Titanfall not supporting Kinect = death of an accessory?
As usual, I find myself wishing I kept a URL handy for every article I read. In this case, the claim was more or less that it is a terrible sign for Microsoft that their champion title, Titanfall, doesn't use their mandatory accessory.
In a rare move, I both agree and disagree simultaneously. Or rather, I disagree that it means anything that Titalfall specifically not supporting Kinect means anything, but I have to agree that after 4+ months on the market, the fact that the only game that actually uses the motion control capabilities is a last gen game (Just Dance 2014) is potentially damaging.
I love the Kinect sensor. Heck, my wife loves the Kinect sensor. I rarely need to go fishing for a remote control anymore, especially when my hands are busy. And that is glorious. Especially since we have a newborn in the house and our hands are perpetually occupied. But honestly, even before the baby, it fed into my laziness in way that is simply magical.
But, the Xbox One is first and foremost a game console. While it certainly serves as a better media console than any current or prior generation device it would be a stretch to call that its primary purpose. And so, any mandatory accessory needs to shine in that light.
Frankly, the last thing I'd want is a competitive FPS game using a motion sensor. And I think that opinion is generally echoed by just about everyone. Which is why I think that the fact that Titanfall ignores the accessory is perfectly fine in and of itself. Who cares that this is the title Microsoft is hoping will boost the platforms success? And, I would argue that this title does make good use of something uniquely available to Xbox games developers; Azure. So, this title already is a poster child for one of the unique elements of the platform. And I think many people overlook that.
I realize that the only titles with true potential to make the best use of the sensor need to be exclusive. And I mean truly exclusive. Not Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC. I mean Xbox One ONLY. The 360 has a Kinect sensor as well, but it is less accurate and less powerful. PC's don't have Kinect (well they do, but it is pricier and aimed at technical purposes). Xbox One needs games that are optimized for that specific version of Kinect. And the integration needs to go deep into the DNA of the game. Ideally, these sorts of games wouldn't be dance games where the primary/only means of control is the sensor. But rather enable pseudo-optional functionality that CAN be avoided, but that no one would really ever want to opt out of using. You need to showcase how the accessory extends the platform.
Which leads us to the next major problem. Microsoft hasn't even provided a proof of concept. Sure, they have their Kinect Sports Rivals coming out. But 2 problem there; it wasn't available when the platform was released (and still isn't out) and it is a dorky sports game where the sensor is an obvious mandatory input device. It doesn't do anything a prior gen sport game didn't do. Also, a tertiary problem... it seems like it won't be free when it is finally available. Making the value, especially for early adopters even worse.
Microsoft needs to take one of those studios it has massive influence over, or perhaps even the one it purchased and have them build a game that showcases some more interesting ways the Kinect sensor can be used to enhance the platform. Then it needs to build a time machine, go back in time and make it available at launch (free in the default bundle).
The platform needs the equivalent of what the Mario games have been for each Nintendo platform release. Each Nintendo system released seems to come with a Mario game that makes good use of whatever new functionality is in the platform. Early generation consoles from Nintendo focused primarily on showing off the graphics capabilities. With the Nintendo 64 they made use of the dual joysticks by moving Mario into a 3D world. With the Wii they built a game that could leverage the nun-chuck and with the Wii-U a game that takes advantage of the new display pad.
Taking advantage of these features in a launch title helps to justify to your customers why you made the changes and decisions you did. They also help inspire game studios to take advantage by providing some ideas of how the new features can be used.
By not providing a free launch title that utilized the Kinect sensors, it isn't any wonder that Xbox One owners feels jilted by the extra $100 price tag. You haven't given them a reason for paying it. Developers don't see it as any better than the Xbox 360 sensor because no one has raised the bar and shown them what this thing is truly capable of (Xbox Fitness doesn't count, while it is awesome, it isn't a game, and conceptually there is nothing new about that either).
With all of that, it is no wonder there are no games from 3rd parties either which make heavy use of the sensor aside from the few whose very premise is predicated on it. The customers don't care about the sensors and devs have no reason to be excited about it. That is a problem. And, if Microsoft lets this mistake linger too long, un-bundling the Kinect and offering a lower price will eventually become the right move for the console.
