(Image source: The Daily)

BY ADNAN S. KHAN

ANCHOR LAUREN ZIMA

Microsoft promised it during CES, and now the pioneer of controller-free gaming seems to be making good. The Daily reports it was shown the first prototype of a Kinect-integrated laptop.

The Daily reports it saw what appeared to be Asus netbooks running Windows 8 with an array of small sensors stretching over the top of the screen where the webcam would normally be. The Daily points out some potential uses.

“Gaming has the most obvious applications, but a Kinect-enabled laptop could also toggle between programs with the wave of a hand, or media controls could be tweaked with the wag of a finger. What’s more, motion-controlled portables could offer a new way for disabled individuals to interact with their devices.”

But is flailing your arms around at a coffee shop really that practical? Scott Stein for CNET thinks that a mobile-motion sensing platform might not be the best idea.

“The Kinect camera on the Xbox 360 needs several feet of space in order to register movement, although third-party peripherals can trick out the sensitivity to be a bit closer ... Kinects can also be finicky with light sensitivity, which makes me wonder if this would be a problem outdoors.”

So there might be some kinks to iron out. Still, Tom’s Hardware believes there are other reasons to pursue this tech.

“Depending on the price per unit, using a Kinect sensor may be cheaper than installing a touchscreen when building an ‘interactive’ netbook or notebook.”

And let us not forget the rising popularity of motion-control. Wired reports a company named SoftKinetic is already working on similar technology for notebooks and more are entering the market.

“And then there’s LG and Samsung, whose upcoming Smart TVs have taken a cue from Microsoft, and will incorporate Kinect-style gesture recognition, along with other forms of interface control like voice control, and touchscreen remotes.”