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thismeintiel on 22 October 2010
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ArnoldRimmer said:

It all makes sense if you make one assumption: Microsoft believes that many people will be disappointed when they try out Kinect in real-world setups and for themselves.

It's okay however for Microsoft to let people try out Kinect in special Kinect booths at Gamescon, E3 etc. however, because that way Kinect's biggest problems do not get apparent:

  • Kinect requires lots of space - it works fine in large, completely empty rooms, but it won't work well in many living rooms, at least without seriously rearranging the furniture
  • Almost all Kinect games do not work if you're sitting - if you're trying Kinect out in a booth that doesn't even have a chair then you won't even consider sitting down
  • Playing Kinect is exhausting and only fun for a few minutes - people will not realize this if they only have five minutes in a Kinect booth, but reviewers with review copies could play it as they like and they would realize

Even though I think your third point is pretty moot, the other 2 are good points.  Everyone who has played Kinect has done it in environments set up by MS, which usually consist of plenty of space and bright white walls and floor.  I doubt everyone's setup is like that.  Take ClassicGameRoom's review for Move on Youtube for instance.  They were probably only 1-2 feet away (my personal set-up has me 3-4 feet away) from the PS Eye and the Move was still working fine.  I doubt Kinect will work with that little space available.  As for the second, MS has said it will work sitting down, but only if the game is designed for it.  So I believe you're either sitting down or standing up, no switching between them, otherwise it may screw up the tracking.  And not really trying to doubt MS, but I have yet to see a demonstration of someone using Kinect sitting down.

One more thing to add is that some have said that MS isn't hiding anything because they have it set up for people to play in booths across the country.  This is where your second point comes into play, as the environment is completely set up how MS wants it.  But another thing is, how long do these people actually get to play for?  5-10 mins maybe?  Is that really long enough to not only get used to how you control the game, but also to pick out any flaws that my hurt the game?  I doubt it.  With a real review, the reviewers will have the HW and SW to play with for hours, days, maybe even weeks.  It would be very easy to spot game-breaking flaws.

Of course, the main point is if Nintendo and Sony have the balls to put their products and games on the line, why doesn't MS?  Or a better question is since MS doesn't seem to, why defend them for not having them?