Working Title 07.02.10: Working Flipside - The Hardware of E3 2010
Posted by Jordan Williams on 07.02.2010
So now that E3 is long gone and we have seen the three new pieces of hardware...what are the good and bad points of them? Is there any possible upside for the Kinect? Is there any downside for the 3DS? And what the hell IS the point of the Move?
Welcome to the #1 Column to think that Transformers: WFC is probably one of the best uses of the license since Beast Wars, WORKING TITLE. Seriously, people talk a lot of shit about the movies because they are (supposedly) bad, but this game is pretty fucking nifty. The single-player is a touch thin when it comes to the Decepticons, but even then this game is the closest things to a Tribes game multiplayer wise that we will see…well…ever.
But enough about that, E3 was last week and now it's time to hear my thou--…Oh wait. E3 was two weeks ago…
Damn.
Oh well, seeing as pretty much every gaming website in THE WORLD was talking about the shit that went down at E3, I figure the last thing you all needed was for me to do a rant about it. Of course, the last thing we needed in this world was a remake of Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead and we are getting that one, too.
But instead I am just going to look at the three big hardware bombs that dropped this E3 and look at the flipside of them. It's pretty fair to say that just about everyone has some opinion one way or another about the Kinect, The Move and the 3DS be it negative or positive, so why don't we just get all of that shit out in the open, huh?
Working Flipside: The Hardware of E3 2010
So this year we saw the unveiling of the two things that are going to keep the PS3 and 360 relevant (hopefully) for another four years and the next stage in the handheld game. Kinect, Move, and the 3DS. They all have the obvious high and low points some of them will make or break the tech right out of the gate.
So how about we start with the most middling of the three? Judging by the reactions it seems that there is one everyone is going apeshit over 3DS and has a giant wave of apathy towards the Kinect. Let's just shoot straight to the middle of the pack.
Playstation Move
The Good Side
+ Hardcore and Casual Game Support
+ 3D Space Movement and True 1:1 Control
+ Direct Competitor to the Wii, right down to the product recognition
So this is the PS3 Move, some might call it another in a long line of knock-offs Sony has supposedly had from Nintendo. But the thing about knock-offs and ‘stolen ideas' is that like it or not…sometimes other people get them right. While no one in the world can deny that the Move is an OBVIOUS take on the Wii, you also cannot argue that it does a lot more things right than the Wii currently does. True 1:1 support for games, a better tracking system and the fact that it can actually be used to play "real" games already puts it ahead.
But there are some of the other applications that Wii probably won't ever do like 3D Movement. I've said it time and time again, and I will say it one more time…3D gaming is happening whether we like it or not and the Move actually seems like it might be the first controller to operate well in 3D Space. Of course, this is also made by Sony who is also pushing the 3D stuff hard because they have TVs to sell, but I think if anyone is going to get the home console 3D right, Sony is going to be the one.
And then there is the fact that this thing looks SO much like the Wii that people automatically have a bond with it. With Kinect, you have to learn a whole new way to play depending on the API and how well you move. But we've been inundated with Wii technology for five years now. You know when you see the Move Wand and the Sub Controller that you know what movements do what and what you need to do. This will go a LONG way in getting it into the hands of the grandmas and children they are aiming this at. But of course, there are factors that already working against them in that regard…
The Bad Side
- Doesn't define an audience
- Mimics Nintendo's bad mistakes
- Overestimates the spending limit of the true casuals
Probably the main problem I have with the Move so far is that it's really hard to understand who they are trying to pitch for here. On one hand they are trying very hard to get that Wii Market they want to bad and all of the casuals that come with it. But on the other hand they keep backtracking and going "WELL IT PLAYS HARDCORE GAMES, TOO!" but like I said in the 3Rs…I can't fathom most of the hardcore opting to use Move Support on traditional games that were developed to be used with a controller. Sure, people might say that they need the control in for hardcore games or else the fans would bitch…but I still thinking locking Move Support into games made for Move is a better way to showcase the technology than saying "It's a different way to play this established game!". Saying shit like "See? You can play Killzone 2 with it!" just makes it sound like a peripheral…and a really expensive one that that.
