PDA

View Full Version : Microsoft Kinect, gimmick or revolution?



slackthumbz
November 18th, 2010, 10:52 AM
Currently I'm not really sold on the idea, it seems to me that not having a controller is actually quite limiting. Also, being a Brit and not having much in the way of living room space.. I just can't see it working out well.

What do you think?

Spice Weasel
November 18th, 2010, 12:57 PM
Definitely a gimmick for marketing purposes.

Grenage
November 18th, 2010, 01:06 PM
Definitely a gimmick for marketing purposes.

Did the Wii no harm!

Evil-Ernie
November 18th, 2010, 01:10 PM
Bit of both so I plumbed for my default selection 'BADGERS!' :D

If it does do a good job of tracking body movements I could think of a lot of real world applications it could be used for, especially when it come to human interface with disabled persons.

It would be interesting to see if the technology filters out of just the gaming arena in time.

forrestcupp
November 18th, 2010, 01:13 PM
Everyone I've heard that has actually tried one says that it's amazing. There's no denying that it is amazing technology. I'm not going to rush out and buy one, but I'll probably have one sometime.



Also, being a Brit and not having much in the way of living room space.
That's a good point. But why is it that some people get offended when they're called a "Brit" and other people call themselves one?

Grenage
November 18th, 2010, 01:14 PM
That's a good point. But why is it that some people get offended when they're called a "Brit" and other people call themselves one?

I've never met anyone who took offence at being called a Brit!

theraje
November 18th, 2010, 01:28 PM
I actually saw one of these in action the other day. It. Is. Amazing. Makes the Wii look like a poor excuse of motion-control technology.

Of course, it does little good given the mortality rate of the 360 you have to attach it to...

Johnsie
November 18th, 2010, 01:55 PM
An Internet connected TV camera in your living/bed room??? This can surely be abused!!!

Tristam Green
November 18th, 2010, 02:04 PM
An Internet connected TV camera in your living/bed room??? This can surely be abused!!!

conspiracy-exclamation-point-exclamation-point-exclamation-point-one-one-one.

Paqman
November 18th, 2010, 02:19 PM
Neither, it's just an evolution of existing technology. Sony's Eyetoy games were doing controllerless play years ago.

Microsoft are spinning it like it's a totally new idea, but that's just marketing waffle.

theraje
November 18th, 2010, 02:22 PM
Neither, it's just an evolution of existing technology. Sony's Eyetoy games were doing controllerless play years ago.

Microsoft are spinning it like it's a totally new idea, but that's just marketing waffle.

Leave it to Sony to take a perfectly good marketing tool and ruin it beyond recognition.

I think even Microsoft is better at promoting "innovation" than Sony, to be honest.

Sylos
November 18th, 2010, 02:27 PM
Neither, it's just an evolution of existing technology. Sony's Eyetoy games were doing controllerless play years ago.

Microsoft are spinning it like it's a totally new idea, but that's just marketing waffle.

+1 - I remember directing a murder of crows on a PS3 by waving my arms in front of an eyeToy.

My personal opinion - Gimmick - just the same as I saw the Wii as a gimick when it came out. These things are fun when new but soon get old. The number of people I know who bought a Wii cos it was so awesome and revolutionary but now it does little more than collect dust whilst the PS3 or 360 get used.

Having now said the above the Kinect will now be the biggest thing ever and probabbly be linked to a cure for cancer thus making me sound a tard. Good luck to it.

mimor
November 18th, 2010, 03:27 PM
...Sony's Eyetoy games were doing controllerless play years ago.
.
+1
I'd love to see how it performs with a lot of light or in dark places.
Also the required space for the toy is a disadvantage for people living in an apartment.

As paranoia I am, I always hated having (even disconnected) camera's turned to me.
Never had a laptop with a webcam for that reason.

Edit: It seems like they're planning on adding kinect features to Windows 8 ><

ukripper
November 18th, 2010, 04:10 PM
Expensive.

samalex
November 18th, 2010, 04:11 PM
I've seen the videos created with the open source drivers, and I could see LOTS of applications for this outside of just gaming. Lots of potential.

alienprdkt
November 18th, 2010, 04:31 PM
I've seen the videos created with the open source drivers, and I could see LOTS of applications for this outside of just gaming. Lots of potential.

Agreed, though I am not a gamer I can see this technology being great with use of some audio apps to control VST plugins. That would be kool if they would use the technology in other more Productive areas besides just wasting away at 'gaming'.

Oxwivi
November 18th, 2010, 04:33 PM
Just a gimmick. I'm too lazy to wave my hands to do something on my PC.

nolag
November 18th, 2010, 04:37 PM
To be hounest, I think it can be revolutionary if they market it correctly and come out with good games fast. Even if sony had something, it must have been a marketing failure if not many people have heard of it. It would be cool to play games like soul calibar or street fighter on it :) (I know those brands would not likely do it but games LIKE it).

Lancro
November 18th, 2010, 04:44 PM
The distance between the device and the person is too high, in windows you wont be able to read text at normal size, and in spain we dont have very huge houses, I read an article of a gamer, saying that was imposible to play it in his house, and for 2 players it requires more distance, the distance is too high.

theraje
November 18th, 2010, 04:45 PM
Even if sony had something, it must have been a marketing failure if not many people have heard of it.

Enter Sony "Move" - even Sony themselves said that they don't have much faith in the adoption of their brand of motion-control technology.

If you don't believe in your own product - and announce it to the public - then what's the point in even producing it?

NCLI
November 18th, 2010, 04:52 PM
The Kinect is a good idea with incredibly bad execution. In order to become a revolution in the gaming space, it needs to be paired up with something like the PlayStation Move. I suspect that Sony will release an improbed Kinect with controller in the near future, the current PlayStation Eye is a little outdated.

We need buttons until we develop the technology to use our brain to control the game.

forrestcupp
November 18th, 2010, 04:53 PM
I actually saw one of these in action the other day. It. Is. Amazing. Makes the Wii look like a poor excuse of motion-control technology.

Of course, it does little good given the mortality rate of the 360 you have to attach it to...1. Wii is 4 years old. It took 4 years for anyone to come out with anything to even compete.

2. New 360 hardware doesn't have nearly the mortality rate that they used to. But people are still prejudice because of first impressions.


Leave it to Sony to take a perfectly good marketing tool and ruin it beyond recognition.

I think even Microsoft is better at promoting "innovation" than Sony, to be honest.It's not just that. The eye toy was a great concept, but a poor implementation. It wasn't anywhere near as technologically advanced as Kinect. Microsoft may have stolen the idea, but they actually made it right, when Sony couldn't.

p.s. Your avatar looks like Conan O'brien. :)

forrestcupp
November 18th, 2010, 04:54 PM
The Kinect is a good idea with incredibly bad execution.

You're about the only one saying that. Have you actually tried using one?

theraje
November 18th, 2010, 04:58 PM
It's not just that. The eye toy was a great concept, but a poor implementation. It wasn't anywhere near as technologically advanced as Kinect. Microsoft may have stolen the idea, but they actually made it right, when Sony couldn't.

Yeah, that's a good point that I failed to mention. Of course, the Eye Toy came out eons ago, in technological terms.


p.s. Your avatar looks like Conan O'brien. :)

NOES!!! My avatar must BURN!!! D:

Yougo
November 18th, 2010, 05:00 PM
has this been put in serious games yet? from commercials i've seen, it's all about wii-play like stuff. leightweight happy bright colors, simple things like inflating a tire the fastest or a game of tennis.

will it be applicable in more serious games? shoot 'em ups, adventures, strategy...?
ultimately gamers are lazy. if they really wanted to play soccer matches, they'd grab a ball and go do it. instead they're on the couch training their thumbs :) i know i am :P

will they jump and run around the coffeetable accidentally kicking the cat across the livingroom? imagine the labor involved!

all that said, this could give a "touch-screen effect" in places where the screen is too large or too far a way, or not physical, like a beamer. combine it with a mediacenter e.g. and you could actually pause the movie by walking away :)

Joeb454
November 18th, 2010, 06:04 PM
Currently I'm not really sold on the idea, it seems to me that not having a controller is actually quite limiting. Also, being a Brit and not having much in the way of living room space.. I just can't see it working out well.

What do you think?

I've used one fairly recently in a store nearby, I have to say I think it has great potential, it can tell you if you're too close or too far, and quite easily (and seemingly effortlessly) picked up 2 people in the correct area, so promptly displayed 2 people on the screen ready for play.

The downside is that we'll get all the gimmick-y games at first, but there's definitely potential for it down the line, I just can't see how more complex games could be controlled (e.g. FPS games, or Football/Soccer games - which have a great number of controls in them).

Npl
November 18th, 2010, 07:27 PM
Enter Sony "Move" - even Sony themselves said that they don't have much faith in the adoption of their brand of motion-control technology.

If you don't believe in your own product - and announce it to the public - then what's the point in even producing it?Sony sees move as an augmentation to games, not something that requires separate games (even though that will be possible also)


1. Wii is 4 years old. It took 4 years for anyone to come out with anything to even compete.Well, Sony did techdemos in 2000 - ten years ago!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mheOtyWNjV0

It's not just that. The eye toy was a great concept, but a poor implementation. It wasn't anywhere near as technologically advanced as Kinect. Microsoft may have stolen the idea, but they actually made it right, when Sony couldn't.Well, you could say the same thing about the Wiimote, even the games most renowned for a good Wiimote implementation are quite far from anything like accurate controls. Anyone I know plays Mario Kart with the analog Stick once the novelty weared of, and most games only use "motion" as a crappy additional button (shaking). Now you got Wiimote plus which is another added cost and improves controls, but I think there are maybe 1-2 games that actually use it. Move actually works and works rather well out of the box

Sony is actually the only one thats here with a long-term plan and doesnt just throw hype and marketing-dollars at the problems they identified 10 years ago (no buttons = no good idea, if you point at the screen with a stick it should be accurate)
Probably a bad business idea if you look at how much money Wii is making with bad to nonworking controls and PS2-level hardware.

theraje
November 18th, 2010, 07:31 PM
@npl - you quoted the correct guy in your third quote block!

czr114
November 18th, 2010, 07:33 PM
If it does do a good job of tracking body movements I could think of a lot of real world applications it could be used for, especially when it come to human interface with disabled persons.

It would be interesting to see if the technology filters out of just the gaming arena in time.

The good news: the technology can be used for more than just gaming

The bad news: The playbook is coming from Orwell

del_diablo
November 18th, 2010, 08:20 PM
Well, Sony did techdemos in 2000 - ten years ago!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mheOtyWNjV0

The tech have been around since pre 1985?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NES_Zapper

forrestcupp
December 30th, 2010, 04:35 AM
I'm not going to rush out and buy one, but I'll probably have one sometime.

Well, "sometime" ends up being tomorrow. I can't wait. We sold our Wii and all our Wii stuff and we're replacing it with a Kinect. I hope it's as awesome as everyone says.

SunnyRabbiera
December 30th, 2010, 04:48 AM
Neither, it's just an evolution of existing technology. Sony's Eyetoy games were doing controllerless play years ago.

Microsoft are spinning it like it's a totally new idea, but that's just marketing waffle.

Indeed, heck the Eye Toy still holds up despite its flaws.