Some of us here at TSA towers are getting a little tired of all the Move chatter we’re hearing. Sure, Sony were first to release their effort to muscle in on the motion-control market but Microsoft have a solution on the way too, you know? Kinect is only a couple of months away and the debate over which system is “best” doesn’t look like it’s going to die down any time soon. We think it just depends on how you look at it…
The Games
Gaming is supposed to be all about fun. Isn’t that why the Wii has been so unbelievably popular, in spite of not having the most comprehensive selection of so-called “hardcore” games? Kinect isn’t about measuring you down to the nearest micrometer; it’s about banging on a game and having a bloody good time. Who needs headshots when you’ve got a room full of giggles?
The Tech
The two lenses in the front of that sleek Kinect unit mean that it essentially works just like your eyes. It judges where you are in three dimensional space based on the variance between the images from each camera. That’s clever stuff. While it might not be able to tell you the precise 3D coordinates of each of your fingertips at all times, it does track your skeletal structure and it knows how you’re moving.
The Price
Kinect is one price and it works. Whether it’s a single player experience or you’ve got multiple bodies prancing around in front of that thing it will know you’re there. Move needs you to hold on to something that looks like a future-dystopian ice cream cone in order to see you. That means every player needs their own “Blade-Runner 99”. That gets horrendously expensive when you start talking about the set up you might need for a larger multiplayer experience.
The Control
Most of us won’t want a game that’s perfectly precise. If I’m engaged in a video game bout of fisticuffs I’d like it to be less hard work than actually getting mugged in a dark alley. Kinect allows your movement to be tracked but you don’t have to be super-precise about everything. So there’s a margin of error built in to how it works. I won’t need to be Jackie Chan to fend off those muggers, I’ll just need the ability to swing a limb in their general direction and Kinect will use its clever brain power to predict that my flailing was indeed supposed to be a roundhouse kick. Me – 1, virtual muggers – 0.
The Marketing
Yes, yes, Kevin… very funny. We’ve all had a little giggle at the US Sony adverts making fun of competitor’s products. It’s creative. It’s amusing. But is it smart? Kinect’s marketing focuses on the family and in the run-up to Christmas that’s got to be a very smart move. The similarities between the new Kinect advertising and the old Wii advertising are not by accident. The Wii is unbelievably popular across the globe. Why not allow Kinect to nestle in that market and keep Halo and Gears iterations for their “hardcore” users? Less smudging of the lines, more focusing on what will make them popular.
Don’t agree? Click here to see if the counter-points suit you better.
Mike
You can criticise Move, but leave Kevin alone :P
lokiy2j
agreed. hands off Kevin. He’s my new god.
solidsteven
same as you lets hunt him down and kill him lol :p
exellentgamer
*People in glass houses shouldn’t call other people “retarded”. Or something. Play nice.* [cb]
AG2297
Who are you calling a retard? This is one of the worst comments I have seen and I hope it gets deleted.
kevatron400
Nice. Really interesting to hear this perspective, as my own brain has been clouded with move hype to the point where I think my nose has started glowing (with full 256 bit RGB values).
Mike
I wasn’t really taken in by the hype too much tbh. That’s why it hasn’t been a day one purchase for me. I wanna see what it can do before I splash any cash.
I used to have a Wii and wasn’t too bothered about its motion sensor controller so I was a bit put off with both Move and Kinect, even though I know they are supposedly better.
DannyFantango
This article does make a nice break from the Move and Halo Reach pieces currently plastered all over the ‘net.
For me, I’ll have top see some more games that entice me, the Harmonix dance game looks awesome but that’s about it so far.
Soild_Nat
You have me sold, just taking my Move back to the shops and picking up a 360 with Kinect pre-order. How could i have got it so wrong!
Mike
*slaps*
That’s what the sexy voice of Kevin Butler will do to you.
Soild_Nat
Its not just the voice Mike…
Boomshanks
Snap
toutski
Nice read Cb.
Glad I haven’t picked it up yet!
;)
teflon
I see your point of view, but aside from tech and pricing don’t really share it.
Move can do the casual titles just as well as the Wii. That you have the option of using the Move in hardcore titles too is more of an added bonus. The Kinect can only get involved in hardcore games as a supplementary control system, as far as I can see. Or maybe you can *shock* hold something in your hands?!
You can argue the lines are muddied, but for Sony’s position, they want to be all inclusive with their system rather than cordon them apart.
The tech, though, is very clever. It’s definitely more complex and capable than the PS Eye on its own, but they’re not that far apart when you’re holding the Move in your hands.
