Microsoft has released Kodu, a game developed by Microsoft Research that lets users create their own worlds while teaching them the basics of game development, as a public beta for the PC. To get started, you'll need a Windows Live ID to apply for the beta on Microsoft Connect, where you'll be asked to fill out a 14-question "Kodu Academic Program Questionnaire."
Originally designed as a learning tool for youngsters using Xbox 360, Kodu was released a year ago as service with a powerful programming language that quickly became a hit in academic circles. Since its release, Kodu has been downloaded more than 200,000 times and is used in more than 60 educational institutions across the globe, according to Microsoft. Redmond thinks Kodu's biggest hurdle so far, however, has been that schools needed to purchase Xbox 360s, controllers, and so on to get started. Thus, the software giant has ported the tool to Windows as most educational institutes already have PCs with mice and keyboards.
from where I say students were excited and were getting interested. I was demoing Kodu, for younger kids, and XNA Game Studio for older kids and getting a lot of interest. Of course it helped that is was in the both next to Harmonex Music Systems. You may have heard of their games Rock Band 3 and Rock Band Beatles? And more! One of their designers came with the new Dance Central and a Kinect device for XBOX 360. Kinect it the new platform that lets you play games without a controller – it follows your body movements. Kinect doesn’t come out for another 10 days or so which means not many people have had a chance to play with it. A lot of people had the chance today though and if the reactions are anything like typical there will be a lot of Kinect and new Xbox 360s being bought over the next couple of months.
I would like to know how much money and resources would be needed to make a quality Kinect game, something that core gamers could be able to identify with
But do you want a halfass game to prove a point or do you want a truly inovative fresh game. If it is the latter, then you need to think about how long it takes to develope a good IP on console. Then you might want to factor in the fact that the developers have never worked on anything like this before. Do you really expect them to have anything with the depth the core players are use to before the end of next year?
But in the meantime: Sonic Free Riders, Fighters uncaged and Child of Eden are the closes to core games from what I have seen in the first wave. Star Wars will not come until next fall.
M$ did say they have 70 developer working on Kinect games. We shall see what next year brings.
"M$ did say they have 70 developer working on Kinect games. "
Whoa... really?
didn't know that.
Sounds like this thing is going to be exceptionally well supported by MS and developers.
That's what I like about MS - they actually suport their developers, whereas other companies just call them lazy.
"Then you might want to factor in the fact that the developers have never worked on anything like this before."
In what way? It's pretty similar to the PS2 eyetoy. I know it is a little more advanced, but, the basic features are the same. And going down to the basics and working your way up is how good games are made. It will take time to make a good IP though, it may take years I'll agree on that. If anything microsoft should have already made the killer app since they've been developing it for years, you'd think they'd have at least a couple internal studios churning out titles that use it's uniqueness to it's advantage since they have the R&D at hand and theoretically should know the ins and outs already.
How come Sony doesn't have a mind blowing hard core game for the Move? They were working on that before the Wii right?
I am not going to explain the differences between Eyetoy and Kinect anymore. Whats more, the only developer, that I am aware of, who worked on Eyetoy and is now working on Kinect, is Harmonics. Eye toy never got this level of support. So even if they were the same tech my stament is still relevant.
Edge: Microsoft's Kodu Game Lab has been designed to make many things, the least of which appears to be money. Unless you were paying very close attention on July 1, or have since browsed the midsection of the Community Games channel, you probably didn't know it was out, and might not even know it exists. If you did, and went one further by actually buying it, you'd have parted with a meagre 400 points (about £3.50, or half the price of the Rocky And Bullwinkle game). This must be one of the most muted firstparty launches in the history of Xbox.
To understand it, you first have to understand its creator, Microsoft Research, and the industry-wide problems it's trying to solve. We'll leave that to lead programmer Matt MacLaurin, who does a fine job in just a few moments. First, though, you probably want to know what Kodu actually is, and whether it's really Redmond's answer to LittleBigPlanet. Here's a hint: it's not.
For a wannabe game developer, the path to becoming one is both harder, and easier, than it ever was. While the technological barrier to entry is higher than ever, programmes such as Microsoft's XNA and Xbox Live?Indie Games are providing new easy routes of entry.
The thing is, says Kodu program leader and lead designer Matt MacLaurin, they all provide very different results to what kids are used to seeing on consoles.
"You can go and tell kids that they can make games, but if they're just moving GIFs around the screen, it's like a gaming ghetto. We wanted something where kids could make things that were as cool as, and that had the production values of, things that they'd buy."
