Jump to content
IGNORED

Kinect cancelled?


JamesD

Recommended Posts

Should go down as one of the biggest boondoggles in gaming history, worse in some ways than even something like the Sega 32X. Almost singlehandedly doomed the Xbox One to a distant second place by jacking up the price on the system at launch to $500. Killed any momentum it might have had. Of course it wasn't the only problem the Xbox One had at launch, but if both the Xbox One and PS4 had launched at $399, I think the race would have started out much closer and then who knows how things would have shaken out over time.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even if I hadn't already decided to buy a ps4 first, the kinect would have pushed me to the ps4 anyway. There's more to it than just price though, at a 20% price difference, that wouldn't affect my decision much, not like the 100% price difference last gen did. I just don't like the idea of a REQUIRED accessory (they since removed requirement, but at launch) that's just an extra unnecessary and potentially fragile piece. Remember how unreliable the 360 was? Yeah, add in an overpriced external part. Plus some of us just have no desire for 3d cameras and mics set up in our living rooms. But you HAVE to, uh, no, ever hear of competition and options?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's more to it than just price though, at a 20% price difference, that wouldn't affect my decision much, not like the 100% price difference last gen did. I just don't like the idea of a REQUIRED accessory

 

There's probably something to that, because I'm not all that price conscious either (I paid $599 for a launch PS3), but it's the fact that they were forcing you to buy what seems like an unnecessary add-on. It felt like the launch customers were the suckers they were using to try to force mass adoption of this accessory.

 

But the underlying problem was that MS wanted it to be a necessary part of the system, and consumers just didn't see it that way. MS wanted it to seem like the Wii and its motion controllers/sensor bar, but more advanced. You wouldn't ask to buy a Wii without those things, though. But MS just never established that the Kinect was necessary in the same way Nintendo did with the Wii's motion controls, probably because they introduced it with the Xbox 360 where it was a late-term optional add-on. That's how they established it, so consumers never accepted it as necessary with the Xbox One.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They went from one extreme to another.
First they try to force people to buy it, and then they cancel it.

I think they missed the part where you have to actually produce good games for it in order for people to want it.
Too many of the games seem like a gimmick, but there are some games it seems well suited for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think they missed the part where you have to actually produce good games for it in order for people to want it.

 

When it came to the Xbox One Kinect it wasn't really about games as much as it was about using it to navigate the OS with hand gestures and voice commands. Neat concept but it was ultimately finicky and unresponsive.

 

I am in the camp that feels it shouldn't have been bundled with the launch system. That, or there should have at least been a non-Kinect core package available immediately at a lower price. $500 was way too much for the system, especially when it was quickly shown to be technically weaker overall than the PS4. Less horsepower and it costs more? Not a very wise combination.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, they seemed to badly misjudge a big part of their audience. $500, always on, and always listening ... maybe they can choose two of those, but letting the competition undercut your price AND mock the way you will handle used games was pretty crazy. Maybe they didn't focus test it outside the Major Nelson echo chamber.

 

I wonder what Rare works on nowadays? I thought Kinect games were a big part of their portfolio.

 

Where the F is Crackdown?

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had originally wanted to go with Xbox One since I had an Xbox 360. Then came out the announcements about having to be online all the time and the kinect being rquired and I was going to then go with PS4 instead. The only thing that made me go with Xbox again was them going back on those statements, and also the fact that I still have the 360 and use it online and saves money just paying for one live account I can use both consoles for as apposed to paying for live and psn for the 360 and PS4. But I'm sure a lot of people did the switch to sony anyway and can't blame them. I think they learned their lesson big time on this.

Edited by SignGuy81
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I haven't had my Kinect connected since I moved to my new house a year and a half ago.

I probably would have still picked one up eventually, but I think they made a HUGE mistake making it a mandatory purchase at first.

I can't think of even one console add-on that was ever so successful that it because a necessary daily part of gaming. They usually peter out and stop getting supported after a couple years. Except maybe the POWER GLOVE!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was a fan of the concept since it was first introduced with the 360, but then I always like the new, bold, and sometimes quirky when it comes to tech. There's no doubt that this technology will continue to be integrated in new stuff, particularly with the continued rise of AR/MR/VR, it will just be more transparent than a largish camera.

 

And yes, it's interesting that of the big three, Sony was the only one to keep both a camera and motion controls relevant thanks to their excellent PSVR implementation (and yes, it has many areas that need improving, but it's still pretty darn impressive even in these early days).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...