Then there is the point where it is sort of taking all of the bad notes from Nintendo as well. When was this sudden obsession that SPORTS GAME WITH MOTION is the new hotness? It worked on the Wii, that was cool…but EVERYONE HAS PLAYED IT NOW. It came out FIVE YEARS AGO. The same casual market they are banking for has already played this game…on the Wii…that they already bought. They are mimicking Nintendo's early mistakes by associating Casual with Simplistic and Dumb. What have we seen from The Move that isn't on the Wii already? They took the Wii and made it better, we get that. But they have to get the better games out there to match if they really want people to plunk down the price.
And the final point is the point that I think is most important. Sony is SEVERELY overestimating the spending limit of the casual market. If you already own a PS3, the Move for two people is going to come out to about 180-190 dollars. If you don't already own a PS3 then that's another 300 dollars added to that. Do they really think that Grandma Casual is going to drop close to 500 dollars on this when she can grab a Wii Bundle for 200? It's just that for the market they are aiming this as (a market who most likely doesn't have much of their OWN income to spend) it's a pretty steep price.
But of course, this is all speculative. For all we know they could release an ‘arcade' PS3 that is super cheap and makes you waffles at the same time. This whole column isn't meant to shit in anyone's cereal…just to point out both sides of the scale.
But what if that Scale was in…THREEE-DEEEEEE!!?!?!?!?!?
Nintendo 3DS
It would be an understatement to say that the 3DS was the one thing everyone was talking about the show. Given how people GUSHED over this and Nintendo as a whole, you would think that the 3DS would give you a hand job on every day that ended with a y. But is it all warranted or are we just once again fooled by the Magical Fairies that work at Nintendo?
The Good Side
+ The first case to prove that 3D in games MIGHT work.
+ Even without 3D, still a strong handheld
+ Seems to be avoiding the HORRIBLE period which the DS went through early in life.
The thing people are taking away from the 3DS is that for the most part, the 3D WORKS. There are some issues that need to be worked out as far as viewing angles and what not, but the 3D without glasses actually WORKS. It has turned even some of the most staunched Anti-3D gamers into believers that this might be a viable form of entertainment down the road, and given how video game history repeats itself…it's just a matter of time Sony steals adapts this idea into something else.
Another point that people are getting on is that even if the 3DS bombs (which you know it won't) it's still a stronger system than the DSi all around. Analog nub, stronger graphics, better internet support. I mean look at the game play footage from Kid Icarus and compare it to some of the higher end DS games you see? They look downright fucking UGLY. So even if the 3D sort of becomes and afterthought (similar to touch already is) we are still going to be left a stronger handheld…and a strong set of games to go with it…and more of a reason not to get a PSP. Man, I feel sorry for the PSP.
The one that rings true for me though is the fact that the 3DS seems to be avoiding the horrible early stage that the DS had. Remember when they were dead-set on making every game use the touch screen so damn much that it pretty much BROKE some games? It really looks like Nintendo is avoiding that with the 3DS. The 3D is optional for one, and even if the games are 3D there is only so much with the gimmick that can be used. So all in all the 3DS is set up to be the next perfect handheld…but there are downsides.
The Bad Side
- 3D looks nice, but hasn't been proven to enhance GAMEPLAY.
- Way too early to bust out the remakes
- Always being online is doesn't mean shit if Nintendo's Online Infrastructure is still horrible.
Yes, the 3D works. Yes, it doesn't require glasses. Yes, it is pretty…but have they proven that 3D will actually change how we play the game? It could end up being great seeing as how we haven't seen a true game for it yet…but nothing that they have shown shows that 3D will change the way we play the game, just how we see it. And if that's the case…doesn't it make 3D a bit of a waste?
And what is up with the constant stream of remakes? We know Nintendo loves to use their back catalog but to get people sold a new console/handheld you want to get some games on there that can stand on their own. It's sad if your killer app might end up being a game that was released for a console nearly 10 years ago. It just screams of the fad of converting movies into 3D that obviously don't need it (Sup, Airbender?).
