Xbox Live camera -- good or bad?
Sep 25, 2006
Microsoft released its Xbox Live Vision camera for the Xbox 360 last week, and if my first weekend gaming with throngs of Webcam-enabled players is any indication, I'm not sure if this is a positive addtion.
Sure, it adds a huge dimension to get a sneak peek into the lives of other gamers while they game. Many fellow video-streaming players were cool, cordial and well-behaved. Video chatting with friends -- especially across the country -- is a very welcome feature. The technology behind the camera (which just plugs and plays into one of the console's USB ports), seems solid, though the frame rate can dip depending on bandwidth.
But it's hard to ignore those who would abuse the freedom this technology adds. While safeguards surround seeing personal gamer pictures (icons for your online persona) taken with the camera, very little stops you from wandering into a game of "UNO!" filled with strangers willing -- and now able -- to show you nasty things via their camera. (Trust me, you don't want to know what I've seen.)
Beyond the issues of taste from the online gamers, the package pricing itself is a bit questionable. The camera's base package retails for $40 and also includes a headset and codes to unlock the full version of the Xbox Live Arcade title "UNO!" and one month of Xbox Live gold service. Most gamers who are buying the camera already have a headset, a Live gold subscription and have likely downloaded "UNO!," so the value propsition here isn't a great one.
While only a handful of games support in-game video chat (and they're all card or billiard-esque titles), a few more are en route, including motion sensitive offerings similar to Sony's EyeToy for the PlayStation 2.
Even though the functionality of the Xbox Live vision is very cool, I still can't shake the feeling that it's all a bit creepy. What do you think? Am I going crazy?
Feel free to comment below.
-- By Ryan Huschka
Comment by dave | Oct 9, 2006 11:07:10 AM
I can see that being a bit creepy. People tend to act different online when they are talking to people that can't do anything to them. This is yet another thing that will not go away and we will have to learn to deal with it. Like many things, there is good and bad. I actually would love to use this when i play Halo with my family out of state. But i can definitely see some bad things happen. I'm sure that there are places that you can report what happens. I know that microsoft will punish an account for certain things.
Comment by angryshortguy | Oct 15, 2006 11:16:21 AM
Online video and chat bring out the worst in people to the point of criminal behavior.
Why is it any different exposing yourself online as opposed to exposing yourself on the street to a child?
Because we don't or can't enforce even the most basic laws when they apply to online society.
Until law enforcement and punishment catch up to technology, corporations need to show more responsibility in what they offer and allow on their servers.
Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD.
Comment by Noah | Oct 17, 2006 10:48:59 AM
Personally, I'm pro-exhibitionist. I believe the internet provides forum to repressed, wayward women with webcams, and I DO NOT intend to restrict their constititional rights. Do you?
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