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Kinect: MS to "serve hardcore" at E3

EG: "At least 10 non-sequel Kinect games will be announced at trade show E3 next month, Eurogamer can reveal."

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eurogamer.net
InTheKnow5485d ago (Edited 5485d ago )

.
I like the support for Kinect and it's 10+ million strong sales but I would like a few more games for the guys like me that like using the " normal " controller.

I understand they have to support Kinect but where is the other development? I hope E3 has more for the hardcore that gave Microsoft/360 the 50+ million in sales they are currently enjoying.

BTW, 343 studio's has said no other dev will work on a Halo title but them so I'm still waiting to here something more concrete about this rumored Halo anniversary edition game.

tehpees35485d ago

kinect sports 2? I'm sure the hardcore will love it :P

EVILDEAD3605485d ago (Edited 5485d ago )

Let's face it.EVERYONE counted Microsoft out when Kinect was launched..fast forward and it's the reason that the 360 is still doing great numbers.

If Microsoft can pull off more compelling experiences for Kinect, they will be in their own lane for E3. Which is important as Sony will push NGP and Nintendo will push the Wii 2.

Smart move to capitalize on the sequel potential w/ Kinect Sports 2 & Dance Central 2.

But with a lineup that includes Forza 4 support, Kingdoms, Panzer Dragoon, Steel Batallion, Star Wars, rumored Fable Kinect, rumored Gears Exile and survival horror..Kinect games 2.0 could end up suprising the skeptics.

Gears will obviously be the 360 must have exclusive for 2011, but a Halo CE HD remake will be huge for fans.

The Plot is starting to thicken..should be an interesting E3

Evil

fluffydelusions5485d ago (Edited 5485d ago )

I've only seen one game that interests me if I had Kinect/360 and that was that house of the dead style game (rise of nightmares?). Kinect would be a lot better if devs implemented a controller in games. I think Forza will be doing it?

stealth500k5485d ago (Edited 5485d ago )

forza will be kinect optional which is what every kinect game should be.

Because the kinect controls are the worst controls in the history of gaming

lowcarb5485d ago

"Because the kinect controls are the worst controls in the history of gaming"

oh hush up...kinect controls are not that bad. Also there have been hybrid games in the works and talk of this for quite some time now. Kinect does not need to be optional in rvery game like move because that's kind of stupid. It needs to offer hybrid games and others only supported by it.

Jinxstar5485d ago (Edited 5485d ago )

Hybrid games kinda goes against the whole mantra though of "Controller free gaming" though doesn't it? They realize that you NEED buttons. I mean Move is not the greatest thing in the world but many people play KZ3 and Socom and are very successful at it and it makes the sniper class very powerful...

Rise of nightmares has a cool aesthetic. However we have not seen ANY gameplay at all to indicate that it will be anything worth playing...

Who knows if hybrid games will even work. I mean here is what I think. Simple example that a lot of people use is the "Throw a grenade" example. They say "Your going along and then you let go of the controller with the hand you aim with. swing your arm like your throwing a baseball. and then re grab the controller and continue on. Cool right?"

Here are the problems I see with that. Ok so in say Gears of War for example. you pull out your grenade and spin it. then you get your trajectory with the indicator that goes across the floor showing the arch and distance of the throw. How on earth is a baseball throw going to be anyway accurate in that sense? Also what about the fact that now your "Aim" stick does not have your hand on it so if your enemy moves a few feet to the right your now stuck in a grenade throwing animation and can't turn the camera to the left or right... So did you just waste a grenade. What about a game like Call of duty. You couldn't cook off because if you did say raise your arm for 2 seconds then you truly couldn't aim left or right... Only forward and backward. The logistics of it simply dont work unless you try and build a shooter around kinect which... Doesn't seen fun because A. It would be a game that requires a peripheral. B. It wouldn't allow the things I said above and C. Could not compete with the Gears, Halo and COD games that make the 360 what it is... Truly competitive.