I don't even need to really elaborate on the third one. Nintendo's Online Service sucks the cock of a thousand suns. Telling me it's always going to be on and draining my battery for such a shitty service is just bad all around.
Microsoft Kinect
And from what many see as the best to what many see as the worst, we have the Kinect. I like the Kinect…well…I WANT to like the Kinect. The technology behind it is very good and I think it could be the first step to having a real life holodeck…but even then it is still not that much of a good showing. But even then it still has a good side.
The Good Side
+ Even with the high price tag, that's all you will need.
+ Technology is genuinely impressive
+ Has applications outside of the game space.
Yes, we are all aware that the Kinect costs 150 dollars. That is a pretty goddamn steep price but when you really think about it…that is all you will have to pay. No controllers, no sub controller, no way to ki-nickel and dime you (that we can see) so even it the price doesn't get Joe Q. Casual on the boat right away, it's still something that sort of pays for itself if the games are good enough to back it.
The technology behind the Kinect isn't at fault for its lackluster showing, the idea that full body motion control could actually work for real games is great. I mean look at stuff like Child and Eden and Dance Central? If they could fix being able to move your character (and sit down) then we could be onto something. It's the software that needs to do it, not the hardware.
And I mean…LOOK AT IT! You can control outside shit with it? You know those futuristic movies there they are always like "Main Screen! Turn On!" and shit? KINECT LETS ME DO THIS. Of course a 150 dollar universal remote is a bit spazztarded, but the fact that the API and Tech inside of the Kinect could fuel other technology outside of the game space is pretty goddamn nifty.
The Bad Side
- Glaring gameplay holes already evident.
- Not showing us anything that we can't get on Wii gameplay wise.
- Overestimates the spending limit of the true casuals
But we are dealing primarily with the game space here, and the game space has some big ass holes in it. For one they have never addressed how these games will actually control. Mostly all of the games we have seen and that are planned run on rails with no direct movement control over the on screen player. How could you deal with a Kinect styled Halo or Gears game and not have it just bee a full body rail shooter? These are all things that need to be worked out...and this all all for tech that is going to hit store shelves in three months!
Which leads to the stuff they have shown, outside of Dance Central all of the things we have seen can be accomplished on the Wii and Move. Kinectimals is the EyePet. Joyride is Mario Kart. Kinect Adventures is…well…every shitty minigame collection ever and I don't even need to point out the link between Kinect Sports and Wii Sports. For a piece of tech that is arguably the strongest of the three it just looks like it's not doing anything but shooting right for the middle. It will make them a lot of money, sure. But the idea that you are about to drop 150 bones for essentially a camera that allows you to act like you are playing the Wii is just too stupid.
I already hit on the price point with the Move, although it's fairly less than trying to gear up a PS3 for family motion fun. Its still way too much to for something this unproven. The potential with Kinect is there, but they are just too scatterbrained in the plot. They want it to be the next hardware release that will put the 360 into the next stage of its life, but right now all they are marketing it as is a peripheral like a Guitar Hero Controller or something…and that is NOT what you want to do. Not at all.
Personally? Out of the motion control game I think the Kinect has the better potential but the Move has the better market. It will be interesting to see how this all works out.
But at least the 3DS is poised to be 18 different kinds of awesome.
So…what else is there?
Uh…The Airbender movie sucks. This is a shame because I had hopes for it. Next week I'll talk about whatever the fuck I feel like, but I am leaning towards how collectibles and achievements might be ruining games. Why? Because I am trying to beat Alan Wake right now and FUCKING COFFEE THERMOSES ARE MAKING ME CRAZY.
But that is a story for another time, while you wait…just revel in the fact that some day soon we are going to be able to play Tetris on a holodeck. Fuck yeah.
Until next time, I'm Jordan Williams…and…man…Tetris on a Holodeck. Sold.
Oh wait! It's my birthday this Saturday! FUCK YEAH! BRING THE EVERCLEAR!
