Microsoft promised to bring a larger and more  "hardcore" games library to the Xbox 360 for use with Kinect and they fully delivered on that promise during their E3 2011 presentation. Outside of the Halo 4 and Halo remake announcements, the focus of the press conference was placed purely on the Kinect, not only in the upcoming games that will utilize the controller-free device, but in how players can control the Xbox 360 dashboard and play with it in Kinect Fun Labs.

Not everyone is sold on the idea of motion-controlled gaming experiences just yet, so as you can imagine - and just like last year's E3 - there was some mixed reaction to the Xbox 360 presentation placing heavy emphasis on Kinect titles. What does Microsoft think of that reaction?

Eurogamer chatted with Xbox senior product manager David Dennis after the press conference for his thoughts and he simple said, the somewhat mixed reaction was to be expected, but just like last year when some critics came down to on the Kinect, the response when the device actually hit retail was overwhelmingly positive.

"We showed amazing core game experiences and we showed great Kinect experiences. Both social/casual Kinect experiences as well as stuff like Rise of Nightmares and Ryse which we think are certainly going to appeal to the core."

"I think people have embraced Kinect and we think that a lot of what we showed at E3... whether people fully understand it now, as we open up more and more over time and explain and let people get hands-on, we think people are going to love it."

We at Game Rant were pleased with what we saw and while many in the industry are curious about Microsoft's future, post-Xbox 360, it was refreshing to see their presentation focusing on what matters: gaming experiences. From the fun and family-oriented Kinect Disneyland Adventures and Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster to seeing hardcore games like Mass Effect 3 and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier take advantage of voice and motion controls, Microsoft's step into motion-controlled gaming is pushing the industry forward and providing good incentive for casual and core gamers alike, to buy into the technology.

For Microsoft, the question now revolves around how long the Kinect can extend the life of the Xbox 360, with many rumors and expectations of the Xbox 720 being potentially revealed at E3 2012. If it does, it will surely make use of Kinect.

Be sure to read our discussion piece on whether Kinect is good or bad for gaming.

-

Follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes.

Source: Eurogamer