Kinect, my thoughts from Canton OH!

[damndl0ser]

ArnoldRimmer said:

I'm sure most people are indeed having great fun when they try Kinect on such events, just like you. I just wonder how representative that experience is in regard to the real, overall and long run experience people will be having at home.

For example, nobody's will be exhausted when he plays Kinect for like 10 minutes. But at home you don't play that short, and exhaustion will very very soon stop people from having fun with a game. Playing a fun racer standing up and with your arms in the air is not going to seem like a problem if you only play one or two races, but if you played longer it would soon get the fun out the fun racer.

On such promo events having sufficient space is no problem. This is however going to be a serious problem many people will be facing at home.

Everybody loves "Dance Central", it seems to be a very good and funny game. But will one great game really justify spending an additional 150$ only for having the required hardware? As much talk there is about Dance Central, there is hardly any talk about other Kinect games at all. Except for Kinect adventures because it's bundled with Kinect and seems to be quite okay.

In the end I think Kinect will indeed be great fun when you play it with others and maybe you're even drunk. But I cannot see people having much fun with Kinect playing alone. So I fear that Kinect will soon end up being considered "a funny but very expensive gadget for parties", or, even worse "that expensive gadget you need to play Dance Central at parties". I think Kinect may face a fate similar to that of the Wii: Great for parties, but apart from that hardly being used at all. But the Wii has a lot more good games...

Of course the Wii has a lot more "good" games, its been out years before Kinect.  Given time Kinect will have its own list of good games coming (I have no doubts).    My cousin who owns a Wii and 360 had little to no interest in the Kinect he is now going to pick one up just by playing it from the demo we were at.  And from the buzz that was going on while we waited, it would seem to me like Microsoft is missing 1 hell of a chance to sell systems right now.  Honest to goodness, I never heard anyone who outright thought it sucked.  Most were impressed and a lot of those said they were going to pick one up.

From my understanding you will be able to use Kinect sitting down on a couch so you should be able to play as many racing games as you like without having to worry about exhaustion.  Even if you do get tired playing a few games, that is a GOOD thing.  I remember when I was a kid, I actually went outside and did things and when I came home at night I was one tired kid.  So the more we can get our children up and off the couch the better.  Thats why we have such a horrid obesity rate here in the states and nearly every other industrialized country.

While there will be a problem in some living rooms in terms of size needed, I would imagine most will be fine.  The lady that was showing off the demo said that it didn't need as much room as you would think (whatever that means).  But if you don't have a midsize room then maybe Kinect isn't for you (sadly).

Just judging from the long wait times and the satisfied people that played the demo, I would be willing to bet Kinect is going to be a very very big success.  If Microsoft could sell these things for $99, I have no doubts about it outselling the Wii this Christmas.  But I would imagine Microsoft will want to remain profitable and they will probably go the $150 route.  If so Kinect will have a slightly harder way to go, but I think it will still sell well.  But not the gang buststers that a $99 device would do.  Either way I think we are in store for a price cut on the Wii sometime soon.