Whereas it doesn’t seem to have gone down too well with core gamers, particularly after the casual gamer oriented showing at E3 earlier this year, Capcom believes that Microsoft’s motion sensing Kinect add on for the Xbox 360 console is the ‘right move’ for Microsoft, even though it will ‘upset a lot of fans.’
Said Capcom exec David Reeves, ‘If you map it out the Xbox 360 is right up in the corner and it has certain types of games associated with it. And Microsoft knows that in ten years time they can’t be there, they have to be appealing to families,’ while explaining why he felt that Microsoft’s new found focus on the casuals would be beneficial in the long run.
He added: ‘ I reckon that strategically it’s absolutely the right move. It’s almost like two steps back and one step forward. They are right to separate Kinect from everything else. If you look at the industry over the past five years and ask yourself where has the money been made, it’s been made on Wii Fit, Brain Training, SingStar, even Guitar Hero. And then on the other side you’ve got the Activision and EA hardcore titles. They’re in a box. Publishers don’t want to give up their core values but they need to reach out to this wider market. They’ve got to do it to make that move before they bring out the new systems. I think long-term it’s the right move but they realise they’re going to upset a lot of users.’
While core gamers have largely derided Microsoft and Sony’s attempts to jump on the motion control bandwagon, the two mega corporations have stuck to their guns. However, a recent study by EEDAR has shown that the purchase intent for the two accessories is very low.
The Kinect launches later this year, and it will be priced at $149.