Forza 4 to use Kinect for head tracking

While we don’t have too much information on Forza Motorsport 4, the next up in Microsoft and Turn 10′s flagship Xbox racing series, it seems a little bit about its Kinect support has slipped in a feature article on MSN Autos, of all places. According to the piece, there will be a form of head tracking to enable you to look around like you couldn’t before.

From the article: “Never mind the phantom steering wheel you can grip and steer. In Kinect-only mode, when you lean to one side or the other, the driver’s perspective edges with you, letting you peer around a blind curve or just slightly around a car before passing it.”

Dan Greenawalt, director for Forza 4, shows excitement with Kinect saying that they are “just scratching the surface” with what’s possible. “I have the feeling that we’ll all look back at these first few years of Kinect and reflect on it as a huge inflection point in interactive entertainment.”

The article calls the head tracking feature “more gimmick than breakthrough,” but I’m not so sure. Having that kind of control over your view and perspective might add to the immersion like no other peripheral on the market could. Not sure what more they have in mind when Greenawalt says “scratching the surface,” but these little things interest me more than invisible steering wheels.

The game is expected to land this Fall, so we’ll see then.

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