I have yet to see a compelling argument that makes these "Hybrid games" any better then a game that requires a controller... Unless you truly do want to point with your finger and yell "Bang" at your TV then the Kinect is still pretty much just a Dance Central Device. For the past 2 E3's 360 fans have been saying 'Wait for E3. MS will wow you.' Well they haven't. They have yet to show us anything compelling or hardcore with kinect and I have been seeing Gears 3 for a few years now with the only other Hardcore game released being Halo Reach... Halo and Gears... Surprise surprise... Forgive me if I have no faith that MS will deliver. They have already had almost 3 years to give us some examples of hoe kinect can be used for hardcore games and delivered empty promises... All I have seen from games is COD maps that are exclusive for a month. Halo, Gears and the over promised and under delivered fable games... They may have a decent looking exclusive or 2. Maybe kingdoms will wow us but really... Sony has released MS Apocaypse, MLB the show, SOCOM, DC Universe,KZ3 and will release Infamous 2 all post Xmas and Pre E3 this year alone. Thats 6 AAA exclusives... MS has released.... Nothing. Forgive me if I put my faith in a company that is actually delivering on promises. Using it's movement peripheral in hardcore games and pushing the industry. Granted their network has had some hiccups and no one is perfect but seriously... I don't see why you have blind faith in MS anymore low carb. They haven't delivered on any promises unless you like Dance Central THAT much... Heck most people that bought Kinect haven't used it since Xmas day. I mean really do you preer using netflix with Kinect or your Controller?

lowcarb5484d ago (Edited 5484d ago )

@jinxstar

OK just read your comment and see where your coming from. To set the record straight I have lost a lot of faith in MS over the past 2 years. Yes Sony is delivering as far as games are concerned and thats great. Whats upsetting is MS started this generation off delivering excitement and now seem lost. You say I have blind faith but that's not the case. MS has done amazing things in the past so I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt even though they completely killed last E3. MS needs to bring back the original gaming staff because these guys now seem like non-gamers.

bozebo5485d ago

"Kinect would be a lot better if devs implemented a controller"

use a controller then

humbleopinion5485d ago

Why not use both?
When the mouse first arrived, did people completely switch to "keyboardless" gaming? No, they used the combination of both to enjoy a better gaming experience.

Games don't need to be "controller free" - that's just a pointless marketing slogan. Games need to be Kinect+Controller in order to improve and provide a superior experience. Don't replace, enhance.

Zir05485d ago ShowReplies(4)
nix5485d ago

they'll come out with Move like controllers... and support Gears 3. you heard it here first.

sikbeta5485d ago

Totally kill the purpose of kinect, your hands are the controllers, not the controllers in your hands :P

nix5485d ago (Edited 5485d ago )

urm... when has MS ever stuck to their words? q;

@Falaut (below): the Move setup for KZ3 should be the industry standard for all the FPS/TPS/other Move games. quality-wise, i mean.

Falaut5485d ago

%100 agree! eat some humble pie MS and release a controller to go along with it. This would be good for the industry as a whole as it would give some parity to controller setups resulting in third parties supporting it more.

Anyone who plays Killzone with a properly setup Move knows how wicked it is.

taylork375485d ago

"Anyone who plays Killzone with a properly setup Move knows how wicked it is."

Funny joke.

ClimateKaren5485d ago

@taylork37
I guess it's a huge running joke that everyone but you is in on then, because I've been reading that all over the internet for a while now, and have a couple of friends who say the same thing. It's a solid way to play Killzone, and a lot of people who try it don't want to go back to the controller, as they find their accuracy to be improved w/ Move.

gypsygib5485d ago (Edited 5485d ago )

It's hard going back to the DS3 after using Move in KZ3. It has a very high learning curve but once mastered is completely superior to analogs IMO.

I hope all future FPS games use it, my k/d has never been higher

guigsy5485d ago

Nah but I think you will start to see more Kinect/controller hybrids like Forza 4.

stealth500k5485d ago

its the reason why microsoft will be third worldwide by next year.............

Unless they come out with optional kinect.

People want to play with controllers

The Meerkat5485d ago

The sales numbers would suggest that many people want to try Kinect.

We (N4G readers) are not the majority. We are all geeks.

stealth500k5485d ago

actually they dont. Casuals are eating it up in the united states only. In other regions its a non factor.

The Meerkat5485d ago (Edited 5485d ago )

Maybe there is a connection between big houses and Kinect sales.

Or maybe the connection is big people and KInect sales.

KMxRetro5485d ago

stealth500k - That's utter bullsh*t. Kinect is selling like hot cakes over here in the UK. In Japan, its doing alright as well considering the amount of consoles Microsoft has in homes over there.

taylork375485d ago

According to idiots like you, MS should have been 3rd quite a while ago.

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20°

Joy Ride Turbo - The Beginning of the End for Xbox Kinect

Joy Ride Turbo launched 10 years ago today. The first title was Xbox Kinect exclusive, yet this sequel failed to support the device at all.

300°

10 of the Biggest Video Game Hardware Failures Ever

Cultured Vultures: "Sadly, not all hardware is created equal, and no matter how much developers might try, some gaming hardware just fails to hit the mark. We’ve compiled a list of 10 gaming hardware fails, and boy did some fail hard."

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culturedvultures.com
Knightofelemia1581d ago

I would label the Power Glove, Kinect, and that Tony Hawk skateboard more as hardware addons hardware failure would be like the Virtual Boy and one day Stadia.

Magog1581d ago

Kinect was bundled with every Xbox One and inflated the price on an already underpowered and low RAM machine so for the One it wasn't an accessory as much as a white elephant.

CaptainHenry9161581d ago (Edited 1581d ago )

Definitely the RROD but that power glove had a lot of issues as well. The Kinect just didn't work

1581d ago
CrimsonWing691581d ago

Hardware add-ons are more like RAM or a video card, basically components that enhance capabilities or performance of the computer.

If you really want to get technical the Kinect is more of a peripheral device, kind of like a keyboard or mouse to a computer.

ThatsGaming1580d ago

The person in this article obviously is not up on their gaming history....

Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Coleco Gemini, Commodore 128, Commodore Amiga, Atari 5200, Atari 7800 were all massive failures and in most cases cost their companies participating in future gaming generations.

Gamer791580d ago

Sega saturn (successful in Japan) and dreamcast were not failures.
Seems like you're not up on you're gaming history

septemberindecember1580d ago

@Gamer79

How in the world are the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast not seen as failures? They both sold around 8M each, which is much lower than the ~30M that the Genesis had sold before it, and even the Master System before that. They were both the worst selling consoles in their respective generation (PS1, N64 outsold Saturn, PS2, GC, and Xbox outsold Dreamcast). Both of the consoles were incredibly short lived. The Saturn was discontinued in every territory but Japan after just three years. In Japan the console was discontinued after six years. Meanwhile the Dreamcast was discontinued worldwide in 2001 after launching in most territories in 1999 and in Japan in 1998. The failure of the Saturn and Dreamcast lead to Sega pulling out of the hardware market. Which, by the way, all of this occurred when Sega was massively dropping the price of their consoles quickly to compete. Sega was hemorrhaging money at this point.

None of this indicates a successful console. Saying the Saturn was a success because it did better in Japan is like saying the Vita is a success (they both sold around the same amount of units in Japan). Even the Wii U outsold these consoles worldwide.

Magog1581d ago

The picture should be the 360 RROD. When I think of gaming hardware failures that's what springs to mind. Kinect and it's bundled price tag definitely hobbled the already underpowered Xbox One though for sure so I would give it a close second place.

porkChop1581d ago (Edited 1581d ago )

That's not what the author means by failures. It's about hardware that failed in terms of sales (Wii U) or just failed to deliver on its promise (Kinect).

Magog1581d ago (Edited 1581d ago )

Given that the 360 had a year head start, much easier hardware to develop for, was cheaper, and still ended up in third place I think it qualifies especially when you factor in the frustration and huge losses incurred by RROD.

porkChop1580d ago

Selling over 80 million consoles isn't a sales flop. We get it, you don't like Xbox, but that doesn't mean the 360 is suddenly a failure.

Rhythmattic1580d ago

Porky....
You know how many people I know bought a 2nd or third 360 due to RROD? Even when MS had to confront the issue with replacement systems, my mates couldn't wait for even the turnaround of sending it in, and waiting for a replacement.,,..,..
If that's how you consider it a win... OK.. but so is having 5 , of which 3 don't function.... Its a win win....mwhahahahaha

porkChop1580d ago

"my mates couldn't wait for even the turnaround of sending it in"

You're acting like it would take months. When I sent my 360 in I got a new one literally 5 days later. As soon as MS had tracking confirmation that you sent yours, they'd send a new one to you the same day. No one is going to spend hundreds to buy a new console instead of waiting a week. I swear you guys pull some of the dumbest shit out of nowhere and think people will actually believe it.

