Kinect Discussion

[GamerMan316]

Kinect review round-up
See what everyone thinks of the hardware and software

Microsoft's Kinect has been released in North America and is just days away from its European release.

Reviews of both the hardware and software have made their way onto the internet and we've created a handy little round-up for your viewing pleasure.

CVG awarded the Kinect hardware an 8.8/10, while Kinect Joyride received a 5.3, Kinect Adventures got a 6.3 and Kinect Sports got a respectable 7.9. Check out the full reviews for a more detailed analysis of each.

Here's a round-up of reviews.

Kinect hardware

* TechRadar - 3.5/5: "We like Kinect a lot. But it's not a perfect product by any means, and many hardcore gamers out there are going to be disappointed by it."
* Gizmodo - No score: "Right now, the answer to the fundamental question of "are you having fun with Kinect" is, unfortunately, "not really." Unless you like dance games. The potential is there, but you need to think of Kinect like the launch of a new console".
* Engadget - No Score: "The Kinect as hardware is great, but there's plenty of room for software engineers and UI designers to improve. And speaking of room, if you're worried about cramped space, you might want to get a measuring tape before shelling out $149."
* Joystiq - No score: "For now -- to a novelty peripheral that is in no way geared towards the day-one buyer or "core" gamer. Microsoft conceived a potential game-changer with Project Natal, it just seems like Kinect was born prematurely."
* Shacknews - No Score: "Kinect lands a solid hit with the tech but its real-world practicality remains in question to me. All of the current games are intended to be use in a full-size recommended play space. That will require special setup for many."
* Cnet - 4/5: "Kinect won't cater to the hard-core gaming market -- it's just not accurate enough. But it's rollicking great fun. Exhausting and ridiculous, you're guaranteed a giggle if you get the kids involved or set it up at your next party."
* IGN - 7.5: At $149.99, a motion-tracking camera add-on for the Xbox 360 is a tough sell, especially considering that the entry level variation of the Xbox 360 itself is only $199.99. It may sell very well to families and casual players, but for more traditional players, the cost of admission may be too steep."
* Eurogamer - No Score: "Kinect will get better with time and its defining games are still to come. Here's hoping Microsoft and its partners can rise to the challenge of this new form of gaming better than most have with the Wii. Kinect deserves it."
* Kotaku - No score: "It's not even a sure thing as a games platform, not until it has its first great game. But it doesn't have to be. If Kinect becomes nothing more than a replacement for the TV remote, it'll prove to be a winner. For its launch price, though, it needs to be more."


Kinect Sports

* Joystiq - 4/5: "Rare's work on Kinect Sports really demonstrates what the camera is capable when it's used by a capable developer. If you've already got the hardware to play it on, consider Kinect Sports a must-have."
* Gamespot - 7.5: "This motion-controlled sports collection doesn't do much for solo players, but it's fun to play with friends both locally and online."
* Destructoid - 6.5: "It's definitely a more well-rounded package than something like Wii Sports. But ultimately, there aren't enough fresh ideas here to vindicate it as the new king of motion-controlled sports mini games."
* IGN - 8.0: "As an example of what Kinect can do, and as a point of entry for gamers and casuals alike, Kinect Sports delivers an easily accessible but surprisingly nuanced game...there are some stumbling points here and there"
* NowGamer - 6.4: While party titles will come and go, as it stands, Kinect Sports does nothing for assailing our fears that Kinect can't do 'Core'."
* EuroGamer - 7.0: "As a demonstration of the tech, it offers fleeting glimpses rather than a comprehensive examination of the potential of controller-free gameplay...as a lively, funny, polished and varied genre title that will slap a smile on the face of the most jaded cynic, Kinect Sports does its job admirably."


Kinect Adventures

* NowGamer - 7.0: "A limited amount of content doesn't defer from the fun that can be had trying out Kinect."
* Eurogamer - 6.0: "Within a couple of weeks it will be gathering dust: another brave bundled game, first up out of the trenches, first to fall."
* Kotaku - No score: "laying a game with nothing in your hands takes a bit of getting used to but Kinect Adventures manages to both ease you into that experience and make the learning curve fun"
* IGN - 6.5: "I'd recommend playing around with Kinect Adventures for a while, but definitely go out and pick up another game, because the fun won't last long."


Kinectimals

* Gamespot - 7.5: "The minigames are shallow and repetitive, but Kinectimals is too lovable to stay mad at for long."
* Joystiq - 4/5: "Kinectimals breaks the spell of owning a digital animal by occasionally being too "gamey.""
* IGN - 7.0: "It's a Kinect game that is probably worth picking up if you've got youngsters, but it's not the immersive family experience it should have been."
* Eurogamer - 7.0: "Of all the Kinect launch titles, this is perhaps the one with the most actual substance. Hopefully it's but a hint of things to come."


