Nintendo’s Wii may finally face some competition from the likes of Microsoft Kinect and Sony Move.

But while the Wii and PlayStation Move rely on a handheld controller, Kinect’s sensor bar features a series of small cameras that observe players’ movements and translate the movements into commands. So the new Xbox 360 accessory does not require a handheld controller.

We’ve been following the gestural interface possibilities of Kinect (original codename: Project Natal) for a while now and I suspect few of us should be surprised that in its first 25 days of availability more than 2.5 million units were sold (with holiday sales results still pending).

The gaming possibilities with the next generation of gestural interfaces are obvious, but we’ve been particularly interested in the many computing possibilities. And so have hackers. The New York Times reports that various innovators have already figured out how to use the Kinect for drawing in 3D, creating live 3D holographic images, and even interacting with iRobot devices.

What we’ve seen in film and television regarding immersive and holographic computing may soon be a reality. And with growing hacker interest, Kinect has the possibility of becoming Microsoft’s iPod. It could become a major game-changer, in (many) more ways than one.

Read about some of the early computing possibilities with Kinect:
With Kinect Controller, Hackers Take Liberties

And check out Oliver Kreylos’ video that illustrates some interesting possibilities in capturing 3D images for the creation of holographs:
3D Video Capture with Kinect