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XBox Kinect: 8 Million Sold and Growing!

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Posts

  • Magic PinkMagic Pink Tur-Boner-Fed Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I wouldn't even accept one as a gift.

    Magic Pink on
  • InitialDKInitialDK Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Repeat: Dance central is cool, like voice commands (in theory), Sonic rider game looks cool too.

    However at this time there aren't enough games for me to justify it. I would rather spend the couple hundred buying four or five games I want in the immediate future.

    Then again Dance Central has the potential to get me back in shape like DDR/PumpItUp did for me a few years ago (and then the arcade closed and Panda Express opened). So $250 dollars may justify potentially months of gym membership and life added back to my existence.

    Now I may have to re-think my position here...

    InitialDK on
    "I'd happily trade your life for knowledge of my powers."
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  • corin7corin7 San Diego, CARegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Waiting for a price drop and or Steel Battalion\Project Draco.

    corin7 on
  • GanluanGanluan Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    If I knew Dance Central worked as well as they make it appear, I might consider it. I used to play the shit out of DDR.

    Ganluan on
  • Gnomeland SecurityGnomeland Security Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    It seems from the advertising campaign that this device is being heavily marketed towards minorities and women.

    The 30 second spot last night featured athletic women exercising and african american men dancing.

    No racism or sexism were intended with this comment...

    /admits to not being athletic
    //admits to not being able to dance

    Gnomeland Security on
  • ruforufo Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    As sort of a "know thy enemy" type thing, I stood in line to play Kinect at PAX this year.

    Kinect is fundamentally a very different experience then Move/the Wii. The first time you stand in front of the sensor, wave your hand around to hit a button and then realize that your avatar is flawlessly echoing every movement your making, it gives an awesome "OMG I LIVE IN THE FUTURE" feeling that I rarely get anymore.

    It's also surprisingly fun - I played Kinect Adventures and Dance Central, and both were quite fun and make good use of the tech. Moving around to collect coins or move the boat was incredibly natural feeling in Adventures, and Dance Central actually tells you which part of your body isn't moving correctly so you can fix it. It is very physical - you have to move around a lot in both games, and in the couple of minutes I played I worked up a small sweat. Throwing your Wiimote into the TV is nothing - people are going to run into things and get hurt with this sucker, and unless there are settings to dramatically reduce the size of the play area, space is going to be a major problem.

    So, Kinect definitely works, and it definitely offers things that other motion controllers can't. What I can't figure out (and the reason I'm not rushing out to buy it day one) is what it's good for beyond Dance Central and minigames. As much as Microsoft is pushing "YOU ARE THE CONTROLLER", I can't help but wonder if having the option for some sort of handheld button thingie would be a good idea for some deeper games. The problem with their current position is if they introduce a controller in the future, it looks like Kinect as a concept is a failure, which isn't good for the product as a whole.

    Me? I'm probably not going to buy it day one, but I am sort of considering a Kinect + Slim bundle - my 20GB HD isn't getting any bigger, I'm still worried it'll RROD one day, and Dance Central would be fun to play…

    tl;dr - if you're OK with Kinect being the next Wii, go ahead and pick it up now. (I don't mean this in a bad way.) If you're not sure about it, you might want to wait.

    rufo on
  • CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/11/arstv-exclusive-watch-us-play-with-kinect-live-in-the-wild.ars?comments=1&start=40#comments-bar
    From a contributing writer writing about an event where they didn't give out a NDA for some reason:
    OK, I do understand that that just tracks a hand, whereas this can track your arms and legs. But from what MS has shown so far, it's basically the same. In some ways better (4 limbs) in some ways worse (the control is much cruder than the Wii offers), but enabling a broadly comparable style of gaming.
    davis wrote:
    We can't get any juicy details out until the full review correct? ( ie. what was it like without buttons? ).

    Personally, I really disliked it. Having to do a Nazi salute to join a game in the Kinect Sports thing was just... weird.
    OK, sure. A table tennis game could be written like that. If there is such a capability in the game I played, however, it wasn't apparent. For a start, if you moved too far from the right spot then the game would tell you to move left (or right) so it could see you properly. There's just not that much freedom. Maybe one-player would be better, but I only played table tennis in two player.

