Is the Kinect A Total Failure? Whose Failure?

Recently, Microsoft decided to release an Xbox One bundle that does not include the Kinect—a first for the fledgling system. I can’t say I would blame them: an attachment that people didn’t trust in a world that couldn’t produce good games for it already sounds like a recipe for failure. The question remains, though, who was responsible for the failure of the Kinect?

After all, the system had so much potential. Of all the motion control systems, I preferred the Move, but I could never deny that a completely controllerless system that tracks body movement has the strongest potential for success.

[Gazondaily]

As a core gaming device, it will be relegated to the sidelines. As a complimentary device its pretty decent. But because of that, it never was good enough to be bundled with the console in the first place.

I think its a shame really. I didn't want Kinect to be uncoupled from the X1 but then again, for Kinect to have even stood a chance to work as a core gaming device, it needed to at least maintain 1 to 1 tracking that was repeatedly touted by MS, which was simply not true.

Even now, I'm kind of taken aback by the voice commands on the console. I do employ them a lot. Also, its pretty cool not wearing a headset and just sitting back and talking to people on Forza with clarity. If someone says 'Xbox Record That' in a middle of a convo its kinda cool. It's also cool that you end up conversating with loads of people at once. For instance, about 5 of my mates came round a couple of days ago and we were all talking to some random american couple on Horizon 2. It was a proper social experience, the likes of which I haven't had in ages (partly due to party chat killing off a lot of the interaction with randoms).

I'm surprised we aren't seeing indie devs use the Kinect device more often to deliver some original games. I've seen a few but I still think there is potential for it.

Oh and things like 3D facial modelling. That needs to be done soon!

[hkgamer]

indies hasnt really made a kinect compatible game yet because it restricts them to one console permanently and they havent found a good use of it yet.

[Gazondaily]

Yeah it looks it but its surpising to me. Indie devs have proven to be remarkably original in their outward thinking when it comes to games. I'm surprised they haven't come up with anything yet.

Maybe I should do the impossible and make a great Kinect game and make millions!

Now, I just need to learn how to code (impossible) and come up with a great Kinect game (sexy chatroulette fitness game).

[FriedGoat]

Chatroulette? It would just be a game featuring people stroking their dongs.

[Kingdomcome247]

I think the coolest use I've seen is FRU.

[KarmaV12]

I love the functionality in Alien Isolation. Having to be very quiet so nobody hears me and the leaning is done very well in this game. They did great in my opinion

[u got owned]

I think it is, hardcore gamers dont care for it much and the casual already forgot about it, i think its just a gimmick just like motion control.

[rainslacker]

Doesn't D4 use the Kinect to good effect? Heard it was, but haven't read anything else about it, so not sure how it panned out.

[stuna1]

I wouldn't say Kinects is a total failure, because some developers as well as Microsoft can still choose to implement it into games, but what I will say is, it definitely has lost a good amount of market penetration value.

[kneon]

I agree it's not a total failure, but it could result in Kinect 3 being a total failure.

I think a lot of people will be wary of buying the next xbox if it comes with a new Kinect. So it would most likely be sold separately, which means lower adoption and less support.

[Automatic79]

Using the Xbox One without kinect feels awkward. To me kinect strength's are voice commands, facial recognition, auto sign in, effective use of video capturing, Skype etc. The hand gestures are spot on but some times to sensitive with that being said, I still love the kinect and I believe developers need to integrate into story based games like D4.

[SniperControl]

Going from experience, i didn't like the kinect on my friends X1, so that heavily influenced my purchase of the an X1 yesterday. I decided to go for the Forza Horizon bundle without the kinect.

[hkgamer]

problem with kinect is that you get no feedback from movement, if i stuck my arm out, would it stop on the wall or would it go straight through.

games like dancing games work well because movement is not restricted.

3d face modelling and 3d animations would work really well thoughh.

[Derpy]

Yeah, if it had been marketed as an enhancement to gaming it might have fared better. IMO, this whole 'You Are The Controller' nonsense is why it's failing. I think that a lot of gamers, myself included, just want to be holding a controller when gaming.

[Bennibop]

Not a big fan myself. Best part is voice control however I find it hit and miss whether it understands my accent which I find strange as PS camera does not have that problem but is not implemented as deeply into menus as Kinect.

[Gazondaily]

For some reason the voice commands really are hit and miss when you have more than one person in a room I find.

Sometimes I'll give a voice command really quietly on my own, like really naturally, and think oh wait, it wont pick that up but it does and I'm genuinely shocked and impressed. But with loads of mates in a room and you all tell them be quiet and they shout out basic commands, it struggles.

Its odd.

[vikingland1]

I'm just curious have you tried the Disney Fantasia demo yet? It's actually pretty good. That's coming from a guy that doesn't care about kinect games, me. I recommend anyone that has kinect to give the demo a try it almost makes you feel like a conductor.

[Gazondaily]

Nah I haven't yet. Is the demo out now?

