Kinect Power Scalable – Destiny Aims for 1080p/30FPS on Xbox One

On the E3 floor Bungie representatives were talking with Microsoft folks about the June update to Xbox One removing the requirement to keep the Kinect active while plugged in.  In an open forum, when asked about the recent removal of the Kinect from the Xbox One and what effect it would have with Destiny, we were told that an upgrade in resolution was to be expected, though no word was official in terms of what kind of resolution we would be exposed to.  Now we know what Bungie’s aim will be prior to the September 6 launch of Destiny: 1080p with a set framerate of 30FPS.  This news is good for Xbox One owners which have undoubtedly been at least mildly worried that their new console may not be up to the task of consistent 1080p showings.  Destiny, if it does achieve 1080p/30FPS prior to the launch of the game, will be a big deal for the Xbox console as Destiny is open and can show numerous players in the same area which translates to a pretty heavy workout for any console or PC system.

The 30 frames per second (FPS) number may be a little underwhelming to some, but rest assured that you’re typically gaming at 30FPS, especially with games from the previous generation on consoles.  When you try to double the framerate to a silky-smooth 60 frames per second you effectively double the workload on a GPU.  Since there will be so much to display with Destiny it would be beneficial to lock the game at 30 frames instead of trying to stretch out to 60 frames and fail some of the time or all of the time.  The Kinect had allocated 10% of the GPUs power in the past but now Microsoft will let developers scale the power back either somewhat or entirely, something that wasn’t explained in great detail previously.  This means that if developers wish to keep voice recognition active on the Kinect then the development studio can keep the 2% power draw for voice capture and free up 8% of the GPU by disabling gesture control.  This is very crucial for the Xbox One’s power in the long run so that core gamers can get the best looking and performing games possible.  After all, Kinect-driven games tend to run simpler graphics which won’t typically tax the GPU and CPU to their max so that 10% draw on those games won’t be missed in most cases.  Maybe next time Microsoft will offer an even more powerful Kinect sensor that doesn’t tax the system hardware so much, or Microsoft could consider just running a more powerful system from day one to combat the power draw on an accessory like Kinect.

Gamestop Reports Increased Interest In Xbox One With Kinect Ommission

During a recent post-earnings conference call, Gamestop president Tony Bartel talked about how only nine days after the announcement from Microsoft, the $399 Xbox One without Kinect is generating a lot of interest.  During the call, Bartel had the following to say:

“I definitely think we’re already seeing in our stores with our reservation program as well as dialogue with PowerUp Rewards [members that] there’s a stronger demand as a result of the price drop”.  “The good news for us is… we’ll sell a lot more units.”

There has been a lot said about Microsoft’s decision to omit the Kinect from the Xbox One package, but the simple fact is that Microsoft is conceding the early lead to the PlayStation 4 and every prospective customer is important when you’re trying to be the console leader.  Having the higher console count worldwide gives the platform greater sway with game companies that could be considering a singular platform for exclusivity instead of multi-platform.  Microsoft are in a position to simply outperform Sony ’til kingdom come because, as a company, Microsoft has significantly more money and talent to throw at the Xbox.  That’s not to say that the Xbox One is a platform that will see unlimited amounts of money thrown at it but that Microsoft can and will do whatever it takes to see their new console see its true potential.  With all of the qualms about opting for GDDR3 and an ESRAM module to handle the graphics and the confusion over Xbox One policies, Microsoft’s recent announcement of a $399 Xbox One console is yet another back-step from the original vision of Xbox.  Still, it’s better to saturate the market with the core console first then create reasons to buy a Kinect later with excellent motion and voice-controlled games – something Microsoft and partners haven’t quite found their stride with yet.

Does Microsoft’s Decoupling Of The Kinect Kill The Xbox One’s Future Appeal?

