Can the Kinect Make MMO Gaming Complete?

The next-generation of consoles will bring with it improved graphics, AI, and worlds. But it's the power of the Kinect 2.0 - Xbox One's camera peripheral - that could truly change the way we play videogames, with a big juicy emphasis on MMORPGs.

[mewhy32]

What? MMO's are played for hours on end. I don't think that hardcore gamers are going to stand a flail their arms and hands while yelling at the screen for 5 or 6 hours when they can play on the PS4 with touchpad in their recliner or on the couch. I just don't see it happening.

[Gekko36]

who said anything about flailing your arms about?. motion and voice control can be used in morr subtle ways. take elder scrolls for example, I hate having to troll through shit loads of lists with the controller. if i can use voice commands that would make it easier for me.

however, the exciting uses could be if when im getting frustrated or losing interest the game responds to me. if im stressed it adapts to the player. now that would be brilliant concepts to utilise eith kinect 2.

[Gaming_Guru]

Voice commands can be used with a headset, why use the kinect for something so small?

[Gekko36]

@gamingguru in my post i also mentioned games reacting to your mood and heart rate. now that will be fuckin ace. x

[tw0qwk]

@Gaming_guru "Voice commands can be used with a headset, why use the kinect for something so small?"

okay so even if i want to play a single player game i have to wear a headset to give voice commands. also before i say xbox on i have to put my headset on. for every skype call i have to put my headset on. that just doesn't work as well as having it in the kinect...

[Red_Devilz]

Please try telling that to Stupid SIRI in my iphone. When I say "call (my friend) Dennis, b1tch keeps saying "These are the Chinese restaurants in your area". That too if I'm lucky. If there are couple of people even whispering around me, b1tch keeps saying, "I am sorry I didn't get that"

Sick of all voice control $hit for lifetime. Would rather prefer touchpad or scrolling through lists any given day.

[Gekko36]

@ Red-Devilz Don't get me started on apple software. I agree Siri was shite on iPhone but the Galaxy S4 Voice was fine.

For me I can't wear headphones, the ear buds hurt and the full headphones make my ears sweaty, so I'd prefer voice through the kinect.

But that said it's not just voice control that I'm loving, its games reacting to you and the subtle use of motion as others have mentioned. If a game can adapt to my stress or my boredom, that will be amazing.

You can nay say regarding the technology, that's your right but my enjoyment of a game will be enhanced with kinect's use. the 100% uptake of kinect could be a game changer for future development on the console.

Should be bitchin!!

[FanboyCrusher]

The touch pad wouldn't deepen the experience of an MMO like the Kinect could. Problem is Microsoft probably won't use any of the good ideas the community is offering. Gekko above me here has some great uses for the Kinect, we just won't see them, not for a while at least. The touch pad will be cool for some games, but I really don't see how it would impact on an MMO. Faster scrolling through all of your crap? Possibly. The Kinect simply offers more avenues of innovation, it's just that nobody has actually tapped it yet.

[TheHybrid]

Kinect will be implemented in to almost all Xbox one games. Don't think of it as standing and flailing. That's silly stuff for motion based games and casual games. Think more like having to keep a straight face while you lie to cops on the next LA Noire. Think of your voice commands, slight hand gestures and such to replace your hotkeys for MMOs. Think of leaning to the side to peek around a corner or to melee by throwing an elbow. These things make games MORE accessible and immersive instead of novel and frustrating as we have seen with wii and kinect 1. You gotta realize, we are just getting out of the infancy stage of these things. Get angry and bitter about progress if you want but if you think gamers in 50 years are still just going to be using only their hands on a controller to input commands but I would consider you a short sighted dinosaur that doesn't know what's good for him.

[Nicaragua]

None of those things you listed will happen this generation.

[Red_Devilz]

These things are far better said than done.

Here is the real life example:
http://youtu.be/9WmdvT-8m9g...

[WrAiTh Sp3cTr3]

This is an Xbox article, nothing to do with the PS4 which means we don't care about the PS4...beat it.

[walkincarpet]

I think you missed the whole point. The touch screen is just another sub-menu only that now you have to look down at the controller to navigate it, while the Kinect will allow innovative features including inputting commands with gestures and voice rather than navigating sub menus. Thank goodness Xbox One has Kinect and not a touch pad on the controller! Have fun playing the same way since Atari.

[zeal0us]

Kinect cannot make mmo gaming complete. Shouting commands or spells seems fun at first but can grow dull in short period of time. Honestly core players could care less for such features. I tried it in ME3 and less than 3 minutes I got bored with the feature. Not only that but I don't get how some people get all hype for such features. Voice command functions has been around for all time. Some developers utilized such features or not so much.

While I will admit the ideas like the kinect sensing noise in the room while playing Dead Rising zombies reacting to it, sounds cool in theory. What happen if theres construction going on in your house, babies screaming or etc? It goes from being a cool feature to a pain in the ass in a instant.

[iamnsuperman]

I feel like a sad idiot with voice commands. When I first used them in Socom 3 I thought this is cool but that soon wore off when I release how sad I was being talking to my PS2. Voice commands don't really add anything. I felt uncomfortable doing it

[ShwankyShpanky]

This. I hate talking to computers. Stupid phone trees... I'd much rather "press 1 for billing, press 2 for representative."

[denawayne]

I used voice commands on Skyrim on a daily basis. The one time I played my save game at a friends house minus the Kinect, I gave up after 10 minutes.

[Godmars290]

Would think gamer reaction to the XB1 version of Minecraft would answer that.

[PSVita]

What was the response?