    Second, it was just hugely limited. In Wii Bowling, for example, I have relatively fine control over the spin I put on the ball; it's all in the wrist. With Kinect Bowling, I don't. Because it can only track my arms, not my hands. To put spin on the ball, you have to essentially flail your arms left or right so that the Kinect can see the movements you're making. It's a similar story in table tennis. There's no nuance or finesse.
    Sure. But there are also plenty of things that Wii (and Playstation Move) can do that Kinect can't, and on balance, I'd rather have Wii/Move than Kinect.
    You have to hold your hand over the menu item for a few seconds (the item "fills up" when you hover over it, becoming chosen once it's full), which makes navigation frankly annoying.

    Couscous on
  • PikaPuffPikaPuff Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I am not buying this thing. But I will go to people's houses to play dance central. Or live in best buy if they put up a demo

    PikaPuff on
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  • ValleoValleo Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Not buying. However I will happily buy one if/when they make a game I am interested in. This does not include dance games, Wii sports clones or random shovelware.

    Right now (mind you it's only launch) Kinect is a lot like the Wii balance board to me. A cool idea that is woefully underused on games that will quickly become old hat.

    Valleo on
  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    We haven't gotten any actual videos demonstrating how we'll navigate menus with this thing, have we? That's a little worrisome.

    As other people have said, the control scheme looks interesting but ultimately more limited than Wii/Move. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I've seen too many things that could be interpreted as bad signs coming out of Microsoft to be really optimistic. Like the way Molyneux went from HOLY FUCKING SHIT KINECT IS AMAZING to "eh, maybe I'll add Kinect support to a minigame in Fable 4 if I can be arsed."

    At least Child of Eden is confirmed playable with a regular controller.

    cloudeagle on
    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • PerytonPeryton Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    There is a guy I work with that wants to buy a Kinect just so he can tickle a tiger's butthole. Is this normal?

    Peryton on
  • ruforufo Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    We haven't gotten any actual videos demonstrating how we'll navigate menus with this thing, have we? That's a little worrisome.

    As other people have said, the control scheme looks interesting but ultimately more limited than Wii/Move. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I've seen too many things that could be interpreted as bad signs coming out of Microsoft to be really optimistic. Like the way Molyneux went from HOLY FUCKING SHIT KINECT IS AMAZING to "eh, maybe I'll add Kinect support to a minigame in Fable 4 if I can be arsed."

    At least Child of Eden is confirmed playable with a regular controller.

    In Microsoft stuff, there's an on-screen cursor which corresponds to where you hand is. Once your hand is over the button, a small circle starts to be drawn around your hand, and when it's all the way full, that item has been selected. Even in the new Dashboard, you have to go to the new "Kinect Hub" to use any dashboard features. This seems like it could be mildly annoying to navigate with on a regular basis.

    Dance Central uses a list of songs, and you move your arm up and down to select one (or keep it towards the bottom/top to scroll). Once you've selected one, you swipe your hand across the screen, similar to a full-arm pimp slap. This makes slightly more sense when you see the Dance Central UI (the swiping, not the pimp slap), as there are a lot of lines going across the screen, and you're swiping from one menu to the next.

    Also, apparently if you put your left hand in the left corner and leave it there for a few seconds, it brings up the Kinect version of the Guide.

    rufo on
  • ghost_master2000ghost_master2000 Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I wonder why they can't have you be able to select stuff on the screen with your hand from your perspective. Kind of hard to explain what I mean. Like if you wanted to select a specific item, you would put your hand in the air in such a way that it looked to you like you were grabbing the item. Where your hand would be directly in the path between your eyes and that item. It really wouldn't be that hard to to with a simple 4 (or even 2) point calibration which would still work even if you moved around after the initial calibration.

    ghost_master2000 on
  • chamberlainchamberlain Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    This whole body movement thing seems to have crossed a line that I did not know was there.

    I am fine strumming a plastic guitar or pretending to be a DJ in front of large groups, but remove remove those accessories and I would be far to embarrassed to have anyone actually see me playing.

    My cat could walk up, give me a disparaging look, and I would shut it down.

    chamberlain on
  • GanluanGanluan Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Cats give disparaging looks no matter what people are doing.

    Ganluan on
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    That's true. Cats are inherently counter to enjoyment not pertaining to cats.

    That being said, an air guitar simulator is not for everyone. Especially one that goes on for 30 minutes or an hour.

    Synthesis on
  • OrogogusOrogogus San DiegoRegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    It really seems like there should be a full golf game in the launch line up. Aren't there golf swing analysis programs that read your skeleton and tell you how to improve your technique? That seems like something people would eat up. People still like golf, don't they?

