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Microsoft Xbox Live Vision Camera (Xbox 360)

Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp. Part number: 882224035477

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$32.99 - $39.99 at 9 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
3.5 stars Very good
Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 6 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: Microsoft's answer to Sony's EyeToy camera, the affordable Xbox Live Vision Camera for Xbox 360 may not yet be a must-have Xbox 360 accessory, but we suspect that as Microsoft upgrades Xbox Live to include more Vision features, it will be.
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CNET editors' review

Microsoft Xbox Live Vision Camera (Xbox 360)

price range: $32.99 - $39.99

Reviewed by: David Carnoy
Edited by: John P. Falcone
Reviewed on: 09/28/2006
Released on: 09/20/2006

The good: Microsoft's slickly designed Xbox Live Vision for Xbox 360 is a relatively inexpensive, USB Web-cam-style video camera that allows you to video-chat online with other Xbox Live gamers. You can also use the camera to add still images to your text messages and your gamertag picture, not to mention that some upcoming games will allow you to map your face to your in-game player using the camera. We also like the shimmering water effect the camera puts on the background of the Xbox Live menu system, not to mention that when you're in music mode on your Xbox 360, you can play with the visualization with hand gestures. Lastly, the Xbox Live Vision camera can double as a Web cam on your PC or Mac.

The bad: Image quality for still photos is pretty mediocre and only a handful of games are currently Vision-enabled.

The bottom line: Microsoft's answer to Sony's EyeToy camera, the affordable Xbox Live Vision Camera for Xbox 360 may not yet be a must-have Xbox 360 accessory, but we suspect that as Microsoft upgrades Xbox Live to include more Vision features, it will be.

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Ever since the Xbox 360 launched last year, there were plenty of not-so-secret rumors about a Web-cam-style video camera for the system that would allow Xbox Live users to video chat in real-time with one another. This same camera would also be Microsoft's answer to Sony's innovative EyeToy camera, which goes with a number of gesture-based games that have come out for the PlayStation 2, with more undoubtedly planned for the upcoming PlayStation 3.

The Xbox Live Vision camera for Xbox 360 has finally arrived, and it currently comes in two bundles. The entry-level version retails for a modest $40 and includes an Xbox 360 headset, a one-month trial for Xbox Live Gold, and a free download code for Xbox Live Arcade game UNO. The $79 Xbox Live Vision Gold Pack adds a year-long Xbox Live Gold subscription (which enables online gameplay with other 360 users), 200 Microsoft Points that can be spent on Xbox Live Marketplace content, and another Xbox Live Arcade game, Robotron 2084. TotemBall, the first game to require the Xbox Live Vision Camera, was originally slated to release with the camera, but it was slightly delayed and is now a free download.

From a design standpoint, the Xbox Live Vision camera is a pretty nice piece of gear. It matches the Xbox 360's coloring, it tilts and swivels nicely, and it's meant to propped up on top of your TV or any flat surface. The early review sample we received didn't have any way to adhere the camera to a surface, but chances are you'll end up wanting to move it around anyway, depending on whether you're sitting or standing.

Setting up the camera was easy. You must have a subscription to Xbox Live Gold, and your Xbox Live system software must be updated to the latest version. Ideally, you plug the camera into the USB port on the back of your Xbox 360, but if you already have a USB wireless adapter connected to that port, you'll have to go for one of the two front USB inputs. If you have only wireless controllers and you think it's ugly to have a cable sticking out of the front of your Xbox 360, we feel your pain, having pointed out this design flaw in our review of the Xbox 360.

Once the camera is plugged in to a USB port, you're good to go, and if you look closely, you'll notice that image on the camera is projected onto the background of the Xbox Live menu system, creating a cool shimmering water effect--this effect is most noticeable on the system's default theme. To see yourself and adjust the picture settings, you select Xbox Live Vision from within Xbox Live menu system. You'll find options for fluorescent lighting and dark vs. light back walls. Tweaking the settings will indeed impact the picture, but we found that it was easier just to leave the camera on the Automatic lighting adjustment setting, which yielded perfectly acceptable results.

You can video chat in real time while playing Xbox Live Arcade games such as UNO, Bankshot Billiards 2, Hardwood Hearts, Hardwood Spades, and Hardwood Backgammon; several other titles will become Vision-enabled in the future. Microsoft has also said that you'll be able to take a picture of yourself and map your face to your avatar in make-a-player modes in certain sports games and card games such as Activison's World Series of Poker. Until those games arrive, you can change your gamer photo using the camera. You have the choice between two gamer photos--one that's displayed to your private buddy list and one that's seen by everyone else--your public persona, if you will. You can use the Xbox Live Vision Camera only for your private photo, which is okay with us, as it safeguards your privacy while keeping potentially lewd images at bay. Once you take a picture--there's no optical zoom function, but you can digitally zoom in on yourself--you can choose between several effects to alter or enhance your image. That's fairly cool. What's more of trip is to go into music mode and play around with the visualization with hand gestures. We dug that.

