230°

Forza 4 Kinect not aimed at the hardcore

Turn 10 creative director Dan Greenawalt says Forza's Kinect functionality is not aimed at the 'hardcore' gamer.

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msxbox-world.com
GWAVE5474d ago

Is this a surprise to anyone? Kinect =/= hardcore.

I'm sad, because (though some of you think I'm just a mouthy troll) Forza is a very solid series. I would have liked to see it try to topple GT5 once it comes out.

falviousuk5474d ago

Nice to see you calling yourself a troll, which is true. At least you can be honest for once

GiggMan5474d ago

For some reason your comment made me sad...

poindat5474d ago (Edited 5474d ago )

What is all this talk of "Forza 4"? I've got to be missing something because I've never heard a single announcement or anything (and trust me, I would), and suddenly I'm seeing this "Forza 4" everywhere. I'm a bit confused... Is it just what they demonstrated during the MS conference, because if it is, then that is a very confusing (and fail) naming scheme they have going on.

And more on topic, it may not be aimed at the hardcore, but that car exploration feature looked damn fine. I buy these sorts of games half to get a driving experience but also half to collect cars, and I've always wished for such a feature to allow me to intimately explore the cars.

GiggMan5474d ago (Edited 5474d ago )

That aspect was pretty cool but I just can't see myself standing up in my living room moving back and forth looking at a virtual car (even though it would be cool in 3d). It was neat as far as the squatting down and all that stuff but I'd rather use an analog stick for that sort of stuff.

DelbertGrady5474d ago (Edited 5474d ago )

It would be one thing to patch Forza 3 with Kinect support, as a fun extra for the people who already own it. But to take this racing franchise, that is more or less only aimed at the hardcore segment, and turn it into a casual Kinect affair and then state that "It's not aimed at the hardcore gamer" seems like straight up suicide to me. Wtf are they thinking?

Chris3995474d ago

It's pretty clear that they gave the "hardcore" a stiff middle finger this E3. Here's a couple shooters, now shut up and watch an hour of flailing. Oh, the audience seems to think that sucked a bit, here have some free 360s.

MS' focus in no longer on the core segment. Personally, I'm miffed that I bought into the whole 360 movement for JRPGs and they've basically abandoned the genre. N32? The demo was utter failure, generic as Hell w/ screen tearing all over the place. And that's about it for the 360 (non-multi) lineup this year.

I hope that this whole Kinect thing is a miserable failure that forces them to refocus their business. If it takes off, expect even less core support and more flailing.

dc15474d ago

Well said Soda. +Plus Bubs for you man.

MS should draw a line in the sand and ensure that no 'hardcore' games are associated with Kinect. It simply invites criticism.

HighDefinition5474d ago (Edited 5474d ago )

It`s kinda counter productive, therefore a waste of time.

Leathersoup5474d ago

The "Kinect features" of the game aren't aimed at the hardcore but I'm sure they'll make it accessible to both groups.

Pennywise5474d ago

Soda, to me... MS ARE committing suicide with the hardcore. They have the same 3 games over and over. You guys CAN'T be happy. You have basically sworn off Sony for less.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 5474d ago
renegade5474d ago

Im curious about this kinect on forza.

falviousuk5474d ago

Im not, a controler is really the best way to play this style of game, not holding an imaginary steering wheel. you definetely need a controller with buttons for accelerate, brake, handbrake and different views

mittwaffen5474d ago (Edited 5474d ago )

Could of done so much with that if they had the right minds behind the wheel. I hope they pull it together, its pretty pathetic that even I can come up with a better business model than them, business isn't even my major.

Live is nice though...only reason I put up with your bullshit MS.

IRetrouk5474d ago

how do you break and accel? or even look back?

TotalPS3Fanboy5474d ago (Edited 5474d ago )

Kinect does it automatically for you.

In fact, if you watched the press conference, Kinect even moves before you moves your hand.

IRetrouk5474d ago

thanks just spat coffee everywhere

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20°

Joy Ride Turbo - The Beginning of the End for Xbox Kinect

Joy Ride Turbo launched 10 years ago today. The first title was Xbox Kinect exclusive, yet this sequel failed to support the device at all.

