Xbox Gets Slim, Natal Becomes Kinect - Page 2

BreakABone · 06-18-2010, 12:48 AM

I guess this can be the thread to discuss Kinect, and boy after e3 this thing has not come out smelling good at all.

The reveals (both of them) didn't seem to go over well with the press, but I'm sure that could work itself out in time.

The two big pieces of information that may hurt it,
a) Can't patch in support for older titles. Sure people probably wouldn't use it, but if Bungie or CoD wanted to throw in a Kinect mode just for people, won't happen.
Also as for the reason (it takes a hit of the 360's processor power), it also means there is a slim chance you will see major titles supporting both traditional controls and Kinect.

b)According to both IGN and Kotaku, it appears that Kinect can not recognize a person when they are sitting down. Even when doing the cool menu interface stuff you need to stand up. And yeah it was demo-ed in the video, but of course that was staged.
I'm hoping they work that problem out before this is released.

gekko · 06-18-2010, 01:14 AM

Who is saying the reason is lack of processing power? I think that's just plain wrong (still can't upgrade, but for a different reason).

Vampyr · 06-18-2010, 08:34 AM

Definitely not going to buy Kinect. Large price point, and it just doesn't look fun.

The only scenario I can imagine it being useful in is being able to turn your head in the cockpit of a car game. But if I have to stand up and do it? No thanks.

Angrist · 06-18-2010, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BreakABone

b)According to both IGN and Kotaku, it appears that Kinect can not recognize a person when they are sitting down. Even when doing the cool menu interface stuff you need to stand up. And yeah it was demo-ed in the video, but of course that was staged.
I'm hoping they work that problem out before this is released.

Really?? That's quite shocking. I (honestly) hope they work that out.

gekko · 06-19-2010, 02:49 AM

Where exactly at E3 are they getting a chance to test out sitting in a chair?

BreakABone · 06-19-2010, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gekko

Where exactly at E3 are they getting a chance to test out sitting in a chair?

Not so much that they got a chance to try it out, as much as what they've heard on the show floor

Quote:

Right now, Kinect only works when you stand. This includes menu navigation. All the cool options to grab a slider and advance through frames of a movie you are watching only work when you are on your feet. Kinect, we've been told, has problems handling your skeletal frame while sitting. The voice commands still work, but every game we've seen and even simple menu navigation have to be done with you out of your seat. That's not exactly how I want to watch my movies. If the focus for Kinect is creating games like Dance Central that naturally would require you to be off your couch, that's great. But I have to say, no one thinks "I am driving a car!" while standing up in their living room.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/109/1099085p1.html

Quote:

Edge reported devs' concerns on this exact problem - parsing out the player from furniture - a couple of issues ago. It seems entirely believable when you take a moment to think about the challenges involved vs dealing with people standing 'free'.

Again though, said article said that MS was working to fix this.

Quote:

UPDATE: A Microsoft spokesperson told me after the publication of this article that the company is certain that Kinect gesture control will work for movies, ESPN and other "entertainment" features before the sensor is launched. As I originally reported, that is not an implemented feature yet. The spokesperson was not able to provide any update on the Kinect's tolerance of a person who sits while playing games.

http://kotaku.com/5565777/xbox-kinec...couch-potatoes

BreakABone · 06-22-2010, 12:29 AM

http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft...oduct/C737B081

So even Microsoft's official site is listing the price as $150, I think this about wraps it up for the price.

magus113 · 06-22-2010, 02:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BreakABone

http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft...oduct/C737B081

So even Microsoft's official site is listing the price as $150, I think this about wraps it up for the price.

That is just WAY too much. Way way waaaaay too much. Good luck getting that off the ground MS. Seriously.

TheSlyMoogle · 06-22-2010, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by magus113

That is just WAY too much. Way way waaaaay too much. Good luck getting that off the ground MS. Seriously.

Yeah with nothing good in terms of gamez, this thing is LAAAAAAAAAAAAMEEEEE!

