Because Nintendo’s Wii proved to be far and away the most wildly successful console (based on sales) in recent memory through pioneering the game form of motion control, Microsoft Xbox introduced its own expansion to their machine called the Kinect in June at the E3 convention. They also demonstrated many of the new XBox Kinect games. Set to ship out in November, Kinect continues and builds upon the tradition of what Nintendo introduced four years ago. Kinect brings entertainment and games alive in entirely new ways, without the use of a controller. The XBox Kinect updates have been stealing all of the gaming news headlines since June, and there have been some interesting new developments and announcements regarding the machine expansion even in recent days and weeks.
One of the rumors surrounding Kinect was a disappointing word on the street regarding some of the many features that it was supposed to offer at its official launch in November. Among the most impressive offerings of this new Kinect was to be the exciting feature of Voice Connect. Gamers were promised that they would be able to interact directly with their Kinect expanded Xboxes using only their voices. Now, the word came out that Microsoft’s latest creation will in fact not be capable of this at the launch. Another feature that it is rumored will not make the initial launch deadline is the voice chat software, called Video Kinect. This was similarly premiered and promised at the E3 press conference back in June. The supposition regarding these two technologies was that they will be integrated at some point after Kinect’s initial release. Fortunately for all of those readers excited about Kinect and its imminently arriving launch, Microsoft came out later the same day and announced that at least part of the rumors were false. They confirmed that their voice control technology Voice Connect will be featured on the day of the Kinect launch, saying that voice control technology proves to be a thrilling component of the Xbox 360 Kinect experience without controls, and it will be a part of the system in the November launch. They did not comment on the availability of Video Kinect at the time of launch.
In other updates, Microsoft has chosen PDP to be the official licensee of the Kinect stands and mounting platforms. PDP unveiled their various methods of supporting the Kinect console. They will offer TV and wall mounts, a floor stand, and also a cable extension for those who want to place the Kinect on top of an entertainment center. These choices will offer helpful versatility in where to put the Kinect unit once it is purchased.
Perhaps the most significant announcement concerning the Xbox 360 and Kinect came just this week on August 24th. The Vice President for Microsoft’s European Interactive Entertainment division claimed that Microsoft is planning to keep selling the Xbox 360 for another five years as a result of the introduction of Kinect. If this really proves to be the case, then it will lengthen the Xbox 360’s total lifespan to ten years. Competitors are taking note. Sony has given out that it plans to focus on its Playstation Move competing product for the next five years as well. This shakes up the traditional next generation game system cycle. In the past, the big three game makers, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony, have released their new game machines every four to five years. With the Xbox Kinect coming out instead of a new machine, and Sony also focusing on its motion sensing expansion, this is set to change, at least for now. Even Nintendo has hinted that it will wait for a thirty percent penetration of new 3D televisions before it releases its next generation game machine, which they intend to be a 3D game system.