[Godmars290]

For a game and game system which haven't been released?

And then that's even if anyone looks at how or if XB1 users play Minecraft with Kinect.

[PSVita]

Thought you were talking about the response to the announcement.

[Kingnichendrix]

eughhh stop it saying commands in a game would work better for something like GRAW or watching tv not MMO, the only thing that makes a MMO complete is a good mouse and keyboard

[pompombrum]

As an MMO vet, the idea of kinect for MMOs is laughable. MMOs are games we play for hours upon hours at a time and trying to integrate kinect features into that sounds more bothersome than rewarding.

[Kingnichendrix]

I agree its like buying a new car but the paddles do different things

[Insomnia_84]

I cannot say I'm an MMO vet like you but having recently played the FFXIV:ARR closed beta for several continuous hours, my reaction to the tittle was "How the F***......?"

[JBSleek]

I don't know how it would be implemented so I don't want to make any judgements until I would see that but would be open to the idea if it enhanced the game.

[Thomper]

There is no denying that the Kinect tech is impressive, but is anyone creative enough to use it to it's full potential?

[jmc8888]

These guys can....

http://www.zerohedge.com/ne...

http://broadcastengineering...

Just remember Microsoft's slogan.

"Your privacy is our priority"

No seriously, that's their slogan. Only a fool will believe it.

KB+M or even a controller (or controller+mouse) is far more conducive to ease of use, long gaming sessions, and has a faster reaction time. If voice commands want to be used, a headset works just fine.

[Thomper]

I have to be honest. I didn't bother clicking your links, as it is obviously some PRISM / privacy thing, and that's cool....

It's cool as long as this isn't some anti XB1 propaganda, which mostly these topics seem to be. Then that isn't cool at all.

I have absolutely no issue with those who have objections to their privacy being infringed, and their data being collected and used, so long as they are consistent.

I get kind of sick of the trolls who point to Microsofts "spy cam" (aka -Kinect 2) waving their arms around in protest, when, actually they know nothing about privacy law and data-mining.

How many of these fan-boys/bots/droids/trolls are up in arms over k2 when they happily use their smart phones and play such apps as angry birds??

Check Rovio's T&C's or googles, or facebooks. Maybe even check how your mobile/cell provider knows your exact location every time you access your phone.

If you shun all of the above, then more power to you, I completely respect your view, but if you partake in the above, but spent your valuable time chastising Microsoft for doing no worse, then.... Grow the f**k up and smell the coffee!

This is how things work these days. I am 38 and accept it. I don't behead hookers in my games room, and am not part of a jihadist movement, so I really don't care.

The question is... Why do some people on here care so much.

<climbs down from soap box to feed the bloody cats>

;0)

[Gekko36]

just thought that since the xbox one guarantees that all users have kinect it would means that all games could have kinect features of varying degrees depending on the game.

then you wouldnt need to to advertise a game as a kinect game. all games could use it or not. smart move by MS

[Supermax]

For a mmo I think kinect would be great but not for gameplay,I'd like to use it for character customizations switching out gear potions weapons. using it for a map function.

[Gildarts]

And maybe for buffs that have a cooldown time of half an hour.

[ShwankyShpanky]

I like the idea I had in another article... using Kinect/PSEye to mocap your own taunts/victory dances/etc.

I need to stop posting that idea and go file a patent. :-)

[killcole]

"Dead Rising 3 is a launch title for the Xbox One, and is making use of the Kinect microphone to detect when you make noise whilst playing. If you sneeze, or your child or little brother comes into the room and starts making a racket, the zombies will hear and react to that noise." I didn't know that. That sounds so dope. Every Zombie/Survival game from now on should have this feature. This is why it sucks that Sony didn't follow suit with the camera inclusion.

Multiplatform games are technically going to be easier on PS. I know you can disable the sensor but still. I wouldn't want to with this feature. Man, why can't people just embrace the sensor as part of the system and a fundamental controller. Until people stop thinking of it as a camera periphial, and start thinking about it as a controller it won't fully catch on.

[killcole]

Also, a Harry Potter needs an MMO. Rather it start on PC and get up to speed before it's ported. I've never even considered it before but man, Harry Potter seems made for an MMO.

[TheObserver]

The only thing I can think of for Kinect use in MMOs is for the emotion recognition. Let's say in FFXIV, you can laugh in real life and then kinect detects that and your character laughs in game. Or you fall asleep playing and kinect showing your player character dozing off. Other than that, Kinect as a control input is a burden to the game. A novelty at best.

[JohnS1313]

I don't see how Kinect has anything to do with MMO's. If anything it will make MMO's harder to play.

[walkincarpet]

Good article Matthew. I have been playing video games since the beginning and I for one cannot wait for a dedicated advanced Kinect so that we can FINALLY interact with video games differently than we have been for the last 30+ years! Now it is just up to developers to change the face of games.

[Thomper]

I'm sure the tech could be used to accurately map your own and your friends faces onto in-game characters. I know this has been done (badly) before, but using the depth sensor to a accurately map your face, it could be good?

Or, I could be talking utter bollocks?

Edit - oops.. Looks like this was covered...great minds and all that :0)

[fsydow1]

Kinect can look at my %$%# while I play my games on PS4. Kinect must be the worst gimmick to hit gaming since its introduction on the 360. Now its part of the package for the Xbone. At least the ps eye is optional and can perform the same basic "look around corners" or "voice commands" as Kinect. Get real, when you get loads of shovel ware shoved down your throat and more *&^%*&^ Halo and gears.

[Hicken]

NO.