Kinect Reviewed Review

By Oli Welsh Published 4 November, 2010

The Eurogamer verdict.

Version tested: Xbox 360

It's here. Finally. We won't bore you with the palaver involved in bringing you this bumper presentation of Kinect launch coverage – let's just say it's been an interesting, and exhausting, few days.

But even if you knew the story, it wouldn't explain why the eventual arrival of Microsoft's magic camera was met with such drama and excitement chez Eurogamer. Nor would the level of hype whipped up by the ringmasters at Microsoft, although that certainly helped (it's not every day we feature an Oprah clip on our website).

Maybe it's the large and lavish line-up of launch software. Maybe it's the contrast with the softly-softly approach Sony took for PlayStation Move. But the fact is, this doesn't feel like a mere peripheral. It feels more like a new hardware launch than anything we've seen in years.

Kinect isn't perfect by any means. It's expensive, finicky, unreliable and difficult to accommodate. But it's also an extraordinary piece of futuristic technology, and when is the last time the gaming world was treated to one of those?

Below we'll bring you our verdict on the hardware itself, its impact on the Xbox 360 interface and the Kinect experience as a whole. But first, the bit you really care about.

The Games

We've reviewed what we see as the six most important launch games for Kinect. Microsoft must have agreed because they're the ones which were bundled with our test unit. (They also sent us the abysmal Fighters Uncaged, Lord knows why - so we reviewed that, too.)

Follow the links below and you'll find full-length, detailed reviews from deputy editor and seasoned Wii warrior Ellie Gibson, EG TV editor and shameless exhibitionist Johnny Minkley, friend of Eurogamer and virtual naturalist Keza MacDonald, and your host, reviews editor Oli Welsh. We've also captured video footage of the games - warts, glitches, embarassing replays and all.

Although Eurogamer is a gamer's site we pride ourselves on the fact we take casual and motion-controlled games seriously, having reviewed them on their own terms ever since the arrival of Wii Sports. We hope that's reflected in these reviews.

As you can see there isn't exactly a standout, and what you decide to pick up with your Kinect will probably be down to personal taste. No need to choose with Adventures; it's bundled with every Kinect and it's an enjoyable, if limited, tech demo. Kids will love it. But they'll go absolutely barmy for Kinectimals, which surprised us by having the most substantial content of the launch games.

More on Kinect

Kinect Sports is an exemplary party game, and one of the most convincing performances by the Nintendo cover band at Rare in a while. We loved the football and the punchy presentation, and it's definitely the pick for social play.

Dance Central isn't quite the advance on Just Dance we were hoping for, but it's a welcome touch of cool from Harmonix with a terrific song list. The sequel should be stellar.

Joy Ride is the only major luanch game you should actively avoid; Kinect will have to wait a little longer for its first worthwhile racing game. As for Fighters Uncaged: "No no no no no no no," says Ellie.

But before you can get stuck into the games, how do you get it all up and running?

Set-up

At £130 Kinect is a very expensive peripheral, even considering Kinect Adventures comes bundled in. Good thing it feels expensive, then. It's quite large, solid and glossy, similar in finish to the slimline Xbox 360. There are sharp, angular vents on each side and three big sensors on the front. The unit also sports a power LED.

If you have one of those slimlines, you can plug Kinect's single lead straight into the console. If you have an original model, you'll need to use an additional cable which splits into a USB connector and a separate, compact power adapter. For some reason Kinect only works with the USB port on the back of your Xbox, so if you own a wi-fi adapter you'll need to plug it into the front of the machine with an extension cable; it's a bit inelegant.

Kinect should be situated in the centre of your TV, above or below it, between two to six feet off the ground. This shouldn't be a problem. The problem is playing space. You need six feet of distance from the sensor (1.8 metres) for solo play.

Move your coffee table out of the way and you might manage that. But if Kinect is going to detect two people at once, you need eight feet (2.5 metres) of space, clear of obstruction. You'll also require enough lateral room for the two of you to stand well clear of each other.

We did all our Kinect testing at home, in the living rooms of our modestly sized urban flats – not at the office. In all cases, getting enough space for two players was a struggle. At Ellie's the solution was to place her TV in the corner of the room and angle it sharply inward. Even then we were awkwardly crammed in between the corner of the sofa and the shoved-aside coffee table, and couldn't quite access the far corners of the playing space.

Put simply, if you ever want to use this thing with two players (and you really should) you need plenty of room. If you don't have the room, don't buy Kinect.

The other principal concern people have about Kinect is lighting and backdrop. This is a completely different story. With the exception of Kinect ID (the feature that recognises you if you step in front of the sensor – more on this later), we found it worked well in a wide range of lighting conditions. That said, like the Wii's sensor bar, it's not too keen on direct sunlight.

Kinect is brilliant at telling players apart from whatever and whoever is behind them, provided they're not inside the playing space. Walk between players and the sensor and it will be confused for a few seconds, but compose itself quickly. Seated play is possible in some games, depending on their design, but it can be a bit glitchy; situating your sofa some 10 feet back from the TV will probably be a bigger problem.

On plugging Kinect in for the first time you're led through a relatively short and painless calibration process called the Kinect Tuner. This process can be repeated if you have difficulties (we never need to do so). Some games require their own calibration, but this is usually minimal. There's something uncanny – in a good way – about the way the motorised head of the device tracks up and down as it checks out your room.

The Tuner also plays a few sounds to get to grips with the room's acoustics, and remarkably this is the only set-up the voice control ever needs; you don't need to teach it your voice or any words. Voice control works superbly for the most part, and the future-cool factor of controlling media playback or selecting menu options with the spoken word far outweighs the faint absurdity of prefacing every command with "Xbox". There's a very slight delay, but it's still better than reaching for the remote or controller.