In a rare move, I both agree and disagree simultaneously. Or rather, I disagree that it means anything that Titalfall specifically not supporting Kinect means anything, but I have to agree that after 4+ months on the market, the fact that the only game that actually uses the motion control capabilities is a last gen game (Just Dance 2014) is potentially damaging.
I love the Kinect sensor. Heck, my wife loves the Kinect sensor. I rarely need to go fishing for a remote control anymore, especially when my hands are busy. And that is glorious. Especially since we have a newborn in the house and our hands are perpetually occupied. But honestly, even before the baby, it fed into my laziness in way that is simply magical.
But, the Xbox One is first and foremost a game console. While it certainly serves as a better media console than any current or prior generation device it would be a stretch to call that its primary purpose. And so, any mandatory accessory needs to shine in that light.
Frankly, the last thing I'd want is a competitive FPS game using a motion sensor. And I think that opinion is generally echoed by just about everyone. Which is why I think that the fact that Titanfall ignores the accessory is perfectly fine in and of itself. Who cares that this is the title Microsoft is hoping will boost the platforms success? And, I would argue that this title does make good use of something uniquely available to Xbox games developers; Azure. So, this title already is a poster child for one of the unique elements of the platform. And I think many people overlook that.
I realize that the only titles with true potential to make the best use of the sensor need to be exclusive. And I mean truly exclusive. Not Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC. I mean Xbox One ONLY. The 360 has a Kinect sensor as well, but it is less accurate and less powerful. PC's don't have Kinect (well they do, but it is pricier and aimed at technical purposes). Xbox One needs games that are optimized for that specific version of Kinect. And the integration needs to go deep into the DNA of the game. Ideally, these sorts of games wouldn't be dance games where the primary/only means of control is the sensor. But rather enable pseudo-optional functionality that CAN be avoided, but that no one would really ever want to opt out of using. You need to showcase how the accessory extends the platform.
Which leads us to the next major problem. Microsoft hasn't even provided a proof of concept. Sure, they have their Kinect Sports Rivals coming out. But 2 problem there; it wasn't available when the platform was released (and still isn't out) and it is a dorky sports game where the sensor is an obvious mandatory input device. It doesn't do anything a prior gen sport game didn't do. Also, a tertiary problem... it seems like it won't be free when it is finally available. Making the value, especially for early adopters even worse.
Microsoft needs to take one of those studios it has massive influence over, or perhaps even the one it purchased and have them build a game that showcases some more interesting ways the Kinect sensor can be used to enhance the platform. Then it needs to build a time machine, go back in time and make it available at launch (free in the default bundle).
The platform needs the equivalent of what the Mario games have been for each Nintendo platform release. Each Nintendo system released seems to come with a Mario game that makes good use of whatever new functionality is in the platform. Early generation consoles from Nintendo focused primarily on showing off the graphics capabilities. With the Nintendo 64 they made use of the dual joysticks by moving Mario into a 3D world. With the Wii they built a game that could leverage the nun-chuck and with the Wii-U a game that takes advantage of the new display pad.
Taking advantage of these features in a launch title helps to justify to your customers why you made the changes and decisions you did. They also help inspire game studios to take advantage by providing some ideas of how the new features can be used.
By not providing a free launch title that utilized the Kinect sensors, it isn't any wonder that Xbox One owners feels jilted by the extra $100 price tag. You haven't given them a reason for paying it. Developers don't see it as any better than the Xbox 360 sensor because no one has raised the bar and shown them what this thing is truly capable of (Xbox Fitness doesn't count, while it is awesome, it isn't a game, and conceptually there is nothing new about that either).
With all of that, it is no wonder there are no games from 3rd parties either which make heavy use of the sensor aside from the few whose very premise is predicated on it. The customers don't care about the sensors and devs have no reason to be excited about it. That is a problem. And, if Microsoft lets this mistake linger too long, un-bundling the Kinect and offering a lower price will eventually become the right move for the console.
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