One Million Kinects Sold in Just Ten Days

[BloodSquirrel]

...or it could work out that since Kinect is pretty much aimed at the "casual" audience, we will continue to see potential shovelware pushed instead of more innovative titles since the majority of Kinect owners will probably be "casuals".


See? Works both ways.

No, it doesn't. Kinect succeeding means that Microsoft has a chance to do something with it. Kinect failing means that they won't.

I'm not saying Kinect is a piece of ole doo-doo by any means, I haven't played it to warrant that comment, but I just don't think Microsoft know how they're approaching it.

One million sales in ten days says that they know exactly what they're doing. They're making sure that the peripheral is a success before trying something more ambitious with it.

 

[aPod]

This is pure win, and anyone who's hating on it. Try it, if it doesn't work the way you expected it too return it. Plus, a good workout = endorphins = feel good time = motivated and happy = happy parents = happy happy.

So its like sex, but not.

Well, i guess if the first thing you think of when you see the phrase "good workout" and immediately equate it to sex then yes.

 

[BrunDeign]

Well congrats. This feeling is soured by the possibility that this could encourage more Kinect games that would normally be played on a controller to greater effect.

The real stat that matters here is how many Kinects have been bought by people that didn't own a Xbox 360 beforehand. These things aren't meant to be sold by themselves. They're meant to sell more 360s.

 

[Falseprophet]

Never underestimate the power of marketing. Tons of major news organizations and even Oprah were included in the marketing for this thing, making people believe that it was the next technological leap. I would like to know whether or not that 1 million in sales covers the fortune they spent on marketing, let alone the development/production cost.

I think you hit it on the nose. Every major news organization was pimping Kinect for Microsoft on launch day. And Oprah moves stock (as a public librarian, I've seen this first-hand). Move didn't seem to get even half as much coverage.

So far, neither has really done anything to make me go out and buy one.

 

[cobrausn]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y198/corvin25/luke_NOOOOOO.jpg

I wanted it to fail so badly!

I did too.

This is just the wrong direction for games to go in. And since this is a raving success, no doubt everyone is going to copy this abomination and continue this awful trend of waving your body all over the place to play games.

Good. Maybe the mainstream developers will move on to trying to use this technology and more indie developers can step in to fill the gap.

 

[Jumplion]

No, it doesn't. Kinect succeeding means that Microsoft has a chance to do something with it. Kinect failing means that they won't.

Kinect's succeeding does not guarantee that, as success could just leave Microsoft in a comfortable enough position to churn out shovelware.

Of course, that's just as much on the developers as it is on Microsoft.

One million sales in ten days says that they know exactly what they're doing. They're making sure that the peripheral is a success before trying something more ambitious with it.

1 million sales in ten days says that their marketing department knows how to advertise. It says nothing about how they're utilizing the hardware.

Right now, as far as I can see, Microsoft have been advertising [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMQmnp6GTJ8] for [http://vgtribune.com/files/2010/06/Kinect-Games.png] the [http://kinectimals-kinectgames.co.cc/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/kinectimals-kinect-games.png] "casuals" [http://novelasymas.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/kinect-games.jpg] and weight-loss junkies. Fine in it's own right, but frankly they don't know if it's for "causals" [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101581-Microsoft-Kinect-Not-For-Core-Gamers] or "hardcore" [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102864-Core-Audience-Will-Love-Kinect-Predicts-Microsoft-Exec]. That tells me they're just trying to fire at the largest possible area they can, which I guess is just like any other business move, but that doesn't show me how MS is utilizing it's potential.

I'm not trying to come off as hating on the Kinect, though I probably am. Kinect does look like a genuinely interesting piece of technology, it's just that I don't feel like Microsoft know how they can fully utilize it for both "casual" and "hardcore" games.

And, because it's pretty much obligatory to mention/compare it to this, the PS Move is geared slightly more towards the "hardcore" titles. I'll just issue this challenge; Heavy Rain, InFamous 2, Killzone 3, LittleBigPlanet 2, EchoChrome 2. Those are 5 of some Move compatible games that have been confirmed to use the Move peripheral, all in varying degrees of "hardcore-y-ness". If you can find 5 similar titles that are confirmed to support the Kinect, not just rumored, I'll back off and acknowledge that Microsoft at least partially know what they're doing.

I'm being genuine here, I really want to respect Microsoft with this peripheral, but right now I just don't see what the hell they're trying to accomplish with this aside from spreadaing their butter as thin as possible.

But I've ranted enough for now.

 

[BloodSquirrel]

Kinect's succeeding does not guarantee that, as success could just leave Microsoft in a comfortable enough position to churn out shovelware.

There's no two sides to this: if Kinect fails, nothing will come out of it. The fact that there's a chance that Kinect might succeed and still not have any hardcore games made for it does not translate into a chance that Kinect failing would result in hardcore games being made for it.

1 million sales in ten days says that their marketing department knows how to advertise. It says nothing about how they're utilizing the hardware.