Kinect Joy Ride

* Eurogamer - 5.0: "It's a bland cartoon racer with an easily exhaustible gimmick. It's fun for a while, but by no stretch of the imagination is it worth £35."
* NowGamer - 7.0: "Lacks the tight controls that a cart racer needs, but is nonetheless a great showcase for Kinect's party-centric"
* IGN - 6.0: "This is not an unplayable game by any stretch of the imagination, but, Kinect Joy Ride isn't as tight as it needs to be."
* Joystiq - 2.5: "If there wasn't a decent racer attached to the gimmick, I wouldn't recommend it at all."


Dance Central

* Eurogamer - 8.0: "Dance Central will show you a really good time."
* Joystiq - 4/5: "Dance Central is undoubtedly one of the strongest games in the Kinect's launch lineup, but it's hard to ignore the untapped potential awaiting the franchise. Ultimately, Dance Central's greatest shortcoming is that it can't actually teach you how to dance."
* IGN - 8.0: "Dance Central is great fun, it gets you moving, and it's absolutely perfect for parties. Although it's disappointing to see so few features and unlocks included"
* Destructoid - 8.0: "There's room for improvement in terms of what the game offers, but Harmonix nailed the core experience, and that goes a long way towards making it one of the most compelling Kinect launch titles."
* 1UP - A-: "Honestly, it's hard to pinpoint a significant problem with Dance Central. The selection of jams, from Pitbull's "Calle Ocho" to M.I.A.'s "Galang '05", are all bootie-bouncing material"


Your Shape

* Joystiq - 3/5: "Your Shape Fitness Evolved won't replace your gym membership or motivate those who aren't already fitness-inclined, but for those looking to mix up their current routine or supplement their workout regimen, it may do the trick"
* Destructoid - 8.0: "If you have the space and the inclination for getting a decent workout in your living room, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved delivers."


Microsoft expects to sell five million Kinect units this Christmas, up from its previous forecast of three million. Will you be picking one up?

[dfusioness]

nope-your just weird, but tis why i love u lol x right im off u playin gears tonight

Might do, though brand new Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and double Phone Shop are on tonight so i'll most likely watch those.

oh for gods sakes, please 

[DFUSIONITE]

some good reviews there as i expected really, i new kinectimals would be a good title, same for dance central and kinect sports, a shame about joyride think i will give that one a miss. the tech is new and like a new console the games will get better over time, the next wave are already looking interesting.

[GamerMan316]

The First Moron To Break His TV With Kinect



Well, the first moron that we've heard of. He's not really a moron, he's Phil Villarreal, author and critic. And he's out a pricey television. You are the controller? No Phil, you are the guy with the broken TV.

"A public service announcement: Do not under any circumstances play Kinect Sports Volleyball at 1:30 a.m. while standing under a ceiling fan with a dangling chain for a light switch," he writes.

The result was that Phil apparently spiked the dangling chain into his 47-inch 1080p LCD HDTV, leaving it with a rainbow LCD teardrop of death. Kinect went on sale on November 4. It is now November 5. That television was purchased last December, and it never lived to see its second Christmas. How sad.

When the Nintendo Wii launched in 2006, there were also claims that flying Wii Remotes caused accidents — some real, some not. Anytime you get gamers off the sofa and floundering around the living room, you're asking for trouble.


and so it begins...........   

[GamerMan316]

UK Kinect launch stock is "tight"

If you want to buy Kinect next week you ought to consider queueing - three separate shops have told Eurogamer stock will be tight.

Microsoft's initial shipments will be limited, and the word is that shelf refills will happen in December.

Zavvi told us "Kinect is not in full supply at the moment", but reassured that "we are working closely with Microsoft to ensure a full allocation to satisfy our customer demand".

"It looks like stock could prove a little tight for launch," HMV echoed, "but that's partly because of the huge demand we've seen on pre-order and, of course, there's a world-wide launch to cater to as well as various bundle offers."

ShopTo confirmed that "initial stock will be limited and/or tight".

Microsoft has likened the demand for Kinect to the demand for a new console. The maker reckons five million Kinect cameras will be sold to the world by the end of 2010. Such claims wouldn't be made without the knowledge that manufacturing could meet those targets, surely.

"We are getting daily and weekly updates from Microsoft regarding when further stock will be made available to us so that we maximise on the potential of Kinect," Zavvi informed us. "Kinect is pre-ordering very well for us, and we are fully supportive of Microsoft's marketing campaign."

