90°

8Bitfix E3 2013: Hands On (or is it Hands Off?) Impressions with the Kinect One

Is the Kinect One worth the extra $100 on the Xbox One's asking price? Find out as we analyze what the Next Gen Kinect One is capable of with a video demonstration that was recorded live at Mirosoft's E3 booth.

Neoninja3984d ago

I'm happy to see a preview about the new kinect, I'm a bit skeptical on it as most are. The first one was okay, but not as good as it should have been. It's looking like this one will be leaps better. I would like to see a few games with some kinect integration to see just how much better it is than the original.

Foxgod3983d ago (Edited 3983d ago )

Yeah me2, despite al the negative concensus, i am actually curious about kinect2.
Didnt care so much about kinect1 as it didnt offer too much to me, but the improved and new features sound fun.

For the rest i dont care about having yet another camera in my house, i own so many devices with camera's. or that do data mining, what gives to add another one.

IIJOSEPHXII3983d ago

I don't think anyone at Microsoft ever read the book "1984" by George Orwell.

Foxgod3983d ago

Whether or not you believe the scenario of that book.
its not something that started with kinect, you are already surrounded by camera's (tablets, phone's, laptops, 3Ds, Vita, etch).

Its really strange that people freak out all of a sudden about something that is already all around us, namely, data mining.
Every device we use that has the least amount of internet capabilities mines data, from our phone, to our pc.

ShwankyShpanky3983d ago

Please familiarize yourself with the concept of "false equivalency."

There are a couple other logical fallacies in your brief "argument," but the above referenced is obnoxiously common.

slapedurmomsace3983d ago (Edited 3983d ago )

@ Fox And what do all of those devices have in common? You can turn them off. Granted you could unplug the console from the wall every time you were done playing..but that...if anyone finds that acceptable in this day in age, than more power to them.

Foxgod3983d ago

Kinect can be turned off,

http://kotaku.com/xbox-ones...

it has a power button, and kinect can be disabled, but then you can only turn it on using the buttons.

besides, does it matter, whenever you use your device (camera, laptop etch) the camera's are on as well, so info is gathered, its nothing new, and it remains bull to attack the XB1 on something everybody already uses.

falviousuk3983d ago

@fox why do you even bother arguinf with them, they are blinded to things like facts, and only regurtitate the negative falswhoods propagated on here.

Its almost as if there was a full on campaign by a certain company to apply as much pressure on negativity towards the xbox one as possible in the run up to launch.

When you actually stop and thing about the features that the xbox one is pushing, there is more to the box and service that what people on here would have you believe.

Yes you can turn off kinect (this sentence will appear blurred to the ps fanboy brigade)

As someone else pointed out elsewhere, what has the PS4 brought to the table, other than more powerful hardware over the PS3. And since when did more power equal better games. State of decay on the 360 is an excellent example of gameplay over graphics.

But again its pointless posting this up as the usual brigade fanboys will continue to pollute these forums, xbox posts in particular.

If they are so disinterested in the system, why do they continue to post time and time again. Makes you wonder what there motives are. paid ?

ShwankyShpanky3983d ago (Edited 3983d ago )

"Kinect can be turned off ... it has a power button"

No, the Xbone has a power button. The Kinect can only be shut "off" via software settings. Software settings can be remotely overridden.

Remote activation doesn't even necessarily need to enter into it. I've got a Samsung DLP HDTV from 2008, and recently it's been a bit buggy, with settings repeatedly reverting themselves to defaults. Hell, when I plug my Win7 laptop into my docking station at work, I often have to re-do the display settings to get the proper dual-monitor and display rotation settings back.

As has been asked over and over (and I'll ask it again over and over)...

If it can be "turned off," why can't it be disconnected?
If it can be "turned off," why can't it be disconnected?
If it can be "turned off," why can't it be disconnected?

