Kinect Discussion

[DFUSIONITE]

It could be called 'you will die a horrible death if you buy this' and be priced at over £200.00, i would still buy one 

[TaraJayne]

It could be called 'you will die a horrible death if you buy this' and be priced at over £200.00, i would still buy one 

lol me too

[GamerMan316]

How Natal In 2010 Is Similar To PS3 In 2006



History is a funny thing. It can repeat itself, look as if it's about to repeat itself (but never does) and even resemble past icons in both positives and negatives. Lately, there has been much talk about Microsoft's Project Natal. This sudden spark of interest was ignited with the piping-hot rumor about Natal costing upwards of $150 at retailers when it launches. Since then, there has been no official word from Microsoft neither confirming nor denying these rumors. The absence of any debunking has led to even more articles discussing the possible success or failure of Project Natal. To us, this seems all too reminiscent of a time when Sony was to launch the PlayStation 3. Here are some similarities that struck us the most.

The Extension of Your Body - Back in E3 2006, then-corporate executive and representative director Phil Harrison showed the public the functionality of the PS3's SIXAXIS controller. The whole idea of the device was meant to give the player a bigger sense of interactivity with games as if it were an extension of your body. Fast forward to what we see today with Project Natal and the idea is pretty much the same. Clearly, this could be said about any other motion controller today, but these two in particular are missing something that the other "immersive experiences" do have, which can give the player a deeper sense of interactivity to go along with motion control. Vibration.

Game Development Challenges - We think Project Natal is a motion detection device that, if worked on correctly, can sport some exclusive games that will never be available for the PlayStation Move or Nintendo Wii, simply because of the way you interact with things. However, this also poses a challenge for multiplatform games meant for all three motion platforms. How will a shooter work with Natal? How will a third-person action/adventure game work with Natal? How will a twin-stick shooter work with Natal? The ambitious decision to not include any buttons can only go so far. Going back to the PlayStation 3's early years, the fact that the console was "too hard to develop for" was always mentioned by developers. Natal's analog stick for character movement is your feet, but there's no way developers will be sending you on trips doing circles in your living room, will they? This leads us to believe that exclusive or 1st party titles are what Microsoft is going to have to focus on. So far, we've seen more of the Ricochet game than we would like to admit. It looks like tons of fun, but is this the type of game Natal will be limited to?

Fake Demonstrations? - Videos, articles and internet forums erupted with gossip after the introduction of Project Natal's "Milo" demonstration, where the gamer basically talks and interacts with a young boy. With a bit of simple Google searching, you can find tons of YouTube videos actually attempting to debunk the Milo demo, calling it fake. We haven't seen much on Milo since last summer, but it seems as if some who have tried the Milo demo agreed with the "smoke and mirrors" effects presented in the game. On the PS3 front, we go back to E3 2005 (most of you probably already know what we're talking about) and the infamous Killzone 2 CGI Trailer. As gorgeous as it was, it wasn't the actual game despite people in the crowd thinking it was. From that day up until E3 2007, everyone was skeptical about whether the game will meet the target and impress. That year's E3 brought a trailer showing actual footage of Killzone 2. Some were very impressed at the similarities, while others still couldn't take their minds off of the 2005 trailer.

Potential - There was an ongoing phrase said by the PlayStation fanboys of the PS3's launch years stating that the system "has potential". It's powerful, but we'll just have to wait and see if it can meet the potential that everyone keeps talking about. It wasn't until major titles like Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (with the exception of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction before it) that the "potential" gag finally wore off. To many in the industry, the PS3 finally proved itself with Kojima's title as the first title to reach heights that other systems probably wouldn't be able to reach (even receiving perfect scores from IGN and Famitsu). Natal is also starting to get the phrase under its wing, with the occasional articles predicting its true success based on its uniqueness. We're excited to see what games will come to the platform when Natal gets its right developer. Perhaps it too will find the one game that tosses out the "potential" gag.