I hope it fails like virtual boi.

Angrist · 06-22-2010, 09:54 AM

The virtual boy wasn't an add-on!

Typhoid · 06-22-2010, 06:49 PM

Jesus you guys are so negative towards the idea of motion control.

Xantar · 06-22-2010, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Typhoid

Jesus you guys are so negative towards the idea of motion control.

So do you think a peripheral launched in the fourth year of a console's life cycle priced at over $100 is going to sell anywhere near enough that developers are going to feel justified spending any resources on it?

Because if you do, let me see if I can interest you in this bridge I'm building in Phoenix, Arizona.

Professor S · 06-23-2010, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xantar

So do you think a peripheral launched in the fourth year of a console's life cycle priced at over $100 is going to sell anywhere near enough that developers are going to feel justified spending any resources on it?

Because if you do, let me see if I can interest you in this bridge I'm building in Phoenix, Arizona.

I agree with Xantar. These are all quality ideas, especially Kinect, but they needed to be shelved until the next gen launch (however far away that might be). That would give time to perfect the product (Kinect needs it), get developers and publishers on board AND establish the brand and product value in the minds of the consumers. Without the peripheral being integral to the concept of the platform itself, I don't see how MS or Sony can pull this off with any real success. But then again, Nintendo proved me wrong with the Wii, so who knows. I have a blind spot when it comes to the public's thirst motion controls and family oriented gaming.

Right now it seems Sony and MS are caught up in a race to see who can release the first irrelevant loss leader.

BreakABone · 06-23-2010, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Typhoid

Jesus you guys are so negative towards the idea of motion control.

I don't think them being negative about the price and them wanting it to fail is the same as being negative about motion controls. (Except for maybe Moogle and Dylflon, who pretty much want motion controls to die in a fire)

I'm not negative towards motion controls, and while I want neither device to fail, we both know how its gonna work out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Professor S

I agree with Xantar. These are all quality ideas, especially Kinect, but they needed to be shelved until the next gen launch (however far away that might be). That would give time to perfect the product (Kinect needs it), get developers and publishers on board AND establish the brand and product value in the minds of the consumers. Without the peripheral being integral to the concept of the platform itself, I don't see how MS or Sony can pull this off with any real success. But then again, Nintendo proved me wrong with the Wii, so who knows. I have a blind spot when it comes to the public's thirst motion controls and family oriented gaming.

Right now it seems Sony and MS are caught up in a race to see who can release the first irrelevant loss leader.

I think this was kind of needed, I hope and suspect that for both MS and Sony this was a trial run for their tech to kind of get their feet wet. It also takes away Nintendo's mindshare going into the next generation.

And I hope that it cures developers growing pains with motion controls when we head into next-gen

Typhoid · 06-23-2010, 01:17 PM

Quote:

These are all quality ideas, especially Kinect, but they needed to be shelved until the next gen launch (however far away that might be).

I do agree on the fact they need time to perfect it, but from a business standpoint it makes 100% sense. Entirely. In no way does it not make any sense for either company to do this.

The Wii is popular with children, and adults. This is a known fact. The 360 and PS3 aren't really aimed towards children or adults directly, not to mention neither system has any type of motion control as it is.

Before you dive straight into anything [Unless you're Nintendo], you typically want to see how a new type of anything will sell, especially if it pushes boundaries on a market that has relied on controllers for 20+ years. If they were to make the Kinect the next gen console, and hold off for 3 years to release it to a giant gasping yawn of a market because nobody wants full-body motion gaming, they'd fail utterly. This way they get to test the waters. Not only will it show them how many people that own 360's will buy Kinect, but how many 360 units a Kinect will sell just by existing.

If these numbers are deeply underwhelming, I can see Sony and Microsoft making motion control take a back seat to controller gaming. While if they take off like wildfire, they will most likely make 'body gaming' the main focus of the next system over 'controller gaming'.