Microsoft Looks to Kinect to Extend 360 Lifespan

[Andy Chalk]

Microsoft Looks to Kinect to Extend 360 Lifespan

Microsoft says the launch of Kinect [http://www.amazon.com/Kinect-Xbox-360/dp/B002BSA298/ref=sr_tr_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1277133009&sr=8-1] and the redesigned Xbox 360 will help ensure that the console will be around for "at least another five years."

The Microsoft EMEA's [http://www.xbox.com] vice president of interactive entertainment business, said the addition of the Kinect motion controller will help power the system through another half-decade.

"I think 2010 will be a very big year for us, it is in many ways for us mid-lifecycle," he told GamesIndustry [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/microsoft-kinect-to-extend-xbox-360-lifecycle-for-five-years]. "What you've seen is with this new sleek design and Kinect for Xbox 360 we've got at least another five years of this generation where we continue to offer great experiences for people."

"Our business ambition for this financial year, which begins on July 1, is certainly bigger than last year and we constantly set ourselves ambitious targets," he added. "[Senior Vice President of Interactive Entertainment Business] Don Mattrick is not shy about aggressive targets for Europe because he now knows we've got the right assets, now more than ever, to really appeal to our audience."

Of course, Microsoft has been saying that the 360 will have a "ten-year lifespan [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/83846-Microsoft-Plans-Long-Life-For-Xbox-360]. With or without Kinect, five more years doesn't seem like such a dubious proposition at this point.


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[ShadowKatt]

Are they really THAT worried about the 360 becoming obsolete already? How long was the PS2 around and how long did people continue to play their PS2s after the PS3 was released? I still play mine to this day. People would still be playing their Xbox's except the 360 actually has backward compatability(Hint hint, you sony bastards).

I think Microsoft is stressing over this more than they need to.

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

Well it means I have to wait longer before forking out £300 + for a new console... I find myself okay with this. I still think that kinect has potential and more xbox is just win all round.

 

[addeB]

5 years seems to be a bit to long, I would like a "improvement" in about 3 years from now.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

I still can't figure out how I'm going to play 90% of the games I enjoy with Kinect so... yeah, another 5 years? We'll see.

 

[Baby Tea]

I'm excited for the opportunities Kinect will provide for casual and hard-core gamers alike, and I hope they are right when it comes to the life-span of the system. The long we have the 360 (And the PS3 and Wii, for that matter), the more and more that Devs will be able to get more and more out of the console. Both Move and Kinect will add a bit of flavor to the Devs to tinker with and help increase the longevity of both systems, and that's great news for owners of these consoles!

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

The new 360 box is tight, however they need to allow HD choice rather than being locked into MSs overpriced addons.

Also the xbox controller is still crap, they need bluetooth so you can use a ps3 controller with it.

 

[Ciler]

Huh.

In one way, I'm sort of happy because I'm kind of sick of this constant march for "bigger and better". I think given more time, devs can really utilize the full potential of the console/Computer hardware, rather than have to relearn everything for each new generation.

On the other hand, it's Kinect, which has provided me no evidence that it's anything more than a gimmick, and a derivative one at that. (I refer to its lineup, which is basically the Wii lineup all over again)

So time will tell.

I agree. Although even if it is a gimmick, as long as it's a money-making gimmick, that'll keep the execs/investors/etc happy which will keep the system alive. If it totally flops, that 5 year estimate will probably become 2-3 years in reality.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Are they really THAT worried about the 360 becoming obsolete already? How long was the PS2 around and how long did people continue to play their PS2s after the PS3 was released?

Is the PS2 actually dead? As in, they stopped making games for it?

I'd say it's wishful thinking. Motion controls get a lot of scorn from the gaming community in general. Nor would I personally fork out the cost of a kinect after buying the console.

 

[Stabby Joe]

Microsoft says the launch of Kinect and the redesigned Xbox 360 will help ensure that the console will be around for "at least another five years."

Five years of half baked party games?

 

[Rayansaki]

Are they really THAT worried about the 360 becoming obsolete already? How long was the PS2 around and how long did people continue to play their PS2s after the PS3 was released? I still play mine to this day. People would still be playing their Xbox's except the 360 actually has backward compatability(Hint hint, you sony bastards).

I think Microsoft is stressing over this more than they need to.