Kinect ID requires the most set-up. Teaching the device to recognise you involves making your avatar perform a sort of protracted square dance around the playing area, while striking poses. It's funny at first but then a pain, and you need to do this several times over in different lighting conditions before it's reliable.

We never got Kinect ID working flawlessly in every game. However, when it does work it's incredible; stepping into a friend's game, having your profile automatically sign in and then your avatar appear is not just impressively seamless, it's plain magic.

Interface

Knowing Microsoft, it will continue to refine and expand how Kinect works with the Xbox 360 front-end in future updates. We certainly hope so, because the current implementation is disappointingly limited.

You can't use Kinect to control the 360 dashboard as you know it. Not the Xbox Live Marketplace, your friends list, libraries, settings or profile – none of it. Instead, you wave or say "Xbox Kinect" to get the sensor's attention and you're taken to the Kinect Hub. This is a sort of dashboard within a dashboard, a walled garden where you can perform Kinect-approved activities.

No more gadgets, no more gizmos. Apart from this one.

You make menu selections by moving your hand to float an on-screen cursor to your desired option. Holding your hand in position for a couple of beats confirms the choice. You'll get used to it, but it's slow, wobbly and frustrating. The 'swipe' gesture system used in Dance Central's menus, and on rare occasions in the main interface, is far superior.

The voice control system works better, but its availability is frustratingly inconsistent and limited. "If you see it, you can say it," boasts the interface – as long as there's a little microphone icon on your screen.

The Kinect Guide, a simple version of the Xbox Guide (for Achievements, signing players in and out and so forth) summoned by holding your left arm out at an angle, doesn't support it. Nor does playback of DVDs or the music on your hard drive.

That's right. If you want to enjoy futuristic voice-controlled media playback (or gesture-controlled, for that matter) and feel like you're in Minority Report (or at least Babylon 5), you're going to have to use Microsoft's faux iTunes - the Zune download and streaming service. This works a treat but your choice of media is limited, as are your payment and ownership options. More to the point, it feels unpleasantly like your hand is being forced.

There are a couple of other options for Kinect media playback. Last.fm and Sky Player are also supported, but although Sky Player works with gestures, it currently lacks voice control.

Let's end this section on a high note. We weren't able to thoroughly test the Video Kinect video chat service but it has a nice, clean interface and features properly amazing camera tracking. During video chat, you're not glued to a chair and a rigid pose, webcam-style; the camera follows you around the room effortlessly, speedily and intelligently adjusting zoom and camera angle to keep your face in shot even if you make quick movements. Very impressive stuff.

Using Kinect

The best thing about Kinect is the easiest thing to forget: it doesn't need a controller.

Of course, at Eurogamer we have no objection to controllers. Whether motion-sensing or traditional, they provide incredible game experiences Kinect will never be able to handle – and responsiveness, precision and tactile feedback it will never be able to replicate.

But we do hate batteries and chargers and cables and clutter, and the drawers and crates full of random plastic tat that anyone who loves our hobby has to put up with. Move is an excellent, responsive system with huge potential, but besides the Eye camera you need a couple of Move wands, and nav controllers, and cables or a charge stand for these, and you need to constantly feed them all with electricity like a nest full of bleating chicks.

By contrast, Kinect is gloriously simple. You'll never need to charge it, take it out or put it away. If you want to play with it all you need to do, quite literally, is say the word.

Ellie and Oli freestylin' in Dance Central.

Using Kinect isn't effortless, though. It lacks precision, and Microsoft has made the interface more complicated and cumbersome than it needs to be. Getting to know Kinect these last couple of days, there's been a crust of confusion and annoyance to break through, particularly in the labyrinthine profile management and the laborious hand-waving interface. This isn't as accessible as controller-free gaming ought to be.

It's likely all this will improve with firmware and dashboard updates in time. It's even possible Kinect's performance will, too. On this matter we'll leave the final word, naturally, to our technology editor Richard Leadbetter; it pains us to bring you this launch report without Digital Foundry's expert view, but there simply weren't enough Kinects to go round or hours in the day. He'll be along soon.

We will say that lag is pronounced and noticeable in the gesture interface and in most games. In the majority, it's bearable and you'll get accustomed to it; the best simply design their way around it. It does seem that the more Kinect has to do the worse latency gets, which is consistent with what Microsoft mastermind Alex Kipman has said. When tracking the exaggerated full-body movements of two players (in Kinect Sports Football, say), things get sticky, but one-player Joy Ride with its subtler movements controls smoothly.

All these women have enormous living rooms. Fact.

So Kinect is compromised. If you're prepared to put up with its compromises, you'll have a genuinely exciting piece of new technology with tremendous wow factor and a number of impressive party tricks. It really does transform your Xbox into a different machine (although it's a shame that this new one seems completely segregated from the old one).

It feels, frankly, a lot like your first experience with the Wii; it's not quite as capable as you imagined, but it is inescapably, totally new. And there's no question that non-gamers will be blown away by it, although most will probably find it too expensive.

If you're excited at the prospect of Kinect, or simply love new gaming hardware, you should absolutely pick a unit up. The sci-fi frisson of new technology it provides is something we haven't experienced in the last five years, and if you're that way inclined, it's worth the £130. At that price it's a lot cheaper than the only current alternative, a 3D telly. There are some good, if not great, games available right away, and it's a wonderful family toy.

If you're a floating voter, you should wait. 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.

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Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (217) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Charlie_Miso #1 2 years ago

    Begin meltdown....

    NOW!

