With the dust settling on this year’s E3 we thought we would look into our magic ball and try and understand who might win the “movement wars.” All three of the big players are sticking their futures on new fangled movement controls. We will try and wade through the PR rhetoric to give you a real taste of what to expect in the coming months.
All three console giants had a impressive E3 with major announcements on new hardware and games that will be ready in time for Christmas. The “movement wars” have been set in place and many of us are wondering who will win?
Microsoft splashed the cash this week, with their Cirque De Soleil show, which tried to capture the imagination of the gaming fraternity, with a fancy stage show to show off the magic of Kinect. Sadly it left a sour taste in our mouth. The Pre-E3 event came across more than a little bit stage-managed. After all if Kinect is a natural, visceral and fun experience. Why would it be necessary to have actors on stage – trying to interpret how fun it is. If it’s that good. The stage show wasn’t necessary to convey this. Normal people having fun would have captured this so much better.
Many of the sceptics were still left with many unanswered questions, is there lag? How much will it cost ? Is it just for my Mum & Dad? And sadly we still can’t answer these. We’ve trawled all four corners of the internet to try gauge the press reaction and we’ve read some interesting thoughts. One this is for sure, Microsoft can’t just aim the causal market and forget about the people who actually own the Xbox at the moment, which in general are the hardcore variety. Microsoft have certainly taken the biggest risk with their controller-free ethos. I for one are yet to be convinced. But I am keen to try it out and hope it lives up to the massive hype.
Nintendo were the first console to target the casual gamers and have had movement controls for a while now. So they left their big E3 announcement to the new 3DS – quite clearly the most technologically advanced handheld that they have ever created and it stole the show this year. After all 3D images without glasses, is a man on the moon moment for Nintendo. Especially in light of their shunning of HD gaming with Wii. I have no doubt that the new 3DS will be the must have gadget this Christmas, if it is out by them. Nintendo have cornered the casual market and that’s a given. But the question to ask, is the the casual market worth more than the hardcore one? Obviously Microsoft think it is and have staked a big bet that they can corner both markets – even if they’re poles apart.
Sony made fun of both Nintendo and Microsoft event with cheap shots at their future plans – Sony feel that realism through Move and 3D is the future. But with their Move controller they have cynically copied the Wii remote and this is obvious to any gamer, casual or hardcore. At least Microsoft and Nintendo are trying to push the boundaries of technology and hardware. Sony have just re-hashed the wand and 3D – marketing as the future of gaming, but it’s common knowledge that 3D is just the same as what we were getting in the early 90′s. 80′s styled glasses in all.
One thing to take from E3 is are the game companies really giving us what we want? Nintendo certainly are – they have stuck to the fun casual market since day 1 and they must be applauded for this. But Sony and Microsoft have been scrapping over the hardcore market for the last 3 years with neither able to call a victory. So it would seem that they are both looking to steal Nintendo’s monopoly of the casual gamers. However it just looks a little late and cynical.
We will know more in the next 6 months, but the lines have been draw in the sand and the “movement wars” are going to be the most exciting time to be a gamers and that can’t be a bad thing
who you think is the best? leave a comment plz
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment