July 21, 2010

by Darren Allan

If you’re thinking of getting Kinect, the new motion control system for the Xbox due out this November, don’t do so with the expectation that core Xbox games are going to be benefiting from it any time soon.

The initial Kinect titles are very much aimed at a casual audience, with the likes of party and dance games; family oriented affairs which have you playing ten pin bowling or generally leaping up and down like an idiot.

Talking to GameIndustry.biz, Microsoft EMEA VP Chris Lewis acknowledged that hardcore gamers would have to wait around 18 months or so before core titles, such as the likes of Halo or Fable, start bringing the motion (and voice) control technology into their repertoire.

Lewis told GI.biz: “Will we see more of these hybrid experiences coming, where you can complement what might ostensibly be a controller-based experience with gestures, voice and physical movement? Yes, I think that will come. I think there’s an overlap there, a logical and a good one.”

Microsoft is keen to stress that it isn’t abandoning its core market in overall development terms, and no switch is planned to become a more Wii-like casual focused console, despite the fact that this is the initial territory Kinect lands firmly in.

Story link: Microsoft says no “hardcore” Kinect games for 18 months