Sony: Kinect's Problems are ''Quite Big''
Sony software engineer Anton Mikhailov talks about Kinect's big problems.
Recently Sony Computer Entertainment software engineer Anton Mikhailov spoke with Videogamer about the company's new motion sensing device for the PlayStation 3, Move. As expected, he pointed out the flaws in Microsoft's Kinect for the Xbox 360, saying that its technological problems are "quite big."
"I think the tech is a bit, not so much immature, but not quite up to spec in what we think," he admitted in the interview. "Like the PlayStation Eye camera runs at 60 frames per second so it can track you very quickly whereas the Kinect and other depth camera are only 30 frames per second. So they are more suited for slower motions. Dancing is still kind of okay and then the yoga stuff that they were doing, it fits that very well, whereas if you want to do quick punches it's harder to do that just because you can't see the player as quickly. And there's also more latency, things like that. So you know, it's not a particularly sexy result, it's just mostly technological problems."
So what kind of problems does Kinect have? After all, the device is selling like hotcakes, flying off the shelves compared to Move's slower... movement into consumer homes. Gamers and non-gamers alike obviously seem to think Kinect is the better product based on sales figures alone.
"The fact that it runs at 30 frames per second instead of 60, that's a common problem with all those cameras," he said. "It's actually hard to fix because you have a lot of data to transport. Sort of working with that image is expensive computationally-wise. I think they quoted something like 10-15 per cent of the Xbox resources, plus like 50 megs of memory or something like that. The Move takes less than 1-percent, and like 1 megabyte. So, you know, that's just a bunch of numbers but to developers that means like Killzone 3 can just put in Move and not have to worry about it, whereas something like Kinect you have to make significant game changes to actually fit that into your game. So that's a big plus for Move I think 'cause a lot of people can just try it out and put it in."
He goes on to talk about problems with the cameras themselves, saying that the resolutions are too low and that certain types of material can cause problems (jeans, leather, glass etc). But eventually he gives the expected props to PlayStation Move, saying that it can achieve much of what Kinect can offer.
"Kinect can sense the distance to an object whereas the [PlayStation] Eye has to do that through - Kinect kind of gets that for free, that's part of its output, whereas with the Eye we have to do vision algorithms to get that," he said. "So something like Kung Fu Live, so that does background subtraction, so Kinect again gets that for free whereas with the Eye we have to do some algorithms. It's always more robust when you get it in the hardware but the reality is we can still do a lot of these features with just the Eye and if the users are happy with both then we're equivalent in that sense."
To read the full interview, head here. Have you purchased both Kinect and Move? Which is the better device?
- MP3 Player Pretends to be a Walkman
- Get a Street-Legal Tron Lightcycle for $55,000
- VIDEO: Hot LG Star Caught on Film
- WikiLeaks Founder Wanted by Interpol
- Google Delaying Launch of Social ''Network''
- Guy Googles Self, Finds He's a Murder Suspect
- Unreal Engine 3 iOS 'Infinity Blade' Coming Dec. 9
- NASA to Reveal 'Astrobiology Discovery' Thursday
- Google Translate Can Beatbox Too!
- NOOKcolor Rooted into $250 Android Tablet
- Comcast Accused of Starting Web ''Toll Booth''
- Facebook CoFounder Unveils New Social Network
- Yamaha Wakes You Gently With iPod Alarm Dock
- Steampunk Turntable Literally Runs on Steam
- Study Proves Video Games Reduce Pain
- TV Network Content Coming to Microsoft Devices
- Ultrasounds? There's An App For That
- These Shoes Leave Your Floor Squeaky Clean
- The Solar, Wind, and Biochemical Power Lamp


hmm, using up half the console's power is a problem... pretty much guarantees only lame wii like games for it
So why the PS3 eye device is not able to handle a full body movement ? and not able to track the depth ? if this device is better ?
simply its not the same device and the PS3 one lack a lot of features... and especialy the market share ;-)
The reason Kinect is selling faster is due to more aggressive marketing..
I purchased Kinect a couple of weeks ago.. and have been pretty disappointed with it; the lag is noticable; and the movements aren't as precise as I expected.
For example, the Sonic racing game was the main one I was interested in. The motion controls worked.. okay. But it was quite poor in turning corners, the lag made it very difficult. Thankfully the game has incredibly botched mechanics to make up for the poor control scheme - as in you hit corners and it'll turn automatically for you.
I think the reason 'Dance Central' works so well, is the game is a fair bit slower, and the lag isn't so much of a problem.
Kinect seems pretty half-baked, it seems like it was a bit rushed. Wish they had spent more time getting the technology right. But anyway. It's pretty limited in it's application to gaming.
