VIDEO: Kinect - the next generation is here

Kinect is the all-in-one sensor that has been completely re-engineered and comes bundled with every Xbox One.

It combines camera, voice and motion detection tech to present you with a brand new way of controlling your gaming and entertainment experiences.

Far more than just a simple gaming accessory, this is a brand new way to interact with your Xbox One. Instead of joypad controls, you simply tell Kinect what you want it to do or signal your intentions with a gesture.

It's easy, accessible and fun and quite possibly the way we'll interact with our home electronics for decades to come.

Examples? Well, look no further than Skype - the native Xbox One messaging service which allows you to stay in touch with your friends and family.

Instead of juggling multiple messaging services, Skype allows you to call up your friends at any time and with all your entertainment options in one place, you're constantly connected to the people who matter.

With a full 1080p camera and advanced streaming tech, you can forget fuzzy pics and choppy audio and enjoy smooth, glitch-free communication.

Dedicated gamers will also enjoy the benefits and bragging rights offered by the advanced Upload Studio.

We've all wanted to show off that last minute winner in FIFA or that perfect lap in Forza 5 Motorsport and with Kinect it's as simple as telling your Xbox to record a clip, then sending it to the Upload Studio to trim, edit and narrate your video before sharing it with your gaming friends - or laying down the gauntlet to your rivals.

What might have taken hours in an editing studio can all be accomplished quickly and easily from the comfort of your living room.

Kinect's voice commands also have the potential to transform your gaming life. Need a crucial tip to beat that challenging boss? Simply pause your game, ask Bing Voice Search for a handy hint to find the big guy's weak spots and then resume at the place you left off to polish him off in style.

When you need a little light relief from gaming, Kinect's voice commands can be used to browse all your entertainment options from TV, movies and music to the best of the web.

The new Kinect for Xbox One is signalling a sea change in the way we interact with entertainment and gaming, and because it comes bundled with each and every Xbox One, developers will be able to make games, apps and services for it knowing that they'll be available to the entire Xbox One audience.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about Kinect though is that even with all these features, developers have barely even scratched the surface of Kinect's potential.

With facial recognition, detailed skeletal mapping and even heart rate tracking, who knows what exciting and innovative ways we'll see Kinect evolve to control our gaming and entertainment experiences in the near future?

The new Kinect is available with the Xbox One – out now.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

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