Nyko is all about the crowd-pleasers. Microsoft has gotten a lot of people interested in its Kinect Xbox 360 peripheral, though the device was dogged following its release by reports that a significant amount of empty space was required in front of one’s TV in order for it to function properly. That’s where Nyko comes into this picture; the peripheral maker has been working on a product called Zoom for Kinect, which cuts down on the amount of space necessary to take full advantage of the motion-detecting camera. The Zoom now has an official release date: August 23, 2011.
You’ll be able to get the attachment for just $29.99, a press release confirms. I haven’t tried it for myself, but Nyko apparently made a big splash at E3 with the Zoom. It cuts the amount of required space by 40 percent, meaning you need just a bit more than four feet of open space as opposed to the usual eight. The Zoom accomplishes this uses a series of specially designed lenses (no independent power source necessary), and the whole thing clips right onto your Kinect.
The news here is really just the official product release date, but this seems to be one of Nyko’s more potentially useful releases. The space issue with the Kinect really is a big problem for some people, and $30 seems like a fair price for making the camera more functional in different living spaces.
