Kinect and it's effects on the WORLD.

[Cth]

Not seriously

Either way, there's plenty of stuff to bash it for -- I just think making a big deal about 6 feet is a little hyperbolic. It's bad enough Sony and MS are both trying to spin things with their little charts, without fans whipping each other into frenzies

If you don't have 6 feet of space, chances are you shouldn't be spending your cash on videogames

 

[KALEL114]

I was just putting the info out there for people on the boards. I consider several people as friends here and just want to make sure everyone has all the info necessary. Some people might have wanted to get Kinect for their bedroom or they might have a very small livingroom. Just trying to make sure all the info is there. I wasn't trying to bash it at all. I never said anything remotely negative about it in the post. I admit it does not appeal to me, but it does to others and I respect that. I have a 360 and plenty of space for Kinect, but it's just not for me.

Sorry if I seem a bit sensitive, but "fanboy" is a 4 letter word to me. t:

 

[Timstuff]

Not seriously

Either way, there's plenty of stuff to bash it for -- I just think making a big deal about 6 feet is a little hyperbolic. It's bad enough Sony and MS are both trying to spin things with their little charts, without fans whipping each other into frenzies

If you don't have 6 feet of space, chances are you shouldn't be spending your cash on videogames

In my dorm I don't have 6 feet between me and the screen. I have about 3 feet, and that's a generous estimate. I still blow lots of money on games but I would not waste a penny on Kinect even if I had an Xbox.

 

[Timstuff]

BTW, there are some funny spoofs of Kinect on Youtube.

[YT]vXH3ig6QoqA[/YT]





[YT]iTYtH28esTg[/YT]

[YT]jyL9TCGWg50[/YT]

[YT]NKtpJW9pg84[/YT]

[YT]iWQlKFhOp9M[/YT]

[YT]goLaQJ-7Zrg[/YT]

 

[Cth]

I was just putting the info out there for people on the boards. I consider several people as friends here and just want to make sure everyone has all the info necessary. Some people might have wanted to get Kinect for their bedroom or they might have a very small livingroom. Just trying to make sure all the info is there. I wasn't trying to bash it at all. I never said anything remotely negative about it in the post. I admit it does not appeal to me, but it does to others and I respect that. I have a 360 and plenty of space for Kinect, but it's just not for me.

Sorry if I seem a bit sensitive, but "fanboy" is a 4 letter word to me. t:

Fair enough, I'm the same way. Admittedly, it does look bad since the majority of the threads you start seem to be Sony oriented is all.

Regardless, the average person is between 5.5 to 6 feet. If you can lie down in front of the TV, that's theoretically enough.

I just wish people were as adamant about getting the facts out there about Move as well.

Personally, I'm so so on Kinect, mainly as something for my daughter to play with so I can get my entertainment center back again

As far as 3 feet of dorm space, if you're not a freshman, you've got the crap end of the stick, IMO All of my dorm rooms were big except for freshman year which had about 4 feet, so I know how that can be.

If you can drop all that cash on a 360, PS3, etc you can afford off campus housing or request a better dorm.

 

[KALEL114]

Admittedly, I play a majority of my games on PS3, but I try not to be too biased with my comments in either forum. It's about what you post not where you do that counts. I respect both consoles and their owners. I have the best of both worlds owning both consoles, so I'm a happy camper. Let's move on. *bro hug* t:

Back on topic.

Here's a rumor about a possible EA Kinect Studio.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/35441/Has-EA-opened-a-Kinect-studio

 

[Timstuff]

^ EA might be jumping the gun a bit. We don't even know if Kinect is going to sell well, and EA is already talking about making a whole studio just for Kinect games?

 

[Timstuff]

Here's an amusing comparison video between Kinect and the Eyetoy / PSeye.



This is ultimately the big problem with Kinect-- it's basically an Eyetoy with depth perception. Sony had this exact same technology a few years ago and were considering it for the second generation eyetoy on PS3, but ultimately passed on it because they decided that adding a Z-axis to the Eyetoy was not going to open up enough new game possibilities, and it was too expensive. Microsoft seems to think Sony let a golden egg roll off of its table, but I guess time will tell whether or not Sony made the right call in passing on Kinect's tech. So far though, I have not been very impressed with the sorts of games that are appearing on Kinect, and considering what it does I think the price tag is way too high.

