If you have been holding off on buying a Kinect system for the Xbox gaming console because of the shortage of “serious” games, that may soon change. At E3, Electronic Arts (EA) announced it will soon support Microsoft’s revolutionary motion-sensing Kinect technology on a variety of titles.
By 2012, EA expects four of its games from the EA Sports department to get the Kinect treatment, including Madden, FIFA, Tiger Woods, and one other project that was not revealed. Gamers will all have to wait and see to find out exactly what Kinect support will entail. Sports fans who have long wanted to feel like they were in the game would surely love to walk up to the line of scrimmage like Peyton Manning and start yelling obscure audibles and wave their arms left and right. With FIFA, one can just imagine players kicking their TVs right onto the floor.
For those who prefer a little more role-playing and adventure, you will be pleased to know that Mass Effect 3 will also support Kinect, which should provide a truly engrossing action role-playing experience. According to Ray Muzyka of BioWare, Mass Effect 3 will introduce spoken dialog options for players and will be “all about kick-ass action and choices with consequences”
Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect is not the first motion-sensing technology to enter the gaming world. Nintendo’s Wii got many gamers off their sofas for the first time, but Xbox Kinect takes it a step further, requiring only the user’s body and voice for interaction. This opens up many new possibilities for immersion gaming, multiplayer interaction, and player control.
E3 is the Electronic Entertainment Expo and will take place June 7 through June 9 in Los Angeles. Every year gaming companies show off their latest titles, introduce new technology, and provide sneak peaks of coming games. It is a PR extravaganza for game developers and the media that cover the events.
