Preview: Is Mass Effect 3 Really Better on Kinect?

VGW:
I was once like you — a jaded Kinect owner, tired of novelty games, dance-a-thons, and throwaway experiences. Someone who believed in the promise of Kinect’s technology to augment a gaming experience without making the “you are the controller” motto a binding and crippling requirement. I also feared the worst when BioWare announced its plans to integrate Kinect into Mass Effect 3 (which was close to the same time the game was slapped with a delay), cynical that it would be shoehorned in to meet a necessary marketing bullet point. But after spending some time with the most recent build, and experiencing the voice-enabled combat and exploration features hands-on, I’m pleased to report that not only have those doubts been 100% decimated, but I came away pleasantly surprised.

[zeal0us]

Did Bioware every explain why I couldn't just use my headset? I don't want to have to buy a kinect just to use this feature.

[killyourfm]

I would imagine that since the Kinect has processing power, it allows for more recognition and snappier response time. It certainly seemed 100x more reliable than, say, Tom Clancy's EndWar.

[gamingdroid]

I covered this in another comment, but the short story is the more accurate voice recognition is, the more data and the more processing is needed.

That is why iPhone and Android requires internet connection to their cloud for voice recognition to function.

Kinect relieves the console from processing the voice commands, and I'm sure MS offers a very nice SDK for easy integration.

As Mass Effect executive producer Casey Hudson from Bioware says:

"Kinect’s internal hardware is what makes it possible, not just its microphones."

http://www.kotaku.com.au/20...

So is it possible? Yes!

Is it practical?

Maybe depending on how much work (and employee resources) the developer is willing put into it to make it work, and possibly pay a licensing fee for any technology they use not to mention the potential that the technical abilities of the game might have to scale down a tad.

***It certainly seemed 100x more reliable than, say, Tom Clancy's EndWar.***

I own EndWar and played through it a few times, and can say that even with it's very limited vocabulary, it was among the best voice recognition at the time. That said, it was still not quite there.

Kinect is by far the best experience I have ever encountered so far.

[BillytheAlien]

Shouting out orders in real time makes a game better........not in book, it makes it tacky

[Hicken]

That's "better WITH Kinect," and honestly, probably not.

For one, there's the necessity of a $150 peripheral for voice commands.

For another, there's the potential for people to get bored having to say the same thing a million times over the course of the game.

For a third, there's whether or not this is actually more efficient/immersive than just using the traditional controls.

Fourth, unlike traditional controls, this isn't something that can be used in ANY sort of conditions, such as loud surroundings, or times when you shouldn't be making much sound (like if a young child is asleep, for example).

Will some people enjoy it? Of course, and there's nothing wrong with that. Will it be better? I doubt that.

[gamingdroid]

***For one, there's the necessity of a $150 peripheral for voice commands.***

Some 18 million of us already have one.

***For another, there's the potential for people to get bored having to say the same thing a million times over the course of the game.***

If it gets "boring" you can switch to the old fashion (and some ways clunky way) of doing things with buttons.

***For a third, there's whether or not this is actually more efficient/immersive than just using the traditional controls.***

Telling your team mates to do something with voice (as in how you would to some degree do it in real life) as opposed to directing them through buttons is most definitely more immersive.

***Fourth, unlike traditional controls, this isn't something that can be used in ANY sort of conditions, such as loud surroundings, or times when you shouldn't be making much sound (like if a young child is asleep, for example).***

Well, there are buttons for that. However, with buttons you can't use them in situations when you don't have fingers, arms and/or the dexterity to do it.

***Will it be better? I doubt that.***

That remains to be seen.

[jetlian]

hes just hating. if the kinect allows you t use all the moves its gonna be better than standard by far