Microsoft Kinect will work just fine for seated gameplay

One of the major points of confusion related to Microsoft's new controller-less Xbox 360 Kinect gaming system is the perceived lack of seated gameplay, largely driven by those early demos that required a standing player. At the time, Kinect's sensor was keying off the base node located at the bottom of the spine to create its skeletal models. As of a few months ago, Microsoft updated its software libraries to key off the base of the neck, thus avoiding any ambiguity caused by the player's motionless knees or feet obscuring a spine stuffed into the opaque comfort of the living room sofa. At least that's what Blitz Games Studios co-founder and CTO Andrew Oliver told Eurogamer. Unfortunately, the motion-sensing changes for lazy-bone play come too late for Kinect's early November launch titles (burdened with writing their own software for seated play) but "games going forward won't have a problem," says Oliver.