Brian Fargo: VR Has Lots of Passion Behind It, Unlike Kinect Which Felt Forced

inXile CEO Brian Fargo is a big believer in VR thanks to the huge passion behind it. He compared that with Microsoft's Kinect, which felt "forced" instead.

[odderz]

Kinect could've been something amazing with more accuracy, but alas, we got what we got. VR is something a lot more studios are getting involved in, so it really goes without saying.

[lxeasy]

Yeah I think forcing it with the Xbox One at launch was a bad idea, they should have given the consumer the choice to buy it.

[Zeref]

and look how it ended up... Peripherals usually don't do well as add-on accessories.

[Babadook7]

Agreed. I'm passionate about psvr.

@ Zeref
But Kinect did better as a peripheral than packing it in to the xbone no? Problem was either way it was a fad. Vr is the opposite of a fad. It will keep building and getting better.

[Skull521]

I am not convinced that gaming is the best application of VR tech.

I'd recommend everyone try it but I'd never recommend anyone buy it.

[lxeasy]

@zeref had it been an optional accessories it would have done better

[mochachino]

Forcing it with XB1 arguably cost MS the generation. Most people weren't interested in Kinect and being forced to pay for it. The decision was easy, $400 for more hardware power and 99% of the same games. Or $500 for less hardware power and 99% of the same games that generally look a bit worse and a glorified $100 plus voice control device.

A $399.99 PS4 vs a $329.99 XB1 would have made launch, and as it turned out, this generation much more interesting.

By the time xbox adjusted, it was too late. Everyone's friend and friend's friends was saying get PS4 and many people get what their friends have to play online and trade games. In this gen in particular with the emphasis on social online play, launch was where the battle was won. It all just snowballed from there.

[Cybermario]

kinect had potential just like VR, but yeah MS did everything wrong with that technology, pure wasted potential, will happen the same to VR if developers dont release proper software for it

[freshslicepizza]

But it hardl;y enhanced the games or made it better with Kinect. It had its moments like Dance Central but people don't want to fight with the controls. VR actually enhanced the immersion without sacrificing gameplay. You can still play with a regular controller and the accuracy of VR can be very good.

[mcstorm]

It depends on how you look at it. Kinect could of been used with VR for head tracking.

Also kinect worked well for some games that used controllers. Steel battalion was one of them. Ok you need the right setup which I did and it worked but I do think kinect 2 would of been better for that games.

It also never got tapped into this gen look what pc Devs have done with both kinect one and two. For me I still don't see them both being the next big thing in gaming because people are stuck in their ways but also why do people want to put a headset on Every time they want to game and on the flip side why spend £400+ for a device that is only used in one or 2 games just like kinect.

I do see the good things with be but for me it's not gaming just like AR is also not for gaming and in a way the same with kinect

[ApocalypseShadow]

D@mn! Upside down day. I agree with moldy again.

Kinect could have launched with better hardware. I think when Microsoft decided to not use the chip and instead used Xbox 360 and software for motion tracking, it came out weaker than it could have been. And with Xbox one,it was forced and made some gamers back off from buying something they didn't want with their console. But to get more support, it did make sense to launch with the system so that every developer had the knowledge that everyone had it. It's a tough call to make.

But everything is hindsight now.

[UltraNova]

Apocalypse Shadow,

It would have been a pretty easy decision if they launched at 399 with the Kinect included, not 500(we all know MS can take the loss).

[DarXyde]

UltraNova,

Mmm, maybe. Remember now, Kinect being bundled with Xbox One as a mandatory peripheral was about more than price. It was right around the time Microsoft was collaborating with the NSA and handing them encrypted user data that we learned about Kinect being mandatory. There were security concerns and trust issues.

That was actually a huge reason why I waited for them to sell the console standalone.

[segamaniaco]

VR TOTALLY sacrifices the gameplay

Look at RE7, it was made very slow-paced because of vr

You cant play a VR game like a normal game

VR doesnt work with some kinds of games like street fighter, mario, fifa etc

It has several issues in all departments: graphics, gameplay, hardware (tracking cameras, proper controls, wires etc)

VR has potencial but needs A LOT of R&D for gameplay and for hardware parts

Someday it will be mastered, if the market doesnt lose the interest until then

VR is way more complex than kinect

Starting with children below 12y cant use it (its not recommended), motion sickness issues, stuffs that limit the general audience

[mochachino]

VR prices simply need to come down, with a low price, it only takes a 1 amazing game to sell devices. And that would be like nothing else directly as a result of the medium.

If Valve wanted, they could launch VR into the mainstream and then the stratosphere with a $400 device with higher resolution and Half Life 3.

I can't even imagine how much energy would be generated in the gaming world from such an announcement. It would be immeasurable.

I have faith, next couple of GPU gens should provide enough power at mainstream prices.

[KaiPow]

PSVR allows for more passive experiences, like just floating around in the sea. You couldn't get that with the Kinect. That one required too much active interaction for true immersion.

[Aurenar]

VR is useless, like the Kinect. Give me keyboard, mouse, gamepad, 60 fps and nothing else. Thank You Brian.

[Goldby]

this may be hard to believe, but you can use a keyboard, and a mouse or a gamepad with VR.