    Orogogus on
  • PeffPeff Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I'm just stuck on the thought that most of these games (aside from Dance Central) look like all of the bad Wii third party equivalents that keep me from ever really turning my Wii on anymore. Can I play Fallout with it? Limbo? Dead Rising? I'm not a Halo player but would you ever have the ability to play it with this? Would you want to?

    Maybe if it was like $75 or some other price point...$150 is just too much for a peripheral to only play a certain type of game. It could just be like the posts on the first page, maybe we're not the demographic for this device.

    Peff on
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  • Cameron_TalleyCameron_Talley Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    G Rol wrote: »
    Dudes, Dance Central looks like the most fun ever. I also have a daughter, and she fully agrees. Don't know how much use I'll get out the the voice commands and dashboard motion commands, but it could be very cool.

    EDIT: All this anti-dance sentiment is odd. Dancing is like...totally fun.

    There are few things in life that sound less appealing to me than dancing, at a club or otherwise.

    I don't dance.

    Cameron_Talley on
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  • AthenorAthenor Battle Hardened Optimist The Skies of HiigaraRegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Wait, so the Kinect's skeletal structure thing can't pick up fingers, or the rotation of joints?

    That's actually really limiting, when you think about it.

    Athenor on
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  • ghost_master2000ghost_master2000 Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Yeah it became pretty garbage after they took the extra processor out.

    ghost_master2000 on
  • tbloxhamtbloxham Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Athenor wrote: »
    Wait, so the Kinect's skeletal structure thing can't pick up fingers, or the rotation of joints?

    That's actually really limiting, when you think about it.

    That's more than limiting, that's crippling. With no rotation, all you can do is hit the ball, you can't spin the ball, or angle your 'racket' to make it go up, or distinguish between a whole variety of motions.

    tbloxham on
    "That is cool" - Abraham Lincoln
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    rufo wrote: »
    In Microsoft stuff, there's an on-screen cursor which corresponds to where you hand is. Once your hand is over the button, a small circle starts to be drawn around your hand, and when it's all the way full, that item has been selected. Even in the new Dashboard, you have to go to the new "Kinect Hub" to use any dashboard features. This seems like it could be mildly annoying to navigate with on a regular basis.

    Damn. Holding still to press a button, when normally you can just press a button. That just sounds so...unwieldy.

    UncleSporky on
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  • Speed RacerSpeed Racer Scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratch scritch scratchRegistered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I don't really care about Kinect

    I might care whenever the next Xbox drops and it comes with a better version of Kinect

    Speed Racer on
  • ruforufo Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    rufo wrote: »
    In Microsoft stuff, there's an on-screen cursor which corresponds to where you hand is. Once your hand is over the button, a small circle starts to be drawn around your hand, and when it's all the way full, that item has been selected. Even in the new Dashboard, you have to go to the new "Kinect Hub" to use any dashboard features. This seems like it could be mildly annoying to navigate with on a regular basis.

    Damn. Holding still to press a button, when normally you can just press a button. That just sounds so...unwieldy.

    In the dashboard itself, it seems like the voice control might be more useful. In the Kinect area you can just say "Xbox," followed by anything you see on the screen, and it supposedly will work. According to their marketing it'll even work if you're watching a movie, because it listens to the sound of your room while playing music and can filter movie audio out. (Again, completely based on what their marketing videos talk about.)

    Don't know if any of that stuff will actually be used in a game, though.

    rufo on
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Yeah, that's not so bad. Still technically takes longer and is more annoying than pressing a button, but that's also assuming the controller's already in your hand.

    UncleSporky on
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  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    rufo wrote: »
    In Microsoft stuff, there's an on-screen cursor which corresponds to where you hand is. Once your hand is over the button, a small circle starts to be drawn around your hand, and when it's all the way full, that item has been selected. Even in the new Dashboard, you have to go to the new "Kinect Hub" to use any dashboard features. This seems like it could be mildly annoying to navigate with on a regular basis.

    Damn. Holding still to press a button, when normally you can just press a button. That just sounds so...unwieldy.

    Right. That sounds absolutely glacial compared to what we saw on Minority Report, which is of course what everyone is expecting out of this.

    cloudeagle on
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  • Orochi_RockmanOrochi_Rockman __BANNED USERS regular
    edited November 2010
    People have expectations for Kinect? I mean other than failure.