Price is spot on. I’d love to see the Kinect be quite a bit cheaper, since for not much more you could get a Wii outright. But however you twist the figures, once you get past 2 Move controllers and a Navi, the Kinect has the price beat.
Control is completely different to what you say, though. Just because the Move system tracks that glowing ball exactly doesn’t mean that the games have to have 1:1 movement. In fact, it’s almost better to have 1:1 movement, and then let the developers decide to turn that into approximations on the game end, rather than have approximations and not be able to do 1:1.
Not that Kinect can’t do 1:1, it does. Wii, though, doesn’t. Even with Motion Plus, it’s easy to baffle.
Either way, for all systems it’s completely down to the developers to use the data how they see fit.
Marketing is down to the control and the games. Kinect really hasn’t shown off any hardcore games, but everyone’s clamouring to have a look at Sony’s upcoming AAA titles to see how the move works within them.
As I said above, Sony are going all inclusive with their Move strategy, but I just feel that MS realised they can’t really cover Hardcore games with Kinect, so have had to go all casual.
Lets put it this way, I bought the Move based on the games that I already know will come out for it, and I really don’t care about 95% of the casual games. If I had a 360, I wouldn’t be buying the Kinect in nov, simply because I haven’t seen any games for it I’d be interested in.
Move can court both HC and Casual markets, but so far, Microsoft have failed to duplicate that with the Kinect.
I’m not saying that Kinect is bad, but I disagree that it necessarily “beats” the Move.
teflon
Don’t really know why I bothered to write all that, when it’s going to be duplicated by yourself in the follow up article :P
cc_star
lol….
although with your point about casual Vs casual & hardcore – we’ll have to wait and see how those 5 Kinect games announced at TGS shape up, survival horrors and a Panzer Dragoon ‘remake’ sound pretty core to me although it depends how they play
Bilbo_bobbins
Hmm not convinced.
The Games – Move has more in all, and alot are fun jsut like Kinect.
The Tech – I would rather have more precise movements, PS Eye was doing this years ago anyway.
The Price – yes definitely better strategy and probably cheaper for more players.
The Control – Kinect has looked laggy, Move is more precise (still slightly laggy), but surely thats a good thing? Kinect does seem to be more casual, so it suits it for those games but not hardcore games.
THe Marketing – It maybe clever for Kinect but it has no choice to target casual gamers, because the hardcore have doubts. This is not a bad thing though. Sony adverts are funny, but don’t really help push Move.
Tuffcub
Can we have a nice write up about why Apple and Nintendo are a bit crap as well, instead of the really-getting-annoying, man-love-gushing items for both companies?
colossalblue
no, we love both companies :-P
DJ-Katy
You’re fired :P
Tuffcub
Blatenty Obvious Post Of The YEAR!
DJ-Katy
I’ll be happy to oblige.
scavenga
I don’t mind a pro-Kinect article, but I fail to see the actual pros, except the price part.
Apnomis
That’s what I was thinking, CB seemed to be really struggling to make a positive post about Kinect – maybe it’s just how I read it but it read like the Move post was a serious article and this was a joke version to stop any fanboy comments about Move (although I assume both were tounge in cheek)!
As for the price (although I’m trying not to make a serious comment in a non-serious artice) I wouldn’t say the price of even a fully loaded Move package is ‘horrendously expensive’ as it essentially makes it the same cost as Kinect depending on configuration, even if you go crazy and get the starter kit 3 additional Moves and 2 Navi controls you’r only talking £165 which isn’t a millions miles from Kinects £130 (and would do 4 player vs Kinects 2 ‘active’ players).
The important point is I spent all night playing all the Move demos and Flight Control HD for just a £28 outlay since I already had an Eye – £28 vs £130 is a big difference for someone wanting to test the water.
upselo
I was thinking it was an ironic piece until the part on Move price. But apparently it’s serious stuff. Too bad, I can perfectly see a valid point made for Kinect, unfortunately I don’t think it was properly fleshed out here.
You say games can make a difference, but you don’t say which ones, or why Move ones don’t elicit giggles. The tech part doesn’t seem to be a huge step apart from Move tech either. About the control, it seems an unvalid point to me, since devs with precise tracking at hand can make adjustments to smooth and guide the experience (whereas the opposite is just not possible, making an unprecise tracking device precise). The marketing of the Move seemed very family focused as well, even with Kevin Butler.
colossalblue
PSSST, it wasn’t supposed to be serious ;)
Grey_Ghost13
Yeah, just carefully read the bit about The Control! I think that was the best part of the article!