Finally possible potential for kinect/playstation eye

BlitzKrieg

So both the next xbox and the ps4 ship with their motion sensing eyetoys bundled in. And while microsoft made a big show of it being included and got a backlash for it, sony have simply kept it clear that they intend to bundle the ps4 eye with their console.

And this got me thinking.

The true problem with the kinect and the playstation move is that as separate products being released late in the life of consoles they very much forced the whole *LOOK AT US MOTION!!!!* mechanics into all their titles which resulted in many many abominations.

But here we have the 2 major consoles using what when boiled down to its basics is the very same technology being bundled from the get go.

This is actually good.

This allows developers (especially third party developers) to actually incorporate this technology the way I believe it should be, as a support for the main controller. Simple improvements and design tweaks that make the core experience better rather then gimmicky full on focus on using the kinect on its own

The kinect/playstation4 eye can become the third axis for the controller, it could open up for new designs in video games that are intuitive and direct but potentially lead to more depth.

From the basics up

-ingame menus could become a lot more fluid affair, RPGs could enjoy a much smoother inventory system.

-Some genres might see a return to the consoles, flight simulators embraced the (expensive) TrackIR technology to allow players the ease of freelooking while dogfighting. Kinect/EYE4 can easily replicate the trackir technology (hell I can do it with the ps3 eye on my pc with facetracknoir) so that be nice to see some combat flight simulators or in depth space combat games make a fresh return to consoles.

-Not to mention the same tracking ability could really enhance racing sims like gran turismo and Forza.

-The popular first person shooters could also see if something new could come out of combining controller with facetracking.

Retr0gamer

The thing is motion controls seem great for mundane tasks like menus and inventories but they require big sweeping motions whereas the whole direction of human progress should be towards doing a lot with the minimum amount of effort. Now if these devices could read finger movements accurately then there might be something more to them. However we already have a device like that called the gamepad which also offers tactile feedback which these devices can't.

Developers should be looking to do new things with motion controls rather than shoehorning them into functions that already work fine.

Timmyctc

Agreed Retro.

Imo effective motion play is still quite a bit out from being a viable gaming option. I can guarantee that theres nothing the kinect or eye will offer me that will be in any way more efficient that simply scrolling on my gamepad and (in my opinion anyways) until it genuinely offers a more convenient option it will always be what it has been until now. A gimmick.

Sure there are some games that the motion gameplay is fun but its never the big blockbuster games that most people anticipate eagerly. Heavy rain was the closest motion gameplay came to any level of efficacy I think, and even then there were awkward issues as is often the case with motion play. My 2 cents anyways.

Banjo

Finger tracking is a must. Because motion controls were invented for a star wars game somewhere in my future where you can do jedi mind tricks and force chokes with very precise hand movements. I have foreseen it.

My money is on Nintendo revamping the 80's power glove for the WiiU and making billions from it - especially in japan with a sequel to that witch-abusing sim from the NDS - Sony and MS will fight it for a couple of years, join the party a bit too late with a technologically superior approach that never catches on and maybe next-next gen the technology will finally hit that sweet spot of sophistication vs cost vs implimentation.

koHd

Somebody could combine the precise finger tracking of the leap motion with the body tracking of the kinect and do some amazing things.

stevenmu

I haven't got around to trying that recent Ghost Recon game yet, but the ability to give voice commands to your squad seemed pretty cool. Very few games have really nailed a mechanism for interacting with NPCs (that doesn't involve shooting them). If voice commands can be made to work reliably that would be a pretty cool feature for Kinect/EYE4.

Kirby

stevenmu wrote: »

I haven't got around to trying that recent Ghost Recon game yet, but the ability to give voice commands to your squad seemed pretty cool. Very few games have really nailed a mechanism for interacting with NPCs (that doesn't involve shooting them). If voice commands can be made to work reliably that would be a pretty cool feature for Kinect/EYE4.

But again, that's not motion control.....that's voice recognition and command. You can do that with a mic and we have had it for twenty years.

The MOTION part of the motion control us a total failure with regards actual gameplay potential with the Eye and Kinect. It simply is nowhere near accurate enough and far too laggy. The move and Wii motion+ function better because there is virtually no lag.

stevenmu

It's still Kinect/EYE functionality though

Supposedly the lag issues have been fixed (or at least improved) for the Kinect anyway. Even the current one can be ok in some games, Fruit Ninja works really well.

C14N

We've still got the problem of no tactile feedback, no matter how accurate it gets. I think Retro is right, if something works better with a controller, then shoehorning in motion controls doesn't make sense. If something actually does benefit from motion controls (I believe shooting-games on the Wii worked very well with the pointer for example), then put them in. Otherwise, give it a try in the studio and if it doesn't improve on the controller, shelve it.

Grumpypants

I've always been laughed at for saying the PS Move is a great piece of kit. Most write it off as a Wii mote which it isn't. It delivers pin point accuracy, it can pick up on the tiniest of movements.

I've played FPS like Killzone, Resistance 3 with the sharp shooter and it is a lot of fun. Takes a bit of setting up and it is not very natural at first but being able to aim down a gun sight and hit a head shot is really satisfying.

I've also played RTS (RUSE) and found it a joy to use. You can pan, zoom, turn 360 degrees, pick individual units, drag to select multiple units just as you can with a mouse and just as fast but sitting in an armchair.

The main let down for the Move was the Eye camera was never upgraded and it is terrible. With the new camera, new PS4 and studios already working on pretty innovative games it will make a huge come back.

The Kinect is a pile of garbage. The biggest mistake of the last generation and I can't believe they are repeating it with Kinect 2. I have tried a ton of games and they either don't work properly or I don't have the room in my sitting room. Never had an enjoyable time playing any Kinect game.

But agreed stuffing it into game is a waste. Using it to add to a game is the key. One good example for Kinect is in Dead Space 3 you play with a controller but when the Necromoph grabs you if you shout Get the f**k off me you push them back.