    Orochi_Rockman on
  • Ragnar DragonfyreRagnar Dragonfyre Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Dyvion wrote: »
    G Rol wrote: »
    EDIT: All this anti-dance sentiment is odd. Dancing is like...totally fun.

    Dancing is like totally fun. In a club. With hot chicks wearing skimpy outfits where they might just get a bit too frantic and 'let it all hang out' :winky:

    Dancing in your living room with your ten year old daughter while your wife sits on the couch laughing at how you can't imitate an animation on the TV? un-uh.

    Yes, but Dance Central can actually make you a better dancer which will help you when you go to the club.

    Personally, I'm sold on Dance Central, but not Kinect overall. I want Kinect, but I'm afraid that the only good game for the foreseeable future will be Dance Central. I've been burnt by being an early adopter before (32X sigh) and I'm exceedingly adverse to picking up brand new, unproven hardware. Also, I'd have to seriously re-arrange my basement to get enough space. I have a huge drafting table right behind my couch which faces the TV and there's nowhere else in my house that it will fit. I may be able to just push it back enough to be able to push my couch back as well... hmm... The required space is going to generate a lot of returns, I'm sure.

    I showed Dance Central to a girl who's never owned a video game console in her life. After the trailer was over she turned to me and said "I need an Xbox." Dance Central will carry the Kinect to glory, I'm certain. It'll be that new fixture at parties... and I have no complaints about watching chicks dance.

    Ragnar Dragonfyre on
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  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I'll undoubtedly buy one eventually, most likely when a game that catches my eye is released, but right now, at launch, there isn't really a single game that I feel compelled to play, even if it was given to me for free.

    I'm really curious to see how they could do a FPS with kinect.

    TheSonicRetard on
  • UncleSporkyUncleSporky Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I'll undoubtedly buy one eventually, most likely when a game that catches my eye is released, but right now, at launch, there isn't really a single game that I feel compelled to play, even if it was given to me for free.

    I'm really curious to see how they could do a FPS with kinect.

    I thought you bought every Sonic-related game.

    Also, here is an FPS:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euNOPKYFbPc

    UncleSporky on
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  • fragglefartfragglefart Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I want one, a few of the games look like they will be worth owning for the Xmas holiday and beer-soaked weekends, but man, I just spent a whole bunch of cash on Rock Band 3 stuff so really can't justify one until Xmas, which is great because I'll get to see some other folk's impressions first.

    When I started reading the thread I wondered just how long it would take Couscous to start selectively quoting to crap all over it. Near the end of page 2, almost 2 pages longer than I expected, LOL.

    fragglefart on
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  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Dashui wrote: »
    How do you even effectively move around in those kind of games? Are all Kinect games going to effectively end up on rails?

    I think a lack of a physical controller is a terrible idea for games. It's more than likely limiting in terms of terms of games developed, less responsive, and perhaps in some cases immersion breaking than if you were holding an actual motion controller. If I'm playing a sword or lightsaber game on the Wii/Sony Move, I'm holding a physical object with weight and in the shape of the weapon I'm carrying in-game. If I'm playing the same game on Kinect, I'm just swinging around my empty fist.

    Microsoft denies it, but I think, eventually, there will be kinect games which lets you hold a 360 controller in one hand, sort of like how you can use a DS3 with the PS Move. Peter Molyneux supposedly fought hard for this, publicly, but then shut up mysteriously around the unveiling of kinect.

    I could see an FPS game where you hold your right hand with your index finger and thumb up to point like a gun, and your left hand controlling you with the 360 pad. the question is, would such a game fun to play? Especially compared to the Wiimote/PS Move?

    TheSonicRetard on
  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    People have expectations for Kinect? I mean other than failure.

    Seriously, the phrase "Minority Report!" has been thrown around for this thing more often than "lightsaber battles!" used to be for the Wii. And yeah, while expecting Minority Report menus is a bit much to hope for with today's technology, people are still going to be let down when it doesn't happen.

    cloudeagle on
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  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    edited November 2010

    That looks awful.

    TheSonicRetard on
  • spybyscriptspybyscript Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    I'll soon have two of'm!

    But I didn't pay for either. ;)

    Several of the games look interesting, some of them are fun but the types of games this controller are good at don't match the types of game the Wii/PS3 Move are good at. It's really not good when it comes to things such as hitting a tennis ball or pretend swords, but it really is great at things such as dance, and Your Self: Fitness from Ubisoft has amazing production values and uses the Kinect well. Then there are games like Joy Ride, which has questionable controls, but my 7 year old absolutely loves and it keeps him on the road well enough that he doesn't really care that it doesn't drive realistically or exactly as he moves. Kinect Sports is mixed, some things work surprisingly well, some... don't but in general it requires way too much space for multiplayer (I hit at about 7 feet, which is ok for single player, but not so hot for multi).

