Did Microsoft put their best foot forward?
Before we begin, of course I apologize for that pun. But you’ll see far worse in days to come, and it was almost the intention of Microsoft’s marketing anyway.
It’s been two years and two months, almost to the day, since I first wrote of the rumors of Microsoft’s motion controls. A year later they defied expectations by focusing on an enhanced camera-based system for the majority of their input, making it a point to shun traditional controllers, something Sony has actively mocked. Microsoft spoke of developers excited with new ideas and possibilities, but as we all know and have seen, real creativity takes time. Cheap cash-ins off basic concepts can be ready for launch.
I’d like to run down some quick thoughts on the Kinect presentation specifically, by not only Microsoft’s conference, but also the current showings by third parties. Remember that this article is being written at a very late Monday night, so it can’t include show-floor revelations, or any drastic attacks by Sony or Nintendo at their conferences. I’m also going to avoid talking about the Poncho Show, that’s been covered and I could do it no better justice until we all see the edited version on MTV tomorrow.
Right off the bat, the name is strange and awkward. The comparisons to “Wii” and the reactions on that glorious day have been made, but Wii and Kinect were picked with two very different philosophies in mind, it’s clear. Wii was picked to be iconic, simple to say, global, unnecessary to abbreviate, and so on. Kinect is a rough jumble of two words, Kinetic and Connect, with many people initially making the mistake of calling it Kinetic, making comparisons to EyeToy products with the name Kinetic, and so on. Another confusion lies in Microsoft’s recent push of a Kin-branded line of phones, which have no direct relation other than a PR staffer perhaps citing a “People Focus” if pressed on it. Two very important brand lines from the same company, with very similar names, at roughly the same time, with no relation. They were asking for confusion.
But what really matters isn’t the name, isn’t the purple game case, and in some ways isn’t even the price, rumored to be hefty though it may be. The big issue is that since last year, people asked how certain important experiences were going to be reflected by Kinect, and instead of facing those hard questions, they trotted out the most basic concepts they could think of. Despite citing Kinect as a game machine for everyone, no one could argue that their presentation at the Microsoft Conference was that of a “family games” platform. Titles were almost completely themed around sports and fitness programs, most a direct reflection of reality, even if the outfits were cornball. Even a fantasy game like Sonic Free Riders could be argued as an extension of the sports genre. The only games on display that bucked that trend were Kinect Adventures, and Skittles the Tiger Eats People, er, sorry, that’s Kinectimals. As for the hard questions of what do you do past yoga and undirected dancing, the best answer surprisingly came from Ubisoft, with 
Child of Eden (jump to 1:23:30), the spiritual sequel to Rez. Deca Sports Freedom attempted its own gunplay in the Paintball mode, but does so with such a clear lack of polish it’s unwise to use it as a meter of any sort. Ironically, Fable III would’ve undoubtably been a good showpiece for the platform, but all that was shown was an underwhelming trailer with hardly any hint it was a Kinect game.
One other thing on clear display with almost anything Kinect-related was false enthusiasm. The painfully-clear kind that isn’t fooling anybody, yet we all have to cringe through. Yes, they must demonstrate their product positively, to the wide audiences paying attention. But the shallow “excitement” at the on-screen happenings was a constant irritation at best. Sometimes the developers or actors went the extra, unnatural mile to promote the product, such as a little girl who was just miming to a pre-recorded video acting like she was really being licked by her digital tiger pet. That may be something you as a player could feasible “Aww” at, like a cute kitten video, but with an audience full of jaded adults, like those that filled that theater, brains just screamed “Fake.” at the display. Even if that’s what a real little girl may do after months of playing the game, it was one unnecessary detail to make Kinect seem that much more real, when it actually cheapened what that presentation had accomplished so far.
Other stage demos were filled with the most forced surprised cheers and yelps, the softest trash-talking this side of a Nerf stadium, and an overwhelming attempt to push just how much designers who spent months working on these games already were really-reals having fun right there on stage, instead of just demonstrating a product. It’s technically the smart thing to do, but as it’s been clearly demonstrated, if you don’t get it just right, you’re left with a bunch of adults pretending they’re six years old in front of other adults who don’t buy it for one second.