Pricey Prices - The one complaint that haunted the PlayStation 3 since before it was even released to the public has been the price. $600 is a price point that is not only double what it is now, but is also a price point that has never worked for any gaming product ever. Systems that failed miserably such as the Neo Geo have been stamped with the $600 price tag in the past, while systems like the 3DO were sold for even more than that and also failed to make a big mark in the industry, selling over 2,000,000 units in its lifetime. While it is safe to say the PS3 has been the most successful console to ever be marked with that high of a price tag, it still didn't fare well against cheaper consoles like the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360. It wasn't until its price drop in August 2009 that sales started exceeding expectations. Today, Sony sits there with a $300 price tag and consistent sales, even occasionally outselling the Wii in their home country during some weeks. Natal, although it is still a rumor, is getting very mixed predictions in the industry on what the impact will be like. Everyone is expecting a $150 price tag for Natal. Whether it will include a free game is still unknown at this point, but the backlash concerning the price of the platform is one we are remembering far too easily. Still, it's impossible to know at the moment whether Natal can last or not, which is why we've never released an article concerning the platform's possible success or failure. Perhaps all will be revealed by this year's E3, which is a mere two weeks away.

[GamerMan316]

Natal and Move purchase intent 'low'
Only 15 per cent of gamers currently aware of new motion controllers, study finds

Only 15 per cent of the Xbox 360 and PS3 markets are currently aware of upcoming motion controllers Natal and Move, according to research firm OTX.

Having polled 2,000 gamers between May 23 and June 5, the company found that just eight per cent of the Xbox 360 market currently intends to buy Natal, while only six per cent of the PS3 market intends to pick up Move.

The low awareness and purchase intent figures can probably be explained by the lack of solid information currently available about the devices. Despite being announced a year ago we still don't know their (official) prices, release dates or launch titles, although E3 should fix that next week.

The study (via Gamasutra) also found that the average age of consumers planning to buy Natal is 25, versus to 28 for Move, and that 30 per cent of those intending to purchase Move are female, compared to 20 per cent for Natal.

Those planning to buy the motion controllers are most interested in the following games.

Natal
1. Gears of War 3 - X360 (47%)
2. Fable III - X360 (42%)
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops - X360 (38%)
4. Halo: Reach - X360 (34%)
5. Dead Space 2 - X360 (26%)

Move
1. LittleBigPlanet 2 - PS3 (42%)
2. Gran Turismo 5 - PS3 (32%)
3. SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs - PS3 (30%)
4. The Legend of Zelda 2 - Wii (26%)
5. Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Wii (21%)

"While we are still months away from launch, the current data suggests that Natal gamers are definitely Xbox 360 purists, while Move gamers have a stronger interest in other platforms," OTX said.

[GamerMan316]

Microsoft files for gesture patents: Project Natal + Minority Report

Just ahead of next week's public unveiling of its Project Natal motion control system for the Xbox 360, Microsoft has filed for several patents covering technology for controlling PCs and game systems with gestures and motion tracking.

The patent applications reiterate that Microsoft's work on gesture input systems predate Natal and go far beyond the game console. They also makes it clear that this technology is no longer the realm of science fiction as in the movie "Minority Report."



The applications don't mention Natal specifically but describe related technology for controlling systems with depth-sensing cameras and voice commands that serve as interfaces to control computers with large visual displays.

They describe a system that could also use a wireless sensor along with the 3-D sensors and voice control.

"MSR [Microsoft Research] has been working on this for a long, long time,'' said Andy Wilson, a Microsoft researcher named on the applications. "Now that the buzz has been turned up a couple notches around Natal, it's good to keep in mind that we've been doing this stuff for a long time."

Blogger Manan Kakkar called out the application for a PC control system that was published today.

When I looked into it, I found a related application for a "system and method for executing a game process" published June 3. It involves "a 3-D imaging system for recognition and interpretation of gestures to control a computer. The system includes a 3-D imaging system that performs gesture recognition and interpretation based on a previous mapping of a plurality of hand poses and orientations to user commands for a given user."

Natal captures all sorts of motion by tracking players' skeletons and overlaying voice commands. It also draws on the vast library of research Microsoft has done over the years.

