flaw is that the Kinect requires a lot of room – and I mean a LOT. The internet is filled with stories of Kinect owners having to push furniture and rearrange their living rooms just to get the required space the Kinect needs to function properly. It’s a real hassle. It’s this situation that the Nyko Zoom for Kinect means address.
The Zoom for Kinect is a practical solution to the space problem. It’s a small clip-on that is attached over the Kinect’s lenses. The Zoom features its own set of wide angle lenses. What happens is that the lenses will reduce the range of the Kinect’s own lenses, which translates to you enjoying the Kinect without having to make a lot of room. Nyko says it can reduce the required range of the Kinect by up to 40 percent. The Kinect usually requires a distance of about six to eight feet, a near impossibility if you live in a dorm room or cramped apartment. With the Zoom attached, the range required is reduced to a more manageable four to five feet. That’s pretty significant.
The Nyko Zoom for Kinect is coming out soon and will retail for $30.