[Bennibop]

Will give it a blast too. Don't mind Kinect use in Alien Isolation (to peep around corners and attract Alien if to much noise.)

[vikingland1]

Yes it's out it's in the XB store. You should give it a try. Get back to me and let me know what you think. That game did'nt interest me at all untill I tried the demo. Now I'm deffinatly getting the game.

[Automatic79]

@ Septic its like a phone to many people yelling you can't hear nor use Cortana or siri, for simple commands and this is why we all go back to using controllers. Personally when I calibrate I find it works effectively. When there are to many people speaking over my commands it does not hear me.

[bababrooks]

Thought the use of Kinect was great in D4. All in I think Kinect is a great device!!!! that's my tuppence worth anyways...

[Mehmeh]

I dont think Kinect is a total failure tbh.
I bought my Xbox One when kinect was bundled in only, and even though i dont use it much directly in majority of games, I find it to enhance the Xbox One experience.
Ive never had big issues with it recognising me, nor my commands.

If i was given the option to buy the Xbox One over again, id choose the kinect bundle.

[PS4XBOXONEWIIU]

First chance I got I sold it to a video game shop,and have not looked back!! Piece of garbage

[mcstorm]

I am a big fan of Kinect 2 I think it makes the console stand out form the PS4 and WiiU.

It was a bit hit and miss at the start of using it but it was more me than the device as I would say the wrong thing like xbox go to BTSport 1 rather than Watch BTSport 1 ect but now I have used it day in day out it works really well even with the volume turned up.

As for the gaming side I have not used it much the only game ive really used it in is Horizon 2 when you use the sat nav to got to events ect and also in fifa to change players and tactics and it works well for this.

It really all depends on what you want from Kinect to how much you will use it just like cortana, siri and google now on phones.

For me I would not buy an xbox one without Kinect as I use it but can see why some people would not want the device but we have a choice now so its good for everyone.

[Automatic79]

I found the Kinect effective in these games, Ryse, Battlefield and D4. Looking forward to using it in Dragon Age, Witcher and in the future with Mass Effect.

[mcstorm]

Sounds good. I have BF4 but not been on it since Feb and I got premium too so may give it a go with the Kinect when I go on it again at some point. I also have Dragon Age but not played the game yet.

[DaleCooper]

How is Kinect used in Battlefield? I actually really like the Kinect, so being 'Kinect enabled' is a cool feature to me.

[headblackman]

when it comes to games, it's not there yet, (much better then the first kinect, but not there yet.) but it's good in every other area. my experience with the kinect 2 has been shockingly good. 8 out of 10 commands will work (because ive properly calibrated my sound and the noises in the room where the kinect is) it recognizes all of my motion gestures, it's amazing with navigating the system quickly, it records video very nicely, and it's nice that it can recognize me every time that i sit in front of it perfectly, everyone in my house is recognized accurately and is signed in with no problems. these are very attractively innovative features for a console. it's this good this early on, it can only get better if they continue to update the system like they've been doing. the kinct is only a failure to those who, don't own the x1 and to those who never want to buy an x1, so they reach (and i do mean reach) for anything that they can to make others feel think they way that they do. and it's sad, because people follow crowds and live their lives based on what the crowd tells them to do and or think.

THIS IS THE SADDEST CONSOLE GEN EVER DO TO FANBOYISM

[hkgamer]

the tech is definitely there, but for gaming at this moment its just not right.

full body and motion tracking is brilliant, but with no feedback it doesnt make much sense. like if i slash down with a sword and someone blocks my attack, my hand is not where it should be.

the wii had rumble to kind of make you realise that you had contact, but the wii was flawed in so many ways that all it did right was trick people into thinking it was more than waggling the controler around.

[CBaoth]

It's not what we think of the device, it's what MS already has. To spend over a billion in R&D on Kinect 1&2, to design their entire current gen system around its multimedia functions and then jettison it in less than a year speaks volumes. But MS insisted on the "you are the controller" mantra when it became clear it offered a lesser experience than traditional inputs aside from dance, exercise, and children's entertainment genres. Tethering the success of the device to non-gaming applications rather than finding ways to enhance 'core' gaming proved to be its death knell.

[danowat]

Completely under utilized, was pretty much DOA due to lack of support by developers and Microsoft.

As a voice control device, it's great, but as a gaming peripheral it's a waste of space.

[Perjoss]

Does the xbox one version of Alien Isolation have the leaning feature with kinect like with the ps4 camera? I thought that was pretty cool camera use. I dont like most games that use cameras as the main control method (apart from Dance Central), but when cameras are used in conjunction with other controllers you can end up with some interesting stuff.

[Jdoki]

Exactly. It's adding Kinect / camera / mic functionality in sensible and useful ways that has been missing.

Using the camera to lean in Isolation is a good feature.

Head tracking in racing games can be done well (not a fan myself, but know some people really like it)

The voice recognition for navigation in Forza Horizon 2 is brilliant.

