4 ms·

Buy a house, clean your floor, move your butt: Ars reviews Kinect

22 points by dave1619 16y ago

StavrosK 16y ago
> the Wii sensor goes into a slot under the screen but above the base No need to fear the Wii sensor bar, it's not a sensor. It's just two leds, the sensor is in the wiimote.
- Simucal 16y ago
  Yep. The Wiimote simply tracks points of infrared light. In a pinch you can use two small candles as a "wireless sensor bar".
jordanroher 16y ago
Ben's review sounds accurate of Kinect's pros and cons, but what really stuck out to me was his pessimism of the device's possibilities. It reminded me of my own skepticism towards iPhone gaming. Remember that? First person shooters will suck because there are no buttons. Racing games will suck because most of them only let you brake and steer. Third person platformers will suck because you can't control the camera and the character at the same time. And yet iPhone gaming is flourishing because developers discovered what the device is fantastic for: tower defense, puzzle games, Scrabble, 2D platforming, on and on. Games and genres that would be throwaways on a burly console like the PS3 are perfect on the iPhone. So I expect it to go with Kinect. It'll be a big deal when we discover new games and genres designed for a person rather than a controller.
- jonnathanson 16y ago
  Initial reviews of a new technology in gaming always tend to focus too heavily on the now, and not the possible. In some respects there's good reason for such an analysis: if consumers don't accept the current state of the offering, there will be no future for it. That said, a system like this really comes alive when innovative software developers start having at it. It's always, always, always about the games and not the tech. The tech enables the games, but it takes a genius title or two to really advance the tech's acceptance among consumers and developers. As a gamer, I am very much looking forward to someone's unlocking the true potential of Kinect.
- CrazedGeek 16y ago
  And yet iPhone gaming is flourishing because developers discovered what the device is fantastic for: tower defense, puzzle games, Scrabble, 2D platforming, on and on. Games and genres that would be throwaways on a burly console like the PS3 are perfect on the iPhone. Those games would be popular on any mobile platform. The iPhone is flourishing because it's the easiest way for developers to make money, not because the accelerometer is making gaming any fancier.
- PhrosTT 16y ago
  yeah... until we have VR helmets... no gamers care about motion controlled shooters. i doubt that shooter in the move commercials is any good; much like the wii shooters. some people may say the metroids were nice but my impression was meh.... back to tf2.
alexyoung 16y ago
Like most gaming hardware success or failure will depend on the software. I heard Dance Central described as a killer app, but it's hard to see that selling a $150 device.
togasystems 16y ago
Does anybody else wish that Microsoft will open Kinect to PCs?

22 points by dave1619 16y ago

> the Wii sensor goes into a slot under the screen but above the base No need to fear the Wii sensor bar, it's not a sensor. It's just two leds, the sensor is in the wiimote.

Simucal 16y ago
Yep. The Wiimote simply tracks points of infrared light. In a pinch you can use two small candles as a "wireless sensor bar".

jordanroher 16y ago

Ben's review sounds accurate of Kinect's pros and cons, but what really stuck out to me was his pessimism of the device's possibilities. It reminded me of my own skepticism towards iPhone gaming. Remember that? First person shooters will suck because there are no buttons. Racing games will suck because most of them only let you brake and steer. Third person platformers will suck because you can't control the camera and the character at the same time. And yet iPhone gaming is flourishing because developers discovered what the device is fantastic for: tower defense, puzzle games, Scrabble, 2D platforming, on and on. Games and genres that would be throwaways on a burly console like the PS3 are perfect on the iPhone. So I expect it to go with Kinect. It'll be a big deal when we discover new games and genres designed for a person rather than a controller.

jonnathanson 16y ago
Initial reviews of a new technology in gaming always tend to focus too heavily on the now, and not the possible. In some respects there's good reason for such an analysis: if consumers don't accept the current state of the offering, there will be no future for it. That said, a system like this really comes alive when innovative software developers start having at it. It's always, always, always about the games and not the tech. The tech enables the games, but it takes a genius title or two to really advance the tech's acceptance among consumers and developers. As a gamer, I am very much looking forward to someone's unlocking the true potential of Kinect.
CrazedGeek 16y ago
And yet iPhone gaming is flourishing because developers discovered what the device is fantastic for: tower defense, puzzle games, Scrabble, 2D platforming, on and on. Games and genres that would be throwaways on a burly console like the PS3 are perfect on the iPhone. Those games would be popular on any mobile platform. The iPhone is flourishing because it's the easiest way for developers to make money, not because the accelerometer is making gaming any fancier.
PhrosTT 16y ago
yeah... until we have VR helmets... no gamers care about motion controlled shooters. i doubt that shooter in the move commercials is any good; much like the wii shooters. some people may say the metroids were nice but my impression was meh.... back to tf2.

alexyoung 16y ago

Like most gaming hardware success or failure will depend on the software. I heard Dance Central described as a killer app, but it's hard to see that selling a $150 device.

togasystems 16y ago

Does anybody else wish that Microsoft will open Kinect to PCs?