Well, we're seeing bigger and bigger games every year. You already have 3 dvd games on x360, and knowing Kojima, MGS:R might hit the 4th DVD mark, unless they compress the video and audio extremely like FFXIII, which had close to 1/3rd of the vertical resolution of cinematics compared with PS3, and still came in 3 dvds.

So yes, Microsoft should start worrying about their console becoming obsolete, specially because not all of them have hard drives, so install has to remain optional, and disc swapping on modern games sucks (Star Ocean was a good example, you could have to swap discs up to 2-3 times per hour on endgame.

 

[Abedeus]

Are they really THAT worried about the 360 becoming obsolete already? How long was the PS2 around and how long did people continue to play their PS2s after the PS3 was released?

Is the PS2 actually dead? As in, they stopped making games for it?

I'd say it's wishful thinking. Motion controls get a lot of scorn from the gaming community in general. Nor would I personally fork out the cost of a kinect after buying the console.

PS2 is still playable. Heck, I'm playing Persona 4 the second time as we speak. It's still the most popular console, it was sold in twice the number of Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles put together.

 

[ShadowKatt]

Are they really THAT worried about the 360 becoming obsolete already? How long was the PS2 around and how long did people continue to play their PS2s after the PS3 was released? I still play mine to this day. People would still be playing their Xbox's except the 360 actually has backward compatability(Hint hint, you sony bastards).

I think Microsoft is stressing over this more than they need to.

Well, we're seeing bigger and bigger games every year. You already have 3 dvd games on x360, and knowing Kojima, MGS:R might hit the 4th DVD mark, unless they compress the video and audio extremely like FFXIII, which had close to 1/3rd of the vertical resolution of cinematics compared with PS3, and still came in 3 dvds.

So yes, Microsoft should start worrying about their console becoming obsolete, specially because not all of them have hard drives, so install has to remain optional, and disc swapping on modern games sucks (Star Ocean was a good example, you could have to swap discs up to 2-3 times per hour on endgame.

Well, I didn't know all that. I thought they all came with hard drives and I knew about the games with multiple discs, but not everyone is going to have a blu-ray player in their machine(yet). Still, I would have swore that Microsoft had solved their problems with the money vacuum that the 360 was. Apparently I am misinformed.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

That's good to a point I suppose.

I love the 360, its worked wonders for me and my brother for a good 3 years and to hear that I don't have to replace it for another 5 years is a great relief on both me and my wallet.

On the downside, I'm not really looking forward to Kinect. I barely tolerate the Wii's motion controls and I'm not all that interested in playing the same thing on my Xbox.

 

[Tales of Golden Sun]

Microsoft says the launch of Kinect and the redesigned Xbox 360 will help ensure that the console will be around for "at least another five years."

Five years of half baked party games?

Haha, my thoughts exactly. Kinect may be cool and all, but it won't redefine the way people play games. Good luck getting those 5 years, micro$oft.

 

[Jared]

The problem is what if people dont buy it? Then what? as right now im really not encouraged to purchase it...I like my controller just fine

 

[latenightapplepie]

On the other hand, it's Kinect, which has provided me no evidence that it's anything more than a gimmick, and a derivative one at that. (I refer to its lineup, which is basically the Wii lineup all over again)

True. But with at least 5 years of Kinetic, a decent developer might be able to make something of the motion controls, gimmicky as they may be. That said, the Wii's been around for almost 4 years now, and I don't they've tapped the full potential of its motion control capabilities yet.

So as you said, time will tell.

 

[Danpascooch]

I think the 360 still has plenty of life, especially with the Slim making it more affordable, but if anything I think Kinect is only going to hurt it.

 

[Danpascooch]

On the other hand, it's Kinect, which has provided me no evidence that it's anything more than a gimmick, and a derivative one at that. (I refer to its lineup, which is basically the Wii lineup all over again)

True. But with at least 5 years of Kinetic, a decent developer might be able to make something of the motion controls, gimmicky as they may be. That said, the Wii's been around for almost 4 years now, and I don't they've tapped the full potential of its motion control capabilities yet.

So as you said, time will tell.

Yeah but it's not like they've been studying "how can we tap this" and are just about to hit a breakthrough!

Many of the launch titles for the Wii were amazing, but then after about a month they got boring, and barely any great titles came out after that, face it, they just aren't making the great high budget games because gimmicky games can be made cheap and yield profit because of the motion controls.