Today's games use 20-30% of Kinect

By Robert Purchese Published 11 November, 2010

Yoostar 2 dev claims to use more.

Blitz Games claims to be getting nearly twice as much out of Kinect as everyone else. Those games you see on the shelves today - they're using barely a third of what the new device can do.

"A lot of the games you're seeing are using 20 to 30 per cent of what Kinect's capable of," Blitz Games' Steve Stopps remarked to Eurogamer. "What we're doing is using probably 50 to 60 per cent.

"What most developers are starting to do now is they're realising that under the hood of what Kinect can do there's a whole world of potential we're only really just scratching."

The Kinect Sports and the Kinect Adventures and the Dance Centrals of the world are using Kinect in a very "obvious" way, Stopps declared. Yoostar 2, Blitz' game, adopts an "innovative" approach.

Yoostar 2 takes clips from famous films and puts you in them. For instance, Arnold Schwarzenegger telling the Police clerk "I'll be back": you'll watch the scene once and then Arnie will be cut out you will fill his shoes - Kinect removes you from your living room and places you in the scene in real-time.

This process was only possible on PC because Yoostar 1 shipped with a green screen. The PS3 Move version almost had to ship a green-screen, too - until Stopps and team worked out a clever get-around for the PlayStation Eye.

"You'll see a lot of the games coming out in the first generation aren't using much of the voice recognition technology," Stopps continued. "That will add a whole new layer to what people can do within a game and what people can engage with.

"You'll also find that every single game at the moment is a Kinect only game. There's a whole world of opportunities for games to use both controller and Kinect together to deliver a different experience.

"And the third thing," he added, "is the most important: it's the different design approach required to design a Kinect game. It's not necessarily a functionality that exists, it's designing a game with a Kinect mentality - approaching a game from an utterly different direction. You're trying to think of engaging ways to use the body and voice recognition to create immersive and fun gameplay."

When that potential is unlocked, Stopps is "100 per cent yes" convinced that Kinect can support core game experiences.

"Imagine playing something like Halo or like Call of Duty where you're holding a controller in your hand but if you want to look round a corner you actually move your head and the camera position changes," he dreamed. "Those kind of experiences you can create to blend the best of Kinect and the best of a controller."

Yoostar 2 will be released for Kinect and Move in Q1 2011 - "around 21st February," Stopps said. Johnny Minkley talked to Spock about it.

Kinect was released yesterday here in the UK. Eurogamer's comprehensive Kinect coverage - including reviews of the launch games and the hardware - can be found on the homepage.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (40) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • MiniAmin #1 1 year ago

    Okay, this actually looks like a brilliant use of Kinect's technology. I want this game!

  • VandelayIndustries #2 1 year ago

    We all love percentages!

  • wizlon #3 1 year ago

    I'm about 78% sure I love percentages.

  • FutureDave #4 1 year ago

    Arbitrary percentages lol

  • ShapeThrower #5 1 year ago

    This is what I like to see ... Someone with vision ....

  • HisDudness #6 1 year ago

    I'll wait until they give it 110% 24-7 365 days a year.

  • Moribundman #7 1 year ago

    I can see this working. It's actually quite clever the way Kinect can essentially green screen without the green screen.

    I might actually buy this one. Sounds fun.

  • McBradders #8 1 year ago

    Background scanning + Microphone use = 60%? :/

  • davisorle #9 1 year ago

    Bought Kinect last morning. Ever since we have been acting like retards. Even my family had to come over in the evening and they actually were playing kinect games -.- In all honestly i was laughing to tears point. half the time from funy mistakes and the other half simply cause it looked too damn dorky. i love dorky. Dance Central was inserted first time today. Lets just say a frined had the balls to use it first cause the rest were too shy. Epic momment. Rec On from the cellphone instantly. STILL tempted to upload on youtube.

    Kinect has so many ways to be used. Its way too cool. Till then its making up for its money through all the laughs. XD

  • Goodfella #10 1 year ago

    They've done studies, you know. 60% of the time it works, every time.

  • Moribundman #11 1 year ago

    Absolutely agree (100%) with him on the issue of voice control too. Kinect has a very powerful and sophisticated voice recognition capability. I remember all the nay sayers whinging about geordie/Scots/Welsh accents etc etc etc but it all works really well (they specifically canvassed people with "extreme" accents for the beta).

