I think it’s fair to say that the mainstream gaming community isn’t exactly sold on Microsoft’s Kinect just yet. Button-free gaming certainly has it’s sceptics and the specialist press have been quick to criticise Microsoft for the lack of focus on core gameplay experiences with the system. Retailing at £130, the price point also continues to be a sticking point for many consumers, who still harbour concerns over what is essentially still untried and untested hardware.
So how do the company who brought you the not at all annoying “Windows 7 was my idea” adverts plan to stem this tide of ill feeling? Unveil another press release telling you what you can’t do with Kinect. Woops.
Having previously (and rather unconvincingly) denied that wearing baggy clothes, skirts, playing in the dark or sitting down will effect Kinect’s performance, Microsoft have decided to also set the record straight with regards to the environment in which Kinect can be played. To be honest, it’d probably be easier and more space efficient to keep and care for a wild Panda or some endangered lizard eggs in your front room.
According to director of Kinect development Tian Lim, users will need to stand at least 6 feet away from the sensor and allow for “three to four feet on either side of you” to allow for maximum movement. See all that furniture you have? Get rid of it. There’s no space. Also, those with particularly small rooms (or even just standard sized ones) may wish to grab a quote from their local builder to knock the walls through to the next room.
Once you’ve cleared enough floor space and possibly rebuilt your entire downstairs, you’ll need to lovingly place the Kinect sensor in a central position to your TV. Sounds system with loud subwoofer options are quite straight forward, unless you want to place the sensor above your TV, which “tends to put an extra foot between you and the sensor”. Right. You might also want to be careful if you position Kinect below your TV, as “noisy environments” such as speakers, subwoofers or even your Xbox can cause audio interference. It’s no longer just fanboy fodder, folks. Your old Xbox model is now officially so loud that it causes audio interference with other Xbox hardware. Can’t they just bundle in some overpriced ear muffs for the poor thing?
Mark Plagge, Kinect senior project manager, has also warned about messy floors. “Titles use the floor plane as a point of reference for the skeletons as they’re moving throughout the title”, said Plagge. “The floor plane becomes very important, so if you have a very cluttered floor with clothes all over the place and we can’t get a good look at the floor – it’s a great thing if people can clean that up and move things out of the way”.
You might also want to be conscious of the lighting in your room. Kareem Choudhry, principal development manager for Kinect, went on to say “To have really bright lighting in one spot and really dark lighting in another spot, as you move between the two you might actually look abit different to the sensor”. It’s claimed those with halogen spotlights could be amongst those affected, but Choudhry’s words could also allude to problems with floor standing or desk lamps in darker conditions.
Once you’ve finished your purpose built, evenly lit, clean, soundproof, 7ft by 8ft games chamber, presumably at this point you can climb into your skin tight body suit (remember, no baggy clothes or skirts) and enjoy some Kinect Adventures with your smiley and cringeworthingly happy family, just like in the commercials. So long as you don’t intend on playing games with any more than 2 people at a time, that is, as Kinect doesn’t support this and will presumably implode if you try.
On a serious point, this makes my blood boil in all honesty. I mean seriously Microsoft, are you taking the piss? What infuriates me the most about this is that the people who watch those commercials, who walk into a game store to buy little Freddie’s Christmas presents and bow to marketing ploys and overpowering sales techniques before placing a £130 pre-order, are exactly the same people who don’t read games websites and who don’t pay any attention to what people like Mark Plagge, Tian Lim and Kareem Choudhry have to say about it’s technical performance. Nobody is going to tell Margaret that she needs to re-arrange her living room for the damn thing to work, or provide her with a check list of conditions that are unfeasible to anyone who doesn’t live in a make believe, Sex in the City spawned New York apartment.
Reading what Kinect reportedly doesn’t do is becoming such a regular occurrence across the internet that it’s soon going to become more relevant to ask not how it works, but if it works at all. Never mind though, it only costs £130 to try. Give it a rest, Microsoft. This joke isn’t funny any more.
Email the author of this post at matc@tap-repeatedly.com
Heh. Not that this bothers me THAT much, although it is a bothersome topic. But any new technology in this business will be half dysfunctional on arrival. Wii’s motion sensing technology? Yeah right, aside from WiiSports, the frist two years were basically a litany of failures. My bigger concern is that most of the games announced for Kinect simply don’t look interesting. They are either oversimplified and shallow as to accommodate feedback-less, imprecise controls or are just plain old games where pressing a button would be much better than waving your hands… I guess we’ll wait and see but I’, not buying Kinect yet.
Good lord.