Consumer: "I'm not too crazy about this always-online camera and microphone."
MS: "That's okay, you can turn it off."
Consumer: "Great! So if I can turn it off, that means that the system can operate without it, so I'll just unplug it and put it away. One less piece of clutter in my entertainment center."
MS: "Oh no, you can't unplug it."
Consumer: "Why not?"
MS: ... <crickets> ...

P.S. Again: False equivalency. Your comparison is unsound.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3983d ago
Dr Pepper3983d ago

The only thing I've really seen demoed with the new Kinect (besides when people have just stood in front of it and watched themselves be turned into block figures) was the Fantasia demo at E3. The lag was quite noticeable. I'm not exactly sure what the person playing was doing besides making fireworks appear, but there was such noticeable lag that it seemed like it would affect the experience negatively.

I'm not sure why they would show the game in that state. Either they weren't ready to reveal it, or there are problems with the product on a more fundamental level. Other people can continue to be amazed by seeing the machine recognize a smile, but I have plenty of doubts that have yet to be alleviated. So far, it seems like nothing more than a less convenient way to move slides on the X1 menu and provide a way to use Skype (which doesn't exactly scream gamer-centric, or, for me, justify the added 100 dollar price tag).

badkolo3983d ago (Edited 3983d ago )

listen at this point we should really wait, they are adding it to the system so they are bankking on kinect v2 to work as advertised, i mean lets be real here, if this thing launches and kinect 2 doesnt work as advertised, you can kiss the xbox good bye so lets just wait, either kinect is usefull and works extremly well or they dug themselves a grave they cant fix since the whole system is pretty much based on having kinect work with it, thats what the whole reveal was about. I doubt they would commit suicide like that . kinect v1 didnt need to be perfect, it just needed to work ok and bring something new to garner the wii style audience, it was coming out years after the launch and isnt the same as kinect 2 . lets wait before we get our pitchforks ready

Dr Pepper3983d ago (Edited 3983d ago )

I just feel that MS, to really sell the device, should've come out of the gates with something amazing. As an example, an RTS game utilizing fluid motion controls could've been really interesting. Hell, they owned Ensemble. What if they had kept the studio and released an amazing Age of Empires game in the launch window to sell the concept? Just throwin' out an idea.

Instead, gamers are shown a delayed firework simulator with a Disney name slapped onto it. I just don't understand how they are trying to sell this idea with an extra 100 dollars attached to the console. I can skye, but I can do that on a laptop, or on my phone. And even if they did something more hardcore, there are still fundamental problems with using that type of motion control system. I think there is a reason why a game like Ryse abandoned the idea and is using it as support, or a game like Dead Rising 3 says "the zombies can hear you in your room", and doesn't go much further.

These aren't fundamental to the gameplay, and in some ways just detract from it. Therefore, the lack of fundamental benefits make me wary of throwing in an extra 100 dollars for something that isn't necessary. Seems like a weird thing to base your video game console around.

It isn't my goal to bash the X1 for the hell of it. I've been a customer for a long time now, with the original xbox and xbox 360. But I've grown so weary of this game they play.

Shadonic3983d ago

Im going PS4 as well but lets be realistic here Technically you can still play online with Xbox one you just need to have connected to the internet in that 24 hour time-frame which kind of makes online the 24 hour connection stupid. You can trade games as they said you can trade a Code specifically for playing on other consoles with your friend which is a huge hassle in my book and yes you cant play without the camera but you can turn it off while your playing or cover it up if your not using it for gesture specific operations.

fsfsxii3983d ago

I'm going PS4 too but let's be realistic.
Xbox One SHITS on your rights. Is that clear??!

badkolo3983d ago (Edited 3983d ago )

It was easy to hate on kinect and I do agree on the why, it was pushed hard to capitalize on the motion fad and while it worked better then previous cameras and while the mic part worked decently it still had many drawbacks and wasnt fully reliable for gaming and was limited in many aspects, and in the end we got no core games for it, we got crap kiddie kinect games shoved down our throats when they could have been giving us more games and exclusives, so it was easy to hate on it. The kinect 2 though, if finally it lives up to its potential and it actually seems like it might then for once i can be excited about it, it looks like it will be an additional thing to use during games with some kinect games versus it being a motion camera with forced games that dont work well and only focus on the wii style audience while ignoring the core, it looks like they are making the proper changes as we only heard about 1 kinect game and you can actually use it for many other purposes and use it successfully

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70°

Microsoft's Absurd Antics Have Me Scared For Dishonored And Arkane Lyon's Future

With Arkane Austin no more and Lyon living for who knows how long, the superb Dishonored is in serious danger; Microsoft cannot be trusted.