  • JBlokeUK #2 2 years ago

    ''and it's a wonderful family toy.''

    Pretty much sums it up. I don't own a 360 so I'm someone on the outside looking in, so to speak. But for me I love gaming because it allows me to relax after a hard days work, sitting/lying on my bed, and using Kinect doesn't sound relaxing to me. Yes I bought Move, but I have spent most of my time using it, in a relaxed position, sitting down.

    I'm interested to see how Kinect develops and will no doubt give it a go at some point on a mates 360 or in a store.
    Edited by JBlokeUK at 04/11/10 @ 04:21

  • MizzouGaming #3 2 years ago

    Its going to be massive in the States with the casual crowd. I just don't know enough about worldwide preferences to guess. I've had my unit for almost two months now because I was in the beta and it really is an amazing device. Its fun too, a lot of fun.

  • cjb_bjc #4 2 years ago

    That was a topsy turvy review. But I liked it! Not too sure about this yet tho

  • GamesConnoisseur #5 2 years ago

    Not for me, and yes aimed as casual mass market and we will see their verdict in the next few months.

    As for Move, it's certainly have a far better application to gamers, bur even so, doesn't always have all the success! Look at the quite variable quality of the Move enabled games, and bunched together will gives us a very average outcome.

    I myself got Move and works well most time, despite odd recaliberations needed due to my dark basement game room, but contend to let it stand without Kinect vying for my selfish attention!

  • niteninja #6 2 years ago

    ign give the camera 7.5 out of 10 says lag is a definitive issue also the set up is fairly complicated as I found out myself today.
    Kinect doesnt live up to the hype m$ had to cut to many corners to get this thing affordable.
    Still the technology will pave the way for something much superior in the future.

  • niteninja #7 2 years ago

    It will sell at launch for sure the big question is will anyone give a shit a year down the line?
    Its a marathon not a sprint.
    Once the novelty wears off and people switch back to joypads again because they are board of virtual golf,bowling,pet trainer and dance games.
    Edited by niteninja at 04/11/10 @ 05:13

  • BabyJesus #8 2 years ago

    This comments thread will be glorious in a few hours.

    Don't let me down EG.

  • Tallon4 #9 2 years ago

    This thread will selfdestruct in 3, 2, 1...

    Edit: guess you Brits don't have the humour I was expecting :)
    Edited by Tallon4 at 04/11/10 @ 11:57

  • RKOwned #10 2 years ago

    So, did this thing flop score wise or what? Seems to be doing about as well, or maybe worse, then move did score wise from sites.

  • Old_Books #11 2 years ago

    I'm not interested in Kinect personally but I think MS marketing for this has been spot on. All the issues with the launch games are not going to be bother the target audience, a bit like Wii Sports and Just Dance; the problem I can see when these people go into the shops is:

    Customer: "I'll take one of those wonderful Kinect things please."
    Retailer: "Certainly, have you got an Xbox 360?"
    Customer: "Eh, what is this 360 thing you are talking about?"
    Retailer: "You need it to use Kinect, that'll be an extra £150 please."
    Customer: "What! Fuck that, gimmie a Wii."

    (I know there are bundles but MS have been pushing the £130 price point really hard in the media IMO)

  • Zappa #12 2 years ago

    um where is the score??

  • Dave52 #13 2 years ago

    Beat me to it Zappa.

    Once you get past the wow factor it is in no way perfect. Unless they can fix some fundamentals, longevity has got to be a concern, but of course, by then MS already have your cash.

    Core gaming...? Probably not if the lag can't be resolved.

  • altitude2k #14 2 years ago

    @zappa

    Don't be so lazy.

  • Rack #15 2 years ago

    It says pretty directly that if you live in a mansion and are genuinely excited by the idea of it you should get one now. How much simpler does it have to be? What would a number add to that?

  • TOOTR #16 2 years ago

    Superb summary article. EG is way ahead of the other sites in this regard.

    Nice one staff :)

  • Fab4 #17 2 years ago

    To paraphrase Jaws...'You're gonna need a bigger living room'.

  • morriss #18 2 years ago

    Just what I expected it to be.

  • Das_Ginge #19 2 years ago

    I think it depends - I live in a mid back to back terrace house - not a huge place by any manner of means but I can get about 7 - 7.5 feet with pretty good ease for single player fun, however I dont have a lot of space for to players so we will have to see.

  • Laserbream #20 2 years ago

    Why not play it on the roof? Plenty of space and fresh air, and if you buy fighters uncaged you can simply jump off and end the horror.

  • superted1974 #21 2 years ago

    The only score you really need is the games scores.

    They are poor for launch titles. They must realise that if they had a few 9's or 10's they would shift more hardware.

    The average of those scores is 5.8
    Edited by superted1974 at 04/11/10 @ 11:16

  • Antaios #22 2 years ago

    I was very tempted to just stop reading after "it's expensive, finicky, unreliable and difficult to accommodate," to be very honest.

  • JohnnyWashnGo #23 2 years ago

    It all sounds too much like exercise to me.

  • MeBrains #24 2 years ago

    important fact about needed space not repeated in the closing comments shocker

  • pinebear #25 2 years ago

    How well doeth Xthboxth Kinect'th voith control handle thpeech impedimenth?

  • Dave52 #26 2 years ago

    From the Joystiq review:

    "For all the talk of revolutionizing the Xbox 360 experience and making gaming more natural/ accessible, it's bordering on absurd how broken Kinect is when it comes to something as simple as working in your home."

    Space seems to be a bit of an issue...

  • FuzzyDuck #27 2 years ago

    @Old_Books

    I've experienced this already in my place of work - little Johnny doesn't want (or have) the 360, he's just getting Kinect for Christmas.