300°

10 of the Biggest Video Game Hardware Failures Ever

Cultured Vultures: "Sadly, not all hardware is created equal, and no matter how much developers might try, some gaming hardware just fails to hit the mark. We’ve compiled a list of 10 gaming hardware fails, and boy did some fail hard."

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culturedvultures.com
Knightofelemia1237d ago

I would label the Power Glove, Kinect, and that Tony Hawk skateboard more as hardware addons hardware failure would be like the Virtual Boy and one day Stadia.

Magog1236d ago

Kinect was bundled with every Xbox One and inflated the price on an already underpowered and low RAM machine so for the One it wasn't an accessory as much as a white elephant.

CaptainHenry9161236d ago (Edited 1236d ago )

Definitely the RROD but that power glove had a lot of issues as well. The Kinect just didn't work

1236d ago
CrimsonWing691236d ago

Hardware add-ons are more like RAM or a video card, basically components that enhance capabilities or performance of the computer.

If you really want to get technical the Kinect is more of a peripheral device, kind of like a keyboard or mouse to a computer.

ThatsGaming1236d ago

The person in this article obviously is not up on their gaming history....

Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Coleco Gemini, Commodore 128, Commodore Amiga, Atari 5200, Atari 7800 were all massive failures and in most cases cost their companies participating in future gaming generations.

Gamer791236d ago

Sega saturn (successful in Japan) and dreamcast were not failures.
Seems like you're not up on you're gaming history

septemberindecember1236d ago

@Gamer79

How in the world are the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast not seen as failures? They both sold around 8M each, which is much lower than the ~30M that the Genesis had sold before it, and even the Master System before that. They were both the worst selling consoles in their respective generation (PS1, N64 outsold Saturn, PS2, GC, and Xbox outsold Dreamcast). Both of the consoles were incredibly short lived. The Saturn was discontinued in every territory but Japan after just three years. In Japan the console was discontinued after six years. Meanwhile the Dreamcast was discontinued worldwide in 2001 after launching in most territories in 1999 and in Japan in 1998. The failure of the Saturn and Dreamcast lead to Sega pulling out of the hardware market. Which, by the way, all of this occurred when Sega was massively dropping the price of their consoles quickly to compete. Sega was hemorrhaging money at this point.

None of this indicates a successful console. Saying the Saturn was a success because it did better in Japan is like saying the Vita is a success (they both sold around the same amount of units in Japan). Even the Wii U outsold these consoles worldwide.

Magog1236d ago

The picture should be the 360 RROD. When I think of gaming hardware failures that's what springs to mind. Kinect and it's bundled price tag definitely hobbled the already underpowered Xbox One though for sure so I would give it a close second place.

porkChop1236d ago (Edited 1236d ago )

That's not what the author means by failures. It's about hardware that failed in terms of sales (Wii U) or just failed to deliver on its promise (Kinect).

Magog1236d ago (Edited 1236d ago )

Given that the 360 had a year head start, much easier hardware to develop for, was cheaper, and still ended up in third place I think it qualifies especially when you factor in the frustration and huge losses incurred by RROD.

porkChop1236d ago

Selling over 80 million consoles isn't a sales flop. We get it, you don't like Xbox, but that doesn't mean the 360 is suddenly a failure.

Rhythmattic1236d ago

Porky....
You know how many people I know bought a 2nd or third 360 due to RROD? Even when MS had to confront the issue with replacement systems, my mates couldn't wait for even the turnaround of sending it in, and waiting for a replacement.,,..,..
If that's how you consider it a win... OK.. but so is having 5 , of which 3 don't function.... Its a win win....mwhahahahaha

porkChop1235d ago

"my mates couldn't wait for even the turnaround of sending it in"

You're acting like it would take months. When I sent my 360 in I got a new one literally 5 days later. As soon as MS had tracking confirmation that you sent yours, they'd send a new one to you the same day. No one is going to spend hundreds to buy a new console instead of waiting a week. I swear you guys pull some of the dumbest shit out of nowhere and think people will actually believe it.

Regardless, none of this changes the fact that this isn't what the article is even about.