 

[Fading]

Heh, I know I said I was bowing out of the thread, but wanted to post 2 things quick. According to the Microsoft EMEA vice president it may take 1 1/2 years to see more hardcore orientated titles.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/201552/18_month_wait_for_hardcore_kinect_games.html?tk=hp_new

"Certainly over the launch phase and this Christmas in particular I think you'll see very much pure Kinect for 360 experiences that will appeal to the broad young/older/female/family audiences I described earlier," said Lewis, speaking to Gameindustry.biz.

How long do GearsofWarHaloFable gamers have to wait then?18 months, says Lewis, during which time "more of these hybrid experiences...where you can complement what might ostensibly be a controller-based experience with gestures, voice and physical movement" will probably make an appearance.

Personally, if I was Microsoft I wouldn't have mentioned a time frame. Especially since it has potential to turn away early adopters who expected some Halo Reach Kinect love early.

Really? Is this what fanboy trolling has come to?

Heh, it's funny, at first I couldn't see why so many Kinect fans thought everyone was trolling on it, but now I can see why since it seems like negative Kinect news comes out weekly. However I think it's because it was being hyped as the bridge to what we've seen in sci-fi movies, but once ppl actually got their hands on it they found bugs and problems that conflict with how we normally game.

Like take for instance the report about a woman with a long skirt not being picked up by Kinect. Now it's common sense that if you cover your legs Kinect can't render them as it can't see them. A lot of Kinect fans were saying that news was trolling. However on the other hand never before have gamers been presented with the thought that they might have to change clothes after a hard day at work/school, while wanting to relax to play a game.


I do want to say tho that atleast on my part, it's not fanboyism towards a company, but not wanting to see 360 owners unhappy. I'd like to see Kinect owners happy, and the ppl who work in the 360 branch of MS continue to draw checks. However it's weird to me that Microsoft went casual with it. I mean it's not that I don't understand with the Wii's popularity. On the other hand tho more hardcore gamers (and by hardcore I mean the Halo, Gears, Fable, ME crowd) are the life blood of the Xbox brand. They're the majority of the 40 million sold so far. I'm just not sure it's wise to bet the farm on Kinect as a mid life kicker by chasing after the Wii audience, who if they don't have a Wii already can buy one for $50 more than Kinect, and get games like Mario and Zelda. Meanwhile thinking they'll instead buy Kinect without a solid line up, high entry price, and all the while pushing aside their main audience.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I'm just not sure it's wise to bet the farm on Kinect as a mid life kicker by chasing after the Wii audience, who if they don't have a Wii already can buy one for $50 more than Kinect, and get games like Mario and Zelda. Meanwhile thinking they'll instead buy Kinect without a solid line up, high entry price, and all the while pushing aside their main audience.

I think thats a fairly large misconception. I think it's what the anti MS ppl are hoping for(not saying thats you). They are hoping MS will abandon the hardcore crowd, thus causing the Playstation to rise to power. Kinect isnt going to do that. It will bring in some of the casual crowd, but its not going to force ppl to go buy a Playstation. MS isnt going to stop with the Gears and the Halo's and the Mass Effects and the Alan Wakes and the Forza's and the Crackdowns and the Splinter Cells etc etc etc. Those games will continue to come out along side the Kinect Adventures and whatever other shovel-ware MS pushes out.

MS and Sony are hoping to capture the Wii's market with these new motion devices. That might happen to a degree but its too little too late for both MS and Sony, that casual market ship has sailed and Nintendo is in the drivers seat. This wont shift the balance at all.

 

[Fading]

I think thats a fairly large misconception. I think it's what the anti MS ppl are hoping for(not saying thats you). They are hoping MS will abandon the hardcore crowd, thus causing the Playstation to rise to power. Kinect isnt going to do that. It will bring in some of the casual crowd, but its not going to force ppl to go buy a Playstation. MS isnt going to stop with the Gears and the Halo's and the Mass Effects and the Alan Wakes and the Forza's and the Crackdowns and the Splinter Cells etc etc etc. Those games will continue to come out along side the Kinect Adventures and whatever other shovel-ware MS pushes out.

MS and Sony are hoping to capture the Wii's market with these new motion devices. That might happen to a degree but its too little too late for both MS and Sony, that casual market ship has sailed and Nintendo is in the drivers seat. This wont shift the balance at all.

I agree that a lot of fanboys wish that. In fact, I've seen ppl say they hope MS has to lay ppl off over this. When your love or hate for a console leads to wishing for others to be unable to feed their families and pay their bills...you need help.

