Kinect (previously Natal)

[PeteJ]

Just in case you miss it, looks like Rez2 (aka Child of Eden) is using Kinect, Move, Wii. Trailer in the Rez2 thread.

And there is the reason to buy this frackin camera.

[EvilBoris]

Well there must be plenty or families without Wii where the man of the house has a COD4 machine but hasn't given into his wife and children's nagging to drop £400 for them all to play Ant and Dec at the Olympics.

I suppose the no Uk release date is probably down to the thing with voice recognition and all our crazy dialects and accents.

"Ecksborks, turn awrf noo"

[Brad]

Why? Clearly it's not for a lot of people on this forum, but for the demographic they have in mind it works well and has colourful, fun looking software. The issue they have is getting people to buy it against the competition, but Kinect itself is pretty solid.

I was just being facetious
I was actually impressed by the yoga demo.

However, as you say, they aren't targetting the people who post on here. They're targetting people who are considering buying a Wii. The problem is that the people who are considering buying a wii are going to buy a wii. I'm not being a fanboy either; If Sony start showing yoga and dancing games for PS3's Move then they're wasting their time as well IMO unless they also show traditional games that use the tech.

I admit to missing some of the presentation but I don't remember MS showing a single traditional gamer's game actually being played using Kinect. The only games I saw being played were family/party titles like you might see on the Wii. Metal Gear and Fable were just videos weren't they?

EDIT: One advantage MS do have is that Kinect is a one-off cost nomatter how many players. Extra Wii-motes, Sony wands etc. can get expensive if 4 of you want to play!

[Brats]

Unless you only own a 360 and not a Wii (and if you have kids I'd find that hard to understand) then I just don't see why you'd drop the cash for this.

It does look fun though I guess, running on dev kits in extremely controlled and staged atmospheres.

That's the thing, although the Eurogamer preview was very positive about the tech too.

As for why I'd buy one, the Wii is great but it is a bit limited by the tech. Wii Motion plus was supposed to have changed this, but its take up by developers has been disappointing to say the least.

If I could pay ?100 to have Wii games in HD with decent online play and better controls I would, so this fits that bill for me. But I accept there aren't many people who are like me.

[dvdmike]

Gamestop have it up at $149

[Brats]

The problem is that the people who are considering buying a wii are going to buy a wii. I'm not being a fanboy either; If Sony start showing yoga and dancing games for PS3's Move then they're wasting their time as well IMO unless they also show traditional games that use the tech.

I agree. The only advantage Sony and MS they have though is the combination of Wii style games and an abundance of more traditional games and better connectivity. So if a family wants to buy his kids a Wii, but also fancies a go on that Read Dead Redemption whilst the kids are in bed and Mum fancies browsing facebook on the big telly, then a 360 or PS3 might be tempting.

I admit to missing some of the presentation but I don't remember MS showing a single traditional gamer's game actually being played using Kinect. The only games I saw being played were family/party titles like you might see on the Wii. Metal Gear and Fable were just videos weren't they?

The face tracking in Forza looked really good. Obviously no-one wants to play with an invisible wheel, but I'd have to imagine you can still use the face tracking and a proper wheel.

EDIT: One advantage MS do have is that Kinect is a one-off cost nomatter how many players. Extra Wii-motes, Sony wands etc. can get expensive if 4 of you want to play!

Good point - MS should plug this point (although it didn't really work for Sony when trying to explain why the PS3 was good value at £430). The drop in co-op bit looked really good.

[cavalcade]

Most people find it quite hard to justify more than one console under the TV to their significant other. I imagine a big slab of the target market for Natal might be the waverers who haven't bought a Wii yet, or those that have a Wii that is sitting unused. In the latter case, perhaps "dad" quite fancies stuff like COD4 that all the guys down work seem to keep going on about, but hasn't got any obvioius way of convincing the significant other to buy another console. With Natal, you have the scenario perhaps of Wiis being traded in to get it, or boxed and sold to make way for a "family friendly" box with a few extra features. If the marketing offensive over Xmas is heavy and targetted I can see Microsoft doing pretty well with it - if the price is right.

[Jebus]

That's the thing, although the Eurogamer preview was very positive about the tech too.

As for why I'd buy one, the Wii is great but it is a bit limited by the tech. Wii Motion plus was supposed to have changed this, but its take up by developers has been disappointing to say the least.

If I could pay ?100 to have Wii games in HD with decent online play and better controls I would, so this fits that bill for me. But I accept there aren't many people who are like me.

The second my kids get wind of this I'll probably be pre ordering it... ?100 is a bit steep for me unless the games are ?20-30.

[Family Fry]

Edge online reported that Kinect Sports should be ?29.99 with the possibility of other Kinect titles starting around that price point, smart move if publishers stick to that.

[Brats]

One thing none of us now is how big the 'Want a Wii but haven't bought one yet' market is. Because we are all earlier adopters, we don't think the same, but I know a few people who are interested in buying a Wii, but haven't yet because they've spent the money on something else and will get one another day.

[Vince]

One thing none of us now is how big the 'Want a Wii but haven't bought one yet' market is. Because we are all earlier adopters, we don't think the same, but I know a few people who are interested in buying a Wii, but haven't yet because they've spent the money on something else and will get one another day.

There can't be many people like that surely, we are well into this generation, if someone was going to buy a Wii then they would have by now, and I can't see Sony or MS changing their minds.

[Brats]

There can't be many people like that surely, we are well into this generation, if someone was going to buy a Wii then they would have by now, and I can't see Sony or MS changing their minds.

But you're thinking about this with your eyes. It wasn't long ago that the PS2 was still selling well, nine years after release. There are loads of people out there who like the general idea of games but it isn't high on their list of priorities.

There was survey recently about the most played consoles and the PS2 and first XBox were only just behind the 360 in first place. That's a lot of potential customers who have yet to 'upgrade'.

[cavalcade]

Absolutely, it's the DS effect in operation. It still sells hundreds of thousands each month. They can't all be replacements or second consoles. There is still a big pool of people out there mildly interested in games; children "coming of age" and wanting their first console; people getting back into games after a break etc etc who might not have a current gen console - enough people to drive healthy sales each month. The question is, does a nice shiny black box with a camera you can flail about in front of do enough to get them interested - I'm not sure, hence some hefty marketing will be required. I still think MS have far more chance with a nice new slim unit and the camera coming out at around the same time, Move is dead in the water IMHO.

[gambit6613]

I dont know how you can say Move is dead in the water at the moment, until we see what sony come up with tomorrow its too early to say, from a game playing point of view if they get it right i much prefer to be able to play a lightsaber kind of game whilst holding something, just cant see how Kinect will be comfortable for long periods.

[Matt]

Move is dead in the water IMHO.

Don't be silly. With a controller in your hand, we're going to get FPS titles with Move. How are you going to shoot in a FPS on Natal? Slap your forehead?

Natal is immensely impressive tech, but I think Move will be the better choice for gamers who want to, you know, play games. While Natal may augment titles, Move will integrate the control scheme better.

Everyone getting excited about waving an imaginary lightsabre around is, imo, not thinking this through. There's no feedback, no impact. You'll be swinging your "sabre" in a duel around in a circle while the onscreen character has stopped moving. Other than geek factor, I don't see the appeal. A sword fight demands impact.