The functions of the hardware impressed me. UbiSoft’s Your Shape: Fitness Evolved featured a very raw output, but did so with an impressive accuracy. Other games synced Avatar movements well to human movements, despite the proportion differences. Even the basic video chat on display used the camera’s motorized tilt to automatically track the speaker, which I’m sure will be used to the inappropriate enjoyment of some late-night Uno players. The price, not yet official but leaked by retailers, is something that will require justification, but it is a nice sign that they’re putting expensive tech into the unit, because even with Microsoft’s ridiculous peripheral pricing, there’s no way $149 would be their ideal target pricepoint.
Ultimately the games have to push the technology in compelling ways, and developers, both first and third-party, launching the platform with overlapping offerings overusing the most basic concepts available do nothing to instill confidence in a market wary of a $149 USD camera. I don’t want to sound like one of those tired individuals who carry on about a need to focus on the core games market, as if there’s automatically nothing enjoyable about what’s presented in these titles, but Microsoft can’t be letting the third parties do it for them at their leisure; they have to demonstrate the platform can do more than just yoga and dance. Cribbing notes off of Wii Sports isn’t going to cut it, either.
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I would say it’s universally agreed that the Kinect show flopped, but GameFAQs’ Poll of the Day suggests otherwise. Granted, the less excited answers have the majority of the votes, but there’s still a few thousand people who really, really want it. Whether Microsoft should be banking on that small cross-section of gamers is a perfectly valid question. I say “no,” and the reaction from the people in the audience at E3 should be proof enough. Only time they were excited was when they heard they all got free Xbox’s.
The new Xbox 360 was sexy, and Free Riders looks promising. And that’s coming from someone who is not too fond of the console. I thought Natal was going to leave me in awe and gazemazement… Microsoft failed me again.
By the way Tristan… this is a serious question, and I want an answer please. Is this the page with the most links on this website?
Oh, sorry, I meant Solus… Sorry, forgot there were other staff members on this site!
While I admit, I agree with the fact that the preformances for Microsoft’s Kinect games were previewed with really poor actors, I’m still really impressed by the third party game previews, and just how incredibly sensitive the hardware is. While, like the Wii I’m expecting a lot of shovelware, I think that you’ll actually see some much higher quality titles start rolling out next year.
Whoa whoa whoa, people. Wait a second. Is it just me, or am I reading the words of Nintendo fanboys? Let’s face it. We can all bash Kinect to no end right now, but most of what we saw is the same exact gimmicky stuff that continues to plague the Wii years after its release. And not for nothing, but the vast majority of Wii games aren’t met with such positive reception from reviewers. And I really don’t understand Sony’s attack on controller-free gaming. The Wii’s whole motion control initially sounded good on paper, but let’s be honest here — it just hasn’t delivered. And now Sony plans to completely rip off Nintendo’s already sour system of said motion control. I realize today is Sony and Nintendo’s day, but from what I’ve seen so far, the Playstation Move has nothing to distinguish it from Wii motion controls. This seems to be nothing more than a desperate attempt by Sony to hang on for dear life against Nintendo and Microsoft. For what using the motion controller is worth, you might as well have no controller at all, and I think Microsoft realizes this. In a majority of the cases with games on the Wii, the controller (and other peripherals for that matter) is nothing more than a hindrance. Think about it. For instance, Wii Fit — that’s great and all, but wouldn’t doing fitness without having to stand on the 2 foot board be a lot more convenient? I remember playing virtual volleyball at the Boston Science museum way back in the early 1990′s, and let me tell you something — I had a lot more fun playing that than I did anything I’ve played on the Wii. Now Microsoft is offering that same type virtual reality. I see no reason to criticize it, especially with the garbage we’ve seen rolled out on the Wii thus far. Not to even mention the graphics on launch titles for Kinect are already far better than just about anything that’s been released on the Wii, and the Kinect is even adding support for browsing sections of the dashboard controller-free. Nintendo practically doesn’t even have an online service, and what it does have is no different than what it had when it was first released, except for some added classic titles on Wiiware and VC, which mind you, have no HD, online play, leaderboards, achievements, or anything of the such, meaning what you are paying for is the exact same thing as what you’d be getting with a simple download for an emulator on your computer. So Microsoft didn’t have impressive launch titles, I get that. That doesn’t mean squat, though. Give developers some time to work with the finished product already before leaping on the thing. We already know there’s a Forza 4, a Star Wars title, Fable 3, and a Sonic title among others utilizing Kinect, so to act like the thing is only meant for gimmicky fitness and sports games is jumping the gun, and quite frankly, absurd. Gamers are just coming to expect too much these days, and as far as Nintendo fanboys are concerned, I think you are all taking Kinect as a personal attack on your gaming lifestyle, which to me, would suggest that deep down, you are worried that this could give Nintendo a run for its money and just don’t want to admit it. I’m sorry, but when it comes to controllers, leave them to classic style gaming. One other thing, I thought TSSZ was supposed to be a Sonic news site — when did it become a blog site? Nothing against what your initial thoughts on Kinect are, Tristan, but I think there should be a separate section on here for personal opinion blogs like this.
