My thoughts and opinions:
Natal- er... KinectGonna take a while for my brain to make the transition. It's still "Project Natal" to me. Anyway, I do appreciate the new name. It fits and makes a helluva lot more sense than the rumored "Wave". Kinetics + Conneting = Kinect. Works.
Kinect tech Since the introduction, I've always found it to be a rather cool piece of tech that has continued to surprise me over time. I appreciate that it's different enough from the Wii and implements voice recognition and full body movement. I also like that it isn't bringing in more goddamn peripherals (more on the PS3's Move in a bit). I see a lot of awesome potential, and I really do think that within the next week we'll be seeing some cool offerings from publishers other than internal MS studios.
The Mini-game compilationsOh come on, George. You didn't see this coming? Every new piece of tech, be it the Wii, iPod Touch, iPad and even the Move, comes with an assortment of simple games to show off what the device can do. It's just a standard ploy to bring in the average consumer. Sure Kinect and the other devices I mentioned have lame mini-games, but they also have the potential for some very cool games that go well beyond the standard sports and pet sims. If anything, MS would be stupid NOT to release a line of simple games spanning sports, pets, dancing, etc. It brings in the casual gamers. MS would truly be up shit creek without a paddle had they only showed off oddities like Milo and super trippy Japanese games that only consist of lights, colors and old asian men in waffle suits.
PotentialWhile the Star Wars demo was obviously scripted (save for the lightsaber battle which some claim to be real), it showed exactly what I'd like to see from Kinect. Full body interaction action games would be the bombdiggity. Add in some very unique hardcore oddities (I'm really hoping SEGA and Q! bring us something) and you can count me in for a pre-order. Of course, only if the price is right. $100 is a day one for me. $150 is a slight maybe, as long as it includes a slew of games. Oh, and I really like the controller-free menu nav. Yeah, yeah. It's sorta stupid, but I really want to shout "POWER UP" and do some "Minority Report" moves to access NetFlix.
The competition: MoveI consider Move to be a much simpler sell than the Kinect. It's essentially a more accurate Wiimote with HD graphics. Any consumer can understand that, right? While easy to comprehend, it's too bad the Wii had 4 years worth of games implementing similar tech. I really don't see the average consumer who already owns a Wii going out and dropping $75-$100 for a Move package. It's more of the same on powerful hardware. Also, consider all the shit one has to buy just to realize Sony's ultimate concept:
PS3 $300
PS Eye $40
Move package $70-$100
Additional Move controller $40?
= $480, give or take
1 player standard control, 2 player Move control
But wait, let's get a 3D TV! Sony is pushing 3D as well!
Sony 46" Bravia $3,500
2 pairs of glasses $140 (assuming the TV came with one), $280 (assuming it didn't)
3D “synchro transmitter” $60
= an additional $3,840, so $4,300 total for the complete 2 player Move experience in 3D
Now I'll do a rundown of the 360:
360 elite 120 GB $300
Kinect $100 - $150
12 months Gold $34
=$435 - $480
1 player standard control, 4+ Kinect control
To keep it fair, let's buy a TV.
Sony 46" LCD TV 1080p $800
= $1235 - $1280 for Microsoft's ultimate vision. Not as grand as Sony, but a third of Sony's asking price and much more unique.
Final verdictDon't have one yet. We'll see what today's show brings and what publishers will have to show at E3. Thus far, I'm leaning toward liking it.