Move works great - and it's a lot easier for developers to work with as it has buttons. It takes the safe path, basically creating a new Wii Remote with a few handy features. And it works well.
For multiplatform games, no longer do I need to choose between the Wii version of a game (for motion control), or the PS3 version (for good graphics) - Playstation Move lets me have both.
^^^ That's not to say that PS Move is a killer-app or anything either.. There's not a great range of games that use it yet, and the large majority of the games you're better off with a standard controller anyway (like a lot of motion control gaming, really). (Just wanted to clarify so I didn't sound like a Sony fanboy)
How weird, a Playstation guy thinks the Kinect sucks. He seems totally unbiased.
On another note, he also sounds like a moron. He took 8 lines to say what could have been said in 2, if he hadn't used so much filler.
30 fps is weak sauce. but then again, so is motion control gaming.
Playing with Kinect feels futuristic, playing with Move feels like they just ripped off the Wiimote, because well they did. Kinect does lag a bit, and I wish it didnt, but Move does too, and Move is a pain in the ass because you have to constantly recalibrate the dam thing.
Kinect is a 2013 idea in 2010, while Move is a 2005 idea in 2010.
Kinect is mindblowing tech, where as Move is simply an attempt to catch up...he's right, there is no comparison. The initial products for BOTH games are a bit rough, but some of Sports Champion, and it is mighty weak, for something that is supposed to be "so accurate"
Kinect "selling like hotcakes, flying off the shelves compared to Move"?
Move is still about 1.5 million units ahead of Kinect, having nowhere near the marketing budget.
What's funny is Sony passed on this tech, knowing full well its limitations when it comes to making games for gamers. Another funny thing is how Microsoft making nearly $100 profit on every Kinect sold, probably to pay for their massive marketing budget. Not exactly benefiting the consumer there.
Both devices are pretty gimmicky though.
Im an owner of both peripherals. In all honesty I thought Move would be something that would get me to use often and Kinect just amuse me a bit ( just for being able to do the things it does alone ) and then wait till something decent is released.
We were crying from all the laughing while watching a friend dance Lady Gaga and it really was the first time in his whole time "trying" to dance. I even uploaded the one of the videos but I turned it private cause some called him gay too much at work XD
Opinion:
-Move-
I bought Move on my way home from work the morning it was released. I got through the demo. Was fun and accurate even though there is some obvious lag if you are picky like me you will notice but then again works great. Went and purchased sports champions, spent a bit of time playing table tennis ( ffs I know.. ) and a couple more crap till... I realised that that was it. In cases like MAG etc it ruins the games. You cant play FPS with the thing if you are a hardcore gamer. Its really stupid to be exact cause moving while aiming is simply not working all that good so its a no.
-Kinect-
I got it also on my way home from work the first day it was out. I went home, connected the thing and I was already aware that I would look like a dork doing shit infront of my TV. Later that day I had a couple of friends come over. Lets just say that we were making clips while holding our sides from the pain from all the laughter watching eachother dance or face eachother on crappy games like Sonic or even when one went out of bounds and kicked my furniture.
The day after my parents visited me and I thougth "why not..?" so I asked my mom ( who had recently a surgery on her neck/spine and the past 4 months not really that able to move and even more cause afraid to do much ) to try it by starting up the fitness game. Next thing you know she was working out which was cute and nice to see her work out, not relevant to Kinect. Next thing you know I tell her about the Dance Central and she got all excited and asked me to show her. There she was dancing ... Not just funny but also great cause she hadnt dared to be active a while now.
Conclusion:
Move from being the sure thing has no actual games to make it worthy other than Sports champions and a PSN game, which you can only play that much.. and for people like me its something you will only play 4 times max. Maybe 5, i cant remember.
Kinect from the first momment till the last is pure entertainment for me. If you know how to make things worthy and like fun then you can understand where Im coming from when I say I havent stopped laughing each and every time I use it. Tends to be always with friends though. Tomorrow I got a day off and the day after and I already am already expecting people over in the morning
Kinect made its purchase worth the first day even with the first bunch of actual crappy titles and Im glad to know it will only be better later on. Move is honestly feeling like I have a damn dildo sitting around for no reason. I dont hate it. I know its good and not having a Wii makes it worthy. If I had a Wii I wouldnt buy it cause Id rather go get a WiiMote plus for a console made for those kind of games with bunch of titles. But right now its just annoying that I paid for Move, its sub controller and the EyeToy for nothing.