@ Ceejus
The enter key makes paragraphs. Paragraphs are you’re friend! :3
I completely understand Sony’s attack on controller free gaming. Controller free gaming wasn’t too great on the eyetoy… about anyone will tell you that. And seriously. Did you watch this event!? I can’t even begin to imagine how awful it would be to have to watch it live with no way out…
Also, Tristan isn’t writing this article.
And yes, this may give a terrible game console (opinion of me and nearly every hardcore gamer) a run for it’s money… so will Move.
TSSZ has always had these tangent articles (at least since it’s return to the interwebs.
To be honest, Kinect really doesn’t interest me that much, either. Mainly, though, its not the technology itself. It could do well if its pulled off great, but… seriously… the problem isn’t the technology, its the rumored prices on it. For the Wii, the console came right along with the controller and more controllers do not cost more than the average Gamecube controller. I wouldn’t want to pay $150 for an ADDON to a console, though.
The other issue is that none of the games for X-Box interest me. I can get the usual shovelware, but a couple shovelware games is enough for me to waste time. I’d rather spend money on decent games I enjoy, like Sonic or Zelda, as well as RPG’s, most of which I still see coming to Playstation 3 as well as X-Box 360. If I want motion controls, I’ll just stick with Wii. I have no interest in picking up PS3 for the motion controls, especially since its an addon. Kinect is even worse because it appears it will cost far more.
Even then, the only “Kinect” game I’m even interested in is Sonic Free Riders, and tha’ts because I loved the original Riders games so much.
[quote]I completely understand Sony’s attack on controller free gaming.[/quote]
Except that they showed the Kinect working with a normal 360 controller during the ESPN event. Sony’s repeated claims that the Kinect has no buttons with no real evidence (and evidence to the contrary) just shows how sad their marketing is when they have to directly lie to have a shot at anything. Kinect works with the normal 360 controller and has a lot of ability you don’t want to give it credit for.
[quote]And yes, this may give a terrible game console (opinion of me and nearly every hardcore gamer) a run for it’s money…[/quote]
Wow. now there’s an unsubstantiateable opinion. If “every hardcore gamer” viewed the 360 as “a terrible game console” it’d hardly be outselling the PS3 now would it? As is, it’s got a large sale base and comfortably sits in second place.
You fanboys. Always thinking without your head.
@ Viking ZX
And Microsoft saying that you need no controller then showing that you can use a controller during the ESPN event isn’t sad?
Microsoft can’t make up their mind. All they do is talk about how magical it is that you need no controller… and then they show that you can still play with one while using Kinect. At that point, you don’t even need the freakin’ thing. And controller or not, Kinect didn’t make a favorable impact at E3. Yes this will sell extremely well, little children can’t wait to get there hands on Skittles the magic fake video tiger… or, it will end up like the eyetoy, and not make a good impression on the market. I can see either of them happening.
It seems you have clearly misread my comment. The person said that Kinect may give the Wii a run for it’s money. I called the Wii a terrible game console, and yes, nearly every hardcore gamer does not like the Wii because Nintendo, until today, left the hardcore gamers with nothing good to play.
And the 360 isn’t really outselling the PS3 by much. Maybe 5 million units at most, Sony has caught up a lot and the PS3 just may outsell the 360 in the coming months, especially now that the PS3 is cheaper and people realize that it is much more powerful than the 360, and does much more than the 360, which is an undeniable fact.
And also, the only company I can consider myself a fanboy of is Nintendo, and I have trash talked them a lot since the Wii was released. You can call me a Sony fanboy or whatever, but I hate Sony, I just point out the facts when it comes to a console war discussion.
Can I throw a couple of things in here that are really bugging me with all these discussions.
First off is people claiming that Kinect costs too much, and yes I’ll admit, $150 is quite a bit. However, the Playstation move will cost $50 for each normal controller and $30 extra for the subcontroller. Meaning, if you want to play four player, You’ll have to fork over $200-320. Not to mention, find room for an additional 4-8 controllers in your living room.
