Before I start, let me just say that I dislike motion controls in general, not just Kinect. The idea of moving around to do stuff that a button press could do just seems ridiculous to me.
It annoys me even more when voice controls get thrown into the mix.
Talking to my computer when, again, just like motion controls, a press on one of the controller's buttons could do what I need to do, not only faster, but I could keep the tiny shred of dignity that I have left.
If you read any of my comments in an Xbox One related submission, you'll likely see me saying stuff like "I'd get the Xbox One if Kinect wasn't mandatory", and the like. Today will be no different. After all, Kinect IS the reason I am not buying an Xbox One. But today, I'm going to try and explain why I think it SHOULD be mandatory.
Let's take a look back at the older game consoles, the Nintendo GameCube, the Microsoft Xbox, and the Sony PlayStation 2. The GameCube was a huge leap forward in terms of graphics and power when compared to the Nintendo 64. The Xbox was the first games console from Microsoft and didn't have a predecessor, but was also touted as being a powerful machine with insane (for the time) graphics. The PlayStation 2, as with the Xbox and GameCube, was all about power and graphics too.
With the exception of multiplayer, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 didn't really move on that much from their predecessors. When you think about it, the PS3 and 360 are just the PS2 and Xbox on steroids, with online gaming tossed in. Sony and Microsoft were fine with just increasing the power.
Nintendo on the other hand, moved in a whole new direction and changed the entire industry forever.
The Wii brought motion controls with it when it arrived, but it also brought something else: diversity in hardware.
Some would argue that Nintendo's franchises like Mario, Metroid and Zelda brought people flocking to the Wii, but I think the Wii was so popular because it was something different from the usual consoles that had been around for generations.
Now, back to Kinect.
Kinect, I believe, is adding a bit more hardware diversity to the games industry.
It's different, it's unique, it's what makes the Xbox One stand out from the crowd.
(Yes, I do realise that Kinect has been around for a while, but it hasn't been used properly at all.)
Do people really want the Xbox One to be Microsoft's PlayStation 4, with the same features, the same power, and the same...well, everything?!
Look at it this way: You're planning a party and you want to invite all the 'lookers' in the town.
You invite Ms. Wii U (terrible name), and then you go and invite Ms. PS3 and Ms. 360 to the party. There's one tiny problem: PS3
and 360 are identical twins!
Why bother inviting identical twins if they're exactly the same? They've got the same 'features' and they both sound exactly the same. Sure, they've got little differences here and there and they've both got a lot thinner over the years, but they're still basically the same person.
Wouldn't it be better if one of the twins cut and dyed her hair, got a tan, broke her arm, and brought her dog with her to the party, just to be a little different?
Sure it would! And she'd make her sister different by being different!
The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 would be just like those twins if Kinect was removed from the Xbox One. They'd be the same damn console from different companies.
Whether the Kinect adds something of value or not (or is just a complete nuisance) is up to each one of us to decide and decide we will.
We will see by the end of the year if the games industry, and the consumers, want a console that is different, or do we want to continue on having every console almost the same with minor differences.
With all that said, the Kinect is STILL the deal breaker for me. Yes, it makes me a hypocrite, but i'm just giving my opinion on it. Unlike a lot of other people, i'm not going to constantly bash something I have no intention of buying. I'm never going to tell anyone not to buy or not to like the Xbox One, with it's mandatory Kinect.
Destroy me in the comments.
Microsoft announced its financial results for Q3 of fiscal year 2026, including an update on its gaming Xbox business and more.
Not looking good. Hopefully Asha Sharma is able to turn Phil’s disaster around.
To me it's still quite remarkable how they can cash-in 5.3bn in revenue in a single quarter, since their hardware is basically dead.
The stock mark is what makes Microsoft remarkable, They have convinced every institutional and retail investor to just keep piling money into them. Like many big tech giants they are just a big growing pyramid scheme. As long as people keep dropping money into ETF's that cover the market Microsoft will always be liquid. At the same time it is completely stifling innovation and competition. People need to start being more discreet in how they invest their money as it's killing the system.
Riiiiight because people will just flock back to them for one or two games per year.
15+ years of bad performance is what they call irreparable in business. It is time for them to sell off the assets and get out of entertainment.
These declines are on the back of extra revenue received from releasing games like Forza horizon 5 on PlayStation. So I’m being sarcastic here when I said they should go back to exclusives. Killing off a revenue stream from Ps5 sales will only make things worse
The charity event will be streamed live from Gamescom in August.
Thanks to the slip-up of an artist working on the title, we now have more evidence that a new Injustice game is in the works.
Check out the video for a brief but informative view on controls.
complexity vs simplicity but keep in mind this was made before kinect and move were out.
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
PS4 would be like the fit and agile twin while the xbox one would be the fat one who makes really unhealthy decisions. But yeah they would be about the same thing.
I would disagree with the statement that Kinect just hasnt been used properly, I would say that it is incapable of being used for the purpose of gaming - certainly to the level that MS are trying to convince people that it is capable of.
As regarding your main point I totally agree. I much prefered it when each console had a defined role rather than trying to emulate each other into a pool of non identity.
Good blog.
I agree that the Kinect is one of the main points that separates it from the PS4. And I think it will make a huge difference in the games to come for the system.
I fond it very strange that people hate the Xbox 1 for not being exactly like the PS4. The easiest solution would be to not get a Xbox One. But don't post nonsense like forced Kinect and TV features. These are the very same features that separates it from the PS4. And then we get some of the same posters saying it doesn't have an identity.
Then what identity would it have if it didn't offer anything outside of what the PS4 already does?
If I wasn't out of shape and uncoordinated I wouldn't mind kinect but I just don't feel like sweating to play a damn game. Call me a fatty but I'm just being real. I just get home from work and I just want to kick back relax with a cold beer and a pizza and battle some people on Gears of War 3 or some NBA 2k13.
As long as they keep kinect optional on the games I like, it won't affect me...but I did lose 10 pounds playing dance central. Or maybe It just shook me around to take a 10 pound poop. Either way, it moved me.