Rhythmattic1235d ago (Edited 1235d ago )

Porky
"You're acting like it would take months"
Sometimes it could.. FFS.. 'Strya here...
Best turnaround I reckon was 2-3 weeks.....
Either way, My mates experiences still exist.. So Sorry, no point trying to earn Xbox Achievements when it doesn't feature in what was a situation you never dealt with,,,,
3 of my friends would disagree (overall, 10 extra Xboxes purchased)
Regardless.. MS sold a lot of 360's that was due to this reason.. That is sales. Fact

"none of this changes the fact that this isn't what the article is even about."
Headline says HELLO !
Oh and "Sadly, not all hardware is created equal," that's enough to pass this on without taking your article bias into consideration.....
As for the rest.... Ok.. But you've actually gone out of your way to give MS a Pass... Fap on.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1235d ago
Aloymetal1236d ago (Edited 1236d ago )

Yup, and because of that big fiasco MS had to fork out 1 billion but knowing them I think they're very proud of the 360, it's the only time a MS console reached 80mil+ sales, RROD played a big part of that and a record they will never break again.

Rhythmattic1236d ago (Edited 1236d ago )

So true.. Even when MS accepted they where caught out in the biggest lie of any generation, The wait for a replacement was outweighed by just buying another, and having one be returned as a backup, which, btw, generally failed on first swap.
I own honestly can't believe MS tards are just supporting , or arguing why and what MS did by just dismissing it....

lonewolf101236d ago

Lol I had the Atari Jaguar, surprised its "competition" the 3DO isn't on the list too, both as "popular" as each other.

SullysCigar1236d ago

Lol same. Played the crap out of Aliens Vs Predator and Tempest 2000 .... aaand that's about it really!!

lonewolf101236d ago

Sad but true that was pretty much it.

Kurt Russell1236d ago

Agreed, I never actually saw a 3DO make it to retailers in the UK. At least the Atari Jaguar was sold for around 6 months.

lonewolf101236d ago

It made it to some my brother got one, fared just as well as the Jaguar so most probably hard to find in general.

darthv721236d ago

3do had way better games. Jaguar not so much. Neo Geo sold less than both and yet isnt considered a failure. Go figure.

LWOGaming1236d ago

Stadia is a weird one. It hasn’t sold at all well but in terms of how it works it’s still miles ahead of Xcloud in terms of stability and performance. Xcloud is still a way behind and that needs sorting but it will be in time. Stadia for me is one of those things that will go down as a what could have been moments. With better marketing it could have been a roaring success. I still play it and it remains the best place in my opinion to play CyberPunk 2077. Only platform I have played it on without having any issues at all. The tech is great. The concept is fine. Marketing terrible. Shame really.

Magog1236d ago

The sales model was awful. They should have teamed with an existing player to allow for local and cloud access to games or a gaming subscription service.

LWOGaming1236d ago

It was a strange mess from such a huge company, as I said, as a system it works really well but without gamers it’s nothing. Such a waste,

LWOGaming1236d ago

The Xbox One was Microsoft’s Nintendo Wii U. Undercooked, undersold and just an unholy mess. The thing is with any of these failures is to learn from them and thankfully both Nintendo and Xbox did just that to the benefit of gamers everywhere.

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120°

Pivotal Decisions in Gaming History - Xbox Goes All-In on Kinect

Xbox 360's Kinect had flopped yet Microsoft insisted on mandatory Kinect for Xbox One, driving the price up and alienating their potential customers.

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techstomper.com
darthv721413d ago

the tech was pretty damn good but their focus on making it the centerpiece was not. Had they opted to keep it as a secondary or even tertiary device, it may have found new use for AR/VR.

PrimeVinister1413d ago

Maybe. But they were two early for VR and too late for motion control

1413d ago Replies(2)
Godmars2901413d ago

Their focus was marketing metrics. Information gathering for targeted advertising. Also "event curating" or head counting for special TV events. If MS had had their way with always online and mandatory Kinect pre COVID, as and during it they'd likely be turning into dominant presence in many Western homes. Be getting subsidized by Disney and other streamers as well as the NFL.

Thing was, Kinect as an actual game system, its games, just weren't ready. MS moved on it too soon. Thankfully.