    The microphones are excellent too. Recorded my "living statues" for Adventures and there wasn't a hint of background noise or distortion.

    ps. Has anyone actually made one of those living statues and NOT been obscene either vocally or physically when doing it? Watching a gopher spewing Derek & Clive-esque filth in a high pitched voice made me laugh. A lot.

  • HisDudness #12 1 year ago

    Goodfella,

    It's because it's made with real bits of panther!

  • Darkedge #13 1 year ago

    sounds like a early version of a game thats in The Nano Flower by Peter F Hamilton, about 10 years ago. Still quite cool

  • Moribundman #14 1 year ago

    Since this seems to be the 90% official Kinect love-in thread, I feel I can share that despite my room not being QUITE large enough for it to work properly (only about 70-80% of the space required), I really do like Kinect (especially as I got it for free :-P)

    As with 86% of people who like Kinect and frequent websites like EG, I just can't wait for more clever games like this or core/hybrid games to come out.

    I have every launch title on rental order from Love Film and having tested them I am definitely going to be buying at least a couple (28.57%) of them.
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/10 @ 17:01

  • kangarootoo #15 1 year ago

    Its been ages we had a good "percentage of power used" discussion.

  • Moribundman #16 1 year ago

    How much percentage of our power have we used at work today people? The fact we've been hanging around EG forums suggests that it hasn't been 100%.

  • darleysam #17 1 year ago

    Hooking mine up tonight, managed to find hopefully enough floor space to accomodate my 6'5 frame.

  • Stuz359 #18 1 year ago

    Now with double the waggle!

  • Moribundman #19 1 year ago

    @darleysam Good luck mate! It seems that the taller you are, the more space you need, since it scales to your body. A kid (or a girl or a little person) could probably get away with far less than the suggested space, but I'm 5'11" and I have had to do some serious rearranging to accommodate it.

    Good tip: if you're having trouble, mount it high up on the wall. It's certainly not ideal (you'll have a chunky wire training down and need to stick an ugly mount or shelf in the middle of your wall) but if it can look down on you it'll find it far easier to track you.

  • Dolly #20 1 year ago

    This game sounds mint! For a movie and games buff, this looks like a right laugh! :)

  • mcmonkeyplc #21 1 year ago

    Wow, I am actually impressed!

  • thubie #22 1 year ago

    @beemoh

    Ever heard of scaling up a movement.
    Like you move your head 10 degree left your ingame character moves his head 30 degree left.

  • sneetch #23 1 year ago

    Yoostar 2 takes clips from famous films and puts you in them. For instance, Arnold Schwarzenegger telling the Police clerk "I'll be back": you'll watch the scene once and then Arnie will be cut out you will fill his shoes - Kinect removes you from your living room and places you in the scene in real-time.

    Wait, it's some kind of holodeck now? Want! ;)

  • Sharzam #24 1 year ago

    If iam sitting down on the sofa the voice and gesture stuff works fine, however if i want to actually play a game then i have to move the sofa completly to other side of the room. Not really a problem as i have lamet flooring and its a small sofa so easy to move. Not like you only play dance central for 5 mins its more of a party game or a proper serious work out session.

    So basically yes space is annoying but ill put up with it to use kinect because you can see there is some real potential there with the right developer i think.

  • Geordiemp #25 1 year ago

    Actually, the comment and title of this thread, is he serious or is it a comical jibe at the many articles that said we are using 30 % of the cell that we used to get with PS3...

    If they utilise more of the sensor technology and embedded processor inside kinect, will the games get less laggy or more laggy ?

    Read on Engadget that Kinect still has the special processor that does the video processing, as someone already has drivers for connecting Kinect to a PC....
    Edited by 3 at 11/11/10 @ 17:38

  • man.the.king #26 1 year ago

    @Moribundman

    How much percentage of our power have we used at work today people? The fact we've been hanging around EG forums suggests that it hasn't been 100%. ""

    Indeed. Remove the first two digits (starting from the Left hand side) and you will be pretty close to the amount of effort I have expended at work so far :)

  • man.the.king #27 1 year ago

    @thubie

    "Ever heard of scaling up a movement.
    Like you move your head 10 degree left your ingame character moves his head 30 degree left. "

    Ever heard of "in the heat of the moment"? For an FPS, how sure are you will be able to remember just exactly how much you need to turn your head, and in the right direction?

    /nitpick mode off

  • firef7y #28 1 year ago

    That just sounds weird. How can you put a percentage on abstract functions? What would using 100% entail? The hardware onboard Kinect is under the control of MS so the devs use the output and decide what to focus on.