To clarify what I meant, Microsoft has said they plan to keep the 360 around longer, and they seem to be going all out with Kinect. In other words they're depending on Kinect to give them a kick that will boost 360 sales to a point that waiting 3 or so years longer without a new Xbox isn't a problem. The problem is that the majority of 360 owners buy hardcore games. 1/4 of them buy anything Halo, even more buy COD brand anymore. They typically don't deviate from that pattern.

Of course Microsoft will continue to support hardcore gamers, I didn't mean to imply otherwise. However they're putting a lot on the back of Kinect, yet aiming it completely away from the ppl who normally buy Xbox's. Early adopters really help keep a new product alive, many of which would probably be current 360 owners. Instead Microsoft is saying that it will probably be 18 months til they see games catered to them. Meanwhile they charge head on into the Wii crowd with a peripheral that almost costs as much as a Wii allne, but doesn't have Mario, Zelda, or Metroid. Yet this peripheral is what they're putting so much faith and advertising money in to refresh the 360, but again are doing so by pushing Kinect in a way that completely ignores their current consumer base to try and steal the Wii crowd.


Personally I'd rather see them toss in hardcore games earlier is all. They've been working with Kinect for awhile. They could easily had someone working on atleast 1 title that can only be played with Kinect that sells the device to the core 360 crowd rather than say wait a year and a half and we'll get around to you.

 

[Timstuff]

The 18 month figure is basically saying to core gamers "don't bother buying one for 18 months, because there won't be anything but casualware." That was a bad move on MS's part, but what would be even worse is if they follow through and don't release anything for core gamers for a year and a half. MS is pretty much banking on Kinect drawing lots of new adopters to the 360, which is really kind of a crapshoot.

The move is taking an approach that I think is better in terms of appealing to the core and casual demographics. The problem it's going to face though, is whether or not casuals will think that it's enough of an improvement over the Wii to be worth spending twice as much money on. They both do a very similar function, so it all comes down to the software. Microsoft has an advantage in that the Kinect has a gimmick that Wii cannot replicate (no controller), but again, if the software isn't there then it might be limping out the gate.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Of course Microsoft will continue to support hardcore gamers, I didn't mean to imply otherwise. However they're putting a lot on the back of Kinect, yet aiming it completely away from the ppl who normally buy Xbox's. Early adopters really help keep a new product alive, many of which would probably be current 360 owners. Instead Microsoft is saying that it will probably be 18 months til they see games catered to them. Meanwhile they charge head on into the Wii crowd with a peripheral that almost costs as much as a Wii allne, but doesn't have Mario, Zelda, or Metroid. Yet this peripheral is what they're putting so much faith and advertising money in to refresh the 360, but again are doing so by pushing Kinect in a way that completely ignores their current consumer base to try and steal the Wii crowd

But they don't need to sell their system to the hardcore crowd at this point. It's already there. Kinect is just a ploy to get those potential holiday Wii buyers to purchase a 360 instead, which as we have seen can lead to a lot of profit. Im assuming MS is thinking, lets get the Kinect out, get a new market, then push out shovel ware(b/c that market will buy anything) and then they can start focus on making Halo Kinect.

I agree, it would of been better if they had done what Sony is doing and said Kinect will also work with say Halo Reach, but i dont think the sales would of been much higher if that were the case. I think tapping into that casual crowd will be more than enough for MS at this point(that is IF they succeed in getting that crowd)

 

[Addendum]

I agree that a lot of fanboys wish that. In fact, I've seen ppl say they hope MS has to lay ppl off over this. When your love or hate for a console leads to wishing for others to be unable to feed their families and pay their bills...you need help.

To clarify what I meant, Microsoft has said they plan to keep the 360 around longer, and they seem to be going all out with Kinect. In other words they're depending on Kinect to give them a kick that will boost 360 sales to a point that waiting 3 or so years longer without a new Xbox isn't a problem. The problem is that the majority of 360 owners buy hardcore games. 1/4 of them buy anything Halo, even more buy COD brand anymore. They typically don't deviate from that pattern.

Of course Microsoft will continue to support hardcore gamers, I didn't mean to imply otherwise. However they're putting a lot on the back of Kinect, yet aiming it completely away from the ppl who normally buy Xbox's. Early adopters really help keep a new product alive, many of which would probably be current 360 owners. Instead Microsoft is saying that it will probably be 18 months til they see games catered to them. Meanwhile they charge head on into the Wii crowd with a peripheral that almost costs as much as a Wii allne, but doesn't have Mario, Zelda, or Metroid. Yet this peripheral is what they're putting so much faith and advertising money in to refresh the 360, but again are doing so by pushing Kinect in a way that completely ignores their current consumer base to try and steal the Wii crowd.