    The general problem for games comes with kids/people unfamilar who want to or just instinctively have a tendency to wander closer and closer due to moving around. This effs up the tracking for that person if they get too close, a problem if you don't really have the recommended space to begin with.

    The UI navigation works pretty awesome, standing or sitting, the space the thing needs is a bit on the rediculous side (way more than the Wii, noticably more than the Move) for games, although you can be fairly close for the UI navigation since you can be sitting. Video chat is awesome on it, and considering the price of entry for that alone on comparable systems (like google tv + addons) it is cheap. It can recognize who is speaking, it can adjust focus to those, and it handles groups well.

    Games are not directed at the 'core' gamer, but Dance Central as a rythme game has the same production values as the toy instrument games, and comes around about at the same price. Considering all the other extras you get (which may or may not fit all; it is good for those with long distance families who own xboxes for video chat alone) I think it is worth it. My 7 year old loves th

    Of course, I didn't pay for mine, so you should take that into consideration as well.

    spybyscript on
  • GanluanGanluan Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    The video chat is an interesting point - I could see that being a feature that would sell the system. I've never seen it advertised though...

    Ganluan on
  • fragglefartfragglefart Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Microsoft denies it, but I think, eventually, there will be kinect games which lets you hold a 360 controller in one hand...

    MS poeple have recently gone on record stating that Kinect will eventually be used to enhance games like Live does these days, and that you will use it in conjunction with the traditional 360 controller.

    Gamespot interview with Phil Spencer, via Eurogamer;
    Over time for first party, you're not going to see that differentiation between, 'Is that a Kinect game?' and 'Is that not a Kinect game?' You're just going to think about these things as 360 games. Now that doesn't mean there's no controller included. This is just like Live, since Live is used in many different ways across many different experiences that we build.

    Using the controller comes naturally, but now there's this added feature in the ecosystem: voice, gesture. So absolutely that will become an aspect of what people see as a 360 title.

    This isn't about trying to ram stuff in where it doesn't belong. For us, the experience is from the ground up, and that's why you see the first launch experiences are completely body controlled.


    http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-10-26-ms-kinect-games-will-span-all-genres

    I'm looking forward to seeing how Kinect is used to enhance, rather than 'dominate' titles.

    fragglefart on
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  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Ganluan wrote: »
    The video chat is an interesting point - I could see that being a feature that would sell the system. I've never seen it advertised though...

    If video chat takes off, I see it being more of a cell phone thing, than a tv thing. I think people want to have a little bit of directorial control over what the other people are seeing, rather than exposing their entire living rooms every time they want to make a video call. Also, having to go to one spot in the house to talk is more limiting than a portable video chat device.

    TheSonicRetard on
  • TheSonicRetardTheSonicRetard Registered User regular
    edited November 2010
    Microsoft denies it, but I think, eventually, there will be kinect games which lets you hold a 360 controller in one hand...

    MS poeple have recently gone on record stating that Kinect will eventually be used to enhance games like Live does these days, and that you will use it in conjunction with the traditional 360 controller.

    Gamespot interview with Phil Spencer, via Eurogamer;
    Over time for first party, you're not going to see that differentiation between, 'Is that a Kinect game?' and 'Is that not a Kinect game?' You're just going to think about these things as 360 games. Now that doesn't mean there's no controller included. This is just like Live, since Live is used in many different ways across many different experiences that we build.

    Using the controller comes naturally, but now there's this added feature in the ecosystem: voice, gesture. So absolutely that will become an aspect of what people see as a 360 title.

    This isn't about trying to ram stuff in where it doesn't belong. For us, the experience is from the ground up, and that's why you see the first launch experiences are completely body controlled.


    http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-10-26-ms-kinect-games-will-span-all-genres

    I'm looking forward to seeing how Kinect is used to enhance, rather than 'dominate' titles.

    Really, the only sort of enhancement I want out of both Move and Kinect is head tracking. That is an incredibly cool technique, and once you've played around with it for a few hours, you begin to wish every application ever had it. How cool would it be, for example, to be able to literally peak around corners? Both Move and Kinect have the ability to do this.

    TheSonicRetard on
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