    It'll be a hoot in that household come the 25th.

  • Master09 #28 2 years ago

    The major problem the Kinect has, and PSMove as well is that they are sen as rip offs of the Wii.

    Plus factor in their higher price points and really it would be hard pressed to recommend Kinectic over the Wii.

    Sorry MS, but stick to what you are good at, shooters.

  • dirtyvu #29 2 years ago

    great job reviewing guys! i'm excited. dance central and kinect sports are the buys for this launch round.

  • drumbaby #30 2 years ago

    Do people have bigger living rooms in the States? If so, then no problem by the sound of it...but only if you're a gadget hound who loves new things for the sake of it despite a myriad of flaws.
    Edited by drumbaby at 04/11/10 @ 07:34

  • Fab4 #31 2 years ago

    I'd say the majority of average houses are bigger than those in the UK. And the ones that arent are being fixed, one by one, by Extreme Home Makeover. ;) :-D
    Edited by Fab4 at 04/11/10 @ 07:37

  • orangpelupa #32 2 years ago

    ugh... i was planning to use kinect on my bedroom...
    i guess i will need to move the tables, chairs, wardrobe, and comic-bookself from my bedroom. But to where!? ouch...

  • Widge #33 2 years ago

    I feels almost as if the EG team admire the stab at something new and are almost wishing the thing all the best. Be interesting to see future titles, especially from third party as they wrangle with the hardware. That could be the key area as MS aren't exactly hot in the first party department. It's those first party titles that push the thing, especially if you use the Wii as a benchmark.

    Interesting to read about set up woes, lag, lack of feedback and response in here and across the reviews. If you scan through The Fight, you'll see those reasons as why the title fails to deliver. Will the EG review team be so forgiving as the months go on?

    But still, let's see what is to come. Very early days in the new entries to the motion game. More games for "us" would be nice. I see a lot of people really looking forward to Sorcery, I just see another game that is targeted at the young demographic. Nothing wrong with that, but you really need to get the balance in titles out there.

    Also don't forget, a red Wii has been released. People cream themselves for shit like that.

  • Fab4 #34 2 years ago

    Btw, the site front page makes it look like it should be renamed to Kinectogamer.

  • pinebear #35 2 years ago

    Sorcery is for Move - Kinect has some extras in the Harry Potter game.

    Not that Sorcery is in any way similar to Harry Potter, of course.

  • TelexStar #36 2 years ago

    @Widge - "I feels almost as if the EG team admire the stab at something new and are almost wishing the thing all the best."

    Indeed, that's exactly the impression I get. Aside from the sense of being distracted by something new, the review reads like a host of practical problems. It's one thing to write an optimistic review when you've been given the tech to review. It's something entirely different when you're expected to pay 130 shiny coins for it.

    2.5 metres for 2 people? That is an insane expectation to level on the "casual" market.

  • FutureDave #37 2 years ago

    The reviews could all be 1/10, but Kinect will still sell by the truckload. It's a product that people just want to try out. 360 gamers are clambering for it, but the question still remains whether Wii owners will ever consider buying a second console for the experience. They are surely the demographic MS wants to steal, but are they really that interested that they'll buy a second console for their casual family gaming?

  • Widge #38 2 years ago

    Yeah, I know Sorcery is for Move, people are looking at it as the next title they are anticipating. I just can't see why.

  • Spydy #39 2 years ago

    Nice write up. I'm avoiding though.

  • madgerald Verified Studio Head of PR & Marketing, Colossal Games LTD #40 2 years ago

    The only question I have is ... Is it better than Halo?

  • KayJay #41 2 years ago

    The whole USB thing stood out as a bit of a pain to me...

    I know alot of people prefer a wired connection but I expect alot of people have the wireless add on. Which, to move everytime you want to play kinect will be a pain or it's not going to look so nice if you have the wireless plugged into the front of the 360... :(

    I don't think anyone was really expecting to much from the launch games and everything said in the reviews seem to run with everything I've seen. But Dance Central looks fun (if not for me) same with Kinectamls (or whatever)...

    I have to say, however sceptical I am about kinect the ability to control certain things with voice & gestures is attractive if not quite perfected.

    jury is out, but kinda interested in a "space agey, that would be cool" kinda way :)
    Edited by KayJay at 04/11/10 @ 09:03

  • peterfll #42 2 years ago

    I almost climbed on top of the fence to sit there. Almost. But £130 is a lot of money to spend on something that 1) may not work properly in my home due to space and 2) doesn't have a killer application that appeals to my taste.

    If I was to re-arrange my living room to accomodate Kinnect it needs be essential to my gaming experience, not a very interesting curiosity.

  • local_celebrity #43 2 years ago

    Like the Wii, this thing will only be of interest to women, kids and gays. Real men will steer clear.

    /scratches groin
    /spits

  • Spydy #44 2 years ago

    Nice article. I can't see this thing going anywhere judging by the latest games out or announced though. The casuals will be kicking themselves when they found out they spent £130 on tedious, repetitive junk. The only revolution will be people taking it back to the shops for a refund.

  • bad09 #45 2 years ago

    Christ is this casual gamer? Clicked on EG this morning and human waggle is everywhere! Kinect out this week I take it :)

    / heads to Rock Paper Shotgun for the rest of the week

  • PixelPirate #46 2 years ago

    It's expensive, finicky, unreliable and difficult to accommodate. But it's also an extraordinary piece of futuristic technology, and when is the last time the gaming world was treated to one of those?