Regardless, none of this changes the fact that this isn't what the article is even about.

Rhythmattic1579d ago (Edited 1579d ago )

Porky
"You're acting like it would take months"
Sometimes it could.. FFS.. 'Strya here...
Best turnaround I reckon was 2-3 weeks.....
Either way, My mates experiences still exist.. So Sorry, no point trying to earn Xbox Achievements when it doesn't feature in what was a situation you never dealt with,,,,
3 of my friends would disagree (overall, 10 extra Xboxes purchased)
Regardless.. MS sold a lot of 360's that was due to this reason.. That is sales. Fact

"none of this changes the fact that this isn't what the article is even about."
Headline says HELLO !
Oh and "Sadly, not all hardware is created equal," that's enough to pass this on without taking your article bias into consideration.....
As for the rest.... Ok.. But you've actually gone out of your way to give MS a Pass... Fap on.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1579d ago
Aloymetal1580d ago (Edited 1580d ago )

Yup, and because of that big fiasco MS had to fork out 1 billion but knowing them I think they're very proud of the 360, it's the only time a MS console reached 80mil+ sales, RROD played a big part of that and a record they will never break again.

Rhythmattic1580d ago (Edited 1580d ago )

So true.. Even when MS accepted they where caught out in the biggest lie of any generation, The wait for a replacement was outweighed by just buying another, and having one be returned as a backup, which, btw, generally failed on first swap.
I own honestly can't believe MS tards are just supporting , or arguing why and what MS did by just dismissing it....

lonewolf101581d ago

Lol I had the Atari Jaguar, surprised its "competition" the 3DO isn't on the list too, both as "popular" as each other.

SullysCigar1581d ago

Lol same. Played the crap out of Aliens Vs Predator and Tempest 2000 .... aaand that's about it really!!

lonewolf101581d ago

Sad but true that was pretty much it.

Kurt Russell1581d ago

Agreed, I never actually saw a 3DO make it to retailers in the UK. At least the Atari Jaguar was sold for around 6 months.

lonewolf101580d ago

It made it to some my brother got one, fared just as well as the Jaguar so most probably hard to find in general.

darthv721580d ago

3do had way better games. Jaguar not so much. Neo Geo sold less than both and yet isnt considered a failure. Go figure.

LWOGaming1581d ago

Stadia is a weird one. It hasn’t sold at all well but in terms of how it works it’s still miles ahead of Xcloud in terms of stability and performance. Xcloud is still a way behind and that needs sorting but it will be in time. Stadia for me is one of those things that will go down as a what could have been moments. With better marketing it could have been a roaring success. I still play it and it remains the best place in my opinion to play CyberPunk 2077. Only platform I have played it on without having any issues at all. The tech is great. The concept is fine. Marketing terrible. Shame really.

Magog1581d ago

The sales model was awful. They should have teamed with an existing player to allow for local and cloud access to games or a gaming subscription service.

LWOGaming1580d ago

It was a strange mess from such a huge company, as I said, as a system it works really well but without gamers it’s nothing. Such a waste,

LWOGaming1581d ago

The Xbox One was Microsoft’s Nintendo Wii U. Undercooked, undersold and just an unholy mess. The thing is with any of these failures is to learn from them and thankfully both Nintendo and Xbox did just that to the benefit of gamers everywhere.

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120°

Pivotal Decisions in Gaming History - Xbox Goes All-In on Kinect

Xbox 360's Kinect had flopped yet Microsoft insisted on mandatory Kinect for Xbox One, driving the price up and alienating their potential customers.

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techstomper.com
darthv721757d ago

the tech was pretty damn good but their focus on making it the centerpiece was not. Had they opted to keep it as a secondary or even tertiary device, it may have found new use for AR/VR.

PrimeVinister1757d ago

Maybe. But they were two early for VR and too late for motion control

1757d ago Replies(2)
Godmars2901757d ago

Their focus was marketing metrics. Information gathering for targeted advertising. Also "event curating" or head counting for special TV events. If MS had had their way with always online and mandatory Kinect pre COVID, as and during it they'd likely be turning into dominant presence in many Western homes. Be getting subsidized by Disney and other streamers as well as the NFL.