Second, how ridiculous the people looked playing the games. I will concede, the actor’s Microsoft got for their First-Party game demo’s were TERRIBLE… But the games themselves look pretty solid. Still, it seems a lot of people think they’ll look dumb getting up and swinging there arms to play a game. Honestly, which looks more ridiculous: Preforming actual dance moves and having the game recognize your every move, or stepping on a dance pad quickly. Acting like your riding a skateboard, or fondling a six inch piece of plastic.
Finally, (wow this is getting long…) I’m sick of hearing about how immature the games look. This may surprise you, but people under the age to 10 still play games. That Kinectimals game looks lame, but I’m sure 3-7 year olds will absolutely love it, cause that’s who the game is made for.
I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. If you don’t like a game/peripheral, DON’T BUY IT!!! But likewise, don’t criticize the people who will enjoy it. You can say all the bad stuff about the Wii, but the simple fact is that my Mom, originally an avid NON-Gamer, bought one and absolutely loves it. She can’t stand Xbox or PS3, but she loves the Wii, and that’s what the Wii, the Playstation Move and Kinect are all going for. Deal with it.
@Edge:
So let me get this straight, first you said:
“I completely understand Sony’s attack on controller free gaming. Controller free gaming wasn’t too great on the eyetoy… about anyone will tell you that.”
So I pointed out that you can use a controller with it.
Then you said:
“And Microsoft saying that you need no controller then showing that you can use a controller during the ESPN event isn’t sad? Microsoft can’t make up their mind. All they do is talk about how magical it is that you need no controller… and then they show that you can still play with one while using Kinect. At that point, you don’t even need the freakin’ thing.”
So you’re argument first is agreeing that having no buttons or controllers is pathetic, but then once it pointed out that you can use buttons and a controller, you mock it, despite the fact that the Wii and Move both have buttons and controllers. As near as anyone can tell, you don’t like the option given to developers of using the classic controller with a Kinect to experiment with new things, and you don’t like new things period.
Or maybe your just pissed that motion control is not just for the Wii anymore. Be that way. Meanwhile, developers and buyers will entertain ourselves with the new opportunities this technology provides that you so freely grant Nintendo, but deny others.
@ Viking ZX
First, I would like to point out that I’m not pissed about anything. I don’t think I have typed anything in CAPS LOCK yet.
Who said I liked motion controls on Nintendo? You need to read my comments more carefully. I hate the Wii, I even said that in the comment that you last replied to. However, the one thing I like about the Wii is the idea. I never said I hate motion controls once. I love motion controls. All I said that I hate what I’ve seen of Kinect to that point. After seeing the Free riders footage, it is starting to restore my faith in the peripheral. And I hope my faith in Microsoft gets restored, I would love for me to get this and have loads of fun with it. I’m not particularly a fan of the Xbox or Xbox 360 and I’d love to have a great time with the Xbox family.
As far as motion controllers go, Move looks better than the Wii since the motion control that it does have looks more accurate than Wii as well as Sony being the creators of Motion control in games. And Kinect really only has Milo and Kate and Sonic Free Riders that I feel look good, but M$ is making it look more revolutionary than the PS Move and Wiimote, and therefore I feel like if it’s everything M$ claims it is (which all videos I’ve seen, minus the free riders one and Milo, suggest that it isn’t) then I will love this, that is, only if they made controller free gaming better than it was on the eyetoy, which as far as I’ve seen, only two games look like they have been able to do that, so I currently feel like this may be a flop in the eyes of reviewers like myself (I’m not a professional, but I do love reviewing new things, whatever the literal cost)…
And I’m mocking the fact that M$ made such a big deal out of Kinect having no controllers and then going back and using one. That makes Kinect look worthless. I’m buying Kinect and Move, don’t get me wrong, I love to try new things (especially the 3DS, despite my dislike of 3D, seems interesting.), and I want Microsoft to prove me wrong. I want this to be amazing.
@Edge: Not this one specifically. I’m sure I’ve made other Tangents more link-dense.
The kinect has lag and doesn’t track movements well. I could live with that. But I need to be standing up to play it? That’s what IGN and other sources from E3 are saying. Sorry, I don’t want to stand up to fast forward when I watch a movie. I thought this was supposed to be BETTER than a remote? And they want me to pay 150$ JUST FOR THE CAMERA? No thanks, especially not with the lineup of games… 4 sports games, 2 dance games, and then just a bunch of other shovelware… bleh. I like microsoft but why make something appealing to casuals that costs 150$ plus a 250 dollar console? What casual is going to spend that much when they can get a wii for nearly half that?