    Exhibit one. Virtua Boy

  • ElNino9 #47 2 years ago

    Kinectlol

  • Skooch #48 2 years ago

    Interesting...the review pretty much summed up a lot of people's suspicions...

    POSITIVES
    Great bit of tech
    Fun for the family
    Innovative
    Different

    NEGATIVES
    Cost
    Lag
    Not particularly 'slick'
    Need a big play area

  • comedian #49 2 years ago

    Not enough space in my living room, in fact no one I know has enough space in their living room for this.

  • swisstony #50 2 years ago

    You say you're serious about covering casual games, but in these reviews and numerous times in the past, you've consistently been unable to take games aimed at children on the terms children themselves take them. It's not your fault, but games which are hits in the playground with my 8 year old and her friends, that they play for a while and talk about, are games which usually don't review well with this website, or indeed many others.

    I like that you keep covering this stuff, but finding a way to review kids games that isn't bringing the baggage of the adult hardcore gamer is probably the key challenge.

  • altitude2k #51 2 years ago

    Out of the 6 or so houses and flats I've lived in with my parents, through uni and that I own, never would I have had any problems finding room to play this. I just don't get what people are complaining about.

  • irrelevanthuman #52 2 years ago

    Input lag,fail.

  • PoundHound #53 2 years ago

    I somehow managed to forget it was review day for Kinect. While I'm not particularly interested in it, I've come to feel a little sorry for it, given the almost universal derision it has received. I think I'm rooting for the underdog. When I saw all the reviews on the front page my heart actually started beating faster! I was genuinely excited by the whole thing.

    While my own opinion on Kinect hasn't been swayed (I'll probably pick it up at some point in the future), I'm pleasantly surprised by the generally good reception Eurogamer has given it. I'm almost ashamed to say it, but....GO KINECT! :)

  • Bangaioh #54 2 years ago

    This review is enough to convince me NOT to buy one

  • Tomo #55 2 years ago

    Aye, I think this confirmed most of my fears too. It does sound like a bold attempt by MS to innovate, but the launch titles look really unappealing and the issues it has are beyond niggles, rather fairly significant deal breakers. :/

  • beastmaster #56 2 years ago

    Not being able to control media other than Zune is laughable.

  • GitSomE_UK #57 2 years ago

    Will probably look to get a bundle deal when I eventually switch to the newer XBox and the prices come down.

    Until then I'm out... but very interested to see where this goes.

    BTW MS massive fail for not having the kinect link to the Xbox dashboard from the get go. If this was enabled and I could use swipe gestures minority report style around the dashboard I'd probably buy one today.

  • Lee_Morris #58 2 years ago

    Why will it 'get better with time'? Future wizard in the house it seems.

  • Lexx87 #59 2 years ago

    Because they will improve the software for it.

  • drxym #60 2 years ago

    Lag, simplistic (not simple, simplistic) gaming, lack of variety, price and ridiculous space requirements is what will kill this platform. The launch lineup covers pretty much all you'll ever see for it - fitness, cute, dance, and party games.
    Edited by drxym at 04/11/10 @ 09:27

  • J.C #61 2 years ago

    A year ago i was going mad for this. the prototype kinect was the real deal. the retail unit, as we all know is borked. microsoft had to strip it down to make it affordable. shame really. the project natal unit, as it was known then looked lag free and more impressive than the home unit. maybe next time.

  • makariel #62 2 years ago

    "If you don't have the room, don't buy Kinect."

    I live in the Netherlands, around here most flats are rather tiny. The only way I would have 1.8 meters in front of my telly would be if I throw my table out of the window. For 2.5 meters I'd have to get rid of my sofa, break through the wall and play from my neighbors flat.

  • Negotiator #63 2 years ago

    Incredible, thanks Microsoft.

  • Halo.Jones #64 2 years ago

    A review with no scores!?

  • mcmonkeyplc #65 2 years ago

    I'm waiting for that fitness evolved review before I decide. My living room has plenty of space.

  • des #66 2 years ago

    lol,Kinect is getting better reviews than glowing dildo,haters annihilated

  • Douche #67 2 years ago

    @TelexStar, Widge

    That's because both of you (and most other commenters) are wishing it to be shit. But it's not. So in your face!

    And, whoever it was, stop comparing it to Eye Toy! Read the review.

  • RexRunti #68 2 years ago

    It'll be fine only the hardcore live in flats, casuals live in houses. It's not going to get everyone screaming for it but the middle classes and those trying to keep up with the Joneses will die for it.

  • Vanmunt #69 2 years ago

    Put simply, if you ever want to use this thing with two players (and you really should) you need plenty of room. If you don't have the room, don't buy Kinect.

    Thanks, probably wasn't going to get this but that quote pretty much confirms it.

  • curtlikesmeat #70 2 years ago

    I feel like an old man or something, but I'm just really really not interested at all in this type of stuff. I've played on other people's Wiis, and it's amusing for about 10 minutes... still, I hope the people that like it have fun.

  • TheJuriel #71 2 years ago

    I would get Kinect, if it wasn't so insanely priced. As it is, pass on the gimmick.

  • CrumpledPaper #72 2 years ago

    The level of compromise suggested by this review and others seems kind of unacceptable to me personally. Others might be willing to soldier through its shortcomings and enjoy the novelty in the short term but I guarantee that for most people, the desirability of novelty will give way to the necessity for reliability.

  • mkreku #73 2 years ago

    If I stand on my couch, I have enough room.. but then I can't play naked or my neighbours will complain. And if I take one wrong step, I'll fall out of my window. In my skivvies.

