Topic: Microsoft's Xbox Kinect - Nov 4th 2010

[Stratos]

I was ignoring Kinect completely, but I can't help but be interested in how they intend to do Steel Battalion with it.

You mean they are going to TRY?!? I can't even imagine how you would pull that off. Isn't that the game with the uber huge dashboard-joystick-controler-thing?

[NWR_insanolord]

I was ignoring Kinect completely, but I can't help but be interested in how they intend to do Steel Battalion with it.

You mean they are going to TRY?!? I can't even imagine how you would pull that off. Isn't that the game with the uber huge dashboard-joystick-controler-thing?

Yeah, that's the one. They had a 5-on-5 setup of them at PAX, and I had a lot of fun playing it, but so much of that was the controller. If they go for Minority Report style virtual giant control panel and pull it off (obviously a long shot) they've sold me a Kinect.

[KDR_11k]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-09-20-sonic-free-riders-hands-on

Sonic Riders Kinect: If you thought Sonic Riders would be improved by awful full body motion controls!

I read that you need to implement the motion detection yourself if you want the player character to be anything except avatars so this is probably not representative of the best detection the system can do but it's likely representative of what most developers will do with it.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Kinect has TV ads

www.pressstartgames.com/2010/09/first-kinect-tv-ads-revealed.html

A total of 3 Kinect TV ads were just unveiled. One for the Wii Sports inspired Kinect Sports from RARE, another for the Mario Kart inspired Joy Ride and last but not least the Nintendogs inspired Kinectimals. Not much gameplay shown but the concept is nice.

- Kinect Sports
- Kinectimals
- Joy Ride

[nickmitch]

The most exciting one of those commercials was Kinectimals, and that's only if you're a pedophile.

Pretty weak all around.

[BlackNMild2k1]

MS: Kinect launch will be bigger than PS3, 360, Wii
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=267017

Microsoft has claimed that Kinect's launch can be bigger than that of every console in history - including Xbox 360 itself.

According to Microsoft studios boss Phil Spencer, the peripheral - which arrives in November - will represent "the biggest console launch ever".

"We are investing in this like we've never invested in a platform launch," he told Edge in a new interview. "This is, for us, the biggest platform launch in the history of the industry.

"We'll have a huge launch portfolio, we want to sell more units than any console has ever sold in its first holiday, a new platform. Our retail partners are telling us, based on the consumer demand, "this is going to be the number one consumer electronics purchase this holiday. Not just in the games space, all of them.

[more at the link]

and the original interview: http://www.next-gen.biz/features/interview-phil-spencer?page=0,1


So if this fails, does the Xbox division lose all credibility and funding from the rest of MS?

[TJ Spyke]

So are they just delusional or do they really think this? I think they are pretty much the only ones who predict it will be a success. The $150 pricepoint of this add-on is what will kill it IMO. Had they released it for $100 or less, I would agree that it could at least have some modest success.

If Kinect fails, who will take the blame at Microsoft? They have already said they plan to spend hundreds of millions of dollars just on marketing and advertising.

[Ian Sane]

When Kinect fails is it going to just kill off the Xbox for good?  I've talked about how these motion controls for the 360 and PS3 should logically be like their next gen because it would be too expensive to just up the specs again.  But these both are going to bomb huge.  So what the hell is going to happen to the videogame industry?  You figure Sony or MS will panic and jump the gun and go up another gen and it will be too expensive for people to buy and too expensive to develop games for and then where are we at?

[KDR_11k]

Perhaps we'll finally reach the point where not going for top visuals becomes accepted as the norm. Of course Activision and EA wouldn't like that because the current expensive graphics climate gives them an untouchable advantage over indie devs despite having near zero flexibility.

[TJ Spyke]

Ian, what I think will happen is that Sony and Microsoft will make sure to include motion control from the beginning when they launch their next systems. Peripherals have a hard time being successful.

[Ian Sane]

Ian, what I think will happen is that Sony and Microsoft will make sure to include motion control from the beginning when they launch their next systems. Peripherals have a hard time being successful.

So would it be like the Wii where it's pretty much is the same console as before only now it has a new controller?
 
I think the key to failure for both ideas will not be that they are peripherals but rather that they just outright SUCK.  I suppose if they vastly improve the ideas for their next console then maybe it would work.  But I predict Kinect will crash and burn entirely because the concept is seriously flawed and lacks interesting games.

[Mop it up]

I think Kinect will be the biggest motion-camera-based black-coloured add-on in history.

[vudu]

I think Kinect will be the biggest motion-camera-based black-coloured add-on in history.

In terms of size or sales?

[BlackNMild2k1]

A clean room.....

Just one of the many requirements for using your Kinect.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-09-29-ms-advises-against-clutter-for-kinect

Microsoft has warned that messy floors "with clothes all over the place" will prevent Kinect from working properly. Better have a quick tidy.
"The floor plane becomes very important, so if you have a very cluttered floor with clothes all over the place and we can't get a good look at the floor - it's a great thing if people can clean that up and move things out of the way."

The company also advised against putting the sensor in "a noisy environment", using the examples "on top of your Xbox" and "on top of your subwoofer".

Another requirement for playing your Kinect...

be 6 feet from the camera... with 3 to 4 feet of free space to either side of you.

"The ideal play space starts about six feet away from the Kinect sensor. Some games will need you to move side to side quite a lot, so you'll want to know there are three-to-four feet on either side of you."

so I need a space that is about 8 to 10 feet wide and 6 feet from the TV camera....
and my room needs to be clean, and I have to be careful about what I place my camera on or next to.
Got it.

So if I had an Xbox, it would not be optimal to use it in the bedroom anymore where it would most likely be, I'd also have to drag it out to the living room, which would need a slight re-arranging during playtime.

edit: Ooops.... the requirements weren't done yet.

I also have to have even lighting across the room

"To have really bright lighting in one spot and really dark lighting in another spot: as you move between the two you might actually look a bit different to the sensor, [and it will be] a little bit harder for us to keep track of you throughout the play space," said Kareem Choudhry, principal development manager on Kinect.

Alright.... so the living room is out too, unless I play during the day.

[Stratos]

I really think that they may just hold off a while longer in releasing a new system. The 360 and PS3 are both sitting pretty good and everything seems stable on their front. They will probably only release a console to react to Nintendo.

[Mop it up]

If those are requirements, I would have to remove all furniture from my living room to be able to play it. And I'd need more lamps.

[nickmitch]

So then not all the furniture.

This news come just when I thought I'd have enough space in my dorm room. Perfect.

[Mop it up]

Lamps aren't furniture, they are appliances. I'd have no tables to set them on, so I guess I had better get some floor lamps.

[nickmitch]

I dunno. I always thought of lamps as furniture.

[Stratos]

Can they be arranged in Animal Crossing? If yes then I say they are furniture

[TJ Spyke]

Lamps are considered furniture by stores, not appliances.

[King of Twitch]

[nickmitch]

Fresh baked cookies included, cold milk sold separately.

[Stratos]

Fresh baked cookies included, cold milk sold separately.

Kinect bakes cookies? What kind? Does that only work standing up as well or can I sit down for that one?

[Chozo Ghost]

Okay, so one of the system requirements for Kinect is an empty warehouse, because you really need that much space to both set the damn thing up and then to have enough room to do your chicken dance without knocking stuff over.