Days after reports began to surface about a firmware update that could quadruple the Xbox 360 Kinect's accuracy, Microsoft has squashed those rumors. The game console maker is working to improve its new Kinect system, but doesn’t have immediate plans to increase the resolution.
The unconfirmed rumors said Microsoft wanted to increase the Kinect's resolution from 320x240 up to 640x480 via a firmware update. Finger and hand rotation could then be detected in a more fluid motion than what's currently offered by the Kinect, but Microsoft seems happy with the current system for now.
The company issued the following statement regarding the Kinect firmware update:
"We're constantly working to expand and improve on experiences for Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE. [Nevertheless], this rumor is completely unsubstantiated," a Microsoft spokesperson told CVG. "[Really], we couldn't be more pleased with the [current] fidelity of the technology. Clearly, consumers agree - given [that] we sold more than 2.5 million units around the world in the first 25 days Kinect was on the market."
Just because Microsoft isn't currently ready to release this type of technology doesn't mean it won’t be released sometime in 2011. Until then, the company is now focusing on promising a strong catalog of 2011 Xbox 360 Kinect game titles to hopefully drive sales further.
In the future, Microsoft also reportedly wants to bring the Kinect platform to PCs in 2011, opening up the platform for software created by the community. For example, a new mod allows the Kinect to be used as a gesture remote for the Boxee set-top box.