Microsoft made the big announcement within this last week that the Xbox One would be sold without a Kinect sensor for $399 starting in June.  The news was met with good praise from most of the online forums we frequented that week but was oddly chastised by the press.  From the beginning, Microsoft were trying to play the long game with Xbox One and its media and interface advantages that it would have over the PlayStation 4 and Wii U.  The Kinect was a big part of that strategy but unfortunately with the Xbox One’s hardware setup as much as 10% of the consoles resources, much of that GPU-based, were sacrificed to make the console perform better when games don’t use the Kinect fully or at all.  Since most games aren’t using gesture control it made sense to deactivate the gesture sensing while playing a game that can’t use it.  But now Microsoft has gone a step further and just eliminated the accessory from its base package, much like how the Xbox 360 did when the Kinect was introduced on that platform.

At $399 Microsoft can directly compete with Sony for console sales.  $100 more is a bit to throw toward a toy or media box when a competing device appears to offer much of what you’re looking for, especially if you’re just buying a console for games.  The PlayStation 4 has outsold the Xbox One worldwide by roughly 2 million consoles.  That could be more or less depending on up-to-date sales figures, but it’s clear that Sony has found a way to propel their console to the top and since Microsoft has more exclusive games (and more higher-quality games) than the PlayStation 4, we have to assume that the reason for the PlayStation 4’s lead is simple because it’s being offered for less.  Sony is taking a hit on every PlayStation 4 that is sold, which will hurt the company’s ability to reinvest dollars in the short term until the console can be manufactured for cheaper.  Microsoft is breaking even, but their Xbox One console lacks the immediate graphical edge and games are being downgraded in visual quality, at least in resolution, more than PlayStation 4 games are.  There is the hardware breakdown that shows the PS4 is easier to make games on right now because it’s a simpler device, but the Xbox One is only barely behind the PS4 for overall power.  In fact, the Xbox One is more powerful in the CPU area and carries more advanced hardware to help alleviate heavy multitasking, freeing up some resources to keep pushing the envelope in certain aspects of a game even if the graphics are tapped out.  Again, since these consoles are so similar when all is said and done, the price has to be the problem.  Will a $100 price cut help boost sales?  If so, at what cost does it come to the Xbox team’s vision for a Kinect accessory that will no longer carry a 100% adoption rate?

The adoption of Kinect being 100% makes it more enticing for game developers to put out games that use the voice and motion controls.  Games like Kinect Sports or Dance Central make mostly good use of the Kinect but won’t draw in all gamers.  We’re still waiting for that killer app to hit the Xbox One that screams “gotta have it” when referring to the Kinect.  To that end, it won’t kill gamers to go without a Kinect right now.  In the long run, there is a potential issue that will surface.  If the adoption rate drop to even 50%, you have no guarantee that the potentially interested buyers of your game will have a Kinect which could force them to skip.  This is not ideal when you’re considering putting together any kind of game or media that requires peripherals to work with.

Microsoft still thinks that we’re all going to end up buying a Kinect, and they might be right.  The Kinect on the Xbox One is good.  Not perfect, but good.  When I purchased my Xbox One on launch day I didn’t think I’d heavily use the Kinect but I knew I’d try it out.  Now, I prefer to audibly control my Xbox One when watching Netflix, snapping the party app, launching Internet Explorer, or turning on/off my Xbox One.  It’s so addicting when it works and most of the time it does work (especially with the latest Xbox One software update).  There is still some ground to cover to make this accessory a consistent and dependable piece of hardware but it’s far superior to anything else in its market right now.  Plus, Microsoft already have 4-5 million of these things in the living rooms of gamers so developers know that, at least for the time being, their games and technology are going to be accessible for most.