Sorry for my long post but it was asking for opinions on the end of the article XD
Kinect "selling like hotcakes, flying off the shelves compared to Move"? Move is still about 1.5 million units ahead of Kinect, having nowhere near the marketing budget. What's funny is Sony passed on this tech, knowing full well its limitations when it comes to making games for gamers. Another funny thing is how Microsoft making nearly $100 profit on every Kinect sold, probably to pay for their massive marketing budget. Not exactly benefiting the consumer there. Both devices are pretty gimmicky though.
You have to stop being folled by everything you hear. I dont care if you are a fanboy or not but Ill waste a minute to say this. Sony say they passed on the tech yet Sony makes decisions according to their wallet and THEN everything else. Along with the fact they chose the safe way of something WiiAlike was a sure option for Sony and almost every other company. So stop taking for granted things they put out there in any possible way to make it sound convinient. 1+1= you cant know wtf really happened simply cause they can all lie all they want.
As for the sales just to prove you further how willing Sony is to lie when it comes to Move/Kinect, they already said that their 4.1m wasnt sales but shipping ammount of Move controllers. According to today's news they have sold around 2.5m as well max. If you still wanna do the comparison Move has been out for about 3 months now? Kinect's 2,5m sold units are in just 25days. Stop being a fanatic "single console owner" or you will never enjoy shit is my point.
That is all
Why do people expect from this interview. His tite sayz "SONY" Software engineer. Unless he has sent his resume to MS and already got an offer, do you think he'll sing the same tune?? Anyway, i got my Kinect for a week. Manos totally nailed it. Kinect despite all it's flaws (which is basically overblown by SONY fanboys) is the best thing since the XBOX.
The total body freedom and not worrying about dead batteries while playing or waggling dildos or pressing button to pretend i move my legs. It's just so natural and there's hardly any learning curve. My 5 years old kid can follow the instructions easily and have fun. And for those sad people still complaining about lack of "core" games. Get this. Motion controller is never about "core" games. Is there any GOOD fps game on Wii using motion controller? That was never the idea. It is simply not possible to play for 2 hours like a core game using motion controller unless you are superman, because you have already exhausted all energy within 30 minutes (less if you are couch potato like me). Nothing is going to replace my gamepad for Streefighter or Ninja Gaiden or Steering Wheel with forcefeeback (not even dildo's). So what is there to complain??
There is nothing to say Microsoft cannot add a tracking device and a controller for the Kinect which would definetly increase its usability. However, the limiting factor on the Kinect is the XBox360. As the engineer said, its costly resource wise which limits its usage in games. The PS3 on the other hand has the hardware behind it. Obviously he is biased, but this point is not construed. I think this will be the real difference and challenge for developers.
To moving while aiming... Get some skillz.
Kinect will most likely sell like hotcakes for PC users.
And remember. The runaway success of the Wii is due to casual gamers, not core gamers. Time's are changing. The RIse of the Casual Gamers is here. You'll never catch my wife play any of my RPGs, Ninja Gaiden, DMC, Fable, Mass Effect etc. But she took to Dance Central like to fish to water...and first time ever, approves my tech toys. Yes, Kinect is the first tech toys she approves ever. And my sister-in-law calls me to ask if she can borrow it for a day (after she had tried it the day before). And i looks foward to play my Kinect everyday after work!
Kinect "selling like hotcakes, flying off the shelves compared to Move"? Move is still about 1.5 million units ahead of Kinect, having nowhere near the marketing budget. What's funny is Sony passed on this tech, knowing full well its limitations when it comes to making games for gamers. Another funny thing is how Microsoft making nearly $100 profit on every Kinect sold, probably to pay for their massive marketing budget. Not exactly benefiting the consumer there. Both devices are pretty gimmicky though.
Another SONY fanboy...MS making 100 bucks from the Kinect, you must be reading that article who dissect the Kinect and claims it cost 56 bucks. You know, the your Intel i7 chip is just sand baked in an oven. Should cost less than 5 bucks. But smart people (not you), will know that is not the whole story as the efforts go into designing, testing the cpu, the software needed to run it etc all cost $$$. I think i said enough.
(Don't know how to do a proper quote box, so....)
"Get this. Motion controller is never about "core" games. Is there any GOOD fps game on Wii using motion controller?"
Have you played ANY Wii fps? The CoD series is well done, along with the Resident Evil: XXX Chronicles series, and so is Conduit. Hell, there is a WiiWare FPS that is good (darn good if it gets a bell-curve for being WiiWare). ANY FPS that was built for the Wii motion controls handles like a dream. Sure, the graphics aren't as good, but some of us enjoy the gameplay more.
