The first wave of Kinect compatible Xbox games did a decent job of showcasing Microsoft’s unique hardware, but according to a couple of Rare execs, the surface of Kinect’s potential has barely been scratched.

Rare studio head Scott Henson implied that much of Kinect’s power has been so far left untapped when he claimed that “Kinect 2 is already here” at last week’s Develop conference.

Says Rare software director Nick Burton, “Yeah, there’s a sensor bar there, but everything is dealt with in software, which means we can continue to push it.”

Rare fully intends to push Kinect further than it’s gone before in their upcoming sequel, Kinect Sports: Season 2. Burton is confident that his team is comfortable enough with Kinect to introduce precision-based games like darts and golf. In the golf game, Rare hopes to implement a “virtual caddy” who can understand over 300 phrases so that players can change from a 9-iron to a wedge by just speaking a command. That sounds cool, but also unnecessary.

Hardware longevity has certainly been a theme in the videogame industry for this generation. It sounds as though Rare believes that the original Kinect can last just as long as the console it’s supporting.

http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/2011/07/27/rares-henson-kinect-2-is-already-here/

Posted: Jul 27, 2011 1:45 pm