Microsoft’s biggest challenge now that they’ll be pulling the Kinect out of the box won’t be to catch up to Sony’s PS4 console.  That is likely to happen much more naturally with an even playing field for price, expanding availability for the Xbox One in September, and more interesting and high-profile exclusives primed for 2014 and 2015.  Sony is actually hurting for exclusives and are depending on rehashes of their previous winners to keep the system enticing by eventually re-launching games like The Last of Us for the PS4.  Microsoft will likely do some of that with the leaked info that Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4 will all eventually roll out with remakes that will have drastically improved over their original counterparts.  Even the more recent Halo 4 will benefit from better graphical power since it looked so good for its time with only 720p support.  But Microsoft also have Halo 5, Gears of War, Fable, Forza Horizon, Sunset Overdrive, Quantum Break on top of some new exclusives that we haven’t actually seen (or at least know we’ve seen) that are allegedly set to be unveiled at E3 in June.  No, Microsoft’s biggest challenge won’t be catching up to Sony’s in this regard.  The challenge will be building those must-have experiences that make the Kinect that accessory that you have the option to buy, but really you must buy it.  When friends start saying “no, you gotta get the Kinect for this one (or two) game(s)” is when Microsoft will know they’re successful and will see the Kinect bundles see the greatest sales.  Until then, the $399 SKU that will be available starting June 9 will more than likely see heavy adoption in comparison, which will hopefully address the sales gap and rally more praise and support for the Xbox One console (that is, if you’re rooting for the Xbox One to be the lead dog).

Microsoft To Offer Xbox One For $399 Without A Kinect

Big news folks.  Microsoft has finally caved to the price war that Sony has kicked off and is going to push a Kinect-less version of their Xbox One console.  The announcement comes after much talk about keeping the Kinect in the package for developers that wish to bank of the accessory being attached to every Xbox One console.  This will definitely shave a little support overall for the peripheral but at least people not willing to drop an extra $100 will be offered equality in price @ the $399 price point of the PlayStation 4.  The Kinect will eventually be available for sale for an additional price, likely $99, in the fall.  Microsoft intends to offer the console-only version on June 9.

In addition, Yusef Medhi, Xbox’s Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer, mentioned that they intend to optimize the Xbox One to run without a Kinect sensor.  This could open up just a little more horsepower for the Xbox One to use to better push graphics and in-game computing.  Don’t expect anything drastic, but at least 2% of the consoles resources will be freed to power games and services.

New Xbox One Update Noticeably Improves Kinect Sensor

There have been reports of Microsoft’s Kinect sensor being a bit hit & miss when it comes to tracking and voice recognition.  We can certainly attest to it’s occasional misses but overall the Kinect is awesome to operate and is a product that gets swept under the rug by some core gamers too quickly.  In the new April update for Xbox One, Microsoft have addressed the Kinect’s capture technologies and seem to have improved the reliability of the sensor.  We tested it a bit in the first couple of days and in all but one attempts the Kinect sensor accurately executed a command we gave it.  As long as you aren’t pushing fairly loud volume levels that would drown out your own voice you should notice the sensor carrying out your requests more consistently.  Just be certain you are using the proper voice commands.  The Kinect and the Xbox One won’t take you to Titanfall if you say “play Titanfall” or “go to Titanfall”.  You have to use the “Xbox” primer word to get the Kinect to actively receive your commands, then use a proper command like “go to Titanfall” or “bing”.  Improperly communicated commands won’t get you anywhere.  Enjoy the update!

Kinect Sports: Rivals Launches Tomorrow (4/8)

Looking for a good game for the family or just want to see what the Xbox One’s Kinect sensor is capable of?  Rare and Microsoft Studios’ Kinect Sports: Rivals launches tomorrow.  The game will have a somewhat limited appeal as it is meant to cater to the active and family crowds, but there are some gametypes like the water races that are a fun challenge that take advantage of several body motions/gestures.  Metacritic is starting to capture reviews and, as of this moment, 23 critics have weighed in and have netted it a modest 64/100.  The biggest criticisms seem to be the half-baked approach to dialogue and the qualms over control with certain modes within the game.  Seeing how the Kinect is still receiving a lot of love in the updates area it’s likely that some of the criticisms could evaporate with an update or two in the near future.  But if you’re looking for a good game to get your kids involved in or just like the idea of motion controls combined with sports, this is the game for you.

