Next-Gen Kinect and the price of Xbox Next

You have to imagine that Microsoft is still going to be "all-in" on Kinect with their next system. They have to feel like they are close to getting a taste of the magic that Nintendo enjoyed with the early lifespan of the Wii. Sure, the Kinect that we actually got for the Xbox 360 was scaled back. No on board processor, a weaker camera system that can't track fine details, etc, etc.

Basically, if Microsoft is sticking with Kinect for their next system, then it absolutely has to be packed in with EVERY system, and it has to be SIGNIFICANTLY improved from the previous version. It needs to be able to see fingers, and maybe even a bit of eye tracking and facial expression recognition. The voice recognition needs to improve as well.

Of course, all of this doesn't happen in a vacuum. All of this is going to drive up the cost of the Xbox Next. How much will this NEW version of Kinect cost Microsoft ? What is the maximum price that Microsoft would be willing to charge for their next console? $399 ? $349 ? If so, this new version of Kinect is going to end up being a pretty good percentage of that price, and that's going to affect what they can put into the GPU's raw power.


I'm still wondering if Microsoft could wise up and also include a special wand with every single Xbox Next system, that could be used like a Move controller, but also while using Kinect. I think that's one of the most significant things missing from the Kinect experience. No tactile feel. At least with a wand you can have some rumble, and you can have a trigger button for shooting, and it can know EXACTLY where your hand is, when it's trying to be a tennis racket, baseball bat, table tennis racket, baseball, etc, etc, etc.

(But that's another thread really...)


Anyways, how do you think the next-gen version of Kinect is going to affect the whole Xbox Next pricing/GPU power/ram tradeoff ?

I really, really hope that Microsoft get's over the whole "You are the Controller" thing, and includes some type of small handheld wand, with a trigger and a thumbstick on it.


Just think how that simple measure could dramatically improve immersion in Kinect games. You'd have rumble, which would provide some feedback, and you'd have the thumbstick to control your walking/running/direction. You have the trigger for any gun games. What I want, is a much better Kinect camera, with higher resolution, less input lag, better facial recognition, better voice recognition, base level head tracking, finger detection .....


AND.... a Move type controller.






The thing is, Microsoft has repeatedly stated that they don't want the consumer to have anything in their hands when they play Kinect. YOU ARE THE CONTROLLER. has been their mantra since the launch of Kinect. Still, I think it's obvious that many games would benefit tremendously if Microsoft could have a Wand type device. Baseball, Tennis, Ping-Pong, Volleyball, Shooters, Archery/Swords/Shields, etc, etc.

Probably not going to happen, but I can dream