Saturday, June 11, 2011

Microsoft, why won't you help?



Microsoft apparently want everything to eventually be Kinect enabled.  How are those of us that are on the lower limit of the spousal approval rating, supposed to get our gaming in while pretending to watch a movie/TV show with their significant other, if you have to keep TALKING to the Kinect device?

Sony have the PSVita arriving that means you can get supposedly better games on the go, and Nintendo's Wii U allows for gaming on the controller portion of the device.

Picture the default scene...

You have (as usual) managed to be trapped into watching some movie you know is going to be painful for you.  You also know that after what feels like hours you're going to look over and see them fast asleep.  Normal rules apply.  If you so much as move an inch towards turning off the TV they will wake, say that they still want to watch it and you have to keep winding the movie WAY back so they can get to the part they last remember.

With the Nintendo Wii U, or Sony PSVita, you can simply get it from the pre-movie storage spot you stuffed it into.  So while some woman in the movie is crying over her brother being killed by an uncle after 20 years of not wanting to be married to the other guy who really wasn't a bad guy after all (all in the rain and slow motion) you can carry on that game of Mario or Wipeout you have. Remember, you must store it within arms reach or they will detect movement and make you suffer most of the movie again.

With Microsoft Kinect, you already have to switch the TV over (and spouses can detect the difference between movie colors and game colors on screen, even through their eyelids).  So if you even make it that far, you still have to sort of whisper shout commands at the Kinect sensor, while it continues to tell you it doesn't understand or simply does nothing.  You're not going to be getting your game on this way.

Microsoft, sort it out, or there are going to be older gamers with less Halo, and more Mario and Nathan Drake in their lives.  Not to mention that if the movie you are having to endure is particularly awful, you can even start PSVita-ing or Wii U-ing in advance of the optimal time, as your significant other may be completely absorbed, but that's for advanced players only.

Nintendo Wii U
Nintendo Wii U - Good
PlayStation Vita - WiFi
Sony PSVita - Good

Kinect
Not helping

No comments: