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Netflix adds Kinect support

Making good on the promise of hands-free movie browsing, Microsoft announced today that Netflix has added Kinect support.
Steve Watts
9

Making good on the promise of hands-free movie browsing, Microsoft announced today that Netflix has added Kinect support. The feature allows gesture- and voice-controls in the Netflix application on Xbox 360. You can flip through the movie listings and say "Xbox play" to start a flick. Though the Kinect teaser video (back when it was known as Natal) technically showed a couple browsing through Zune marketplace movies, Netflix support has been on wish lists since it was shown off at E3 in 2009.

"By integrating Kinect into the Netflix experience on Xbox Live, we're continuing to transform the way people enjoy their favorite entertainment in the living room," said Xbox Live general manager Pete Thompson in the announcement. "Since its launch, Netflix has always been one of the most popular services on Xbox Live, so we are excited to deliver a brand new way to control this experience in a way that can't be found anywhere else."

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  • Shacknews legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
    reply
    April 14, 2011 8:20 AM

    Comment on Netflix adds Kinect support, by Steve Watts.

    • SporkyReeve legacy 10 years
      reply
      April 14, 2011 8:22 AM

      Summary: Making good on the promise of hands-free movie browsing, Microsoft announced today that Netflix has added Kinect support.

    • Zman0404 legacy 10 years
      reply
      April 14, 2011 8:29 AM

      Tried it out this morning. I'm disappointed that Kinect support is not available with the entire menu.

      • daggot legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        April 14, 2011 9:46 AM

        Entire Netflix menu or entire dashboard? I don't have Kinect yet.

        • Iazu legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
          reply
          April 14, 2011 10:37 AM

          Aside from basic voice commands ("play"), the only thing it seems to do is bring you to a "netflix kinect hub" that has about 8 suggested movies for you. That's it. You can't use any gesture controls in the main menus or even browse through your queue with it.

    • Slowtreme legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
      reply
      April 14, 2011 10:11 AM

      My stock media remote is the best accessory I own for my 360.

    • v1ctoly legacy 10 years
      reply
      April 14, 2011 11:03 AM

      mildly amusing to do hand gestures, but quite useless really

    • HisDivineOrder legacy 10 years
      reply
      April 14, 2011 1:27 PM

      Can't wait till remote-less control is standard for all CE devices, not just game devices. TV's, Blu-ray players, receivers, HTPC's, and yes game consoles with the ability to respond to voice commands and gestures will be nice.

      For the time being, limited support via some Xbox 360 "apps" is meh to me when the PS3 has DD 5.1, a much more attractive feature that I can use all the time.

    • djdisco legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
      reply
      April 15, 2011 8:46 AM

      The voice control is cool, but not super useful. Maybe in the dark when I can't find the remote.

      But, what I did find really useful was the hand gesture for skipping ahead/back. You can slide your hand icon along the progress bar to exactly where you want (it shows the still image) and it seems to be able to do it in 15 sec increments. The kinect picks up pretty fine hand movements as you narrow in on where you want to be. Then just slide your hand down to start playing. Great for skipping past opening credits.

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