Seriously? Microsoft is telling me to clean my house now?
The key is the games, of course, and Meho’s right. Not being a nine year old girl, I have no need to play Kinectimals, and nothing else looks interesting either.
It’s impressive, the technology they’ve come up with. But it seems a bit premature. Move, which also doesn’t really interest me, seems like a safer evolution of all this motion-sensing silliness.
It doesn’t me either, Meho. At least not on a personal level. I mean, there’s utterly no chance I’m buying this thing. Not. A. Chance.
What bothers me is that these sort of comments are becoming more and more regular. I’m conscious about slagging off Kinect, given that it’s become fashionable to do so and I haven’t tried it myself yet, but this isn’t just about bad press. Look at the calibre of people making these comments. These are the people who are in charge of Kinect and who are developing it.
Kinect isn’t for everyone and Microsoft know their audience, but what frustrates me is that that audience isn’t the same one that will read these comments on gaming websites. How many people are going to buy this and find they can’t get past the calibration screens because they have a sofa in the way, a surround speaker too near or lighting that isn’t “even”?
You’re right, of course. But I don’t think Kinect will end up being a disaster on the scale of Virtual Boy. Microsoft is famous for mucking things up on a colossal scale (original Xbox controller, GFWL, RROD) but then persevering and throwing stupid quantities of money at the problem until it solves itself. Sure, the early reports sound like a canned disaster, I mean that Sonic Free Riders game – a Sonic racing game made FOR Kinect – the previews sound like it’s literally falling apart AND setting your house on fire simultaneously, but the technology will be improved over time. I’m really more afraid of games… Microsoft showed five potentially interesting “hardcore” games for Kinect on TGS, made by famous Japanese designers. But let’s see what they look like when they’re actually done…
I said this elsewhere, but what do people that live in cities like New York do about the space requirements. From my understanding of the size of the average NY apartment, it seems like 90% of people living in that city are screwed.
Also, this thing goes against everything I enjoy about my gaming experience. A perfect gaming day for me has me in a small, dim room, sitting with a gin and tonic on hand, not cleaning the mess all around me. None of that would be possible with Kinect…
To quote the Dude,”Hey, careful, man, there’s a beverage here! “
Reason to get Kinect in two words:
Indie Games
Armand, you’re absolutely right- what do people do?
A friend bought the EyeToy when it first launched, and although fine to play in the front room we were evenutally relegated to his bedroom (his Mum “wanted her living room back”).
Playing in his bedroom was impossible, it was so small. I’ve no doubt Kinect will be the same.
I have quite a large front room, but like most people space is taken up with a table in the middle, and two sofa’s. I’d have to shift it all.
At least with Move and the Wii you require very little space, even with party games.
Congrats, you cattered to the part of the fanboy community that bought something other than a xbox. You have made a nice and bitter pitcher of hater aid.
You are completely off topic portraying this as if it would be your only game input in the near future. This isn’t to immediately convert the hardcore controller players, it’s mainly ment to increase the number of casual gamers and let me sign in easier and breeze through net flix with a wave of the hand.
Every motion device has limitations. The only difference is Microsoft will admit there are limitations to every product, unlike Apple or Sony. Don’t worry those companies will get over their superiourority complex someday.
I’m sorry to every hater out there that is mad that Microsoft put together an online gaming community worth playing on. Seriously, can you think of any pro gamer that lists his main console as playstation 3, lol. Have fun all.
Apologies in advance. I know feeding trolls is contraindicated for intelligent discourse but sometimes they’re so adorably stupid I can’t resist slipping them some pemmican.
“Congrats, you cattered to the part of the fanboy community that bought something other than a xbox. You have made a nice and bitter pitcher of hater aid.”
Two (I’m being generous) typos and a pile of ‘net cliches in the opening. Nicely done.
“You are completely off topic”
I’m unconvinced topic means what you think it does, but let’s move on…
“portraying this as if it would be your only game input in the near future. This isn’t to immediately convert the hardcore controller players”
…and the post explains why those people are the most likely to be screwed.
“it’s mainly ment to increase the number of casual gamers”
Bzzz on the additional typo, but definite points for the correct apostrophe. Points also for a true statement.
“and let me sign in easier and breeze through net flix with a wave of the hand.”
How would it be easier to sign in? There will still need ot [sic] be some on/off for the motion control, and what would be easiest for that? A remote or a controller. Not an insurmountable problem to be sure, and I seem the to be the only person on Earth who saw Minority Report and thought “Wow. That is one shitty inefficient interface”, but paying a lot of money to zip around Netflix icons with your flipper is a bit silly. Not least because the other arm waving solutions do same.
