Microsoft got excited when hackers started coming up with novel uses for its Kinect motion control system which debuted for the Xbox 360 in November. But it was less than thrilled with the idea of using Kinect for sex games.
If the porn industry finds a way to exploit Microsoft&'s new technology, it wouldn&'t be a surprise. Sex and technology have an intertwined history. The video cassette recorder was sold as way to watch blockbuster movies. But it became an enabler for watching porn at home, resulting in huge sales for VCRs. The same was true for DVD players and internet movies.
This attempt was predictable, given the motion-oriented nature of Kinect. Austria-based ThriXXX said it planned to create a 3-D sex game for the Kinect system where you can pretend to touch women in various states of undress. Kinect uses a 3D motion-detection camera to let video game players control games via body movements. You no longer have to use a game controller to control a game. You can wave your arms in front of the camera to initiate game movements such as throwing a punch in a fighting game.
Shortly after Kinect came out, hackers circumvented Kinect&'s security system, which allowed hackers to create new applications for Kinect without the need for Microsoft&'s approval. Hackers started posting the various apps they created.
But then ThriXXX proposed the sex game &8212' posting a video on YouTube showing what it intended &8212' and Microsoft shot it down. Of course, there&'s nothing stopping users from using Kinect for kinky things. Kinect has a video conferencing system that users can use to talk to each other in the privacy of their own living rooms. &''This isn&'t the first example of a technology being used in ways not intended by its manufacturer, and it won&'t be the last,&'' Microsoft told the Los Angeles Times. &''Microsoft did not authorize or license its technology for this use. Xbox is a family friendly games and entertainment console and does not allow Adults Only (AO) content to be certified for use on its platform, and would not condone this type of game for Kinect.&''
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Companies: Microsoft, ThriXXX
Companies: Microsoft, ThriXXX
Dean is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. Dean previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked. Follow him on Twitter at @deantak, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.
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