Xbox One Kinect Games Work From Almost Five Feet Away

Xbox One Kinect games will work from a distance of 4.5 feet away, a definite improvement over the previous version.

The Xbox 360 Kinect wasn’t exactly well though out, as it required around six to eight feet of space between you and the sensor to actually work, probably frustrating those of us with smaller living spaces who just wanted to play some Sleeping Dogs.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, one of the few things Microsoft got right with the Xbox One was the new Kinect, with voice recognition, and improved sensors that can identify people and where they are. The peripheral was so well done that Microsoft refused to take it out of their launch bundle to compete with the basic PlayStation 4 package. The company has said that the Xbox One will work without it, but they aren’t giving you a choice of whether you get it or not.

If what they say is true, Xbox One Kinect games might actually be fun even if you’re stuck playing in a smaller living room, as you won’t be too confined to actually play them without resorting to the controller.

Of course, if you want to do the multiplayer scenario, a smaller room might not be such a great idea, since everybody will be crawling over everybody else just to get anywhere while they’re not playing. In a case like this, you might want to give in to the dark side and subscribe to Xbox Live Gold to play over the internet.

If you do have the extra space that the original Kinect required, you might have more fun with Xbox One Kinect games, as the environment won’t be as crowded with multiplayer local games. Basically, the kind of games you play will determine how much room you actually need, and if you’re the type who likes company, the Xbox One’s Kinect won’t make that much difference with space requirements.

This time, Microsoft decided to have mercy on gamers who aren’t blessed with copious living space, offering a device that won’t require you to move furniture or turn two apartments into one with a sledgehammer. 4.5 feet of distance is actually quite workable in most conditions, though you’ll still have to stand a reasonable distance back, and most doctors would recommend that anyway.

Though most of the games being launched with the Xbox One aren’t being made exclusively for Kinect, it can still be used for almost everything else, like the TV and Skype features Microsoft seems so proud of.

Would you be more likely to buy Xbox One Kinect games knowing that the minimum distance has been reduced?