Top 5 Reasons Why Kinect and Playstation Move Will Succeed

I have outlined my reasons for believing that both/either the Xbox 360 Kinect and/or Playstation Move are/is going to fail epically, yet some of the same arguments for failure can (paradoxically) be used to suggest that one or both will succeed.

5. RIGHT ON TIME: the Wii has had the jump start on Sony and Microsoft, but the Playstation Move and the Kinect are technologically superior. Gamers who are weary of the Wii’s imprecise controls and last generation graphics will be impressed by better technology from Sony and Microsoft.

4. ESTABLISHED USER BASE: the Xbox 360 is already in over 40 million homes, while the PS3 resides in about 36 million. With such a large and devoted user base for the two systems, Microsoft and Sony are preaching to gigantic crowds of dedicated followers.

3. AWESOME THIRD-PARTY GAMES: where the Wii is weak, the Xbox 360 and PS3 are mastodons of strength. Neither Sony nor Microsoft is forced to make killer apps because third-party developers are providing the bread and butter for their systems. Franchises like God of Wear (PS3), GTA, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Gears of War (Xbox), Call of Duty, Madden, Need for Speed, Fallout, and so on account for the vast majority of video game sales. If these games translate to the Kinect/Move, tens of millions of gamers are going to buy them. The caveat is that Activision, EA, Capcom, Epic Games, Rockstar, etc. has to make the games first!

2. COST AIN’T AN ISSUE: although getting into the Move/Kinect from “scratch” is more expensive than the Wii, which functions on its own, Sony and Microsoft can be quite pleased even if a sizable percentage of current PS3/360 gamers get the motion control add-ons, while the general public refuses to buy. The Move is only $100 and comes with the Eye and a game, although the Kinect is harder to justify at $150 (perhaps higher).

1. HARDCORE GAMERS: arguably, the future of the Kinect/Move hinges moreso on hardcore gamers than anything else. Seen as neglected by Nintendo’s family oriented Wii, experienced players would definitely buy into motion control if #3 (the presence of quality games) were realized. Unlike the Wii, how the Kinect/Move will fare in sales will be determined exclusively by the content. Microsoft and Sony have delivered the hardware; the rest is up to the programmers.