Personally I'd rather see them toss in hardcore games earlier is all. They've been working with Kinect for awhile. They could easily had someone working on atleast 1 title that can only be played with Kinect that sells the device to the core 360 crowd rather than say wait a year and a half and we'll get around to you.

I only said "I hope people lose their jobs over this if it fails" because I think that the amount of money spent on Kinect could have gone toward a new IP or 2. Spend the money on games, not a gimmick.

 

[hippie_hunter]

But they don't need to sell their system to the hardcore crowd at this point. It's already there. Kinect is just a ploy to get those potential holiday Wii buyers to purchase a 360 instead, which as we have seen can lead to a lot of profit. Im assuming MS is thinking, lets get the Kinect out, get a new market, then push out shovel ware(b/c that market will buy anything) and then they can start focus on making Halo Kinect.

The problem is that the casual market is a very unreliable market. They're pretty much buying Wiis and Kinects and allowing them to collect dust while not buying any games. The reason why you're seeing so much shovelware is not because people are buying them, but because they're so cheap to make that selling a low amount will still allow them to make a quick buck.

Hell, the unreliability of the casual market is the reason why video game sales dropped dramatically in 2009 while the hardcore audience gobbled up Batman: Arkham Asylum, LittleBigPlanet

However, while UbiSoft, EA, Activision, Sega, and Konami will be able to make cheap and easy games for Kinect, I don't see Data Design Interactive, Zoo Games, SouthPeak Games, Crave Entertainment, and other shovelware publishers really being able to have the resources to invest in Kinect. Developing games for Kinect should be more expensive considering it's motion control method and development for the Xbox 360 being more expensive to develop for in general, which really takes away the making a quick buck aspect of these companies.

So on the bright side, whille there will be shovelware for Kinect, it won't be as abundant compared to what the Wii has and EA, UbiSoft, Activision, and other big publishers release games of better quality than that of exclusively shovelware pubishers so their games shouldn't be as bad as the Wii's shovelware either.

I agree, it would of been better if they had done what Sony is doing and said Kinect will also work with say Halo Reach, but i dont think the sales would of been much higher if that were the case. I think tapping into that casual crowd will be more than enough for MS at this point(that is IF they succeed in getting that crowd)

With a $150 price point, I don't see them tapping into that casual market. The biggest reason why Tony Hawk Ride bombed was because it cost too much for the average consumer.

With a $150 price point, they should have focused on the hardcore market because they would have gobbled it all up. Instead you have a pissed off hardcore market, a casual market that won't buy the Kinect due to a high price, and the casuals aren't going to buy a 360 if they don't already have one. The Xbox brand is far too imbedded as a hardcore gamer brand as opposed to the casual brands that Sony and Nintendo developed.

 

[Fading]

I only said "I hope people lose their jobs over this if it fails" because I think that the amount of money spent on Kinect could have gone toward a new IP or 2. Spend the money on games, not a gimmick.

I didn't even realize you had said that, no offense meant. I was actually refering to comments I had read on other sites heh.

 

[Donut]

It looks like Toys R Us is not letting people get Kinetic for $89 bucks as I got this Email today

We wanted to let you know that we experienced a technical error with the order you placed for the Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360. As a result, a 40% off promotional code was incorrectly applied to this item. Your order, order #9190822066, received this erroneous deduction, and, as a result, will be cancelled. You will receive a follow-up email confirming this information.

We sincerely apologize for this error.

Please accept $10 off your next purchase at Toysrus.com or Babiesrus.com. This offer may be used on the Kinect Sensor for Xbox 360, if you are still interested in ordering this item at Toysrus.com.

Did anyone else get this ?

 

[jacobed]

I played the Kinect over the weekend at a booth they had at the Mall of America. I played rallyball, the kart racing game, and the river rafting game. Don't let videos fool you, this thing is a lot of fun. Obviously they'll need to come out with some hardcore titles for the gamers but this thing will be amazingly popular with families, girlfriends, or if you are having a party. The little kids there were just eating this up and loved every second of it. I had a blast and I'm definitely sold on it.

 

[Grievous]

^ EA might be jumping the gun a bit. We don't even know if Kinect is going to sell well, and EA is already talking about making a whole studio just for Kinect games?