Relientk772h ago

I love the Dishonored series so much and really want Dishonored 3. Microsoft better not screw this up.

290°

More Job Losses At Xbox, “There’s More To Come”: Paul Thurrott

Paul Thurrott in a recent episode commented on the on-going Microsoft fiasco hinting at more job losses and that "there's more to come".

Read Full Story >>
spieltimes.com
Sonic18812d ago (Edited 2d ago )

There won't be no more acquiring game publishers from Microsoft in the future . Xbox has to pay Microsoft back. It might take two decades to do that.

sagapo2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I don’t understand what you’re saying. Xbox IS microsoft so there’s no “paying back “.
And MS gross profit in 2023 was over 140 billion dollars so forget your 2 decades.

Unless you mean the money MS invested in Xbox (acquisitions included) and the time it will take for xbox as a brand to gain that money back on it’s own, then yeah, that could take a while.

romulus231d 17h ago

The better term to use might be return on investment, xbox is simply a division of Microsoft one that MS can easily do away with if profit margins are not met. So in that regard he's right, if xbox isn't showing the expected return on investment the higher ups are expecting than it's unlikely Microsoft will acquire any other studios any time soon, especially if they are spending billions buying developers just to shut them down in the end.

MrBaskerville1d 10h ago (Edited 1d 10h ago )

Xbox is a division that they discussed shutting down but doubled down on after Gamepass was pitched.

It needs to make money at some point. Big money.

KwietStorm_BLM1d 10h ago

So you do understand it or..?

rokos1d 8h ago

According to Statista the net income of Microsoft is about $72.4 billion dollars which is a bit lower than last year profit. That is almost as much as Activision's acquisition but I assume that would be a one off since it costs so much plus I see how their focus has been shifted to AI, thus any major future investments will probably be in that area.

Markusb331d 7h ago

i think you are really missing the point

VariantAEC22h ago

@romulus23
That is not why MS buys studios. They might continue to buy because it's about taking that sweet sweet IP out of the corporate husks of their acquisitions.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 22h ago
SonyStyled1d 23h ago

“There won't be no more acquiring game publishers from Microsoft in the future”

No bro, there do be is for Microsoft not acquiring for what is now if not what it be is 😂

1d 21h ago Replies(2)
ChasterMies1d 11h ago

Xbox isn’t a separate company from Microsoft. It’s all Microsoft.

Abear211d 5h ago (Edited 1d 5h ago )

Let’s be real, this is the media spinning all the acquisitions and liquidations of said developers and spinning it to make M$ the villain.

This was bound to happen, a bigger slice of pie and cut costs, when the games come they stand to make more and that’s their agenda—it was the writing on the wall when the sales went through and legally all those who approved the sale and mergers knew this would happen.

Snowflakes need to realize business is ugly and you can cry all you want but this is how capitalism works. And it works.

That said, M$ needs to steer the narrative and grab hold of all this, make their plans known, hype the hell out of all those dead IP’s they plan to revive, and be honest about the timeline. This is likely to involve mobile and IP on other consoles, and most people realize that.

The problem is this company is incapable of being transparent and seems to often want to dissuade and confuse is customer base. The lack of E3 has hurt Microsoft and I don’t think they know how to properly or effectively market their brand anymore.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 22h ago
jwillj2k42d ago

There really needs to be a class action lawsuit here. You buy these companies just to put people out of jobs. And it’s not like something happened to derail their plans this WAS the plan. Microsoft has no business in this space at all.

franwex2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Microsoft has been doing this for years. They simply want the IPs. Look at Nokia. Look at Skype. This time it simply expanded to games. Gaming is not as important to Microsoft’s executives as it was to the founders too. Bill Gates was willing to sell the og Xbox at a loss. Steve Balmer approved the red ring of death fiasco. This CEO isn’t really a gamer.

