Kinect Doesn't Like Black People

[Shirosaki]

Is Microsoft’s Kinect Racist?

By Daniel Ionescu, PCWorld Nov 4, 2010 12:55 pm

Early reviews of Microsoft's Kinect facial recognition feature suggest that the motion-sensing camera does not work properly with some darker-skinned users. GameSpot's U.K. site unsuccessfully tested Kinect's features with two dark-skinned employees, while white reviewers had no problem using facial recognition.

The reviewers say that even despite repeated calibration attempts of Kinect's facial recognition, they were unable to get it work with the dark-skinned users. A third dark-skinned reviewer had no problems getting his face recognized by Kinect's cameras, and the report says that several white employees also had no problems getting picked up by the cameras on the first try.

It's unclear what is causing the issue at this stage, but Microsoft has asked users with facial recognition problems to e-mail their reports to xaccess@microsoft.com.

Meanwhile, the facial recognition problems with Kinect won't prevent users from playing games, as the device uses skeletal tracking as a primary means of controlling games. Not having your face recognized by Kinect though, means that you will have to sign in manually into games, and some features, depending on the game, won't work properly.

If the facial recognition problem proves to be widespread, and not just a bug, Microsoft won't be alone in taking the slack. Last year, HP suffered a similar blow with its facial-tracking webcams, which wouldn't work properly with black people. At the time, HP blamed the problem on poor foreground lighting.

Microsoft started selling the Kinect accessory for Xbox 360 gaming consoles this morning for $150, and hopes to sell 5 million of them through this holiday season. See PCWorld's review of Microsoft Kinect.

 

[Dentie]

Omg thats really stupid of MS they should have tought of this...

Its like one of the episodes of Better off ted i believe it was called Racial Sensitivity you should look it up.

 

[zmalt]

Ahahahaha! Maybe Microsoft thought we'd all be a homogeneous colored "future people" by now.

 

[queenofdisco]

Lmfao! That's just too funny, though I do wonder happens when your face changes, facial hair, excessive fringe, etc will it still recognise you?

 

[Shirosaki]

Lmfao! That's just too funny, though I do wonder happens when your face changes, facial hair, excessive fringe, etc will it still recognise you?

I think it might scan you once a week or something, either that or it just picks up the shape of your face and its easier when you're not black..?

 

[DarkONI]

It's not racism. It's programming flaws.​

 

[Arseface]

People should just stop being black.

 

[Shirosaki]

It's not racism. It's programming flaws.​

The flaw being that they programmed it to be racist?

 

[DarkONI]

Oh come on, chill out, errors and bugs do happen in video games! There's no need to say that the programmers and the staff on kinect is racist. Such things are usual to happen. Also, most of you are white anyway.

 

[SelfAppointedGunslinger]

Everyone makes mistakes, it's not like the designers sat stiring a cauldron devising a cunning plan to oppress ethnic minorities is it? A simple progamming error as DarkONI said.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Lmfao! That's just too funny, though I do wonder happens when your face changes, facial hair, excessive fringe, etc will it still recognise you?

Id be screwed if it didnt, my facial hair changes daily. :lol:

Not that i shall ever purchase Kinect however.

 

[Shirosaki]

Oh come on, chill out, errors and bugs do happen in video games! There's no need to say that the programmers and the staff on kinect is racist. Such things are usual to happen. Also, most of you are white anyway.

I never once said that the programmers and staff are racist. I hate it when people twist other people's words. I was joking at the FACT that it doesn't work for black people, saying that the software is racist - in jest.

There's a reason why comedians cant open their mouth about anything any more, and why white heterosexual men are scared to make a joke about anything other than white heterosexual men.

 

[ssjcb1186]

I never once said that the programmers and staff are racist. I hate it when people twist other people's words. I was joking at the FACT that it doesn't work for black people, saying that the software is racist - in jest.

There's a reason why comedians cant open their mouth about anything any more, and why white heterosexual men are scared to make a joke about anything other than white heterosexual men.

I agree with that...

I, personally, thought some of these comments were quite humorous >)

 

[Dentie]

there arent much black people on these forums i guess xD i only hear racist jokes

 

[Arseface]

It's not a programming error, it's just how physics works. Kinect works by detecting patterns in the light it's recieving. Considering black people's skins are black, they don't reflect nearly as much light , therefore Kinect has issues picking it up.

 

[Tsuyu]

It's not a programming error, it's just how physics works. Kinect works by detecting patterns in the light it's recieving. Considering black people's skins are black, they don't reflect nearly as much light , therefore Kinect has issues picking it up.

Maybe they need to release a Kinect: Black Version-bundle. Comes with a fine white powder which you apply to your face, like makeup, before playing.

 

[Devil Keyz]

People should just stop being black.

You should stop being an arse. Real talk.

 

[Shirosaki]

You should stop being an arse. Real talk.

He was joking.

 

[ssjcb1186]

As is this whole thread.

 

[Cain]

Have you noticed with most racist video game issues, the people complaining are usually white? I've seen a lot of black guys on youtube defending resident evil 5. And these are really the only people who can complain.