HMV promised to "definitely have some units for when the product goes live in-store". "We're also very confident that there'll be regular drops throughout the run-up to Christmas so that no consumers miss out."

And low stock can often be a blessing in disguise, the shop with the dog and a grammar phone added: "Obviously you always want more to sell, but it's also a nice problem to have in that any occasional shortages may also help to fuel people's desire to own one, thus supporting the long-term appeal of the product."

Could Microsoft be holding back supply on purpose?

ShopTo's evidently under the cosh, and is trying to "fulfil all orders of Kinect (solus)" but can't guarantee release-date delivery for any orders placed after the end of September. That's because of "high demand". However, "plenty" of the 4GB Xbox 360 S plus Kinect bundles are still available there.

Kinect launches across the UK on 10th November. GAME is the official UK launch partner and will open a combined 450 Game and Gamestation shops across the country at midnight the night before. The main event will be held at Oxford Street's GAME store in London. Mystery special guests are promised.

Neither GAME nor Microsoft responded to request for comment. Can't imagine they're busy.

The Kinect camera comes with a copy of Kinect Adventures and costs £130. The Kinect 4GB Xbox 360 S bundle costs £250.

Kinect launched in the US on 4th November - yesterday.

[Failed]

So Kinect is great tech (with the right space) but not the games. Although Dance Central sounds good.

[Maibs]

Microsoft not happy over the $2,000 Kinect hacking reward

Kinect launched this past week and like any new tech product, people want to hack the thing. Specifically, Adafruit Industries is looking for people to create an open source driver for Kinect and is offering a $2,000 reward to the first developer that does it.

To the surprise of no one, Microsoft isn't all too happy over these shenanigans and stated that they have "built in numerous hardware and software safeguards designed to reduce the chances of product tampering." Microsoft goes on to say that they will be working with law enforcement to keep to keep the Kinect "tamper-resistant."

I give it about a month before we can use the Kinect on a PC.

Microsoft furious at $2,000 bounty for open source Kinect drivers [Tech Eye]

[GamerMan316]

Online Kinect stock levels

[Handshakes]

Some dude and his wife are doing vid reviews of all the Kinect jazz.

They review Fighter Uncaged, Dance Central, Kinectimals, and the fitness game Your Shape (or whatever it is called). The vids are a bit long for my taste, but they give a good impartial opinion on what they think of the games.

From what I've heard so far the tech is pretty nifty and works pretty well, but the games aren't really there (except for Kinectimals if you have kids, or Dance Central if you have boobs. And I guess that Sonic game is decent). It seems that for us harder-core gamers the best thing to come out of the Kinect will be all of the videos of people breaking their televisions and ceiling fans.

[Jaynestown]

Online Kinect stock levels

Oh bugger, no Minect for us then Craig! 

[GamerMan316]

Online Kinect stock levels

Oh bugger, no Minect for us then Craig! 

It's alright mate, i've got it pre-ordered at each of those stores, one for each tv in my house.   

[GamerMan316]

Microsoft not happy over the $2,000 Kinect hacking reward

Kinect launched this past week and like any new tech product, people want to hack the thing. Specifically, Adafruit Industries is looking for people to create an open source driver for Kinect and is offering a $2,000 reward to the first developer that does it.

To the surprise of no one, Microsoft isn't all too happy over these shenanigans and stated that they have "built in numerous hardware and software safeguards designed to reduce the chances of product tampering." Microsoft goes on to say that they will be working with law enforcement to keep to keep the Kinect "tamper-resistant."

I give it about a month before we can use the Kinect on a PC.

Microsoft furious at $2,000 bounty for open source Kinect drivers [Tech Eye]

[GamerMan316]

Sony takes not-so-subtle swipe at Kinect

Sadly no KB involved in this one 

[nCogNeato]

From what I've heard so far the tech is pretty nifty and works pretty well, but the games aren't really there ...

Instead of trying to build 'core' games around Kinect, they need to integrate Kinect into tried-and-true 'core' gameplay.  Keep the controller in your hands, but accompany voice-commands & gestures to enhance the immersion.

Example:  Mass Effect 3 - direct your squad by name & action instead of using the pause-and-play system in place.

[GamerMan316]

From what I've heard so far the tech is pretty nifty and works pretty well, but the games aren't really there ...

Instead of trying to build 'core' games around Kinect, they need to integrate Kinect into tried-and-true 'core' gameplay.  Keep the controller in your hands, but accompany voice-commands & gestures to enhance the immersion.

Example:  Mass Effect 3 - direct your squad by name & action instead of using the pause-and-play system in place.

Like Sony are doing, it's all about buttons