Are we "mainstream" yet, everybody? Can anybody send me some figures that prove beyond doubt that gaming, once culture's red-headed stepchild, is now a fully paid-up establishment medium? I'd have thought the tipping point would have been when games started to outsell films, but that's not mainstream enough for Ubisoft's Jade Raymond, according to whom control pads are still far too arcane for comfort.
I know, I know. Ubisoft, publisher of all the happy bouncy fitness sims ever, advocating non-controller-based control schemes? Be still my pounding heart. But do bear in mind that Raymond is one of the minds behind both the Assassin's Creed franchise. She's most interested in the possibilities for Real Man's Games, like the forthcoming Splinter Cell: Blacklist.
"I was a big Trekkie when I was a kid and I still have this dream that, ultimately, we're going to end up creating the Holodeck - you know, totally immersive experiences. I still think one of the huge barriers is the controller, and even people who played games when it used to be just one big red button and a D-pad can't play games now.
"You have to master face buttons, triggers and they all do different things," she went on. "So obviously we're never going to get to that really mass-market place where we're touching a really broad audience with our messages with controllers, so Kinect and other more natural ways to interact with games are incredibly important. I think we can go further.
Should next generation consoles put still more emphasis on Kinect and other, pad-free interface tech? "I think they should, for sure, and I hope that we go beyond what we already have working and extend it even further. I think we saw some great changes with the Wii and a whole bunch of people playing games that hadn't previously and I think we saw another step with Kinect.
"Ubisoft's had a lot of success with the dance games and it's funny, I got this call from my sister saying, "Jane, have you tried this game, Just Dance? I love it!" and I said "yeah, that's a Ubisoft game!" You know, she's never bought a game in her life but she's calling me to tell to try this one out. I think we need to keep pushing that.
"As more of a hardcore gamer I want to see that stuff integrated into hardcore games in a way that makes them better because as fun as all those games are, I don't really play exercise games - I can't picture myself doing that. I'd love to be able to lean and look round the corner and just integrate more natural motions. The tech for those things isn't quite there, but I hope it will soon."
On a related note, Microsoft's hiring for work on Natural User Interface tech, further validating suspicions that Xbox 720 will feature expanded, overhauled Kinect functionality.
While we're talking controller-free gaming, Microsoft has a few tips and tricks for aspiring Kinect developers. Xbox SmartGlass may be the more important innovation, given that it allows you to use your phone as an in-game GPS - here are eight things you can already do with the functionality, and 10 ways it could rock the world of videogames.
8 comments so far...
Grummy on 25 Jul '12 said:
I appreciate her enthusiasm, but unless we're back to creating VR goggles, her ideas aren't practical. Leaning over and turning your head to look around a corner? A great idea, but try playing a game and turning your head-you can't see what the hell you're doing, so what does she want from us, for us to all have multiple big screen TV's that are set up in a circle around us for 360 degree experience? As I said, not practical.
She is also ignoring what is appearing to be a massive elephant in the room for developers and publishers nowadays, what the gamers actually want. It seems none of them really get it, you ask the gamers what they want and you'll find that the casuals will likely be happy with Kinect/Wii motion control, the Hardocre will still always want their pads, the only split will be some are happy for greater kinect integration as long as it doesn't try to replace a pad, others are staunchly against the kinect and just want things to stay the way they are. What this tells us is that yes, a kinect can have a place, and you can have games for it that people will enjoy, but unless you want to turn against your chosen medium, only care about selling the largest amount of games to the widest audience, give up on the games and the core of the industry that has been with you from the beginning, you can never get rid of control pads and games that need them.
DropTheDime69 on 25 Jul '12 said:
I like controllers but then again thats all I've ever known.
Wii is ok with some games so is move and kinect but can't see anything like them taking the controllers place?
bamozzy on 25 Jul '12 said:
Kinect is a lot better than Move or the Wii mote in certain games - Dancing, fitness etc BUT the controller is definitely the best way to control and play games with. Even if Kinect can track individual finger movements precisely - air does not provide any feedback or feeling to you. Triggers feel like triggers (when shooting) and even provide a feeling of an accelerator when racing. Even if kinect could track your feet to simulate a racing game and foot pedals you don't get any feedback from it like you would from a set of pedals. Kinect cannot recreate that feeling regardless! It doesn't matter how accurate or precise it is.
Kinect has a place BUT I do not think it will replace the controller! At the moment it needs more games to cater towards the hardcore gamers - most seem to cater for the casual, party, children and dance/fitness gamer and are quite shallow. For Kinect to be successful it will require some Great 'must have' games for the hardcore gamers!
Plamsa wing on 25 Jul '12 said:
when I think of motion control I don't think of running around in the bedroom or living room, no I've been there and done that with the Wii. I've said before and I'll say it again, it alright at first, but when the realised you could just as easily play it sat down, I just ended up putting it away.
If I wanted to run around I'd take the dog out, not play a game.
I'm waiting for a god game on Kinect and until that happens for me it'll just be something I can do outside. It's a great bit of kit I can see that, but we need to start out small first, give people a taste of what it can do. Take RTS, we know that controllers aren't the best thing to use, but Kinect could fix that problem.
Thos. on 25 Jul '12 said:
The controller isn't a barrier to people who don't play games. They aren't being stopped by the controller - they are being stopped by not being interested in games.
My car has more buttons than a controller, but if someone is keen enough to drive, they learn. A keyboard has more buttons. You don't hear people saying "I want to join Facebook, but I can't be bothered working out where all the letters are on the keyboard"
sonicmark on 25 Jul '12 said:
Kinect is and probably will always be the closest thing to breaking this so called barrier that control pads wield, if they wanted something to go beyond, then they'd have to consider...anybody's guess.
But it's already been said, controllers don't have barriers, it's usually the mediocrity of certain games that's the problem.
whelly1985 on 26 Jul '12 said:
if microsoft ever get rid of controllers, i will stop playing xbox simple as
sonicmark on 26 Jul '12 said:
Quite literally
.