The release of Kinect has been a gaming sensation for many in the gaming world. To take away the very thing which everyone has adapted to, the controller, and replace it with an item which made gaming completely hands free was a big step but has it paid off?

I will look at how gaming can progress from its current state and whether that kinect and other motion controllers are the way forward for the gaming industry.

From early stages of gaming, the first gaming consoles (Odyssey 200) had a controller and since the late 1970’s, we have all grown up with a controller in our hand, determining how our characters act on our screen. Certainly for many people the gaming controller is the most convenient way of gaming. It’s simple, requires no room, and allows you to sit there and relax while you play your favoured game.

Peter Molynuex described ‘Natal would create whole new genres’ a few years ago but is that what the Kinect has done? In some cases yes, we can now stand up in our living room and exercise; we can adopt a virtual pet and stroke it while moving our hands in thin air. But one question lingers; is kinect something the majority of gamers want to see replace controllers?

From a poll taken from ‘Gamespot’ respectively, the answer to the above question is no.

How do you honestly think Kinect will affect 360 games moving forward?

Total Votes: 26

Now while Kinect is the only motion controller which requires the player to use only their body, are other motion controllers such as the PlayStation Move and The Wii, which do require you to hold an electronic device, the way forward?

After all, a controller is a controller right? This is not the case.

The thought of being active while you’re gaming is daunting for many of us, we would much rather sit back with a controller in our hand, staring deadly at our screens. Only a small majority of gamers find the aspect of being active while playing exciting.

The Wii has been a hit in the gaming community, while sales soared on its release, records have shown that most Wii’s end up looking pretty on your shelf rather than being used. The poll below taken from T3.com respectively, asks:

When was the last time you played on your Nintendo Wii?

Yesterday/Today 11.52% (62 votes)

Within the last seven days 34.39% (185 votes)

Within the last month 19.33% (104 votes)

Within the last six months 15.61% (84 votes)

Not for a long, long time… 19.14% (103 votes)

Total Votes: 538

Now these figures, with ‘62/538’ say they play their Wii everyday while a large amount ‘103/538’ say they haven’t used their Wii in a long, long time.

Now while gaming has thrived over recent years, going from SD (Standard Definition) to HD (High Definition) and even 3D (3dimensions) which will be talked about later on, do motion controllers really inspire us as much as the normal equipment?

In my view no, I would like to say that I can stand up in my living room playing FIFA 11 or the latest hit in the market, Call of Duty: Blackops, but both of these games don’t fit around Kinect or even the Wii and most properly never will unless something dramatically changes. FIFA 11 is currently on the WII but do you enjoy it as much as holding a normal standard controller? That’s for you to decide.

Now a more possible solution to the gaming future is 3D. Now 3D has only really taken off in the past year and may still be classed as a work in progress.

Call of duty: Black Ops doe’s enable 3D features within its settings menu but is it refined enough to use all the time?

In the next few years you may see a lot more games supporting 3D, especially as 3D TV’s and other multimedia devices come down in price. As HD stormed the market, 3D will most probably go the same way but I feel that one aspect has to change before that happens. The glasses.

As much fun as it is, going to the cinema and watching 3D movies with funky 3D glasses, the last thing I want to do is sit with them on playing my gaming console. While the new Nintendo DSI boasts its new ‘3D’ feature which allows no glasses, could this be the next step for TV’s. No as the difference is, it’s not ‘true’ 3D as the game does not come out of the screen. You look into the screen and see a 3D world.

What the future holds for the gaming industry is still to unfold but whatever it may be, whether it’s ‘3D’ or Motion Controllers, the only way is up. On one hand, motion controllers keep us active but not many gamers find it compelling to use, whereas 3D could be a more suitable solution but the glasses may become a problem.

As part of this article, I would like to hear your opinion. What would you rather see? 3D or Motion controllers or both? Whatever your view is, I would like to hear it.