Thing was, Kinect as an actual game system, its games, just weren't ready. MS moved on it too soon. Thankfully.

Atticus_finch1757d ago

Sorry but it was incredibly bad for gaming. The thing barely worked as intended and the games were broken shovelware. And let's not forget all the lies from Xbox to try and sell it. What happened to Milo?
It's like Xbox it's a perpetual lying machine.

PrimeVinister1757d ago

I had almost forgotten about Milo. It looks so unbelievable in retrospect. How did anyone believe it?!

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1757d ago
TheEnigma3131757d ago

Kinect requirement, TV focused, DRM, and $100 buried Xbone before it even stared.

PrimeVinister1757d ago (Edited 1757d ago )

I think Kinect was the worst of the bunch. They reversed DRM overnight and try to play down the TV stuff when they realised it made them look disinterested in gaming.

Kinect stuck around for six months, preventing sales and making more and more people upset when they dropped the Kinect and the price.

Atticus_finch1757d ago

Don't forget the inferior hardware which affects their game development to this day.
And the constant boasting and lying that hasn't change very much to this day.

kayoss1757d ago

I was kind of excited for the kinect. It had potential. That was until i tried it at one of their Microsoft store. The thing was so laggy and worker who was there, had no clue what he was doing. It kind of made rethink about buying an Xbox One with Kinect.

PrimeVinister1757d ago

I had already been turned off of the idea by Kinect for 360. Even when it worked, the games were bad and showed no potential.

Wii made you understand what they were going to do with it within about 10 seconds of Wii Sports. It went on to become a bit of a joke but at least it worked and had a purpose.

Thundercat771757d ago

The damage to the Xbox brand was so hard that til this day they are just the last place brand in the market.

PrimeVinister1757d ago

Totally. They haven't been really all that relevant since.

Godmars2901757d ago

That has to do with repeatedly failing, having to reaffirm only to again fail at creating a competent flow of decent games.

@PrimeVinister:
Until Game Pass and BC are mentioned. Only for the point to be missed.

kayoss1757d ago

thats because they dont know what they want to be. A gaming console, Television, or a gaming service?

Godmars2901757d ago

@kayoss:
They wanted, expected, to be Steam. To have everyone coming to them and paying for the privilege. That's the exact mentality on display when they tried to push always online.

brewin1757d ago

Its sad because the Xbox one version of Kinect was actually pretty solid. Not for motion games, I couldnt care less about those, but for the other features that are now commonplace in the gaming ecosystem. Things like voice control and optional motion features in games. Stuff that Sony did with the PS camera was pretty sweet and they could have done some of that stuff with Kinect.

The tech was pretty sweet when implemented right though. Who remembers the implementation in Dead Rising 3?! You could lure zombies away by saying stuff into the kinect, it was a bit hokey at first, but it actually enhanced the game significantly once you learned all the different voice commands. There was and still is nothing else like that!

The focus on TV seemed to be an issue for people, but the TV pass through had some real potential. They could have had cable companies giving the XBone out instead of cable boxes! I understood what they were trying to do, but they needed to show the games too, and thats where they lost the core gamers. Being able to jump right to a sports event or TV show with out leaving the console was actually a pretty cool thing. I spent many nights switching between NHL games or TV shows and jumping right back into my games seamlessly, just by telling Kinect to do so. It was better than people care to admit, but I loved it!

People say XBone had no games, but on launch I got Dead Rising 3, AC Black Flag, Watch Dogs, Killer Instinct, Battlefield 4, Forza 5, and Ryse. That was actually a pretty solid lineup in hindsight! Then later on it got gems like Quantum Break, Dead Rising 4, Sunset Overdrive, Gears 4 and 5, the Ori games, Rare Replay, Forza Horizon 3/4, State of Decay 2, ReCore (SUPER UNDERRATED GEM), Halo 5, Halo Wars 2, and all the great 3rd party stuff as well! I dare anyone who sat on the Xbox One to go back and give it a shot now.

It was actually a pretty great console all things considered. Yes the PS4 had better 1st party stuff, stuff that MS just couldnt top or even compete with, but there are some really great games that a lot of people missed out on that they would probably really enjoy if they actually played them. Thats why I recommend a Series S and Gamepass to a lot of people, as its a great way to get an awesome lineup pf games for super cheap!

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