From Kinect Motion & Voice Controls to Virtual & Augmented Reality

If you’ve been keeping your ear to the ground lately, you should have heard about Sony unveiling their new Project Morpheus which is Sony’s take on the increasingly-popular Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.  Morpheus is a 90-degree viewing angle headset that’s designed to completely immerse you in the games you’re playing.  The headset isn’t a stand-alone device as it requires both the PlayStation 4 console and the PS Eye camera to operate and is also not likely to be cheap at all (best guesses are swirling in the $250-$500 range depending on the final product’s hardware setup).  Morpheus is very much in its early stages and will in no way make it to market before the end of 2014 (unless Sony wish to release it as a beta product which would not bode well for them in their current financial state).  We should expect this kind of tech to surface in its final form in the late 2015 or 2016 timeframe.  It’s a cool concept that some are thinking is the next forefront for gaming.  So while Sony is cooking up a VR headset, what is Microsoft doing?

A while back, a massive document leaked on the web detailing Microsoft’s strategic plans for Xbox through 2015 that not only included a 2nd gen Kinect and new Xbox platform already-launched, but something that was called “Kinect Shades”.  It was definitely a working-title for alpha state hardware but the idea was that this wearable headset would act as an augmented reality device that would be a companion to your Xbox One and offer something similar to a VR headset, without the 100% screen overlay.  Augmented reality simply places digital objects into view of actual objects.  If you’re familiar with Google Glass then you should have a good idea of how this works.  If not, think back to the Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter games, where a soldier had digital overlays of a battlefield that gave readouts and target recognition.  With that in your mind, translate that over to Xbox and the gaming world.  It’s hard to say exactly how this will all transpire, but augmented reality has its cool factors as well as its big mysteries.  How does augmented reality work with gaming?  Can games really be constructed to work with such a headset?  These are all questions we have zero answers to as Microsoft hasn’t officially announced the tech to the world, yet.

Wearable tech is the future in one way or another.  Sony’s Morpheus is a cool idea that will eventually enter a market that is getting a lot of early competition with players that have products much further along (Oculus Rift) and are potentially compatible with current generation games and hardware.  The appeal could easily swing in favor of the Rift should it eventually launch with few or no snags.  Of course everything is up in the air as evidenced by the very recent acquisition of the Oculus Rift hardware by Facebook.  On top of how well the tech comes off the other question will be simple: will gamers want it?  Perhaps they will.  The only glaring reservation one might see about Sony’s Morpheus is the field of view.  90 degrees of view is not bad, but many of us are capable of seeing a near-180 degree field of view.  It would seem like a better idea to build a headset capable of having a greater landscape view to offer an IMAX-like experience within a headset – that is, if immersion is the primary driver behind these kinds of devices.

Kinect’s First Killer App Is ‘Kinect Sports Rivals’

Gamers and critics are split in some cases about the legitimacy of the Kinect sensor that comes bundled with the Xbox One, mostly due to some inconsistencies in voice recognition and still-rough gesture controls.  The inconsistencies should shrink as Microsoft is readying another sizable update to the Xbox One software set to release in April that will address many of the complaints users have voiced about the sensor.  But the Kinect is a good product that just needs some software to compliment it properly and the critics will become supporters.  Microsoft already has a decent implementation in Xbox Fitness which uses the Kinect to measure your efforts with in-home personal training regiments, but not everyone is interested in moderate or high-intensity workouts in their living room.  Many Xbox owners just want to play and have fun without having to think about pushups and sit-ups for 40 minutes.  Kinect Sports Rivals is the game that could finally sell the Kinect as a viable and desirable accessory.

We saw two “seasons” of Kinect Sports on the Xbox 360.  The mini games were very reminiscent of Nintendo’s Wii Sports collection in many ways except that your body was the controller as opposed to a controller with a light sensor to register movement as it passes in front of a console.  The results were generally positive but the first-gen Kinect wasn’t as powerful as it needed to be and the Xbox 360’s hardware was starting to show signs of aging.  Now, with the Xbox One’s hardware and a much-improved Kinect sensor, motion gaming could be a blast.  Take the demo Kinect Sports Rivals app available for download in the Xbox Games store and you’ll experience a jet-ski race that requires you to motion your body left, right, up, and down to maneuver your character through a course to beat other players.  It’s actually quite good.  Jumping at the peak of a wave gives you better air and a bit of a speed boost to help give you an edge on the competition.  This is just the beginning though as Microsoft Studios is readying the release of the full game, set for April 8, 2014 which will pull in similar cloud computing technology found on Turn 10’s Forza Motorsport 5, which was dubbed “Drivetar”.  Other players’ behaviors and routes will be mapped and implemented into the game for you, meaning you don’t always have to race against dumber AI players or impeccably-good AI players.  Your experience will be a bit more custom and thus more enjoyable.  It worked well in Forza 5 and it’s set to work well in the Xbox One’s first release of Kinect Sports.  Oh, the game also drastically upgrades the graphics from a bubbly/cartoony look to more glossy/sharp graphics, meaning it won’t look & feel so kid-like.  The game will even map your face and try to give your avatar a bit of a personal makeup should you ever get into peak physical condition during your 20s and 30s.  That approach is at least enough to give you a bit of a self-esteem boost.  I know I looked good when I demoed the final product at a local Microsoft Store and I’m sure all who pick up the game will feel the same.