Atticus_finch1413d ago

Sorry but it was incredibly bad for gaming. The thing barely worked as intended and the games were broken shovelware. And let's not forget all the lies from Xbox to try and sell it. What happened to Milo?
It's like Xbox it's a perpetual lying machine.

PrimeVinister1413d ago

I had almost forgotten about Milo. It looks so unbelievable in retrospect. How did anyone believe it?!

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1413d ago
TheEnigma3131413d ago

Kinect requirement, TV focused, DRM, and $100 buried Xbone before it even stared.

PrimeVinister1413d ago (Edited 1413d ago )

I think Kinect was the worst of the bunch. They reversed DRM overnight and try to play down the TV stuff when they realised it made them look disinterested in gaming.

Kinect stuck around for six months, preventing sales and making more and more people upset when they dropped the Kinect and the price.

Atticus_finch1413d ago

Don't forget the inferior hardware which affects their game development to this day.
And the constant boasting and lying that hasn't change very much to this day.

kayoss1413d ago

I was kind of excited for the kinect. It had potential. That was until i tried it at one of their Microsoft store. The thing was so laggy and worker who was there, had no clue what he was doing. It kind of made rethink about buying an Xbox One with Kinect.

PrimeVinister1413d ago

I had already been turned off of the idea by Kinect for 360. Even when it worked, the games were bad and showed no potential.

Wii made you understand what they were going to do with it within about 10 seconds of Wii Sports. It went on to become a bit of a joke but at least it worked and had a purpose.

Thundercat771413d ago

The damage to the Xbox brand was so hard that til this day they are just the last place brand in the market.

PrimeVinister1413d ago

Totally. They haven't been really all that relevant since.

Godmars2901413d ago

That has to do with repeatedly failing, having to reaffirm only to again fail at creating a competent flow of decent games.

@PrimeVinister:
Until Game Pass and BC are mentioned. Only for the point to be missed.

kayoss1413d ago

thats because they dont know what they want to be. A gaming console, Television, or a gaming service?

Godmars2901413d ago

@kayoss:
They wanted, expected, to be Steam. To have everyone coming to them and paying for the privilege. That's the exact mentality on display when they tried to push always online.

brewin1412d ago

Its sad because the Xbox one version of Kinect was actually pretty solid. Not for motion games, I couldnt care less about those, but for the other features that are now commonplace in the gaming ecosystem. Things like voice control and optional motion features in games. Stuff that Sony did with the PS camera was pretty sweet and they could have done some of that stuff with Kinect.

The tech was pretty sweet when implemented right though. Who remembers the implementation in Dead Rising 3?! You could lure zombies away by saying stuff into the kinect, it was a bit hokey at first, but it actually enhanced the game significantly once you learned all the different voice commands. There was and still is nothing else like that!

The focus on TV seemed to be an issue for people, but the TV pass through had some real potential. They could have had cable companies giving the XBone out instead of cable boxes! I understood what they were trying to do, but they needed to show the games too, and thats where they lost the core gamers. Being able to jump right to a sports event or TV show with out leaving the console was actually a pretty cool thing. I spent many nights switching between NHL games or TV shows and jumping right back into my games seamlessly, just by telling Kinect to do so. It was better than people care to admit, but I loved it!

People say XBone had no games, but on launch I got Dead Rising 3, AC Black Flag, Watch Dogs, Killer Instinct, Battlefield 4, Forza 5, and Ryse. That was actually a pretty solid lineup in hindsight! Then later on it got gems like Quantum Break, Dead Rising 4, Sunset Overdrive, Gears 4 and 5, the Ori games, Rare Replay, Forza Horizon 3/4, State of Decay 2, ReCore (SUPER UNDERRATED GEM), Halo 5, Halo Wars 2, and all the great 3rd party stuff as well! I dare anyone who sat on the Xbox One to go back and give it a shot now.

It was actually a pretty great console all things considered. Yes the PS4 had better 1st party stuff, stuff that MS just couldnt top or even compete with, but there are some really great games that a lot of people missed out on that they would probably really enjoy if they actually played them. Thats why I recommend a Series S and Gamepass to a lot of people, as its a great way to get an awesome lineup pf games for super cheap!

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