As for video quality, it's what you'd expect from an entry-level video camera with 640x480 resolution (1.3-megapixel still-image capture). When we were video-chatting during a Hardwood Backgammon game, the picture was a little grainy but the video was mostly smooth (30fps), though you'll hit some moments of choppiness, depending on the quality of your Web connection. Still-image capture was a bit disappointing--it's on a par with the pictures a basic cellphone camera produces--but we've yet to try the map-your-face feature in a game, so we'll reserve final judgment until we do.

There really isn't too much else to say, at this point anyway. We'd like to see a few more gesture-based games available in the future, and we hope that face-mapping is more widely utilized, as well. But for the money, considering it costs the same as a wired controller and can double as a Web cam on your PC or Mac--you're required to download a small software app in Windows--the Xbox Live Vision camera is a decent value. While it may not yet be a must-have Xbox 360 accessory, we suspect that as Microsoft upgrades Xbox Live to include more Vision features, it will be.

Editor's note: It's unclear how Microsoft will go about policing any lewd activity that might occur when users are video-chatting, but we did get the following statement from the company's PR team: "We'd like to remind parents who have young children to enable Family Friendly settings for their kids' Xbox Live account, and to configure the settings to the communication level with which they are most comfortable."

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 6 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 6 out of 6

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8 stars

Rediculous to see people rate this product that don't even own it...

by AhEaD_oF_tEcHnOloGy on November 18, 2006

Pros: Good idea, decent features, allows for better interaction

Cons: 1.3 megapixel; Are you kidding me?

Summary: Great idea for someone like me. I have an extremely low voice and always talk crap because of it. They think I am like forty years old and once they ...

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Summary: Great idea for someone like me. I have an extremely low voice and always talk crap because of it. They think I am like forty years old and once they see my pic they usually shut up.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Future of Gaming

by lalabanks on September 26, 2006

Pros: Excellent camera functions

Cons: Should have come out along time ago

Summary: XBOX Live Vision Cam is a must buy for XBOX 360 gamers. Easy setup and use. It is finally great to put a face to your friends gamer tags. Zoom ******* ...

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Summary: XBOX Live Vision Cam is a must buy for XBOX 360 gamers. Easy setup and use. It is finally great to put a face to your friends gamer tags. Zoom ******* is excellent also. The price is good the Gold pack is the way to go for around $80 you get the camera a year subscription to XBOX Live 2 free games and 200 Microsoft points. You can also use the camera on your computer.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
2 stars

Not Mac Compatible

by the..president on January 29, 2007

Pros: I am sure it works great on XBox 360

Cons: Not Mac compatible

Summary: I'm not sure why cnet (and others) reviews this as mac compatible. I bought it for my mac. The instructions do not include setup info for the mac. I ...

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Summary: I'm not sure why cnet (and others) reviews this as mac compatible. I bought it for my mac. The instructions do not include setup info for the mac. I called the fine folk at XBox they don't seem to think its mac compatible or that they support it.

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1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
2 stars

All in all it makes a nice hood orniment

by Woofenstien on November 1, 2008

Pros: it works best when unplugged. If you plan on buying a train set for your kids this Christmas, clip the cord off then place it on the flat bed boxcarand and pretend the cam is a military laser or a big light being delivered to a car lot.

Cons: You're paying money for this.

Summary: If you are more than 10 away from the cam you may as well not buy it. MS should give it away or price it at 5.00 dollars and ...

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Summary: If you are more than 10 away from the cam you may as well not buy it. MS should give it away or price it at 5.00 dollars and spin it as a novelty item. But as with most consumers; I suppose we must have everything including the carrying case too.

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9 stars

Best thing for xbox 360 over sony's eye toy

by itsmez on May 14, 2007

Pros: zoom, , pic of me on gamer tag, and ppl see me, pic of me in games

Cons: its wired,only 1.3 mega pixel, my phone has 2 mp

Summary: i think its a great new thing for xbox 360, now you can put yourself in some games.And people can finally see me playing and know who i am. ...

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Summary: i think its a great new thing for xbox 360, now you can put yourself in some games.And people can finally see me playing and know who i am. Love the ring light and the effect on the dashboard.

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5 stars

wow.....................

by davycrockett3451 on September 28, 2006

Pros: takes pictures can do video confrencing

Cons: umm everything? let me talk...

Summary: wow im a huge xbox fanatic and i love it i cant do n e thing without my xbox 360. but microsoft is stupid. they have to come out with ...

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Summary: wow im a huge xbox fanatic and i love it i cant do n e thing without my xbox 360. but microsoft is stupid. they have to come out with all of this junk that you dont need and its all to compete with sonys ps3 (which will KILL I MEAN KILL competion). i dont care how geeky xbox u are but i mean c'mon ps3 will win this time around

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0 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.

Showing opinion 1 to 6 out of 6

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp.
Part number: 882224035477
Description: Put a face on your gamer tag and make yourself known to the people on your friends list with this Microsoft Xbox Live Vision cam. Bring gesture-based games to life using your body movements to control the action. The cam supports games designed with "face in game" technology for a personalized gaming experience - add your face to your character in game. Crystal-clear images are a snap with VGA 640H x 480V video at 30 frames per second and still photos at 1.3 mega-pixels.

General
Device Type Web camera
Camera
Type Color
Video Capture 640 x 480

Power
Power Device None

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