2011 The Year of Kinect!..?

Here we go! Microsoft top brass are mouthing off that 2011 will be the 'year' of Kinect. Is the company finally ready to show the core Xbox gamer why he should invest in the motion sensor? I hope so, but I sincerely doubt it.

Media outlets across the globe are getting Microsoft on record stating that, in 2011, Kinect will blow our socks off! To me, this sounds like a bunch of tailored marketing speak. A gaged media bite designed to keep gamers interested in Kinect. It's foretelling diatribe that will have us arrive at a more likely Kinect Sports 2 than Kinect Halo 3, this December.


Its all about perception in the market, ladies and gents. Did your company do what it said it would? Did your company deliver on its promises? This is what MS will lean on at the end of 2011 when the core gamers challenge the company on the absence of core Kinect experiences.

But, you may ask, how can Microsoft address those concerns in the affirmative? Well, I said it once and I will say it again: Microsoft is attempting to redefine the core gaming experience with Kinect. If you can tell the targeted customer base that Gunslinger is the new Call of Duty, support that claim with units sold, and parade that achievement on every screen you control; who is going to argue with you?

 I will argue with you Microsoft. Core gamer #1,134,792! And Project K is my air-tight defense!

The Proof is in The Hacks

Everyday, I open my Google Reader app and find a new post about someone hacking the Xbox Kinect. The post titles read 'FPS are Possible with Kinect', 'Max Payne on Kinect Hack', 'Call of Duty FPS on Kinect Hack', etc etc.

I don't kow if many of you have noticed, but there is one commonality all the gaming-based Kinect hacks share. I specify gaming-based because, currently, there are two factions hacking Kinect. 1-Those who hack Kinect with gaming in mind. 2-Those who hack Kinect to build the very first holodeck! Whatever the motivation, each undertaking has merit.

The Kinect gaming hack commonality is the use of a physical hardware controller with the sensor. The hacker has to use some form of input for character movement, environment interaction, etc. A Wiimote is the preferred form of input. So this leads us to the following burning question: Is the hacked marriage between Kinect and a physical controller a complete coincidence? I don't think so.

I charge that this "coincidence" is the way core gamers want to experience Kinect - with a physical controller present. Not to mention, its the only way we can experience all of our favorite game genres with Kinect's cool features AND the motion-only software titles. (like Sesame Street Kinect!)

Will Microsoft (or anyone) acknowledge this commonality? I have! And the result of that acknowledgement is Project K. A hardware-based controller designed specifically for Xbox Kinect.

Just this morning, I ran across a twitter post detailing a noticeable decline in Xbox hardware sales. Hear me when I say this about Kinect hardware, specifically: IT'S ONLY THE BEGINNING.

Until Microsoft can lasso the core gamer base (Who stabilize hardware sales) with a familiar control scheme for Kinect, sales will continue to slide.

Agree or disagree? Why does Kinect need a hardware based controller? The proof is in the hacks!