[MegamanXXX]

I'm surprised he didn't know that 😁

[JackBNimble]

lol

[BadElf]

He said "Give me keyboard, mouse, gamepad, 60fps and nothing else."
"..and nothing else." = VR
I see it as @Aurenar simply stating he likes all that he listed...without VR.

Just curious how you got to your response, after reading his comment?

[Goldby]

@Badelf.

i saw the nothing else, after the 15 minutes was up so i couldnt edit.

[xenz]

And also, all VR games requires 60 fps as the bare minimum. So your comment turned into a comedy than anything else.

[BadElf]

What was his comment? Was it edited or something? Because I don't see what your talking about...being "a comedy"?

[Godmars290]

Kinect was advertised as a full on upgrade and total enhancement where VR is its own thing.

[ccgr]

I'm enjoying VR so far, more pleasant experiences than otherwise

[OC_MurphysLaw]

VR being a universal platform (more or less) by its very nature has more support out of the gate than Kinect did. You have more than just one company making hardware for the genre / platform. So yes, VR has more going for it...that however still does't mean it is a guaranteed success. And for all the passion VR seems to have coming from developers we sure seem to be getting way too many shooting gallery experiences. Would really like to see developers get past the shooty shooty games for this.

[gamer7804]

kinect's potential was squandered, but it was a lot of fun and my family has sunk lots of hours into the games, experiences and fitness. I hope they put some more effort into it.

[TheColbertinator]

Kinect blew and ended up in junkyards. VR is fast approaching "out of business" status.

All these gimmicks...its too much.

[Sm00thNinja]

Still not buying into VR until it's wireless, but Sony is behind it all the way. DIDN'T like their E3 offerings but Sony has been one point pioneering technology as of late. VR definitely has a future

[WilliamSheridan]

Kinect was the evolutionary next step of the Wii. I think it was asked for by the public, but quickly abandoned by the public. I think it serves a purpose and was implemented well. Ufortunately, like most advances in technology, the first iteration of something like this is usually poorly implemented. Kinect may have had a second generation, but the second one didn't really get a chance. I think VR will also die off because, let's be honest, no one wants to wear a goofy headset. It'll always be a secondary market.

[jznrpg]

Kinect was a waste of money , my son sold his right away because we didn't think we would get much for it after the initial launch because it really didn't add much to games. It could have done better but MS is not great at making video games and they had no idea what to do with it. VR is starting to pick up the pace in games and I am hopeful that it will progress with even better games. I really want a rpg memo type game.

[goken]

i think VR is the next step natural progression for gaming and TV based entertainment. we moved from black n white boxed TV to color boxed TV to flatscreen, plasma, LCD, LED, HD, 4k... bigger more pixels... clearly returns have been diminising for a while now. VR represents a new experience for displayed entertainment.
while it definitely has it's problems right now, pain in the ass to set up, seriously lacking in quality must have content, control issues, motion sickness, cable etc. but give it time, and it will deliver. we should help by supporting it and not constantly trying to bring it down

[nitus10]

People in a household have to compromise when sharing a display device such as a TV. When you have a VR headset you don't have to compromise since the device is worn by a single person and in the case of the PSVR other household members can see what is happening on the TV and to a limited degree take part if the game permits.

[segamaniaco]

One major issue for vr is the resolution
I've read that a 4k hmd would give you a perfect sensation of a 720p screen
Thats why things on psvr looks so blocky and blurry, almost like a 240p 3ds screen

Its not about the polygon models, its about IQ. It, for sure, doesnt look the same resolution of a 1080p TV screen

Thats the only and worst aspect of ps vr for me. tracking, sickness issues (i dont have) shape, fov (could be better but ok), they are all good

But that 3ds resolution kills me

[TheOttomatic91]

I'm sorry but in my opinion Kinect was utter trash, the fact that I couldn't use a controller of some sort was a very boneheaded decision. I hated having to wave my hands like a maniac just to click an "okay" prompt along with other horrible experiences with the Kinect. On the other hand the Rift, Oculus and PSVR all have controller support.

[ModiJi]

Indeed.

[ModiJi]

PSVR already has better games than kinect had in its lifetime. Keep upporting VR sony, valve, oculus, samsung and the others.

[Einhander1971]

Seriously considering Psvr by the year end.

[Profchaos]

Kinect always felt a few generations behind to me like it was a technologically superior version of the eye toy at the end of the day it could track your limbs but never really brought you into the game.

I remember cliffy B doing interviews about its integration into gears making your body actions translate to controls but no one really figured it out and most attempts were clunky.

Kinect could still be used though if integration into vr is possible like the PlayStation camera and PlayStation move controls eventually found a purpose vr is ultimately the sum of immersion.

[DAEMONIFEAR]

Lol well Kinect sold more and quicker then psvr so no!! Pulling anything out to make an article bashing something xbox!! Well guess what you need pseye to even use psvr!! Totally not forced!!!

[mochachino]

I've experienced both, Vive and Kinect.

VR is game changing in terms of immersion. It's an entirely new and viable entertainment medium. It actually tricks your mind into feeling like you are inside a virtual world. Only problem is that it lacks game changing games and the resolution should be higher.

Kinect constantly felt gimmicky and limited.