End of Rant
Now, between the Move and the Kinect...if I had to choose, Move wins. The analogy of 2015 tech in 2010 means nothing when it can't be supported. Microsoft and Sony are both trying to shoehorn their devices onto all games, and if all games can't support it, then people should just stick with the Wii. No matter how you skew the numbers, a core system plus addon device from either Sony or Microsoft is more than the Wii, and if all they support is casual game(r)s, then it's not worth it. The Move (and the PS3) are capable of significant firmware upgrades to make the device more useable, and less lag-prone, which is the win people need/want. I love my Wii, but have to admit: (since I already own a PS3 and 360) I would be happy to migrate to one of those devices if it can deliver the same response and (better) precision of the Wii with better graphics. As much as I care about gameplay, graphics do matter, but not at the cost of usability.
You know, the your Intel i7 chip is just sand baked in an oven. Should cost less than 5 bucks.
FTW
"cause a lot of people can just try it out and put it in"
That's what she said.
Sorry, I had to.
The biggest problem with Kinect is that you simply cannot play any games that require movement in a game world, unless they release an analog stick peripheral because holding a bulky 360 controller isn't going to cut it. Which means the closest you'll get is games on "rails" that create the illusion of movement, and that kind of gameplay pretty much died with the light gun games of the 90s. Based on its catalog of games, it looks like Kinect is aimed at girls. And the only person I know who has one is a girl, and the only other person I know interested in it is my brother's wife. If you can accept that you'll only be playing dance games, party games, and various casual games, then I suppose you'll be happy with your purchase. But with the Wii and Move offering more versatile technology and better games, then I don't see the point. I think Xbox fanboys think they'll be running around in Halo, shooting with their hands or something, and confuse a motion sensing camera with a holodeck.
(Don't know how to do a proper quote box, so....)"Get this. Motion controller is never about "core" games. Is there any GOOD fps game on Wii using motion controller?"Have you played ANY Wii fps? The CoD series is well done, along with the Resident Evil: XXX Chronicles series, and so is Conduit. Hell, there is a WiiWare FPS that is good (darn good if it gets a bell-curve for being WiiWare). ANY FPS that was built for the Wii motion controls handles like a dream. Sure, the graphics aren't as good, but some of us enjoy the gameplay more. End of RantNow, between the Move and the Kinect...if I had to choose, Move wins. The analogy of 2015 tech in 2010 means nothing when it can't be supported. Microsoft and Sony are both trying to shoehorn their devices onto all games, and if all games can't support it, then people should just stick with the Wii. No matter how you skew the numbers, a core system plus addon device from either Sony or Microsoft is more than the Wii, and if all they support is casual game(r)s, then it's not worth it. The Move (and the PS3) are capable of significant firmware upgrades to make the device more useable, and less lag-prone, which is the win people need/want. I love my Wii, but have to admit: (since I already own a PS3 and 360) I would be happy to migrate to one of those devices if it can deliver the same response and (better) precision of the Wii with better graphics. As much as I care about gameplay, graphics do matter, but not at the cost of usability.
Well...I'm no COD fan or FPS for that matter...but you'll still probably be pawn by a noob with a mouse/keyboard combo for FPS.
The lag/ latency is something every motion sensing device suffers from even Sony's Move.
hmm, using up half the console's power is a problem... pretty much guarantees only lame wii like games for it
I agree, it is a problem, but that was the trade off for cost. Microsoft had to remove the integrated CPU and likely RAM that Kinect originally had in it because it drove up cost too much.
I'm hoping once they get some liscensing revenue off the current crop of Kinect games they can subsidize a Kinect version with the built in CPU and RAM. I mean, obviously they can do it if they've sold 2.5 million Kinects since launch or whatever the figure is. At least, that's assuming they sell enough games to go along with those Kinects.
Till then, I'm probably not going to get Kinect unless it is proven to me that developers can compensate effectively through software.
When you look at sales as a ratio to money spent marketing the product, the Move will most likely come out on top.
I have a Move, simply because I have a PS3; motion controllers for any console isn't enough for me to switch to another console. I really like Move, the Sports Champions game is a great deal of fun.
I had a go with Kinect, and 'being the controller' is really fun, especially in stuff like bowling, but the lag is absolutely ridiculous, almost a full second of me moving my hand to it being shown on screen. That Sony guy did have a point there despite him blatantly saying it all to big up the Move. While lag on the Move is still there, its not half as much as what you see on Kinect.
