Well, that didn’t last long… After only about a month with my (second) PS3, I went ahead and unloaded the Sony platform to a work buddy. While I appreciate the physical hardware, if not the UI and online gaming, after playing through Uncharted 2 I just didn’t have much use for the console. I thought I’d put the Blu-ray player to use, but I’ve got several good looking online HD video sources/devices available to me. Yeah, not as high quality as BRD. But good enough as I no longer hoard physical media.
Despite plans to the contrary, I sold my previous Xbox 360 to Gamestop last month when they ran a generous trade-in offer. So I’m currently consoleless, for the first time in forever, and contemplating a new 360 purchase. After all, my Xbox Live subscription is good for about another year and I’d be effectively upgrading RRoD-prone hardware to more modern (and cabinet friendly) construction. The question is, do I pick up a Kinect bundle?
Kinect is Microsoft’s take on the motion control craze. However, it utilizes decidedly more sophisticated (camera) technology than what Nintendo and Sony offer. And supposedly it’s selling like hotcakes. Yet I’m not sure I’d maximize its potential. Isn’t the point of video gaming to sprawl out on the couch and minimize physical exertion? If I really wanted to move, I’d hit the gym or take it outdoors.
I solicited some community feedback on Twitter. Based on the responses, as we have no children in the house and given the current gaming lineup, it seems like I can pass on Kinect. For now. Disagree?
Who says you can’t be lazy on the couch with the Kinect? Just wave your hand with your feet up in the recliner and browse thru the menus! :-)
I’d advise you to invest in a nice backgammon or chess board. Scrabble is kinda fun too.
When you roll the dice on a backgammon board, the effect is totally realistic 3-D. The number of polygons involved is astronomical.
The Kinnect, PS3 Motion + camera, and Wii Motion controllers all seem like ‘technically neat – practically useless’ technology to me.
First off the Wii actually comes with this stuff so if it were going to take off (meaning people wanted to flail about in front of their TVs) it would have do so years back. It hasn’t. Wii has the upper hand because the console came with the motion controllers and there wasn’t anything extra needed so developers didn’t have to make the choice of:
– Develop a game everyone can use
– Develop a game some people who have the console AND picked up the accessory can use (much smaller market)
So PS3 and XBox 360 both have these developer choices which means that, like every other gaming console add-on, you’ll see 6-10 games for it, none of which will be particularly great and most will be more ‘demo’ stuff, and then it’ll fade away.
Watching TV is a lazy activity. Playing video games is a slightly less lazy activity. Most folks don’t play video games so that they can bounce around in front of their TV nor do they want to. Add in all of the extra problems:
– most people have crap near their TV and not an open-floor gym-space setup.
– if you’re on the second floor everything you (or your kids) do will end up echoing through the house – or worse, apartment building.
I just see all of this stuff falling flat.
Hi, i dont have any kids and i got the kinect for myself and for when friends are over. Its a fun “party game night” gizmo for now but pretty soon im sure people will make good use of it.
Brad, are you actually arguing that the Wii hasn’t been a success? That’s going to be a hard position to argue. As for your number of games for Kinect (6-10), that has been surpassed on launch day.
Dave, since you don’t have kids, you could forgo the Kinect add-on for now. Unless you want to use it for fitness, then there are a bunch of titles out for that.
It’s an interesting technology that Microsoft seems intent on improving. As is stands now, kids will have a ball with it and adults will have fun also, but in a minigame/party kind of way. Controlling the dashboard is still rough and you’ll be grabbing the controller after a short while. the voice commands are surprisingly good, but the controller is quicker.
John
Why not give OnLive a try and follow the theme of lack of physical media for games too?
Digging the Kinect so far. Seems best for families or those who frequently entertain and like to get silly.
Does the Microsoft really want to charge me for the privilege of renting their movies? My gold membership is lapsing and I’m disappointed to learn that many features won’t work without one.
its fun! i have all three. the kinect is awsome. plus when you get friends over and all of you play it makes it that much better. Me and the misses play game to see who is going to clean up! lol i
i have the deco sports it comes with about 12 games or more to play. Everyone loves it. i even play by myself and on xbox live!
i say get it.
i just had a party at my house and the grown ups move the kids out the way to play it and we was on it for hours.
i also like when my ps3 friend come over and i showoff with the voice command.
the was nice for its time but now its sits there looking lonely.
In this day and age we the people want choses. if i want to get active and play someone in boxing or bowling on xboxlive i can if i want to sit and be lazy i can. I feel anyone that tells you not to get this is because they dont have it or have not played it yet.
@BradB the wii was the one to start all this motion stuff! the wii out sold xbox and ps3 combine! thats why xbox and ps3 jump on the band wagon.
the ideal of kinect is awsome for some 1st g type of stuff.
@J4ydubs, @Eddie,
I think you guys are misreading what I’m trying to say. I’m not arguing that the Wii has been a success. I think it has. I’m arguing that, by and large, the ‘motion controls’ of the wii have been a failure. Outside of using the Wii-mote to point/select, most games shy away from the motion controls for the most part. They may make you wiggle the stick every now and then but most of the games I’ve seen and played, outside of the initial Wii Sport and may be Wii Resort, don’t do much more than point and shoot and wiggle every so often. They quickly backed down from the notion that you’d be there in front of your TV jumping, clapping, sword fighting, etc.
Maybe you should just give up gaming? There is always the idea of abstinence! I mean if the options of what playstation offers and the hardcore online of a 360 isn’t enticing enough to keep you playing then maybe the gaming world just wasn’t meant for you. I love my blurayplayer/firstpartygames/move with wii games device and I love going to my friends house who pirates 360 live accounts and we have the advantage of free online through their server. Playstation also has a webbrowser which recently became obsolete due to my purchase of an Ipad. Well I hope people like you stop gaming because all you do when you promote an idea like Kinect without experiencing it and then using your right of free press, is talk artificial knowledge of a product you have no idea about. You are riding a trend sir and that is about as lame as communism or catholicism.
“Experiencing” the Kinect and living with it or investing in it are separate things. And if you’ve concluded this post exists to trash the Kinect, you need to read it again – as we’re soliciting feedback, in discussing the appropriate audience and use cases. Speaking of free press, we welcome differing opinions here as long as you can keep it civil. Considering the new maps are out for Black Ops, I could very well end up with a new 360 this week…
Good Grief, Dave. What kind of offensive readers are you acquiring? Frankly if I see much more Communism and catholicism type insulting remarks I will move on from this site.
That said – you seem to like the online games if you do game so do what I did. Bought my son an Xbox with Live acount but no Kinect yet. He is playing the heck out of Black Ops with his buddies and my other kids (not hard core gamers) play Wii games downstairs when they are of a mind to. I have no pronblem if the consoles sit idle for periods of time since I want well rounded kids. Both consoles are a sucess in our house.
Next big Gift purchase event, I likely will scoop up a Kinect at a lower price than it is now and the fun continues.
PS – I did indeed learn how to play all the Wii sports while sitting down. Upset the person moving around but not getting half the power on a move I was ;)