-Foxtrot2d ago

Maybe it's time though to put a stop to it and use a big giant like Microsoft as a huge example to the rest of these big companies.

There has to be a line drawn somewhere.

People like the FTC and the like went against Microsoft yet their Actvision deal was still allowed to go through yet look what's happened...it's not even Acitivisions studios aswell, it's Bethesdas.

VariantAEC21h ago

Years?

Try several decades, and in the gaming space 2.3 decades.

Jon615861d 6h ago

You do realize this happens in ALL industries? Or are you just saying this because it is Microsoft? In any case I feel for those that are being let go but the trch industry is suffering right now.

jwillj2k41d 2h ago (Edited 1d 1h ago )

This absolutely does NOT happen all the time. Let me know the last time 1 company with a terrible product track record spent 100 billion onto acquire MULTIPLE successful companies in under a year only to shut them down and stop making their products regardless of how successful they were. Not merge them, completely shut them down.

And you can’t use Microsoft in your example.

Notellin1d 2h ago (Edited 1d 2h ago )

Class action lawsuit? The law is on their side and protects them at all costs. There are no rules to protect the people at the bottom.

jwillj2k41d 2h ago

Not true when it comes to mass layoff do your research.

RNTody2d ago

Ninja Theory, Perfect Dark, Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, Wolfenstein 3, Dishonored, Prey, Doom, Quake... something tells me that bad things are going to happen to these entities under Microsoft.

MrDead1d 16h ago

ID software, the makers of Doom and Wolfenstein that have been with us since 1991 could be gone and MS will keep the IPs.

I hope some of these studios can buy their freedom from MS otherwise this is going to be even more devastating for the industry and gamers.

Yui_Suzumiya1d 13h ago (Edited 1d 13h ago )

That's exactly what I'm worried about. I've been a fan of id since Wolfenstein 3D and I'm honestly afraid.

lodossrage1d 9h ago

Toys for Bob saw the writing on the wall and bought themselves out.

Wouldn't be the first time a company did that under MS either. Bungie and Twisted Pixel did the same. Considering what just happened, I can see some other devs trying to buy themselves out too.

anast2d ago

Good thing the bosses of all those small studios made their money.

glenn19792d ago

they cant do it right now they will get burned

XiNatsuDragnel1d 17h ago

Phil and his team need to be gone

lodossrage1d 9h ago (Edited 1d 9h ago )

Won't make a difference.

The whole structure needs to be overhauled. Anyone that replaces Phil will be no different than him, Mattrick, or anyone else.

Until the company changes how they go about business, nothing will change

glenn19791d 6h ago

I just don't have any idea what they would do , they have done sooo much damage on their xbox brand, they have a show at July or June I think, but will it even matter even they show amazing games, idkn

lodossrage1d 9h ago

True,

But they may as well get it over with. Whether it happens now or later, the burning is going to hit the same.

Reality is the ONE move that can alleviate a lot of this is the one move they can't make. Remove day 1 from gamepass.

Show all comments (68)
90°

Microsoft Opening Xbox Mobile Game Store in July

The Xbox brand is expanding, as an Xbox mobile game store is opening this coming July where Microsoft will brings its "first-party portfolio."

Jin_Sakai3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

“Bond adds that they will start on the web”

This will go nowhere.

Nice knowing you Xbox. This is what happens when the house never gets cleaned.

MrDead3d ago

The only this MS is expanding is the amount of feculence it sprays on everyone who just want to enjoy gaming and make games.

The best thing MS can do for the gaming industry is leave and never return.

XiNatsuDragnel3d ago

Good luck with this even it might not succeed.

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