Motion Capture: Where do we go from here?

I’m sure you’ve all heard of Kinect by now, Microsoft’s motion capture baby; you may have even played it. Basically, it involves you jumping around like a loony without having to hold anything at all; as Microsoft so love to say: “You are the controller”

Well Microsoft, I don’t bloody want to be.

Don’t get me wrong, the concept is fantastic and Kinect is probably one of the most advanced pieces of technology available in the home, but if this becomes the gaming standard I’m going to have to find a new hobby, like watching paint dry or making jam.



Don't take it personally.



Part of the appeal of gaming is the ability to wedge yourself firmly in the corner of the sofa, clasp that beautifully formed controller between your sweaty, eager palms and then sit there for hours mashing people until your bladder threatens to leave its mark on the upholstery.

Motion capture technology won’t replace traditional gaming but I think it can definitely compliment it. What I really want to see is an action game that fully utilizes the technology available with Kinect, because right now, it’s definitely in its infancy. I want a game where you can properly swing a sword, shoot a bow or leap over railings, where you can interact directly with objects and people. Basically I want an interactive, virtual reality style RPG. Gaming is escapism and there’s nothing more escapist than donning the virtual armour of a hero. It’s great to play the hero, but being the hero would be amazing.

That being said, for decades, the humble controller has managed to suck us into that incredible virtual world and it most certainly hasn’t needed us to get off our butts to achieve it. Kinect is asking too much and not delivering enough! At the moment, home motion capture systems stagnate firmly in the gimmicky ‘casual gaming’ market but I want to see it do so much more; I know it’s capable of it. There’s nothing wrong with casual gaming and the Wii and Kinect has admirably managed to draw in a whole new generation of gamers that enjoy the thrashing about but I just think it’s a waste not to use this technology in a more advanced manner, and draw in the more hardcore crowd too.

It shouldn’t be simply the realm of very young children and very drunk adults. Hardcore gamers should want to participate just as much and at the moment, we don’t want to. Not even petting a tiger is going to cut it. There’s nothing on offer that’s good enough to drag us away from the controller games that have better graphics and guaranteed handling and control. Not like the Wii or Kinect where your mad flailing might not get picked up by the cameras. But I do want it to sit alongside the traditional controller in a happy union of mutual respect and understanding; it just hasn’t got there yet.

And until it gets there, controller is king and Kinect can shove it. I don’t need Dance Central to tell me how much my dancing resembles the uncontrollable jerking of an electrocuted scarecrow. My family fulfils that role quite nicely, thanks.