Xbox Live Vision

Microsoft is not the first manufacturer to introduce a camera accessory for their console, but with the widespread use of Xbox live, the camera extends beyond the previous uses. MS markets the device as an accessory used to have fun interacting with games, connecting with friends, or even creating in-game personas. In this review, we’ll take a look at its capabilities, hazards, and price value.

Like the Xbox 360, the camera comes in two flavors. In fact, there is no difference between the physical cameras in the package, just the contents that are included. Starting with the Blister Pack, priced at the $40 range, one can get the basics. In addition to the camera, the package comes with a headset, one-month code for Xbox Live, and a code for Uno. Most people at this point will find the add-ons utterly useless, unless you have a need for five headsets (my last count). Still, considering the cost for the added items, the package is priced very well. In the event you have yet to enter the wonderful world of Xbox Live, an $80 box might be the way to go, upgrading the one-month to a full year and tossing in 200 marketplace points and the arcade game Robotron 2084. Considering the $40 price difference the bulkier package does present a fair value for the XBL upgrade, but not a hugely spectacular price performer. If anything, people will purchase the more expensive version to avoid the impossible task of retrieving the camera from the Blister Pack. For both packages, one can download the arcade game Totem Ball on the marketplace for free; it requires the camera to play and is a cute game to play once in a while.

One personal qualm that many people seem to share, is the utter frustration in opening those Blister Packs. It seems the packaging companies have developed material harder than diamonds and sharper than razors. Unless you have the proper tools, getting the camera out of the packaging may take in excess of 15 minutes, and might cause some nasty gashes.

On the plus side, things work much better once the camera is finally free. In fact, the first thing I noticed about the camera was its size, it is really really small. Considering it does 640*480 video or 1.3megapixel images, the size is quite nice. It should allow placement in a lot of locations without being too obtrusive. Non-slip rubber lines the bottom, and the camera is mounted on a rotating-ball joint that allows for forward / back tilt motion as well as twisting. The cable is sufficiently long to reach from your 360 to the top of the TV (or any other reasonably close point), and is a simple USB interface so extensions should be easy enough to come by. As you can see with the images, the styling of the camera matches the 360, without interchangeable faceplates of course.

Consoles are successes because of how easy they are to use, and the camera is another example of that: just plug it in and you’re good to go. When the camera is in use, it has a green “ring of light,” affectionately nicknamed as the, “don’t pick your nose light.” Once it’s running, users will instantly notice themselves in the background of the dashboard. It lightly puts the image from the camera there, moving will look like a reflection in water that was just disturbed; it’s a neat thing to show friends and great way to really integrate the camera. Most of the time it’s the little things that make an accessory great, and MS tried to include a bunch to make users love their product.

When playing music on the dashboard, the camera works with the visualizations; it applies what seems to be a difference filter so that if it detects any large change in pixel color, it will display that in white in the visualization. The end result is when someone or something moves it has a cool effect that seems to pulse with the music.