Controller-less Gaming

With the new Xbox 360 Kinect technology (formerly Project NATAL) , we will take on a differenct approach on how we comunicate with games.

Because Kinect is controller-less and uses the human body itself as a controller, novice players already have a heads up on how to play the game; since a person already knows how to use their body, we can safely assume they can move their arm in a certain direction or make a gesture to trigger something in-game. Sure enough this new method of interactivity with games will appeal to non-gamers, such as older generations and non-hardcore gamers. Someone with no gaming experience can quickly pick up the motions of the game and in no time be playing like a pro. 

But like all things new, things don't work, it comes with bugs, or it needs to be patched. I usually am optimistic about such technologies but throughout my personal experiences, the more it sounds too good to be true, the more it is too good to be true. One example is the Wii Remote. Like a politician, it promised many things that did not come true, mainly the accuracy of its motion sensors. The cursor regularly shakes and most of the complex motion inputs do not deviate from "shake the wii-remote to perform function". Until recently the Wii Remote has had an update. Another innovative attempt was the SIXAXIS Wireless Controller for PS3. It works occasionally and for the most part, users turn off the feature because it frequently hinders gameplay from accidental user motions and like the Wii Remote, most input from it is "shake the damn thing like it owes you money". It also is getting an update. I'm actually glad Microsoft never decided to go the motion controller route and instead, motion capture. But like I mentioned earlier, with new things there are false promises. I don't think it will be as accurate as they make it. I think the motion detection may be delayed, and the facial recognition will fail most of the time. Another thing that will happen is that the first batch of games will be a liking to the Wii Sports games; Billards, Tennis, and Bowling. 

My major concern is the lack of feedback, force-feedback that is. A lot of information can come from the feedback the player gets from the controller; perhaps rumbling can notify the player of a nearby enemy, or in Legend of Zelda : Ocarina of Time, it can let the player know about secrets that are nearby. But besides that, the lack of matter in my hands makes me feel like rowing a boat, holding a tennis raquet, or shooting M16 very empty. The lack of weight might detacht me from the gameplay or make me feel like "am I doing this right?" Only time will tell, once I get my hands on it and try it out.

Another concern is for the Hard-Core gamers. Being controller-less means there is no Analog Stick for motion. I'm sure some math can be done to find the vector between your left and and right hand to make a cross-hair appear on screen for aiming but motion will be limited. Perhaps running in place is a signal for moving, and the direction the body is facing for where to run to, turning could perhaps be a quick motion of the torso or arms (which would be in the pose of holding a rifle.) All of it seems like too much work for little effect. Hard-core gamers might not get the full effect and experience of Kinect.

The future of gaming looks promising with new ways to interact with games. I can't wait for Star Trek style VR rooms.. yes!

Some links after the jump.

Future of Gaming