“It’s not a mandate that everything we do in first-party has to support Kinect right now,” Spencer told GameSpot. “But I will say, specifically with voice, that there are some things that just seem to make navigating and playing games so much easier, that I would guess the answer will be yes in the end, that you’ll see all first-party games using some form of Kinect functionality.”
Spencer cited voice control and head-tracking view support in Forza as examples of how Kinect can enhance a core gameplay experience. “I think there’s some specific examples where Kinect makes everything better.”
The device has been available to consumers for less than a year, and many have a popular conception of Kinect-supported titles as a full-service experience, with motion as the central control system and voice support included. At E3 2011, we got a broader picture of Kinect as an adjunct experience that still adds value to traditional control games, such as Mass Effect.
EA Sports had pondered what to do with the device, not wanting to append tack-on minigames or deliver gimped ports of its simulation titles. This year, EA Sports president Peter Moore said titles such as Madden NFL would support Kinect in the future (likely 2012), citing voice-activated playcalling in the football title as one likely feature.
E3 2011: Microsoft Incorporating Kinect Into All First-Party Games [GameSpot]
Fenixius
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 12:10 PMNo. No. Nononononononononono. No.
Voice communications don’t make navigating UI’s more efficient. Otherwise, it’d be a core function of Windows 7, and OSX, and Linux, forever. It’s not. For a reason.
Also, “I can think of specific examples where it makes everything better” is a fantastic contradiction.
Merc
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 12:18 PMOh god, it’s happening…
Damian
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 2:21 PMUnless designed to run from the Kinect at conception, games utilising the Kinect will have tacked on features that will come off as gimmicks or afterthoughts, that people will generally ignore.
Take Mass Effect 3, for example. It takes far less time to point the stick in a direction and press A than to speak a phrase and hope it recognises it.
Aidan
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 5:05 PMYeah, it’s a gimmick in ME3.
Plus you don’t look like a deranged person yelling out sci-fi dialogue in the middle of your living room.
Shinkada
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 6:05 PMThe fact it wasn’t mandatory was the exact reason I didn’t give Microsoft flak for Kinect as opposed to the Wii. DO NOT RUIN THIS MICROSOFT.
tom
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 6:27 PMI would like to play my games without having to wave my arms around or yell at the tv, thank you very much. I’m not buying their next console if that’s the case.
PAcman
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 11:36 PMthen you’re a fat lazy boy
Sam
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 6:53 PMThis makes me glad I got rid of my Shit-box 360.
It was bad enough that it was a defective product, now it has no exclusives and MS are trying to cover it up with this shitty, tacky camera thing…
Wellp, this has just put me off buying a 5th Shit-box.
James Mac
Monday, June 13, 2011 at 12:14 PMYou know shit and x don’t rhyme… right?
Tehanu
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 8:22 PMDepends if they decide to go after it as supporting the kinect, or making the kinect a feature.
Supporting would cool, in that it would allow it’s use. ie. Load a game to the main screen, and just state what you want to do as a shortcut.
Now if they were requiring the use of the kinect, and started replacing menus with semaphore, things could get ugly.
Jones
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 9:55 PMWill microsoft buy me a bigger gaming area for their kinect if it becomes mandatory?
WTHIWWJP
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 10:22 PMI’m sure that basking daily in infrared laser light does wonders for the eyes and has had precisely zero studies done on its effects.. so not too keen on the whole thing.
Braaains
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 11:06 PMThey won’t make it mandatory since not everybody has Kinect. It’ll be an option you can (and almost certainly will) ignore. Useless but ultimately harmless.
Darren
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 11:07 PMEventually, in the future, 100% out all games purchased by me will be 100% ms free
N0NEoftheAB0VE
Monday, June 13, 2011 at 7:49 AMI guess M$ beleives that exclusives are increasingly hard to come by therefore they’ll shoehorn Kinect into everything which is impossible for the other platforms to replicate.
I note that last year the Xbox 360 had several big console exclusives – Metro 2033, Splinter Cell Conviction, Alan Wake, Crackdown 2, Supreme Commander 2, Halo Reach, Fable III, Ninety Nine Nights II.
This year what have they got? So far nothing! Unless its on Kinect.
Rumour going around today is that they haven’t signed on for an Alan Wake sequel (just as they dragged their heels signing on for Crackdown 2) so it’s clear that they’re not interested in driving original IP anymore.
The Gremlin
Monday, June 13, 2011 at 10:58 AMRepeat after me: Kinect is not a generic controller, Kinect is not a generic controller.
I had this realization a while back. Kinect, Move, Wiimote, they can greatly enhance certain games, but at the end of the day they’re as specific as steering wheels or music controllers.
Mandating that every game must use kinect is as ridiculous as mandating that every game must support guitar controllers.
Robert M
Monday, June 13, 2011 at 12:33 PMThis is what I feared they want to replace the controller with ahem nothing (nothing but jumping around like an idiot)
If they do use it in a minimal way succh as Forza 4 it may be of minor use, I could use the right stick to look around too instead of kinect.
Ojin
Monday, June 13, 2011 at 1:09 PMOh, bitch bitch bitch, people. I’m not exactly stunned by what MS has presented at E3 this year, but I don’t have a problem with additional Kinect-related functionality in games.
They’re not going to hold you down and force you to buy one, or to use it. It’ll just be a nice additional feature that you can take advantage of if you choose. The way you people are going on, you’d think that Steve Ballmer did unspeakable things to your dog or something…
tom
Monday, June 13, 2011 at 1:18 PM@ PAcman. Who says you have to be unfit to play games, mandatory Kinect would just make playing games a chore.
Chris
Monday, June 13, 2011 at 3:55 PMIt’s not going to be mandatory, but there WILL be the option of you choose to use it. I don’t see the harm. After the ghost recon tech demo, I welcome it :)