Another SONY fanboy...MS making 100 bucks from the Kinect, you must be reading that article who dissect the Kinect and claims it cost 56 bucks. You know, the your Intel i7 chip is just sand baked in an oven. Should cost less than 5 bucks. But smart people (not you), will know that is not the whole story as the efforts go into designing, testing the cpu, the software needed to run it etc all cost $$$. I think i said enough.i
Erm silicon isn't exclusive to sand, its just the most abundant resource in which to gain it. And it isn't just 'baked in an oven', it is electrically lithographed across a (normally) 300mm wafer of silicon in a completely sealed chamber. And yes, a lot of money is spent in R&D but you have massively underestimated the costs involved in the actual production of the chip.
I recently got a Kinect and a Move for my work at a LAN center. I must say first of all, the lag on the Kinect is unbelievably terrible, thinking it might just be the one I got since some people are saying its not that bad. Move is a lot quicker, but there still is that processing lag, thats gonna be there for any motion control unless maybe they can run off of USB 3 instead of USB 2 and go from 30MBps to 100MBps which would be nice. As with the PS3, the Move has a lot more possibilities down the road since it does take up less processing power and more frames per second, and the distance tracking can be set up through firmware update, it will still lack the "3-way" camera angles that the Kinect has to efficiently get 3D. Overall, I'd chose the Move simply because of the more possibilities, and it doesn't NEED the motion stick dildo thing. Personally I prefer buttons rather than completely hands free since it allows more options. Must say the Kinect's advertisement was a lot better, also a bit misleading since it shows absolutely no lag in the ad's. -_-' My friend wants to get the move for the soul purpose of waving your hand to go through netflix... sigh ⌐.⌐'
I purchased move when it was released. I think it works really well and I really enjoyed it when I had some friends over. There isn't many games that currently appeal to me at the moment thought there are alot due soon that do, however I think the motion controller idea isn't as great compared to standard controllers for most games. I see it as a fun alternative for some games but not as a replacement for standard controllers.
I haven't used kinect, its looks good but the problems I have read about don't sound good. It also seems similar to PS2's eyetoy, and move with the eye camera probably has much of the capability anyway.
Well, kinect problems are Actually HUGE for Sony..
More than 2.5Million units sold in a few days is a Big slap on Sony's PS3 ..
KINECT rocks.. go MSFT!!!
I think people are missing the point on why MSFT chose Kinect...
One of the biggest knocks on the X360 has been it's focus on 1st person shooters (not being overly child or even female friendly). Nintendo demonstrated there's a healthy and huge market opportunity in providing a gaming technology that is family oriented, inclusive and frankly - simple. My children loved the Wii and so did my parents and even my 85 yr old granny.
I think MSFT did something different and chose a different motion interaction strategy rather than yet another hand held device (ah.. no batteries, no controller condoms, no controllers through the tv screen) and addressed (for once) the broader gaming world. Everyone who's tried it in my home as loved it, including my 3 yr old. So, while I'm not for lavishing love on a company that traditionally doesn't innovate, borrow's ideas from it's competitors and often arrives late and unprepared to markey (Kin anyone?), I think they deserve some kudos for this.
the reason kinect is selling faster is because microsoft went with something different. we have seen the move for the last several years with the wii. the controllers are just uglier but the premise is the same. why buy the move if you have a wii. not enough of a difference to justify the cost. i did watch the kinect in action yesterday at BB tho and it was kinda sluggish to react to peoples movement and it did seem to have trouble picking them up. the people playing were still having a good time tho and thats what matters.
There is nothing to say Microsoft cannot add a tracking device and a controller for the Kinect which would definetly increase its usability. However, the limiting factor on the Kinect is the XBox360. As the engineer said, its costly resource wise which limits its usage in games. The PS3 on the other hand has the hardware behind it. Obviously he is biased, but this point is not construed. I think this will be the real difference and challenge for developers.To moving while aiming... Get some skillz.Kinect will most likely sell like hotcakes for PC users.
what is better fault sony for making a product on bare minimum specs which makes it easier to integrate or microsoft for pushing the limits of the xbox and therefor is a pain to integrate....for all the talk about how powerful ps3 is too bad no one is using it...and this after what 5years? and all that power is good for is folding@home
MS just made a single mistake with Move; outsource the computation to the XBox. They could've made Kinect a little more expensive, but give it more computational power to offload the XBox. When you have less resources for the main game just to add a "gimmick", then you'll get half of both IMO. A half working gimmick with a half working game. At least I see it like that.
So far, the games for Kinnect are very light in content and details (to say the least) compared to other titles for the XBox. Hope there's a rev2 for Kinnect before the Consoles gen change.
Cheers!
instead of bickering about who has the better tech how about you name a game that you just MUST HAVE or some Smash Hit that uses it!?. . . . . . Its all about the games, tech is just a small piece of the puzzle.