The Good News Regarding Impulse Technology and the Kinect Debacle

Isn't interesting how every time one company creates some kind of "new and revolutionary" technology, another company claims that they are infringing on their patents? We've seen it happen before with big names such as Apple and Nintendo, but most recently this has effected Microsoft and their Kinect peripheral for the Xbox 360.

A company known as "Impulse Technology" claims that Microsoft, and, consequently, any developers who take advantage of the Kinect hardware, are infringing upon its patentst. They say that the peripheral violates patents for "System and method for tracking and assessing movement skills in multidimensional space," and "Education system challenging a subject's physiologic and kinesthetic systems to synergistically enhance cognitive function."

Now, while this isn't terribly surprising, what is somewhat interesting is that Impulse Technology is seeking not only compensation for this alleged infringement, but also to entirely prevent Microsoft from further distributing the peripheral in the United States all together.

In truth, nothing much will probably come of this, as these sort of things happen all the time in this industry. However, I find something of greater interest in this news: what if it actually went through, and what could the good news be?

Don't get me wrong, the chances of this lawsuit preventing a gigantic company like Microsoft from selling something like Kinect is slim to none, if not non-existent all together. Regardless though, I would like to examine the positive attributes in such a turn of events.

Now, you might say, if this actually happened, how could this be interpreted as something good? Wouldn't Microsoft lose a ton of profit and have to rework their entire vision of the Xbox brand? Yes. They would. And while this isn't a good thing for Microsoft, I firmly believe it's a good thing for gamers. You see, the gaming community is moving towards a more casual approach in development and design. Products like the iPhone and their small, cheap apps will soon replace more conventional handheld gaming devices like the Nintendo DS, and I think we're currently witnessing the same thing happening to home consoles. While modern controllers and games will still be around in some form for a long time, the drastic shift from hardcore-centric gaming to casual is something that is definitely occurring.

If the Kinect peripheral, IE: the current driving force behind this shift, were eliminated from the market, Microsoft would probably have no choice but to begin focusing on the hardcore crowd once again- something they have neglected to do in the last two years.

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't want to make it seem as though Microsoft's Xbox 360 has become some HD Wii rip-off, nor do I want anyone to think I'm not impressed by what they have done with the Kinect, and what its possibilities are. However, as someone who has grown up with conventional video games, I find the sudden focus on the casual gamer to be disheartening. I have been a hardcore Xbox fanatic since 2006, and now, after 5 years of loyalty, I can begin to see a dissolving of the brand as the hardcore console of choice.

So, while I am almost entirely positive that this lawsuit won't go through (and even if it did, it would probably eventually get over-turned), I still find the prospects interesting. Think of how different the gaming world might become as a result. The possibilities really are endless.

[Sources: Joystiq]