Is the Kinect Camera an essential feature for you?

[ArnoldRimmer]

My opinion on Kinect is slightly more complex than a simple "great" or "shit".

I definitely like the idea that every console ships with a camera and microphone. I think Nintendo and Microsoft have made the right decision with Wii U and Xbox One, and I think it was a bad decision of Sony to ship the PS4 without the camera.

BUT the fact that I welcome Microsoft shipping every Xbone with a camera and microphone does not mean that I like all aspects of Kinect. In my opinion, the (definitely interesting) depth-sensing technology used in Kinect is simply way too expensive in relation to how little it brings to the table. When people talk about what they love about Kinect, they always only alk about voice control, and hardly ever about features that are only possible because of the expensive depth sensor that is responsible for probably 90% of the costs. Microphones are very cheap, yet they allow for great possibilities. They should definitely ship with every console.

The PS4 camera in my opinion has the best concept: Instead of relying on special and expensive depth-sensors, they are instead going for a stereoscopic 3D solution using two cheap standard cameras. This makes the device much cheaper to produce, allows for the same depth sensing that Kinect has, but unlike the Kinect camera, it also enables capturing stereoscopic 3D video, which will be a great feature in the next years when 3DTVs will become standard.