The patent applications describe a standard set of gestures that can be combined with voice control and the use of a remote sensing device. It also hints at what could be one of the challenges with Natal -- remembering particular control gestures, and the complexity of recognizing and processing such inputs.

The computer application is for a "perceptual user interface" architecture that "comprises alternative modalities for controlling computer application programs and manipulating on-screen objects through hand gestures or a combination of hand gestures and verbal commands. The perceptual user interface system includes a tracking component that detects object characteristics of at least one of a plurality of objects within a scene, and tracks the respective object."

From the application:

    "A small set of very simple gestures can offer significant bits of functionality where they are needed most. For example, dismissing a notification window can be accomplished by a quick gesture to the one side or the other, as in shooing a fly. Another example is gestures for 'next' and 'back' functionality found in web browsers, presentation programs (e.g., PowerPoint) and other applications.

    Note that in many cases the surface forms of these various gestures can remain the same throughout these examples, while the semantics of the gestures depends on the application at hand. Providing a small set of standard gestures eases problems users have in recalling how gestures are performed, and also allows for simpler and more robust signal processing and recognition processes."

A few images from the applications:

[GamerMan316]

Two More Natal Games Revealed, At Least Twelve More To Come



Ahead of next week's E3 in Los Angeles, two new titles for Microsoft's motion-control peripheral, Project Natal, have been revealed.

Those hoping for a wave-your-arms version of Halo or Fable are out of luck, though, as the two games are simple party titles (ie glorifed tech demos), similar to the kind we've seen for the system so far.

One is Living Statue, which according to a piece on the LA Times "lets players record their avatars dancing and singing karaoke-style, then e-mail the video masterpiece to their friends".

The second is Obstacle Course, in which "players pull, dodge and jump their way through a series of levels resembling what you would find at summer camp, sans the mosquitoes."

Of more interest to those hanging out for proper games is the final line of the report, which says "there will be about a dozen more Natal-licensed titles from other game developers unveiled Monday and Tuesday". A dozen games from companies that aren't Microsoft? Add those to the titles Microsoft itself will have ready and that's quite a launch lineup. Hopefully not all of them involve jumping around like a maniac.

[Failed]

BEWARE: FALLING SHOVELWARE AHEAD

[GamerMan316]

Jennette McCurdy to co-host Natal Conference Sunday



It looks like Microsoft is already flexing their star power for their upcoming Project 'Natal' press conference featuring Cirque De Soleil with Jennette McCurdy best known for playing the role of Sam Puckett on Nickelodeon show iCarly. Straight from her Twitter account:

"I'm really excited to be co-hosting the Project Natal Xbox event Sunday featuring a Cirque De Soleil performance. E3! Woohoo!"

Oddly enough, the circus act is coming full-circle because Nintendo launched the Nintendo 64 at E3 back in 1996 with Cirque du Soleil performers, and this year Microsoft is launching Project Natal with Cirque du Soleil performers.

Even last year Microsoft had two Beatles present the fantastic game The Beatles: Rockband with enough enthusiasm they could muster. Let's see if that McCurdy can win the Microsoft gaming press over. 'WooHoo!' indeed Jennette.


Great, so along with some crappy circus act, MS decide to use somebody i've never heard of to co-host this obviously gonna be pap show   

[Failed]

i wonder if she's legal

[GamerMan316]

i wonder if she's legal

She is over here, not in America 

[nCogNeato]

I don't know why, but I am laughing so hard looking at those pictures.  

[nCogNeato]

i wonder if she's legal

She is over here, not in America  

It hasn't stopped Shakes.  Just ask the girl from LazyTown








ps.  Fun Fact # 34:  An unfiltered image search for "LazyTown" is guaranteed to disgust and/or arouse you.

[Failed]

she's definately 18 now though, f*ck yeah

[GamerMan316]

she's definately 18 now though, f*ck yeah

18 in two weeks apparently

[Astrex]

she's definately 18 now though, f*ck yeah

18 in two weeks apparently

By the time it makes it to court she'll be 18 though so ... f*ck yeah!