Microsoft All About the Kinect in 2011

For better or for worse, Microsoft has gone on the record and stated that 2011 will “be all about Kinect” as they begin to focus heavily on the sans-controller revolution. Stephen McGill, direction of Xbox and Entertainment for the UK, stated, “…We’ve got a brilliant line-up for 2011 but it’s ultimately all about Kinect. Kinect is going to blow people’s minds. They’re [already] buying it, but we’ve got a line-up of Kinect games that will blow people away.” So if you couldn’t tell from this redundant quote, it seems that Microsoft plans on spamming the market with more purple-packaged games in the upcoming year.

So for all of you who played Dance Central for an hour and then realized its entire experience makes for a better novelty item than it does an actual game, you should get pumped up. I mean after all, you’ve got a $149 accessory just sitting by your TV collecting dust, so the very idea of actually making use of the thing should give you a sense of overwhelming joy… or at least eliminate that feeling of buyer’s remorse you undoubtedly have.

Nonetheless, with titles such as Steel Batallion: Heavy Armor, Child of Eden and the temporarily titled Project Draco, 2011 and beyond could be a decent time for Microsoft’s hands-free peripheral. With their attention so exclusively focused on the Kinect, however, one has to wonder what sacrifices are being made in order to push forth this new hardware.