Marketing does not exist in a vacuum. It is a product of many things, one of which is defining your target audience.

Microsoft has found a market that will support the peripheral. They have wisely left the "I'll kill myself before I play with motion controls" market for later, when they can chip away at it at their leisure. Meanwhile, they're using Kinect to sell Xboxes to a market that might not have been interested in them before.

Don't confuse "trying to appeal to me personally" with "knowing what they're doing".

And, because it's pretty much obligatory to mention/compare it to this, the PS Move is geared slightly more towards the "hardcore" titles. I'll just issue this challenge; Heavy Rain, InFamous 2, Killzone 3, LittleBigPlanet 2, EchoChrome 2. Those are 5 of some Move compatible games that have been confirmed to use the Move peripheral, all in varying degrees of "hardcore-y-ness". If you can find 5 similar titles that are confirmed to support the Kinect, not just rumored, I'll back off and acknowledge that Microsoft at least partially know what they're doing.

I certainly hope Microsoft is NOT going to take that approach. Sony already tried the "shoehorn into games that were really designed around the traditional controller" route once with the six-axis, and look how well that took off.

If Microsoft knows what they're doing, they'll focus on games built for the Kinect from the ground up.

 

[Jumplion]

Microsoft has found a market that will support the peripheral. They have wisely left the "I'll kill myself before I play with motion controls" market for later, when they can chip away at it at their leisure. Meanwhile, they're using Kinect to sell Xboxes to a market that might not have been interested in them before.

Don't confuse "trying to appeal to me personally" with "knowing what they're doing".

I suppose on this account you are right here, though I'm not trying to make that dichotomy. It's mainly those two articles I linked before and the general lack of true diversity within the lineup for it. I'm just worried that Kinect will stagnate within the "casual" demographic with loads of shovelware, much like how the Wii has done at certain points (not saying the Wii is all "casual" or whatever, but you get my point).

I certainly hope Microsoft is NOT going to take that approach. Sony already tried the "shoehorn into games that were really designed around the traditional controller" route once with the six-axis, and look how well that took off.

If Microsoft knows what they're doing, they'll focus on games built for the Kinect from the ground up.

SixaxiS is SixaxiS, Move I think Sony put a little more forethought into it, but that remains to be seen.

But, overall, I think we'll have to agree to disagree. I'm just being cautiously skeptical over Kinect, waiting to see what will unfold from it.

 

[Kirch Libre]

I don't know about you guys but I wanna play Child of Eden.

<youtube=xuYWLYjOa_0&feature=channel>

 

[Shale_Dirk]

What other game has you covered in sweat after 2-3 levels?
What other game gives you a feeling that you "leveled up in real life" after getting the choreography of that song which almost ripped your legs out earlier 100% right?

R...ock band?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd3E8zgqJM4
vs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTQqYJU8eS0

Where's more movement, hm?

Oh look, I can use a comparison using easy mode from one game and hard/expert from the other too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TFXrGW7wMg
vs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kORzDBpq1zk

Call me when you can hold blast beat patterns with double bass for ~25 seconds, son. Legitimate pro drumming involves much more muscle training and 'movement' than any other video game can provide.

 

[bl4ckh4wk64]

I got it, I got dance central and guess what: I'm glad I bought this.
You know I'm having a job at which I basically just sit down for 8 hours and then I return home and essentially sit down for another 8 hours.

This thing gives me an excuse AND motivation (If I move just to move I tend to get bored of it quickly) to get off my ass and work out (and a workout it is, believe me) so it's much more than just a toy to me, it's a training device. With potential for gaming.

What other game has you covered in sweat after 2-3 levels?
What other game gives you a feeling that you "leveled up in real life" after getting the choreography of that song which almost ripped your legs out earlier 100% right?

On top of that it teaches this whiter than a snowstorm dude some dance moves and not in the cop-out wii plastic peripheral way, it literally sees you and you can not cheat this thing.
If you got all 5 stars on dance central, that actually means something.

I go to the gym for a workout. I want to transport myself to another world when I play a video game, not work up a sweat.

 

[bl4ckh4wk64]

So far I'm having fun with it. If the hardcores wanna cry about it, Dance Central is every bit as hardcore as any FPS.

If you're a teenage girl, yea. Me, I hate dance clubs. So why would I want to bring that experience home?

I hate war too, why would I wanna bring that experience home too?

Haters gotta hate I guess.

So you are a teenage girl?

 

[Shale_Dirk]

Oh look, I can use a comparison using easy mode from one game and hard/expert from the other too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TFXrGW7wMg
vs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kORzDBpq1zk

Call me when you can hold blast beat patterns with double bass for ~25 seconds, son. Legitimate pro drumming involves much more muscle training and 'movement' than any other video game can provide.

Sure looks easy to do, doesn't it?
Call me when you actually tried this out, son.

Ok, I'll put up a shitty webcam video within a week.

I'm actually a drummer, if you weren't aware.