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Mark offers some interesting game-free ideas for Microsoft's Kinect. Humor aside, I think he's actually on to something here. The wide variety of different physical activities that Kinect could train someone to do represents a potentially huge market.
With Microsoft's controller-less peripheral soon hitting the market, we would be silly if we didn't look for alternatives to actually using it to play games. Let's face it; this generation is all about connecting the family to the console, and these three options would really get everyone involved with the Xbox 360, not just the gamers in your family tree.
Kinect-A-Sutra
Think about it: The Kinect utilizes multiple cameras and angles in order to capture every movement that two people make. The Kama Sutra is an ancient guide to multiple -- sometimes crazy -- sexual positions that often require a lot of flexibility and different moves.
Kinect-A-Sutra could be an instructional program to help couples add some spice to their love lives by utilizing your television and the Kinect's cameras to show you a position and then actually tell you if you're doing it right. I'm thinking it should have a friendly, colorful voice as well to really drive the instructions home; maybe someone like George Takei could toss in an “Oh My” every now and then when you actually get the “Sitting Crane, Drinking Tiger” position correct.
Microsoft's “This Old House” starring Bob Vila
Speaking of how-to videos, what if you could use your 360 and the Kinect to show you, step by step, how to sand, paint, and install a handmade shelf in your living room? Use the Kinect's cameras and Bob Vila's epic beard to properly show you how to plane and measure out that piece of wood, give it a natural looking varnish, and keep it level as you attach it on to your wall. It also comes with a plaid shirt sensor, which unlocks avatar awards and achievements based on how many stripes your shirt has.
Chris Hanson's “To Catch a Predator” simulation
This could be a hard sell, but sexual deviants don't have a choice anyway once they're registered as sex offenders.
Allow Chris Hanson (and your local government) into your home for this new-age monitoring system sponsored by Microsoft. Overcome trials and challenges like “turning down the lone trick-or-treater,” and videochat with your parole officer as the Federal Bureau of Investigation literally keeps a careful yet entertaining eye on you (you can apply skins that match different, famous eyes like the Eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings!). MSRP? You'll pay it off way before you actually get off of house arrest, so don't worry about it!
Kinect probably won't be used for any of these things -- if it does I better get some money out of it -- but what do you think? Do you have any other ideas for harnessing the Kinect's abilities?
