Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 review

37. I have it in the home and liked it a lot after experimenting with it's settings a quite a bit.

So far the only negative is when the viewer is so focused on the screen, passerbys can get injured by hands or feet going here and there if not careful!

It needs room and positioning without interferences to become highly effective.

36. Brilliant article. I have been having doubts about buying Kinect myself (when I can afford it) as I have heard a fair bit of negative and positive feedback, mainly that the games weren't very good for what the Kinect can offer.

Then again I have also heard that little gadgets such as using MSN and the Kinect as a webcam is a lot of fun and being able to move without using a control etc is enjoyable and a relief, you don't have to worr about throwing a control through the TV anymore but you should probably watch out for pets.

I have heard the only true Jinect wielding game so far has been Dance Central, I would most likely enjoy this game as it seems like the modern Dance Dance Revolution and once again, not having to hold a control makes a big difference I can imagine, feeling like a plonker when you have to hold a control makes you feel like it's a bit pointless when it depends on that control, not you.

Living in a small flat with my boyfriend can also prove to be an issue with Kinect, as we've measured we only just have 6 foot between the TV and the sofa meaning it might be a risky buy with that much of a limited area.

Using your voice with games I've always found embaressing personally, being able to turn that off and just use the control would be preferred only so I don't feel like I'm talking to the TV screen with my boyfriend in the room.

The lag and delay shouldn't be much of an issue, like a Guitar Hero or Rock Band game, switching from one to the other you noticed a delay or a quicker pace in either and find you have to adjust with it, there's more examples than that out there too.

I think it'll be worth the purchase later on, once again like most products, they will be improved and better versions will come out eventually, for people who have to be very considerate with their money like us, we want to make sure we're going to get something we're happy with.

35. Overall i think that the kinect is good fun but i still think that the wii is just as fun as the kinect even though it has a controller.

34. I found that when i played on the kinect over my friends that the reaction time was slightly delayed.

33. Im not a X-Box fan, I have owned one but didn't like it compared to my PS3. I do however like this technology, this has a lot of potential, not just in gaming but for everyday use, I'm sure someone out there is doing just that.

I noticed in the review "And that's because with most games, your movements merely trigger a pre-animated action in the game - rather than the avatars exactly mimicking you."

This is disappointing, what's the point of using your body in a way that you want, when the game will do what it wants no matter how you move. I know it's early days yet, but I can't wait to see what they can do with this, not just on a X-Box either.

32. Its so funny to me that 90% of PS3 fans do nothing but insult xbox's new games and devices just because they cant get it on there console... why should it bother you if its ****? and why feel the need to publicly insult it????

man up and wipe the look of envy of your face..

bioshock, gears of war, halo, forza and the kinect.. ALL AMAZING, 95% agree you dont? go shag your playstation..

31. got mine Thursday the video game bloke talked me into it. the one i got had a component rattling around inside it. took it back and the next one despite it blatantly beeing one, some one returned, (polish scratches all over it!! i think people just dont have the room for it.) it worked rather well even though i believe the move is more practical, it didn't give me as much wow factor as the kinect. As a bit of fun i love it, but as a controller for more than a blast on a party game only time will tell.

30. @#29 That's what she said...

29. its much bigger than i anticipated. for some reason i thought it was tiny. bit of shock seing one in real life

28. I got mine yesterday. I'm also VERY impressed. The video Kinect feature is nothing short of amazing. No matter where i moved in the room it would track me. TRhe scary thing about it though was that the sensor doesnt even move when tracking you. I tried to hide from its gaze by going almost directly underneath it and it still found me!! LOL.

The only game I've noticed lag in is one of the Kinect Adventures mini games where you have to block the balls with your body, however is was literally milliseconds and didnt spoil the game.

Kinect Sports is AWESOME, much better than Wii Sports and slightly more enjoyable than Sport Challenge (PS Move). There are little things that you can do than add some depth to each mini game, like diving at the end of a 100m race, putting spin on a bowling ball, catching a shot if you use two hands to save. Its quite excellent IMO.

This thing has so much potential and if these launch titles are able to use the hardware/software so well, the sky is the limit for future developments.

The only quibble i have is the need for so much space, this won't be much of a problem in the US but here in the UK there's no chance if you live in a London flat :/ thank goodness I've got a large living room. Still had to do some moving around though. I can see this being a bit of a hinderence for some people. Hopefully they can tweak this with future updates.

Overall...well done MS.

27. I had the same dilemma, should I wait? Glad I divided not to, went to the shop and bought the damn thing not knowing what to expect really.

To put it plainly it is just damn impressive. Especially the Shapes Fitness evolved and the Adventure games are soooo much fun. True as mentioned some games have this slight lag but not all. I noticed that Shapes is so fast and accurate if the equipment is set up correctly.

I'm so glad I just bought it and in my opinion it has only one single issue. ME! After playing for an hour I am just so knackered.

26. Good review, and pretty much what I expected from Kinect at launch. Impressive and powerful, but not implemented well enough for me to buy just yet. I'd also rather have a newer Xbox so that I can leave it plugged in the back without using a USB port and extra plug socket.

25. @designflaw - I see it now! d'oh, thanks

24. The best part of this thing was the feature you didn't even mention! Video/voice calling! It was nothing short of spectacular, no exageration. We had a room full of people talking to a person on the other end using Windows Messenger, and the camera would follow whoever was talking from a distance of about 12 feet away, and it sounded as though we were all in the same room, PHENOMENAL! The POTENTIAL of this device was also kind of slid over in your review. Lag didn't bother me at all. Can't wait to try out the watching a movie together feature. They need to put the hand an voice navigation throughout the the entire experience, and someone needs to explain to me how to navigate through SO MANY espn games. Love the sheer #, but what a pain to navigate through them all. Overall really good 1.0 on the Kinect experience.

JF

23. @smokemonster The mics are built in to the Kinect sensor. The pics showing microphones are side-on views.

22. Just looking at the pictures; I didn't realise Kinect has two microphones. Where do they need to be placed? Either side of the camera? Seems a bit clunky, couldn't they be built into the camera? The PS3 eyecam may look a bit odd, but the mic works incredibly well.

Any chance of a photo of the whole set up? Kinect plus mics?

21. Yay,,,smithy provided the laughs after all.

Man up.

Better yet,go away.

20. Lol mgood - Smith - Epic fail. Loser.

19. I'll wait for Child of Eden to be released, before deciding whether to get kinect. Its revolutionary games like it, that could show the real potential of kinect.