Kinect: Good With Kids, Bad With Couches

I can not tell you how NOT excited I am about this. I live in Japan, and like most Japanese homes space is not a luxury. I sit on my bed about 4 feet from my TV. If I stand in front of my TV I will wont be able to see it. To be honest I am really surprised how well the Wii does in Japan. I am pretty hardcore gamer. I play every day. Own every system (sold my Wii). This motion control stuff just isn't for the hardcore gamer. In really hardcore games like GTA, HALO, or GEARS you need ABSOLUTE instant control over your characters action. This motion controllers don't offer anywhere near what you need for lighting fast reactions. I guess its fine for Zelda and Mario but not for fragging people online. All this 3D and Motion Control stuff is taking away dev money and time from REAL games that hardcore gamers will want to play.

my bad... space IS a luxury

@inaka_rob

"This motion control stuff just isn't for the hardcore gamer."

Haha. At the moment, motion controllers exist to pioneer different styles of gaming. The technology is still very much in its infancy so of course you won't have true 1:1 control over your avatar yet. You don't seem to understand what being a "hardcore" gamer actually means, though.

I'll concede that much of the shovelware piled onto the Wii by Third-party developers is marketed for casual gamers. However, first-person shooters, such as the ones you mentioned in your first comment, simply do not make up the full spectrum of games that can be considered 'hardcore'. The games you mentioned don't even take skill to play so much as they require decent reflexes as FPS's all do(who can point and shoot the fastest LOLOL). Some games require decent spatial intelligence like puzzlers, Turn-based RPG's generally require some element of strategy and critical thinking while Real-Time Strategy games require actual skill (read: intelligence) to play well.

To say that the Wii's crowning masterpiece, SMG2, does not appeal to the hardcore crowd is just silly and makes me believe that you are just riding Sony and Microsoft's phalli like a good fanboy would.

In a nutshell, the extent to which a person can be considered a hardcore gamer is directly proportional to the amount of time they spend playing games. How many consoles one owns as well as the types of games one plays has no significant relevance on the subject. People often make the mistake of assuming the games themselves have some kind of hardcore quality about them and to be fair, some of the more difficult games are typically only played by hardcore and formally hardcore, 'casual' gamers(FPS's take zero skill, though). But in the end, time is and will always be the deciding factor.

As for Kinect, That's either a huge oversight or all part of their plan. I see what they are going for, but it's a ridiculous risk already coupled with a high price (~$150) all the while being marketed to the casual audience...

DOES NOT COMPUTE

Definateley not for the hardcore gamer, as stated, but I am impressed with the technology and look forward to the evolution of it.

That's weird, because the tech demo they showed at the last E3 was of a person sitting on a couch using their hands as a steering wheel. I'm personally very excited for the PS3's Move because, let's face it, it's just like a Wii-mote, but we'll get HD graphics. Plus, I don't have to put in a stupid friend code if I want to play Tiger 11 with my friends.

I still think I'll stick with controllers, the whole motion control like the wii was interesting for a week before I just wanted to use a normal controller; keep your Wii,Kinect, and Sony Move (lollipop) I'll wait to buy a holodeck

Headtracking! I want to see Xbox titles really take advantage of a hybrid Kinect + Controller.

See Johnny Lee's dated Headtracking videos on YouTube.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw

I was really hoping to see headtracking for Kinect at this E3. It's sad that this idea has been out there for a while and developers have yet to jump on it.

@UFCwarrior...no offense, but thats an over-generalization or a typical stereo-type view of gamers (hard-core or not).
Dare I say....profiling? ;-)

I have tons of friends that can be considered hard-core gamers, yet they exercise regularly, go out & socialize and work.
The problem arises when people LET gaming take over, but how is that worse than someone who goes out every night and gets drunk because he/she LET alcohol take over?

Its good that you took back control from excessive gaming, but gaming in and of itself is not evil. Its no different than obsessing on any other thing.

That being said...I can't understand why people get so polarized by certain issues.
The Kinect is a pretty amazing piece of tech that will most likely not replace a controller (at least at this time), but will provide alternative methods to play some unique games.
No where does MS state that from release date onward that we will all HAVE to use it.