  • geeza2020 #74 2 years ago

    This review just confirmed what I was expecting from Kinect. A bit broken, but also a good laugh. Unfortunately for MS I already own a Wi for casual/party games, so until there is a proper AAA game that requires Kinect to play, I will be steering clear, and hopefully in the meantime they can concentrate on making it more accessible.

  • Harmonica #75 2 years ago

    "A review with no scores!?"

    Think of it as separating the wheat from the chaff, in terms of reader literacy.

    Read it and found it informative as a review of a single peripheral could be.

    It's all about the games, the games will sell this or they won't.

    Space check: I have enough room AND in the room that the 360 lives. But it would require moving a table into the garden. Yeah..
    Edited by Harmonica at 04/11/10 @ 09:53

  • Fletche #76 2 years ago

    How many families are going to buy this, families that don't read reviews, get it home and discover their rooms are far too small for it to work properly. There may be a lot of crying children come Christmas morning when the parents refuse to move the furniture around the room to accomodate this

  • chubster2010 #77 2 years ago

    Interesting report; I'm still yet to be convinced, but will certainly be following how Kinect develops with interest.

    I have to pick up the following though:

    '[Kinect] it is inescapably, totally new.'

    Is this really true? I've said it here before, but surely Kinect is more an evolution of Eyetoy etc rather than being, as you suggest, completely, 100% revolutionary?

    Also, @ all the 'Begin meltdown.... ' posters at the top of the thread. Grow up please. Thank you.
    Edited by chubster2010 at 04/11/10 @ 09:55

  • memeroot #78 2 years ago

    So I cant use kinnect for movies..... WHAT!!!!!!!!

    seriously this is coming soon isn't it!!!!

  • jonsaan #79 2 years ago

    'For some reason Kinect only works with the USB port on the back of your Xbox, so if you own a wi-fi adapter you'll need to plug it into the front of the machine with an extension cable; it's a bit inelegant.'


    Whaaaaat?!!!

    O_o

  • MaxiSleep #80 2 years ago

    Hmm. Even Ollie makes it sound crap.(when you read between the lines)

  • Eraysor #81 2 years ago

    But I had an Eyetoy years ago...

  • Widge #82 2 years ago

    I don’t think you should attach a review score to a piece of hardware such as this, its more to judge on what the software does to take advantage of it.

  • muscleblade #83 2 years ago

    I actually think it well sell really well and even sell more new 360s than Halo 3. Casual gamers are much bigger in numbers than us serious gamers anyway.

  • Goodfella #84 2 years ago

    @des "lol,Kinect is getting better reviews than glowing dildo,haters annihilated"

    Seriously? That's some delusional thinking there.

  • Jay-ITFC #85 2 years ago

    I'd just like to say great review. Really good read.

  • Gaol #86 2 years ago

    Article reads a bit like like an apology. Hardware is overpriced, technically compromised, not user friendly and lacking in killer applications...but Hey! It's shiny and new!

    Far, far too polite Mr Welsh.

  • DiamondIce #87 2 years ago

    @Halo Jones

    Maybe one day games reviews won't have scores and people will have to read the entire review to decide if the game/hardware is for them.

    The space issue of Kinect is a big turn-off especially for two players. I am not going to re-arrange my living room for casual style games. In fact any style of game.

  • CrumpledPaper #88 2 years ago

    @Gaol

    That's my sentiment too. In the short term, in writing about Kinect you run the risk of being over-awed by novelty. It reminds me of myself when I played eyetoy for the first time. I was BUZZING. I thought there was huge potential. I recognised the flaws and limitations but I was only too happy to overlook them and I didn't fully understand the implications of the limitations for the future. Maybe this is why I'm more cautious with Kinect. Come back in a couple of months and see if that glitchy hand-waving interface was anything more than a short-lived curiosity. That's what happens with stuff like this I think - the novelty wears off. The need for reliability and an unfrustrating experience, the other limitations of the system - they don't wear off.

  • Spekingur #89 2 years ago

    MS should release a more costly Kinect for those who want it :|
    I guess it will come with Kinect 2. By Kinect 10 (in a few decades) it will be lagfree, in every household and act as our personal home butler. Or something.

  • mc_mclovin #90 2 years ago

    I dont get what the issue with space is for this, i mean seriously, 1.8 mtrs, isnt much! i have plenty of space for this in my (normal sized) lounge...as do all my friends.
    I dont see the same being said about psmove (which i have) sports champions, for example, says you need to stand 8ft from your tv....haters will latch on to any excuse for a moan...

    Price wise, £130 might seem alot, but then thats all you have to pay...with move its £50 for the starter pack, another £30 for a second wand (for multiplayer and some singlepalyer experiences), then another £25 for each nav controller....so all told, its around the £120/130 mark for the full two player experience. Suddenly doesnt seem that expensive.

    I think with a few decent games, and some developer ingenuity, both kinect and move could change the way we play games.

    Besides, as gamers, arent we supposed to be the ones who embrace new technolgy!!!

  • efebayor #91 2 years ago

    Sounds horrific.

  • Douche #92 2 years ago

    @Gaol, CrumpledPaper

    The review describes the low points of Kinect clearly. They are not hidden or skimmed over, yet it seems Oli (and by the sounds of it the Eurogamer staff) enjoyed the experience and the kit and think there is potential in it.

    I would honestly like to know how many of the people who say the review is too kind or that kinect is pants have actually tried it?

  • smithdown #93 2 years ago

    In Europe and Japan, I see the amount of space needed to play as being the defining issue - most Europeans and Japanese (not that the Japs give two shits about Xbox anyway) have relatively small living spaces, certainly compared to the cavernous lounges of a lot of American houses.

    Looks like MS may not have done their research on this one. I live in a fairly large semi and but I would still struggle to accomodate Kinect without shoving my sofa in to the hallway.