If I could choose for EA I would give a solid no. The way I see it Kinect is going to be like Arcade games. One or Two might sell well but they fail when compared to actually games ex:Halo,COD,Gears,Dead Space,other shooters and fighters. Plus I've already learned that many shotter fans don't really care for kinect since it's more for the new to video games and casual before and after work gamers, and there is nothing wrong with Microsoft wanting to please the casual crowd instead of focusing all their attention on the hardcore shooter fans. But when you make the casual crowd the apple of your eye instead of the hardcore fans that are the backbone of your profits then it could not end very well depending on how far Microsoft plans on going with Kinect, My thoughts.

 

[KALEL114]

I know they want to pull in the casual crowd and I am cool with that, but I feel that this tech is just not ready yet. With every positive thing written about it, ten negative things pop up. It has way too many restrictions for a casual gamer and I see people getting really pissed off with it when they get it in their homes. Maybe I will be proven wrong, but I have not seen anything yet to show me otherwise.

 

[Soapy]

Quick Look: Sonic Free Riders

 

[Havok83]

Quick Look: Sonic Free Riders

I dont have much confidence in this title as the Sonic Rider games sucked even with a gamepad

 

[Timstuff]

Sonic Riders Kinect is conceptually pretty similar to Eyetoy antigrav.

[YT]JFyEqpDOf8U[/YT]

More and more Kinect is looking to be pretty much a current-gen version of the Eyetoy. There's not really any new ideas coming out of it, which is probably why Sony decided to pass on the tech. Considering how much more expensive the tech is, I am not seeing much new stuff in terms of gameplay possibilities, if any.

 

[Cth]

http://www.ifc.com/news/2010/08/the-xbox-360s-kinect-will-unde.php

The Xbox 360's Kinect Will Understand Sign Language and Read Lips

Per Edge Online and Slash Gear, Kinect--the upcoming motion control camera
for the Xbox 360--will recognize American Sign Language and will visually
recognize spoken words. The news comes from a patent application for
'gesture keyboarding.' The description from the application reads:

"A user makes a gesture by either making a pose or moving in a pre-defined
way that is captured by a depth camera. The depth information provided by
the depth camera is parsed to determine at least that part of the user
that is making the gesture. When parsed, the character or action signified
by this gesture is identified."

This patent filing is interesting for a few reasons. Microsoft's been
talking up possible medical uses of the Kinect technology and gesture
recognition like that used could be a gateway to more robust biometric
applications. The way Kinect works is by tracking your skeleton and the
joints across your body, so it's not a stretch to see physical therapy or
body movement applications for the depth-sensing camera.

From a more game-focused standpoint, this feature could be as a faster way
to do generate text chat or emoticon-like responses in real time during,
say, a "Red Dead Revolver" multiplayer session. The real question: will it
recognize you flipping the bird?

 

[KALEL114]

Rumor: Kinect Downgraded To Save Money, Can't read Sign Language

The patent for Microsoft's motion-sensing camera Kinect suggested that the device could understand American Sign Language. Well, it can't. At least, the version going on sale in November can't.
Responding to the claims made in the patent, Microsoft has told Kotaku "We are excited about the potential of Kinect and its potential to impact gaming and entertainment. Microsoft files lots of patent applications to protect our intellectual property, not all of which are brought to market right away. Kinect that is shipping this holiday will not support sign language."
So why did the patent suggest it could? Well, sources close to the evolution of Kinect's development tell us it's because the version of the hardware that'll be available later this year isn't as capable as was originally intended.
The original Kinect had a much higher resolution (over twice that of the final model's 320x240), and as such, was able to not only recognise the limbs of a player as the current model version can, but their fingers as well (which the current version can't). And when the hardware could recognise fingers, it would have been able to read sign language.
But that capability came at a cost, and while Microsoft had always intended Kinect to sell for $150, "dumbing down" the camera would have meant that Microsoft wouldn't be losing as much money on each unit sold, an important point should Kinect prove to be a failure. So dumb it down they did, reducing the camera's resolution (which in turn reduced the number of appendages it'd have to track) and placing the burden for some of the device's processing on the console and not Kinect's own hardware.
This probably isn't the first time you've heard such a rumour, but this latest time at least explains why Kinect can't read sign language!
We've reached out to Microsoft for comment on the matter, and will update if we hear back.

http://kotaku.com/5609840/kinect-dumbed-down-to-save-money-cant-read-sign-language