Thread: Microsoft Kinect (formerly Natal)

YouTube - Microsoft Kinect - Lifestyle Video - Xbox360

This looks dumb. If this is what families do for fun,
I'm going to pass on ever having a family.

Obviously not for those of us who have downstairs
neighbors and aren't jerkholes.

As dumb as the Wii gadget.

Originally Posted by Mario F.

As dumb as the Wii gadget.

with 10x the input lag.

So I just watched Microsoft's e3 Keynote.

The exercise game for Kinect looks pretty awesome;
better than Wii Fit, anyway. The ability to navigate
the UI with voice and and gestures seems really rad.

The best thing about their keynote was the new
Metal Gear Solid game exclusively for XBox 360. My
God, that game looks amazing.

Two more keynotes to go (Sony and Nintendo tomorrow).
While I'm most excited for Nintendo's announcements
(new Zelda, woot! New 3D handheld, woot!), their
presentations are kinda sorta boring.

Zelda never disappoints.

I'm getting really excited for the new Deus Ex too - I don't know if it's supposed to be out this year or next but it looks very interesting.
On that note so does Portal 2 (I think ready by the end of summer?) since it's going to be an actual full-blown game and not a two hour romp through Aperture Labs (not that there was anything wrong with that, but we all wished there was more). But now I'm just listing new games and that makes me feel like I'm trying to sound like the cool kid on the block. I think I'll go play a bit on my PS1 if you don't mind.

Portal 2 got delayed until next year.

Oh neat. Metal Gear Rising is not exclusive for 360.
It's also coming to PS3 and, more importantly, PC!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKU_od-oN8o

Originally Posted by bernt

Zelda never disappoints.

I'm getting really excited for the new Deus Ex too - I don't know if it's supposed to be out this year or next but it looks very interesting.
On that note so does Portal 2 (I think ready by the end of summer?) since it's going to be an actual full-blown game and not a two hour romp through Aperture Labs (not that there was anything wrong with that, but we all wished there was more). But now I'm just listing new games and that makes me feel like I'm trying to sound like the cool kid on the block. I think I'll go play a bit on my PS1 if you don't mind.

And Zelda is every bit as glorious as one would have hoped!

YouTube - The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword Trailer - E3 2010

Originally Posted by ethic

And Zelda is every bit as glorious as one would have hoped!

YouTube - The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword Trailer - E3 2010

Yeah. That explains a lot why you like the Wii.

Originally Posted by Mario F.

Yeah. That explains a lot why you like the Wii.

Looks childish. But then again, that's all you really get on the Wii.

Originally Posted by Bubba

Sure. Whatever you say.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say ALL motion sensing technology for both computers and consoles amount to expensive gimmicks that get old fast.

Originally Posted by SlyMaelstrom

I'll say that and I won't feel nearly as bad doing so... motion sensing is a gimmick. It is a poor way to interface in gaming and a terrible way to interface in anything else...

Absolute nonsense.
Motion sensing is not a fad, nor a gimmick. A with all technology, it takes a while for developers to put it to good use.
Metroid Prime 3 put it to a pretty good use. It was fun. Now, hopefully, Zelda Skyward Sword will do the same.
Oh yes, there have been poor games (Force Unleashed comes to mind) where the motion sensing just didn't work right. That is not the fault of the concept. It may be the games or the hardware, but not the concept.
It's the future. Accept it.

Oh, and about the whole "we didn't ask for it" and "if it isn't boken, don't fix it" analogy... it's ridiculous. If we stayed true to that, we'd be stuck in the stone age. The thing is, we need evolution and revolution. You may not have asked for it because it has always worked for you, but that doesn't mean there shouldn't be innovation. It simply means that you should try it out. Eventually we adapt to the new way of doing things.
Hey, I mean in the old times, we had a controller with two buttons (plus start and select) and a d-pad. What was wrong with that!?! Why did we need these crappy new controllers with lots of buttons when the old one worked?

Originally Posted by zacs7

Looks childish. But then again, that's all you really get on the Wii.

I will admit that the graphics style in the new game is a little disappointing, but that doesn't mean it's a bad game. Too long there have always been gamers who simply cannot get off their high horse. The graphics are bad. Bad game. It uses motion sensing. Bad game. It's simply a Wii game. Bad game. It doesn't have blood. Bad game. It doesn't have any swearing. Bad game.
So what? I enjoy the games Nintendo do as much as any bloody game with gore and bad language and no motion sensing.
Try it before dismissing it. And stray from the whole "graphics is everything" path.
Sigh.

I never really like Microsoft or Sony's presentations since they're so full of crap games. Hehe.
Anyway, Kinect (no idea why they changed the name) looks pretty bad. The lag is a killer. Sorry, Microsoft, you just wasted a lot of money on this. If only you had been able to eliminate the lag you maybe could have accomplished something, but...
But let's see what Nintendo has in store

The lag is merely a technological hurdle. Eventually will be dealt with. What worries me about Kinect and the Wii gadget technologies is them being used as colored glasses to what are essentially low quality games. It's already a day for celebration when a good game hits the streets these days. But with a new toy to distract from deficiencies in game design, gameplay and story, I suspect things will only get worse.

The last part you mention will probably get better with time. The first I am not so sure.
Nintendo was able to show that the motion controller really did work, but Microsoft has failed to demonstrate that the Kinetic thingy really works. At least from what I've heard. Have to watch all that later.