Microsoft Kinect: Why it failed to do what it was supposed to do even though it was successful

[S.T.A.G.E.]

Jazz2K said:

S.T.A.G.E. said:

As I've said before, I've used the Kinect before, but then again, I've also used the Eyetoy and both are limited. They can be as powerful as you want but they are still limited without peripherals, Sony smartened up to that fact but their marketing sucked so what good did that do them? Microsofts marketing is good so if they make a peripheral like the move it would be as if no one ever noticed in the states. After that the little game that Crytek is making for the Kinect will work really well. I never denied that the Kinect was a great piece of casual kit, but then again if Sony wanted to do the same, they could with the Eyetoy as well. In the end it doesnt matter because they both failed in their own respective ways. Microsoft won by have a highly successful commercial product and Sony won by having the product with the most going for it as far as gaming is concerned. When you look at what they lack, thats how they failed (as I will put below) and also casual gaming on consoles will stay just that, casual.

1) Sony did it properly (in making the product), but sucks at marketing and the games were whatever. They alienated the casuals with their product and they can actually make a core title. It makes sense if you think about it. (IE: Can you play halo with the Kinect? Ok....well can you play Killzone with the move? Exactly) Sony was more focused on making a core device that actually had more concrete potential winning over casuals. 

2) Kinect had the more limited product for gaming, but kept it simple and more entertainment focused (which is pretty much as much as it can do without a peripheral). Its marketing was stellar and did great in the states. It was the fastest selling holiday item. It probably still is today, it was a media darling because the television was saturated with it.

You know STAGE, maybe you should start seeing things differently concerning casuals and core gamers. You seem to glorify core gaming and despise casual gaming. I like both and I appreciate the effort put into casual gaming. Just because Kinect excels in dancing games doesn't mean it's worthless. I could say the same about Move... yeah it's working for core games like Killzone but can't work as well in dancing games... Are people not having fun with both games? Who cares if I can't play Halo with Kinect? The game wasn't meant to be played with it but man does it excels with a controller. Most Move games weren't made to be played with Move that's why people still prefer the DS to the Move option. 

Let's see how Sony "who was smart to let go Primesense" will end up next gen with Eye Toy and Move. I hope they use it more and make games around it because we saw interresting concepts but nothing relevant came out of it. MS on the other hand is already on something, even the guy on your interview stated that they couldn't figure out how to make it work so they decided to stick with the less difficult option that was Ete Toy.

IMO Sony didn't know what they were doing and still don't. MS bragged about Kinect being able to make core games and quite failed, they didn't know it would be hard for devs and themselves but they then concentrated to the casuals and it works really good. Meanwhile Sony still doesn't know what to do with Move, they stack Move controls over DS controls and hope people will buy a 100$ controller for this. Why? Make Move specific games! Or do they lack confidence in their product? Say what you want about Kinect... haters gonna hate... but people love it, it IS successful, next gen will embrace it. 

I glorify core gaming, because I am a core gamer, and I am sure you are as well, much like the majority of the people on this site because on sites like these its generally the core populating them to voice their love for gaming. I appreciate both devices for what they do but regardless of what you say the Move IS capable of far more if you've seen the tech demos. The move reads depth fidelity, so it could read your body in the dancing game plus read depth fidelity, which the Kinect can do, but not without a remote like the Move. It also can take in vocals and more, the Camera of Kinect is just more powerful, thats all. Sports Champions and the Fight were not amazing by any stretch of the imagination, but set the tone as to what you can do with a device such as this. To have a device that is a hybrid of the Kinect and the Wii in no way shows that you don't know what you're doing. It shows that you have a solid vision for making hardware but just do not know how to sell it and dont have adequate games to furnish its success.

Then again... you're right, Sony doesn't know what they are doing. They've failed all their secondary devices by lacking two things, decent marketing and games to have them be a hit. The Vita is way better tech than the DS, but if I was a developer I would still make games for the DS because I know Nintendo has a clear focus on first party and their image for that handheld and that will send it skyrocketing into success. Secondly, Nintendo on a commercial level has been endearing themselves to families for almost 30 years and have a set audience with families and children (even though they have a core following as well). The DS

I love Dance Central, and personally I dance so its fun to me, but I dont feel a NEED for it. I also am a singer, but does that mean I need Singstar (which I like as well)? I dont want the Move because despite its potential, its has no games. Both failed in my eyes, not just one. This was truly a game of marketing and Microsoft had the more marketable product (and the even more insane marketing budget) that could be used for home entertainment purposes as well as simple games. 

Im not dealing in a popularity contest, I am dealing with concretes, which means something that is tangibly backed up. Whether you like it or not popularity sells in America. Ios is popular and puts everything in one, but Samsung has superior tech in their phones in my eyes. I doubt Samsung will get the audience who really doesn't care what is in the phone rather than what it can provide as a all in one device, especially in its synchronicity other devices. That is what the Xbox is turning into and this is why it is a far more commercially viable option than the Move coupled with the Kinect. The general audience would rather have the all in one option than the more concrete product. 

Microsofts marketing truly won and if you remember 2010 well in America they were on every TV show that have an influence on people, had the most parties (and still do) every, had all the highest rated channels flush with all of their commercials, and shut down Time Square. If you can tell me the last time Sony did any of that, lol....Kudos for you for taking a long time to dig up nothing.