Factor in rumours that a cheaper version of the new Xbox 360 sku is in the works (with less storage, one would assume), and suddenly Microsoft's motion control system seems highly competitive.
I can’t help but think that had Microsoft introduced Kinect at the start of this generation the console landscape might look a lot different than it does today. Kinect is the most sensitive and accurate motion control system I’ve yet encountered. Had it launched in tandem with the Xbox 360—and been accompanied by software that made the most of its advantages—it surely would have taken some of the wind out of the Wii’s billowing sails.
However, superior technology doesn’t automatically trump in the world of consumer electronics; timing and brand names often play more important roles. In launching Kinect this late for a platform now firmly established as one geared for core gamers, Microsoft may have missed out on the opportunity to capture many single-console households in which only the kids play.
Regardless of the outcome, it should be interesting to watch the new motion control battle when it begins this fall.
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