Xbox One News: Kinect Details Emerge; Smartglass App Available

The new Kinect on the upcoming Xbx One caused a bit of controversy recently when a tech demo released by the company showed a user's exposed genitals, leading to fear that the device would be able to see past a user's clothes and expose a person's nude body. However, according to Microsoft, the Kinect did not expose anything inappropriate in the demo and the tech demo does not reflect the user's actual Kinect experience.

"First, if you watch the video you will see that what is being represented here is a fold in the denim...There is no tech magic going on here and Kinect cannot see through clothing. Furthermore, the video was an illustration of the various camera views available for the creation of games and apps. This view is only accessible on a development kit and is not viewable on retail consoles," a Microsoft executive told IGN. 

While Microsoft addresses these concerns, the company has released the companion app for the Xbox One on Android, iOS and Windows Phones. The app will allow Xbox One users to surf through the Xbox One's menus using the mobile device as a controller. Users can also use the Smartglass app as a remote control for media on the Xbox One and set up the top box connected to the console. Surfing the web on the television is also possible using the new app.

However, the biggest feature for the Smartglass app will be enhancing the video game and media on the Xbox One. While many games will have companion apps to promote second screen functionality and mobile usage, Smartglass will do very similar things, but for the Xbox One as a whole.

It will be interesting to see how many users decide to use the Smartglass app on their Xbox One, and if users prefer to navigate menus on the console with their mobile devices rather than using a Xbox One controller or the voice commands the Kinect is capable of.