14 DAY TRIAL // Peter Molyneux, the creator of the Fable role-playing franchise, warns that Microsoft shouldn't try to overpromise things with the new HoloLens technology, in order to avoid disappointing fans, as it did with the Kinect sensor for the Xbox 360.
Molyneux has worked with Microsoft for quite some time and even helped shape experiences for the company's ambitious projects, like the Kinect. Many people were very impressed with the Project Milo tech demo for the original sensor and felt a bit disappointed when the actual experience wasn't released to all owners of the device.
Molyneux saw HoloLens two years ago but has a warning for Microsoft
Now, after admiring the final version of the HoloLens technology during Microsoft's press conference last week, Molyneux confirms that he witnessed the early prototypes of the tech two years ago.
Besides the confirmation, he tells GamesIndustry that Microsoft shouldn't overpromise things with the tech, in order to avoid repeating the Kinect's lackluster impression.
According to the game designer, HoloLens, just like Kinect, has potential for magic experiences, but these only happen, right now, under certain conditions, and in real-life these don't happen all that much.
"It did remind me of [Kinect]. You kind of want to scream 'don't over promise these things.' The thing about the concept videos is they feel so seamless and it just looks like everything's working and actually, as we found with Kinect, it works all fine if you've got the perfect environment and the perfect distance away and you're the right shape human being. But it's very challenging if any of those things don't come together perfectly," he explains.
Molyneux also hopes that Microsoft has managed to evolve the technology seen by himself two years ago and that it's going to deliver an experience that can feel impressive across many different situations, not just the ones depicted by the corporation in its presentation video.
"My hope is it's been two years since I've seen the technology and it was awesome tech 2 years ago so maybe they solved a lot of those problems and that video they showed is going to be a reality and a reality that works seamlessly as opposed to one that works in a predefined environment. My fear is that when you actually put the device on you're not as blown away as you should be," he adds.
You can once again admire the HoloLens video below to see all the various applications of the technology, from regular activities to games like Minecraft and much more.
