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Kinect hacks seem to be showing up all over the place, but lets face it, using it to control Super Mario pretty much tops the list of what everyone was waiting for right? The proof of concept video which can be found after the jump is an impressive demonstration, even though it looks nearly impossible to accurately control.
The short clip makes for an interesting conversation piece, but after watching it you really have to wonder if Kinect is the gaming controller panacea Microsoft makes it out to be. The launch titles seem to cover off all the most basic mechanics that come to mind, dancing, sports, driving, etc, but is it really useful for anything else? After all, sometimes it really seems like the games are just playing themselves anyway.
I think most Maximum PC readers would agree that it has serious potential as a UI input method, but would anyone really rather play Mario this way? Let us know what you think after the jump.
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kiddcreole99
November 29, 2010 at 8:20am
OK...so apparently I have to point out the obvious possibility that this is just a hoax. While the kid in the video certainly seems to be controlling the game via the Kinect, there is nothing showing that there isn't a buddy sitting off to the side with the old Nintendo controller and is following his friends body movements with the appropriate D-pad/A-button entries.
There is no explanation of which body movements control which aspects of the game. We are just to assume that the kid running in place means Mario runs. In some cases, the kid steps left or right to make Mario move in that direction...in other cases, he runs in place. Just seems a little questionable to me.
Danielt876
November 28, 2010 at 9:36pm
It didnt look that hard. The kid just sucked at it. I for one would love to try it.
legacy_gtr
November 28, 2010 at 8:06pm
Did you really just criticize Microsoft and the Kinect for not working well on a game that is over 20 years old and was never intended for? I understand your point that there are some weaknesses in the Kinect as an input method but I don't think it was ever intended to be used for every game developed for the X-box. Also, the Kinect was just released, I'm sure even Microsoft has a lot still to learn about how to get the most out of it, let alone the teenager in the video.
Ghok
November 28, 2010 at 7:15pm
Seems like a good way to get exercise!
I've seen a few Kinect hack videos... none of them have anything to do with gaming, but all have been very cool.
j0101011
November 28, 2010 at 6:53pm
I would love to see an fps with kinect. Have it register the orange tip of a toy gun, and a small led light set up to the triger to show when you fire. I think it could work better then wii fps games since you can loose controlers completely.
DanDog
November 28, 2010 at 6:50pm
That advertising is not allowed, but then again, it's probably a scam anyway!