  • jonsaan #94 2 years ago

    I'd love to have a go. But my head tells me to wait a while.

  • patootik #95 2 years ago

    I had a chance to play Kinect at a free "walk in" demonstration a few weeks ago in Dublin. The main things I noticed were:

    * Very tiring, I'm a relatively fit, thin man in my 20s but after 15 or so minutes of "Adventures" I was puffed lol, can only imagine what it would be like after a few hours!

    * Not intuitive, you cant just jump in and know what to do, I even had trouble moving my hand over the buttons to start the game. The guys demonstrating the machine had to explain how to do everything, and it still took quite a while to get the hang of it. Of course after a few hours you would get used to it, it just seems strange that a machine hyped for its intuitiveness and accesability would be so difficult to get the hang of.

    * I didnt feel "Kinected". When playing Wii tennis I at least feel like I'm hitting the ball, not so with Kinect. It was fun watching the character on screen mimic my actions (with a slight delay I might add), but it felt more like digital puppetry than actually being part of, or in the game.

    * Need space. For anyone living in a flat its gonna be real hard to play, I noticed myself getting withing a few feet of the device on a couple of occasions and I would just drop out of the game. Plus you need double the space with 2 people flailing and jumping. Also I hit, and was hit by my brother on multiple occasions while playing Adventures, nothing serious, quite funny, but yeah space is an issue for sure.

    Ok, keep in mind I had maybe 40 minutes all up with these games, even so I came away unimpressed and certainly in no hurry to go get one (I have a 360, PS3 and Wii).

    I really dont want to sound so harsh, I would have loved if Kinect was all round better at what it does, but from what I experienced it (currently) offers nothing to the hardcore, and could only offer and fun Xmas and boxing day for the fam. It will be very interesting to see what Kinect becomes in the future.

    I will say however the photo feature is very funny, the machine takes random snaps while you are playing and shows them to you at the end of the game, often with hilarious results.

  • Sid-Nice #96 2 years ago

    The review reads more like a 5/10 than a 7/10. To me the review says “Kinect doesn’t work but it’s a nice piece of technology.” There are too many negative comments compared to positive ones.

  • xero521 #97 2 years ago

    sounds like a really good peice of technology and good fun if u had the space and freinds to play it! i will stick to my lonley living room wiv curtins closed fire on and beer in hand and play my good old ps3

  • RobTheBuilder #98 2 years ago

    The genius of Wii was that they disguised the limitations very well.
    Looks like Kinect is not quite doing it.

    That said, if you want to be totally wowed by gaming technology then this is easily the best way until 3DS.

    Good reviews, well done EG.

  • smithdown #99 2 years ago

    @mc_lovin
    "I dont get what the issue with space is for this, i mean seriously, 1.8 mtrs, isnt much! i have plenty of space for this in my (normal sized) lounge...as do all my friends. "

    1.8 is probably do-able for some, but 2.5 meters? My lounge is a good size and I might just squeeze it in. But most people living in mid-size Victorian terrace wouldn't manage it, unless they put the TV in the window. UK lounges just aren't configured for this sort of thing.

    “I dont see the same being said about psmove (which i have) sports champions, for example, says you need to stand 8ft from your tv....haters will latch on to any excuse for a moan... “

    I play Move about 5ft from my TV with no problems, sometimes closer. 5ft = 1.5meters. Maybe Kinect works at a smaller distance too, but not from the sounds of the review.

    “Price wise, £130 might seem alot, but then thats all you have to pay...with move its £50 for the starter pack, another £30 for a second wand (for multiplayer and some singlepalyer experiences), then another £25 for each nav controller....so all told, its around the £120/130 mark for the full two player experience. Suddenly doesnt seem that expensive. “

    I got my Move starter pack for £40, and a nav controller for £16. Another £46 for a second person and that’s £102 for two players. Expensive, agreed. But then I only bought Move to play on my own (girlfriend hates games) so it cost me a total of £56. Someone who wants to buy Kinect to play the games by themselves has no option but pay the full whack of £130.

    I’m not trying to shit on Kinect from a great height or anything, I think it has great potential, especially if they can reduce the play space needed. But on the strength of the review here and my gut feeling, it’ll be a while until I buy it. I expect a lot of gamers feel the same.

  • vizzini #100 2 years ago

    The review sounds more like that of The Fight on Move, but editorial direction won out.

    My main worry for Microsoft is that they may have bet the company on this piece of kit, and the way they are marketing it, is reminiscent of the many Christmas fad products that have been and gone since the early eighties.

    The big issue isn't whether Ellen, Oprah or Eurogamer can sell the product now, but whether people feel ripped off when the dust settles (probably February 2011).

    The major difference between Kinect and the Wii(or Move) is not goin to be technology, it is that Microsoft aren't talking about core games they have in development, or talking about new core-game experiences they can do. Instead they are going massive on all-out-waggle for casual consumers, and are hoping those casuals haven't got any more tech savvy since the Wii launch.

    So if these reviews turn out to be too generous(in hindsight), then Kinect could ultimately be the device to kill the 360 console; because I can't see core gamers(in Europe) not migrating to a different core-gaming platform, while Microsoft talk gaming to casuals for 6months.

    An early demise of the 360 platform could potentially effect Microsoft's company value in a negative way; and with Apple sat with ~$50 billion in “dry powder”, there might be plans within Apple to finally end their 25year war for Cybertron, by buying Microsoft when their shares are low enough.

