14 DAY TRIAL // What we know: Kinect Sports Rivals is a video game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft that will be launched exclusively on the Xbox One home console, designed to use all the core features of the new device.
As the name explains, Microsoft is looking to create the kind of experience that can make the improved motion tracking solution seem like more than an elegant but sometimes unresponsive solution to control the interface of the new platform.
The game will include bowling, racing on jetskis, football, target shooting, tennis and rock climbing.
Other sports were also considered, but the team decided that it should focus on a limited range of experiences and make sure that each of them made the player feel like he was actually performing the action associated with it.
Kinect Sports Rivals is set to be launched during the first or second quarter of 2014.
Why it matters: A lot of the success of the original Wii from Nintendo was linked to the strength of Wii Sports, which managed to use the simple nunchuk and controller combo to create experiences that could be enjoyed either solo or as a group.
Microsoft is clearly hoping that it will hit upon a similar jackpot with Kinect Sports Rivals, but so far, the Kinect, even in its improved second incarnation, has not generated too much enthusiasm among developers.
If the title manages to deliver solid sales and if it generates long-term interest, then third parties might make Kinect a center point of their own Xbox One games.
If it flops, and a delay it generally a bad sign for long-term prospects, then Microsoft might be forced to admit that motion tracking is not a necessity for next-gen consoles.
The full list of Incoming 2014 Games articles can be read on Softpedia.