Ubisoft: "Why would you" try to do core controls with Kinect
Ubisoft executive Tony Key has said the company is still experimenting with Kinect in core games, but can't see much point in replacing the control pad.
"One of the reasons we don't have core gamers for the Kinect is because of the time and intensity it would take to try and match exactly what a controller does. But then at the same time, why would you?" the senior vice president of sales and marketing told Gamasutra.
"It's a different experience. Not every experience on the 360 is going to be better on Kinect, or even could be or should be. There should be games developed for all kinds of scenarios, whether you're sitting on the couch or you're standing up."
Key said that Kinect players want "simple gestures" in their experiences, and said that like the Wii, the industry is yet to find a way to make more complicated controls work.
"Nobody figured out on the Wii how to actually improve the shooter experience via the Wiimote. That's not to say that that couldn't have happened, but nobody figured it out," he said.
"Nobody figured out how to make any Call of Duty or Ghost Recon or anything better on the Wii because of the motion control. Somebody needs to figure that out on the Kinect too."
Having said that, Key pointed out that Kinect is more likely to see those advances made, because the console already has a large userbase of shooter fans. In the meantime, developers need to be wary of how they use the tech alongside traditional control methods.
"Building Kinect functionality into a core game is still something we're all toying with, because we still have to decide how does it really improve the experience? If it doesn't improve the experience, then what's the point? The gamers won't support it anyway," he said.
"So what we've done is we've added extra things that if you have a Kinect you can do it. But those things are coming, the hand commands and stuff. But what we have to figure out is, is that feasible while you're holding the controller in your hand? You have to have all that balance."