Games
The tweaks Microsoft needs to make to turn its motion camera into something truly spectacular.
Microsoft may be slowly distancing itself away from the Xbox One’s Kinect sensor after it slashed the cost of its console in the vicious price war with Sony by unbundling it, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely DOA. Kinect still works well as an easy way to switch your console on (yelling ‘Xbox on’ never gets old), its voice commands are usually on point and its instant log-on when it recognises you is very handy.
No, it’s not perfect, but we reckon with a few of these fixes, Microsoft will want to bundle it back in with the main console soon and get back to work on some Kinect-exclusive games. Read on to find out how we’d fix up the next-gen Kinect.
Let us train Kinect for better voice commands
While we love the Kinect for letting us yell at our Xbox to pause or play through our Netflix queue, not all of us are able to use it to its full potential, as it simply can’t understand every single accent – something that Apple’s Siri and Google Now have little trouble with at all. We’d love for the Xbox to pack in the ability to let us fine tune or train the Kinect to our voices, so that when we do bark out voice commands, it’s all the more accurate. Yep, that means that when you say “Xbox, go to Netflix” it actually will, instead of launching Xbox Music.
Add in Cortana
Currently, if you want to find out some information, yelling Xbox Bing at your console is one way to bring up some trivia about your favourite film, but it’s not as useful as Microsoft’s Cortana voice assistant found on Windows Phone, and soon Windows 10 computers too. While it looks like the Xbox One will be getting some form of Windows 10-style upgrade, we’d love for Microsoft to add Cortana now, giving us more detailed information whenever we ask. Kinect really is the perfect fit in the home for it.
Ditch the hand gestures
Controlling your Xbox with your voice is supremely convenient, but we’re not convinced the hand gestures are quite so handy (pun intended). While the tracking works fine in games like Xbox Fitness, trying to slide around Internet Explorer with our hand outstretched in front of us is a chore, and it doesn’t always work. We reckon it needs a good tune-up and, if that’s not possible, it needs to be ditched, at least from operating system navigation.
Make it cheaper
Once upon a time, Microsoft could get away with flogging Kinect for more than £120 – the original model for Xbox 360 became the fastest-selling consumer electronics gadget of all time. Today though, now the novelty has worn off, it’s not justifying the same huge outlay. Gamers have already shown that by giving the rival PS4 a big sales headstart, and a reduced priced for the Kinect, bundled or not, could help bring the accessory back into vogue.
Scan yourself into the game
We’ve seen a few games take advantage of the Kinect sensor to get you in the game, although the results have been rather mixed (NBA 2K15 we’re looking at you), we’d love if it was actually capable of creating a proper virtual representation of you for every game, like an HD Nintendo Mii. Microsoft’s Avatars that popped up on the 360 are not as visible on the Xbox One, but you can still create one – and we’d love to see the Kinect turn you into a cutesy little version of yourself, or see more games use the camera to get you into the game. FIFA 15 still relies on its own archaic browser-based way of getting your face in the game, and we’d rather use the camera that works with our Xbox One.
Drop the cost of the PC adapter
Microsoft’s keen to get developers making the most of the Kinect on PCs, just like the original, but it’s mighty pricey. Not only do you have to spring for the standalone £129.99 sensor, but you have to fork out an extra £29.99 just to hook it up to your PC. That’s starting to get mighty expensive, and if you want more people to take advantage of its sensor powers, dropping the cost of entry would be a start.
More Kinect games
The biggest problem the Xbox One has with Kinect, is that there are barely any games that tap into it. The camera sensor has better capabilities than its predecessor, but it’s not captured the imagination of game developers in the same way, with only dance and fitness games making the most of it. If it’s really meant to be a must-have, essential piece of kit for your Xbox, Microsoft needs to step things up and make it much more crucial for gaming. We can count barely a handful of Kinect-only games.
Make it smaller
We’re sure Microsoft’s crammed the Kinect full of tech, but it’s a rather bulky, large contraption that takes up a fair bit of room. We wouldn’t mind seeing the Kinect downsized to be even smaller, and actually mountable on televisions without having to buy third-party equipment.
What would you change about Microsoft’s Kinect? Sound off in the comments below.
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