Kinect and PS Camera have their uses But specifically with MS they have been trying to prove Kinect's relevance by crowbarring it in to games that don't need it and don't benefit, and encouraging other devs to do the same.

We don't need gimmicks like a gesture to throw grenades in a hardcore FPS - it's faster and easier to hit a button.

[Artista]

It does what it's designed to do..

I guess we aren't ready to embrace new ways to play.

We just want our traditional controller, which is fine.

I'd love if devs married the two styles of play, not just one or the other.

[GoPanthers999]

There are hardly any Kinect 2.0 games. The Kinect 2.0 games so far are not that good. No backward compatibility with all of the older Kiect games. And, the voice commands work, but it cannot distinguish between peoples voices so you have to turn it off if anyone else is in the room with you. So, based on this information, Kinect 2.0 is a failure.

[Kevlar009]

Kinect has been too limited with several problems because of those limitations which has bogged it down. Say what you will about motion control on Wii, for every major titles released on it the precision and implementation was top notch, play Metroid Prime 3 and you will know what FPS control perfection is. Once Motion+ was added into every wiimote Wii's vision on control was fully realised.

Meanwhile Kinect, even in it's second "prime-time ready" version has had issues with recognition and motion detection, and with so few games utilizing it there's not much incentive to invest into it. It's an accessory not a defining feature. MS thought they could sell the Kinect as a key component, to go hand in hand with gaming and entertainment, but they faltered in their vision.

It's cool to see Kinect evolve into other uses and industries, so as a groundwork item it has been a relative success. One day MS may be able to pioneer full voice recognition in the average home.

[Jdoki]

For navigating the UI, Kinect is pretty poor

The vast majority (all?) Kinect games are very poor

The implementation of Kinect for hardcore games is poor.

So by all accounts it seems to be a failure.

However, in Forza Horizon 2, saying 'Anna Nearest Event / Garage etc' is such a handy feature, and adds hugely to the game.

I could call up the map, move the cursor to the place I want to go to set the route - but I was surprised how much I liked the voice feature, and how it added to the continuity of the game. I didn't have to mess with buttons or pause the game, just speak the command and follow the sat nav. Brilliant.

Obviously this could be been done with any mic on any system - but the fact is, that I've not seen any other driving game implement this.

I'm not suggesting this means Kinect is not a failure. I think MS caving in and releasing a Kinect-less bundle was a huge mistake, and says more than any article about whether Kinect is a failure.

But if more devs found subtle and useful ways to incorporate it as Playground / Turn 10 have it would certainly be a useful device, and I am glad I bought a bundle with it included.

[Cherchez La Ghost]

Not to much support since the beginning for Kinect 2.0. Now MS Research is working on finger jesters with Kinect 2.0. Just give the tech some time.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Other than that, being in Multiplayer games and hearing people giving voice commands is still there.

[LordMaim]

Finger jesters?

http://www.parentingfunever...

[Apex13]

Had kinnect come out for the first time with the Xbox one instead of tacking to the 360 so it could compete with Wii, they would have ran away with the industry. The success and the surprise of it all would be huge. Sadly it was rubbish when it came out and the forced it on us this time around with no real need for one.

Oh well, it's a failure and one that costs the company a lot.

[ocelot07]

I don't see why MS don't allow what Sony does and allow headsets for voice commands. Very rarely use this feature on PS4 but it works fine when I do. Also works fine on FIFA 15.

[Mornzie]

Yes it is a Failure, it was not wanted by the majority of people, and was a forced device, ms might say they haven't dropped the Kinect but yes, they basically have.

Maybe if it was still a forced device it might still have some chance, but not after it was unbundled.

[DragonKnight]

Well, the first iteration sold as much as it did thanks to bundles but received practically no support. The Xbox One's version has been a hindrance to the overall performance of the console, has had a tainted reputation from the get go, was forced to be uncoupled from the Xbox One, and is receiving practically no support.

From that, on a scale of 0-10, how successful would you rate it?

[CerealKiller]

A lot of people got burnt the first time with kinect when no decent games came out for it. Then they tried to shove it down everyone's throats again, without any games or reasons for it. It is pretty much useless for most people unless you want the most expensive skype webcam.

[Revengeance]

It had potential but sadly it will never be truly realized. Most people fell for it with the first Kinect. But you know the saying, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice..."

This is why many people didn't buy the Xbox Ones that were bundled with Kinect. They don't trust it and MS doesn't give it proper support. If MS doesn't have faith in it why would consumers have faith in it either?

[mochachino]

The few people that use it primarily use it is as a microphone, not a 3D camera which is what it was designed for.

MS could have included a cheap (but probably higher quality microphone/speaker) without the camera and had Kinect's best function - voice control - in every box at $400.

I'd say Kinect utterly failed as a new way to control games and as an advanced camera. All of it's useful functionality could have been achieved with a cheap standard camera and microphone. Every xone could still had it in the box as well making the xone experience a little different.