Category Archives: Game Tech news

News on the current gaming technology.

Microsoft Kinect, Is it worth it?

November 22, 2010 Scouterz

Recently, I have been wanting to purchase a new console. I already have a PS3, so what I am comparing is basically the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox. Before I knew that Kinect was coming out, I was actually bent on Wii. I even have the picture of a Wii on my dreamchart. My estimated buying period would be around Feb 2011 and now the problem arises – Wii or Kinect?

Review of Kinect bby TechFast

I believe most people would choose Kinect on instinct. It has more potential, games could be more fun and seems to overwhelm Wii in almost every way. However, Kinect has just came out in the market. So the games for it could be quite limited, and it would seem that way for quite some time. The majority of the games resemble Wii in many ways, like MotionSports, Your Shape Fitness Evolved and Brunswick Pro Bowling. Basically it is the Nintendo Wii being released all over again, just that now it seems cooler and is cooler.

Personally I am quite a hardcore platform gamer, and the games that are released for Kinect currently does not attract me at all. If I were indeed looking for a platform for me to play games with my family, I would choose Wii over Kinect. Wii allows up to four players, while Kinect looks like it only has the capability of supporting two right now. Furthermore Wii is much cheaper than a Kinect set now, assuming that you do not have a Kinect Ready Xbox 360 at home. If you are a casual gamer wanting to spend more time with your family through a console, you would probably not want to spend SGD$400 more on a console that you would not make full use of.

Even as a serious gamer, Wii catches my attention despite its similarity to Kinect. Games like Call of Duty and GoldenEye 007 really have a different feel when you play it with motion sensor controllers, while Monster Hunter Tri is really enjoyable if you had played the Playstation Portable versions. Resident Evil 4 and Metroid Prime 3 come to mind too, along with Tatsunoko vs Capcom. On top of all these there exist the family-friendly Wii games, making the Nintendo Wii a console that satisfy almost everyone.

However, assuming that you do not already have a Kinect Ready Xbox 360 at home, spending the extra SGD$400 might be worth it. That is because you not only have a Kinect, you have a Xbox 360 too. You get to play games that PS3 doesnt have, like the Halo series as well as the Gears of War series. Furthermore I have a PS3 Slim edition, meaning that I cannot play PS2 games. For older games that are PS2 only, they tend to be on Xbox 360 too. So getting the Kinect Ready Xbox 360 is equivalent to getting a newly-born Wii, PS2 and Xbox 360 together.

With all these said, I certainly am not trying to undermine the ability of Kinect to grow. Honestly speaking, its potential is frightening. Imagine Marvel vs Capcom and Tekken on Kinect. Or the next Call of Duty series. A new Mirror Edge, anybody? One wonders how far the Kinect would bring us, but all these takes time, and it would be an estimate of 1-2 years at least. Till then, I think I would decide on Wii for now.

EDITOR’S NOTE

To placate all you PS fans out there, PS Move is defintely a strong contender against Wii. The higher accuracy of PS Move over Wii had won some developer over. For example, Harmonix, creator of the new Dance Central for Kinect, is considering porting the game over to PS Move but not Wii due to the lack of tracking data provided by Wii’s system. Finally, the motion controller battle has begin with now all three major gaming company having their own version of motion controller in the market. Who can move the gamers?

For those who think that Kinect is a new and innovative product, think again after watching the video below:

And why isn’t Sony pushing for controller-less system? This video below explains it.

Hear the truth about Kinect and Playstation Move by a guru in the video below:

Game Preview, Game Review, Game Tech news

Michael Jackson: The (__________) Experience

November 3, 2010 kindaixin

1 Comment

Michael Jackson: The Experience

Not so long ago, I’ve written an article on how Kinect might change the way rhythm game is currently. And with Kinect coming to Singapore’s shore on the 18th of November 2010, I am really excited about this new gaming device. Out of the few pioneer games for Kinect, Michael Jackson: The Experience draws the most attention out of me.

So the above is a video of a lady trying out the latest Kinect version of Michael Jackson: The Experience. After watching the video, I realised how messy the dance is! I don’t blame the lady at all. Looking at the interface of the game, what I think is missing is that the game did not provide good cue to the beat of the game. The tester in the video is just trying frantically to repeat the moves of the little icon man that appears on the screen. Totally off beat for a song called ‘Beat it’! Seriously, I think she is dying from all the singing and dancing! Notice how she starts to catch her breath when she is singing in the later part of the video.

And to be honest, MJ’s dance move is not easy at all. Just look at this picture above, one of MJ’s signature move. I can imagine how some gamers will lose their balance trying to perform this move and smack their face directly onto the floor. A great video for Failblog.org! After playing the game, some might think that it might be as well renamed to “Michael Jackson: the Painful Experience”. Or it can be “Michael Jackson: the Tiring Experience”, and well, basically you can fit in any adjective you want.

Hmmm, that really makes me re-think whether Kinect can revolutionalize music games. The essence of music or rhythm game is about following the beat. This game seems to miss this point. Ok maybe it is just this game. Until Kinect is out and we get more review of this genre of games, I shall stay on the sideline and stick to my trusty old controller first.

Game Review, Game Tech news