  • coolbritannia #29 1 year ago

    Is that Leonard Nimoy?

  • Vermillion3000 #30 1 year ago

    I like the Kinect - forget the hype and impossible expection - the thing you actually buy and get to play with is still really cool!
    This is a nice comments thread! It's almost like it's not on the interwebz! People being positive? It'll never catch on!

  • Thedni #31 1 year ago

    Must admit using the IR sensor's depth to filter the player from a camera feed is a bloody clever idea.

  • monkfishjoe #32 1 year ago

    Can we now have a game where you can use the 'motion capture' capabilities of the camera? Imagine adding your own animations to your avatar in Rock Band?

    It would almost be worth the price if I could do stuff like that.

  • TOOTR #33 1 year ago

    Looks like a lot of fun. Fingers crossed for some Life of Brian and Spinal Tap Scenes.

    And no-one has mentioned using the capture in classic porn movies?

    Phew.

    Then I won't either.

  • gringohairpiece #34 1 year ago

    Wow a thread about Kinect that isn't full of people denigrating it. I haven't bought it yet, keen but was waiting to see how a few colleagues get on with it. However, the comments in this thread have stoked my enthusiasm significantly and I am sorely tempted just to place an order and have done with it.
    Edited by 1 at 11/11/10 @ 20:03

  • Sabreman64 #35 1 year ago

    So this Yoostar 2 is just more casual shovelware then?

    When that potential is unlocked, Stopps is "100 per cent yes" convinced that Kinect can support core game experiences.

    There will be hardly any core games produced for Kinect. Once publishers see how much money they're making from all the casual shovelware, they'll continue to churn out the shovelware. It'll be the Wii all over again.

    "Imagine playing something like Halo or like Call of Duty where you're holding a controller in your hand but if you want to look round a corner you actually move your head and the camera position changes," he dreamed. "Those kind of experiences you can create to blend the best of Kinect and the best of a controller."

    How on earth is this going to work? Say, for example, in the game you want to turn your head by 90 degrees. You'd have to turn your head by 90 degrees in real life, and somehow still keep your eyes on the screen, which would be virtually impossible.

    Sorry, Microsoft, you can get Kinect developers to promote Kinect as much as you like. I still won't be buying one. I've had it with all this motion sensing business.

  • mattigan #36 1 year ago

    It will work in a different way than you have just come up with off the top of your head in the last 30 seconds, why? Because the people developing games for this thing do this for a living and aren't some random clown on a forum rubishing something because they can't think of a way to make it work in their tiny little minds.

    Seriously, off the top of my head I can think of at least a couple of ways to to make head tracking work for looking round a corner that don't actually involve looking away from the screen, and I AM some random clown on a gaming forum!

    The key is that I am prepared to wait and see before I pass judgement from my ivory tower.

  • Noble6 #37 1 year ago

    Ive decided to buy kinect tomorrow. Haters can say all they want but u cant neglect the fact that MS have delivered one of the most innovative devices of all time to retail. If anyone can do it, its Ms - theyv got the resources, theyv got the ideas and certainly have the funding to push it.

    I agree theres more to it, Kinects only going to get better with time. Simple logic - the hardware works sufficiently enough to achieve the required results in the current gen, the rest is all based on software.
    Edited by 1 at 12/11/10 @ 05:08

  • 3william56 #38 1 year ago

    ""Imagine playing something like Halo or like Call of Duty where you're holding a controller in your hand but if you want to look round a corner you actually move your head and the camera position changes,"

    Umm, isn't that already in Gran Turismo 5, utilizing 0% of Kinect technology?
    And isn't the whole point not to have a controller in your hand?
    /is confused

  • Noble6 #39 1 year ago

    U have got a point there but MS never said dont use a controller or never did they say they were halting production of controllers. Just like 3D its optional for a different xperience. I dont mind which ever way they work so long as they improve the experience.

  • tancredo #40 1 year ago

    The whole point of Kinect is to enhance the experience.

    MS has never claimed the Kinect tech will substitute the traditional controller 100%. That they have chosen to promote controller free games during the launch of Kinect is just a powerful way of showing the technology - to the family crowd.

    MS has been saying for a long time that games using controller + kinect are possible and that will come out in the future. One tech does not exclude the other.

    Same with games. Coming out with "casual/family/party" games does not exclude more "hardcore" games from coming out in the future