“The only difference is Microsoft will admit there are limitations to every product, unlike Apple or Sony.”
There’s some truth here, though only in the specific case. Microsoft has a long and inglorious history of not owning failures and limitations. I’ve no “fanboy” ties to any of the three. I’ve had revenge dreams of Gates eaten by zombie three piece suit IBM staffers for his killing of OS/2, often wanted to put Jobs in a K-mart turtleneck soaked with beef tallow for the running of the kodiaks.
“I’m sorry to every hater out there that is mad that Microsoft put together an online gaming community worth playing on.”
Kudos to them for doing so on the XBOX platform. Pity the PC side of same has been a glacial grind of beyond stupid failures–and not owning mistakes.
“Seriously, can you think of any pro gamer that lists his main console as playstation 3, lol. Have fun all.”
The pro gamer population on consoles is, what, 300 people? 3000?
lol
My own typo, owned. I’d intended “…and the post explains why those people are the most likely to be screwed.” to follow “it’s mainly ment to increase the number of casual gamers”
Going to chalk it up to one-handed typing, distracted by the shiny new PS3 lunchbox full of iMerit badges.
@Finkbug: On a plane flight some years ago, I fired up Minority Report when it was doing the rounds. It wasn’t a bad film, but it did not belong in the echelons of greatness either.
When I saw the computer interface of The Future – apparently a grand step forward over the archaic mouse and monitor combo… facepalm.
jwhite1337,
Thanks for your response. I’ve read your comments and appreciate the feedback.
I’m sure Kinect will be absolutely wonderful for many, many things. I don’t and won’t begrudge anyone for buying it. If you want to spend £130 so you can sign in easier, be my guest.
Regards,
Mat C
P.S – Have Microsoft officially recognised the limitations (or complete and utter failure) of Zune yet?
And just like that, Mat gets ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Troll Tolerance.
We like politeness here, jwhite1337. We like intelligent debate. Try that and see what you get – you might even be surprised by the friends you make.
I happen to like the kinect for what it is. The pre-requisites mentioned in this article are blown out of proportion as well. All we have had to do to accomodate play space for it is move the coffee table.
Regardless the kinect offers a great deal of fun for my children and it is the first time that myself, my wife, and my 3 children have gathered around and played a video game together and immensely enjoyed the time had.
I am a gamer myself and the kinect offers little for me personally, but it has true value and worth far beyond that when the whole house is together and involved.
I am not sure where all your anger over the kniect originates but I would bet that the majority of “little Freddie’s” that get a kinect are enjoying it right now and had little trouble setting it up and getting it working well.
Does it have its kinks, certainly it is new tech. The fun far outweighs any negatives that I can find and my kids absolutely love it..
Fair points, Sean. Thanks for registering.
This article was written on the back of the crest of a wave of negative PR relating to Kinect. Bearing in mind none of us had played it at this point, some of the hot air that was coming out of Redwood was pretty silly. Reports about Kinect’s limitations became almost a daily occurrence at one point, and at the time reading things about space requirements, being told to just clean our houses and even being unable to use Kinect being sat down sounded like a recipe for disaster at the time. Those were things Microsoft were saying themselves, too, rather than simply unfair criticism or “hate”.
Microsoft have to be commended for what they’ve done with Kinect. It’s sold like hot cakes in these early months. Credit where it’s due, their performance has been impressive so far. At this point I think there are still open and valid criticisms relating to what sort of games people will actually be able to play with Kinect, but those are criticisms that may or may not be answered in time. As with any new technology, I guess.
For what it’s worth, Double Fine’s Sesame Street game has me interested.. and yes I’m being serious!
Cheers for the comment.
In many ways Kinect is a simply revolutionary piece of technology. I use mine for the exercise game mostly, but I’m looking forward to some of the core games coming up for it.
Redmond’s cautions did make them look a bit ridiculous prior to release; it turned out to be not nearly so serious.
I wish it were a bit friendlier with small spaces. I actually have a large living room and even so it sometimes can’t see my feet or I can’t move far enough back without falling over the sofa. These issues, though, can very possibly be fixed in software as the developers tune the device.
Redmond.
That’s what I meant. Not Redwood.
Nothing to see here.. *ahem*
Mat C,
Please disregard my comments, at the time I wrote them I had not realized the article was from then. Thanks for pointing it out and I could not agree more with your comments. It wasn’t until after I commented I realized the article is dated now and I too remember the constant criticism around the kinect at the time.
Keep up the good btw, I really like the site and the blogs I read here.