Kinect Phone Integration Unleashes Avalanche of Balls

[Tom Goldman]

Kinect Phone Integration Unleashes Avalanche of Balls


Someday, Microsoft wants Windows Phone 7 users to torture Kinect players with a deluge of balls.

A new video released by Microsoft gives us a clear idea of how Windows Phone 7 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/106877-Microsoft-Names-Windows-Phone-7-as-Its-Mobile-Gaming-Platform], Microsoft's mobile platform, will eventually be integrated with the Xbox 360. It'll be for more than just updating your Xbox Live profile and sending friends messages. Windows Phone 7 will also allow you to torture game players until they fall over.

The video shows an enthusiastic player engaging in a game of Kinect [http://www.amazon.com/Kinect-Sensor-Adventures-Xbox-360/dp/B002BSA298/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297784812&sr=8-1]'s Rally Ball, where he must block a stream of rubber balls from flying past him. A Windows Phone 7 user sitting nearby is able to see the same game screen on her phone, and tap her phone to make a ball appear.

If she swipes her finger, she can even make the ball move around on the screen up to a certain distance away, making the ball more challenging to block. However, the real trouble starts when a second Windows Phone 7 user enters.

It turns out that the second cellphone owner can also make balls appear in the game at the same time. So now the Rally Ball player has to deal with the touches of two devious ball creators, and even worse, they decide to go all-out by tapping the hell out of their phones, making an overwhelming amount of balls appear on the screen. The player is forced to give up.

The demonstration is a neat look at how Windows Phone 7 is planned for integration into Microsoft's gaming world. This is a very simple idea that wouldn't necessarily make anyone buy a phone, but if enough of this connectivity is developed, it could make the phone more appealing to Xbox 360 users.

Source: Engadget [http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/14/microsoft-rally-ball-demo-shows-windows-phone-7-kinect-xbox-li/]

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[Sephychu]

That's even more balls than I see on my tuesday nights...

In all seriousness, though, I think this is the first thing on Kinect that looks not only fun, but tremendous fun. Maybe not for a particularly long time, but I'll be damned if I don't wanna give that a go. Seriously, it looks great.
However, the Windows phone is arse, and I dislike the Xbox, so I guess i won't be having a turn any time soon.

 

[Sonicron]

Get ready for a deluge of incoming calls, tech support and warranty guys, from folks who read about this and subsequently destroyed their Windows Phone touchscreens.

 

[Disaster Button]

So the women made the man collapse in defeat after showering him with balls? Hmm...

 

[tk1989]

So.. this is the evolution in gaming that the kinect was meant to bring about? I still dont see the appeal... but to each their own!

 

[LavaLampBamboo]

This is cool, but I want to be able to link my WP7 up so I can fuck over the player WITHOUT HIM KNOWING I'M DOING IT. That'd be awesome.

 

[Aeshi]

So basically it's glorified griefing?

 

[Metal Brother]

I love my Windows Phone 7, and I enjoy my Kinect, but this integration leaves me cold. I hope they have something more compelling than this.

 

[olfelix]

I really enjoy my Windows phone, I sure do hope this opens the door for more interesting projects.

 

[the.chad]

I wonder if you can use connect the phone without the kinect user knowing. I could imagine the shock from my friend if that amount of balls start flying at him =D

 

[Atmos Duality]

"Bring it on. I've got Balls of Steel."
Or something along those lines.

 

[cynicalsaint1]

Ok be honest, did anyone make it through the post without snickering at least once?

 

[jakefongloo]

That would be fun...like twice. Just like getting accidentally team killed is funny about twice, then it gets irritating.

 

[kouriichi]

"Now you dont have to play with your balls alone! Get the whole family together! Thats right little Suzie! Slap those balls around!"

I can just seen it now. A 100 page book on kinect based ball jokes.

 

[Idocreating]

This... is the first part of Kinect i'm very interested in. Reminded me of the GBA/Gamecube link up games, some of them were really damn fun.

Problem was you needed friends with a GBA and a cable. I had one friend with one when i was growing up. The best i got out of that link-up was the Mad Trax minigame in Rayman 3, which is EXACTLY like the video.

In Mad Trax, the GBA player would move Tetris-style pieces from the top of his screen to the bottom to create a track. Asteroids were placed in the area that would destroy the pieces so you had to position around it, hitting another piece would lock it in place as the screen scrolled up. Aside from that, you could build the pieces to the left or right to grab a checkpoint.

And the what was the Gamecube player doing this whole time? Racing along the track that was being made, which steadily turned from big solid pieces to having a lot of gaps in it. It was easily one of the best co-op experiences I've had to date.

This brings me back to the Kinect. The problem with the GBA/GC link-up was no-one i knew had a GBA. Almost everyone I know now has some form of touchscreen phone.

Microsoft, you want me to buy a Kinect then get Ubisoft on the phone. You know what I want.

 

[Monshroud]

From a technology standpoint I think this is amazing. Being able to interactively share a gaming experience over a mobile platform. This is something I assume will need local Wi-Fi to work. Maybe 4G if the lag is low enough. Could be a great way for families to play these sorts of games.