So why are Microsoft and Sony even bothering? Sales for the Wii have continued to beat the pants off their competitors even though most people in the industry believe that the 360 and PS3 have the superior games. This is of course because the Wii has been attracting a lot of “casual gamers” or “people who play Wii Sports and Wii Fit and nothing else.” The point is that Microsoft and Sony desperately want to generate sales so what better way than to release something that has already been done before. Why waste time developing an original idea when we can repackage the same old gameplay with a prettier bow (good graphics).
So as I stated in the title of this article, why should we care? There is great potential for something new to come out of this, even though I don’t think either Sony or Microsoft has thought of them yet. Both Kinect and Move require a camera for their controls to work, whereas the Wii uses the sensor bar. This gives Sony and Microsoft an advantage in that they have the potential to do some things that the Wii just can’t in its current form.
I became really excited about Kinect because it doesn’t require a controller which allows you to have the full use of your hand during the game. Some people are complaining about the fact that they like having something in their hands while play. Blatant sexual innuendo aside, if you really want to have a stick in your hand while playing your new Harry Potter video game then go get a stick, spoon, dowel, or any swing-able object and use that as your wand. And the good news is you don’t have to pay 50 bucks to get a new stick when your stick-wrist-strap breaks cause you are swinging like you are beating a bear off of mauling a child who is holding a gaggle of baby ducks. Hooray imagery! As my friend Lee pointed out while we were discussing Kinect, the real potential is that you can be seated playing your new copy of Mass Effect 3 and lift one hand and wave one of your teammates over to hide behind a particular barricade. And Kinect would also allow you to yell audibles out loud to your players in the new NCAA Football through its voice recognition. The point is that I think the real potential for Kinect is not through games designed specifically to use it as the main control system, but rather as an accessory to be used to enhance your regular gameplay.
So the Move should have the same possibilities right? Well, I guess it does have a camera and microphone so it can do those things as well, and in point of fact, Sony had the camera and microphone since the PS2 days. So it does have all the capabilities that Kinect has, plus it has a motion controller. But what did Sony choose to focus on in their presentation? The fact that their controller DOES EXACTLY WHAT WII MOTION PLUS DOES! Almost their entire presentation on Move was a series of better looking wii games, except for when they discussed how it would be implemented into several of Sony’s already successful games like Heavy Rain, which is an awesome game as it is. They are going to use it for shooters like Socom, sports games like Grand Slam Tennis and Tiger Woods PGA Tour, and all the other things that you can already use your Wii for.
Needless to say, I am mostly unimpressed by the changes in gameplay that you would get from either Kinect or Move. I was impressed by the way Kinect will be used to change the way you interact with your Xbox 360, and I am impressed by Sony’s efforts in 3D which could also be really cool. But I think we can all agree that Motion Control is nothing to get excited about. It makes sense for them to do it because it can level the playing field for all the systems, but it is by no means revolutionary. The more realistic they can make the controls, the less it will feel like the video games are an escape into a different reality where we can do things that we could never do before. This is because if you make it so the controls can only do the things you can physically do yourself, then why wouldn’t I just go out and do it myself. And before you say “Grizz, you are really over-simplifying and that will never happen,” first let me say “I know I am, but I am just trying to make a point,” and “we should really hang out more, I like our talks.”
So, why should we care about Kinect or Move? The answer is simple. since Microsoft and Sony have finally caught up to Nintendo in motion control, Nintendo can now move on to something else and continue coming up with all the new ideas in consoles and controllers.
DISCLAIMER: Just because the controls aren’t new or aren’t significantly better in theory, doesn’t mean they won’t be fun or worth purchasing, because the games that eventually come out for these various new controls will be good, so don’t be disheartened.
I'm disturbed by the implications of Kinect. I foresee a future in which gamers make their friends and family leave the living room because they don't want them interfering with the motion controls.
ReplyDelete"Dad, get away from the tv, you're getting me killed!"
I think this could ruin the pastime of watching video games, making gaming more antisocial than it already is.
I think Bill makes a good point! As an avid video-game-watcher myself, it would be frustrating if I knew I had to sit completely still otherwise I might aggro the boss.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do hope that, in the grand scheme of things, this is going to be some kind of precursor to full on virtual reality. Something along the lines of that Arnold movie that I've still never seen but Lee keeps telling me is awesome where you don't know if he's in the fantasy the whole time or not. Of course, the downside to that I suppose is also evidenced in a movie such as Surrogates, in which John McLain, err...Bruce Willis, had simply awful hair. This may lead to awful hair.
Something to consider.
I've actually had a chance to play with the Kinect a little bit, and it's really awesome!
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