So if you’re looking for a reason to move a bit with your games and show off that cool Kinect sensor that may or may not be getting its fair share of use, this is the title that might break you out of that trend.

Xbox One Update, New Consoles and Prices Coming?

Microsoft are getting some buzz in the rumor mills lately.  According to some, Microsoft are readying two new iterations of their Xbox One console.  The first iteration is a white version of the Xbox One console which has been confirmed as being in the pipeline and likely a 2nd-half of 2014 release.  The white version of the Xbox One already exists but it was exclusive to the Xbox team members at launch.  If you’re a sucker for white and are planning to buy an Xbox One later this year, keep an eye out for the release of this edition.  Microsoft are also rumored to be tweaking with a new, cheaper version of its Xbox One as well.  Though Microsoft has soft denials against the claims that they’re readying a $399 Xbox One, they are also testing configurations on campus to see if there’s a way to put one out.  The key would be in the Blu-Ray drive omission.  Microsoft has to pay for every BR drive they attach to an Xbox One and that money, at least in part, will go to Sony as they’re one of the owners of the tech.  Taking out the disc drive would cut down on costs and steer consumers toward digital purchases of games.  The Xbox One currently sports a 500GB drive but that isn’t nearly enough for 1080p games that take up anywhere from 20-40GB without any DLC included.  To answer that, Microsoft were rumored to be including a 1TB hard drive (double the capacity of the current 500GB drive) for release to compensate.  Increasing storage capacity is an extremely cheap way to offer more in the console.  Hard drives at 1TB capacities can now be purchased for under $100 at nearly every retailer, especially online retailers, and mass producing them for Xbox One consoles would make the cost drastically less, meaning Microsoft could still sell for close to that $399 mark without compromising heavily on profits.

Of course, Microsoft has denied that they’re launching an Xbox One sans BR drive and a 1TB hard drive, but at the same time they also said they were testing possibilities.  So the denial is only 1/2 true.  Microsoft may not be readying an Xbox One at a lower price right now, but they’ve made mention that they’re already in the process of making a cheaper console.  Whether a stripped-back console could hit the market this year or not remains to be seen.  It’s entirely possible that Microsoft could go either way, thus it will be up to them to fill us in if they make any more steps toward releasing a second console to compete with Sony’s price point.

Also of note is the confirmed March Xbox One dashboard update.  Though there is an updated slated for February 11, Microsoft’s Xbox team have readied a big update to improve certain features and dashboard performance of the Xbox One’s software.  The update could include efficiency updates that would technically make the Xbox One “faster” by reducing as much as 10% of the console’s current software power requirements leaving room for other things.  One of the culprits of this could point to the Kinect, which uses somewhere around 10% of the XB1’s power to remain active.  Disabling it doesn’t add power to the console, but Microsoft are likely improving the Kinect’s software which will reduce its power draw on the console.  This will bode well for game technology on the Xbox One as it allows more headroom for developers to put more toward graphic detail, physics, artificial intelligence and more.  We’re still awaiting a full list of confirmed fixes and improvements for this March update, but the Xbox One will see improvements on the software side as confirmed by Microsoft already.  March is also the launch month of TitanFall and the rumors are that the Xbox One will push the update just prior to the launch of the game.