I am more interested in what developers will create to use this tech and possibly other areas (outside gaming) that this can be applied to.
I do not expect it to replace the controller...especially for certain games (for the hard-core or not).

Good! I'm glad!

Maybe fat Americans will be forced to get off there butts and move around again to actually work off that Big Mac, instead of sitting there like a zombie playing GOW all day.

@UFCwarrior

That comment was extremely arrogant and ignorant. Where the hell did you get that all Hardcore gamers are fat? That's a bunch of crap. I'm a hardcore gamer myself, games are my hobby and I've played them since i was old enough to hold a controller. I tend to play only games that provide a challenge and that normally requires playing other humans like me in order to get that challenge. Unfortunately this is why i don't own any consoles anymore, console games are catered more to casual gamers. However every hardcore PC gamer i know is skinny, they are no fat, and i believe those who are truly "hardcore" are skinny because they keep their minds on games instead of food. I bet its much more likely that a causal gamer would be fat, he's probably spending more time thinking about food then a hardcore game, I've gone very long play sessions at times when new games were released, etc. without eating, forgetting to eat. Go look up game addition and you will see most of the symptoms would actually indicate they are probably Skinny people.....

The thing with me though is i do have a fast metabolism, I always had a physical job, and i always had problem of gaining weight, yet all my spare time when i can is spent playing games with friends and competing online, not physical exercise, yet I'm only 140pounds at 6 feet tall.

You seem like a macho arrogant jerk who thinks you are better and all knowing, i see you posting on every article, but this comment just shows how much of an idiot you really are..... I should guessed that just by your name..

What I dont like about the motion control games is that they reduce the quality of the game to make useable for the motion control system.

All the games so far have been REALLY gimmicky. Dance simulators, sports simulators, and basic sword play.

One of the early comments was about Super Mario Galaxy 2 a game that really didnt require motion controls and most of the people that I know that have played it used the Classic Controler which makes motion controls pointless.

Less gimmick more story and QUALITY instead of motion controls.

What's wrong with you people? They should make more quality gaming software that will only work if you are standing up -- Don't you know how fat and lazy our kids are? Not to mention we adults. Don't you realize that obesity is joining global warming as the next biggest threat to our future health, wealth and well-being? I hope that microsoft won't "fix" it -- or at least will offer more active games in addition to couch potato games.

@Laura99...Why is the onus on MS to force people to stand and game?
Where is the personal responsibility of each individual to handle their own needs for physical fitness?

And while I agree that the game developers should begin to create more active games, I do not expect them to be in charge of my physical well-being. Thats not their job.
Their job is entertainment.

People need to stop blaming everyone else and take responsibility for their own actions (or inaction).

And please dont get me started about Global Warming...Global Cooling...Global Climate-Change or whatever it is they are calling it this week.

CDales has a point, its not their job to make kids more active and healthy, but to let them have fun. So thats what they're doing, letting kids have fun in a whole new way. Sure it may not be for the hardcore gamer, but just what percent of 'gamers' are to be considered hardcore?

@UFCwarrior and everyone else who talks about gamers being fat. Listen. Many Americans are overweight. Period. Many of them don't play video games at all. So many people play video games now it’s impossible to make a generalization about them. You realize video games now rake in more money than Hollywood!!! I will tell you why I don’t like this motion control stuff (in its current state because I do think it has potential, but it’s just not for hardcore gamers right now) I work a real job. All day long. I am a teacher. I am on my feet for half the day. When I get home I want to relax. I am tired. I don’t want to be swinging my arms or jumping around. Even with the driving game. You try holding you arms up for 4 hours. You will get tired. I can hold a controller in my lap for 4 hours no problem. I am a crazy hardcore gamer. I play every single day. I also go to a power lifting gym and can probably deadlift more than anyone in this discussion (except for maybe UFCmeathead). I have other hobbies too. I study a 2nd language every day and enjoy riding my motorcycle. I am a 28 year Jr. High teacher. Video games just happen to be my favorite hobby that I devote most of my time to. Please be opened minded before you make generalizations about people. Yes there is obviously a market for this. Just not my market... yet.

It appears that with the new software update, Kinecting now works while sitting down since the sensor is now able to “detect the bottom of the neck as a player’s primary node instead of the lower portion of the spine as the base node”.

Jamie
http://kinectgamestore.com