  • chuck_bone #101 2 years ago

    Having played with a Kinect a while back at a MS event in London, I can say categorically that it is a fun experience. It's a lot more physical than your average Wand game system, and taken for what it actualy is (An eyetoy clone with depth sensing), it works very well.
    BUT:
    The space requirement completely excludes me from owning one as there is no way I can accommodate it in any room in my house. Our TV is wall mounted,and our Sofa as far back as it possibly can be - we have no possible way to make the 6-8ft of space the Kinect requires. My old flat would have been worse.
    Short of including Phil Spence and Kirsty Alsopp with eveyr Kinect, I'm not sure how MS can improve on this flaw.

    Furthermore, the Kinect experience is all well and good, but once one has played 5 identical 'Hold the pose' type games, where do you have to go after that? It is entirely down to games designers to build value into this proposition, and unless they can step up to the mark and make truly amazing games that push the boundaries, it's going to be a case of Wii-itis . How many Wii games truly push Motion Control to the limits and create hours of fun? Only Nintendo and one or two 3rd parties have really delivered.

    Also, it does not make the 360 a 'controller free' platform in any way shape or form. One still requires a Joypad or two to play the rest of the 360s collection of titles. So any comment about the room being ;clutter free' is nonsense - it will be exactly the same,e xcept now you have at least one more large peripheral to put next to the TV - along with the centre speaker, wii senser and Eyetoy!

    Anyway, $500 million of hype and marketing along with a holiday buying season will see bucket loads sold regardless of quality of product (Look at the Wii for this!!)

    Watch for actual games sales in 6 months, and Kinect Ebay sales and returns after christmas for a true picture of what the 'casual' reaction is to this.
    Edited by chuck_bone at 04/11/10 @ 11:42

  • CrumpledPaper #102 2 years ago

    @Douche

    That's true, I'm not criticising the review for not pointing out the good and the bad. I'm just saying that I think a lot of the good stuff is tied to novelty that won't outlive the downsides, so I wouldn't weigh the positives and negatives evenly. The win of not needing any other equipment will always be there, but a lot of the other upsides seem rooted in 'omg shiny and new' novelty the kind of which I'm very wary of after eyetoy for example (or even Wii to a lesser extent).
    Edited by CrumpledPaper at 04/11/10 @ 11:44

  • RobTheBuilder #103 2 years ago

    The turning point will be Kinect+ games with controllers.

    Imagine Gears of War where ducking and breaking cover are controlled by your movements.
    I once played a Namco sniper game where you manually controlled movement, was great fun...

  • StolenGlory #104 2 years ago

    Is the Your Shape review still coming soonish?

  • IronGiant #105 2 years ago

    As expected, decent tech but crap for gaming. For video chat and the other stuff it sounds great but the lag and ridiculous amount of space needed means this is just not suited to games which is exactly why nintendo and Sony passed on this tech. But then what do MS care, they're laughing all the way to the bank riding their own hype bandwagon.. The number of kinect units being returned for a refund after xmas will be huge.

  • FourQ #106 2 years ago

    You liked the Eye Toy right?

    Well now it's back and you need a bigger house!

    ENJOY!!!

  • feistycheese #107 2 years ago

    '5 million people will be buying this by Xmas . . .'

    and 4 million will be taking it back and getting a refund by New Year.

    Also interesting to note that on some other review sites have mentioned problems getting it to recognise you if you wear glasses.

    So, if you have a massive living room, no coffee table, even lighting, no dogs that like to wander across the room at inappropriate moments, like shovelware, dont mind lag, and have good eyesight, then Kinect is the product for you!

  • henro_ben #108 2 years ago

    For me, nothing in this review fixes the crushing disapointment of encountering kinect at the expo last month.

    I was originally quite keen on the idea, but the reality costs too much and delivers too little for me personally. I'm surprised Joy Ride managed 5/10 though, from the expo I thought that was crusing for a kicking in the reviews.

    Think I'll stick with the standard xbox controller for the time being at least...

  • kimchibaka #109 2 years ago

    I dread to think how many people will buy a 360-owning relative one of these for Christmas, caught up in the headline hype, even if they - maybe especially if they - know little about gaming, and thinking they're getting them the most incredible present ever. For the first time I'm really glad I only have a PS3. I'm bound to be given a Move for Xmas, which I don't really want, but at least there are 'traditional' games I can play with it (Ruse, Heavy Rain, more to come) and I can play it sitting down...

    As others have said, outside of the States there are going to be a lot of disappointed faces this Yuletide when people realise their living rooms are too small.

    Otherwise the tech does sound very interesting, but not much more than that as yet. I'll watch with interest, and hope refinements come soon for the 360 owners, even if it never reaches the stage where I simply must have one myself.



  • silver-jon #110 2 years ago

    Yep, I think I'm in the "wait for a year or so, until the systems are better integrated and the one or two great social games are out with a 9/10 EG score" category.

    And that gives me a year to find some friends for social gaming too !
    Good work, EG - thanks for the review(s).

  • Vanmunt #111 2 years ago

    the biggest problem I see with the space issue is that if little Johnny or Mable want Kinect for Chrimbo and you set it up in the family room (if its big enough, cough lizer) great, its probably going to be alot of fun.. then after Chrimbo when little Johnny wants to set it up in his bedroom, it not going to work.. sorry, but i cannot see people moving the coffee table and sofa in their living room everytime Johnny or Mable want to play with Kinect..

    everybody is going on about living rooms, but kinect is for casuals and kids.. and I see massive fail not being able to be played in bedrooms.

  • IronGiant #112 2 years ago

    Rob, Gears of War with kinect would be awful, games like that need fast reactions from the controller.. Exactly the type of game that kinect is not suited to.

  • DreadedWalrus #113 2 years ago

    "Joy Ride is the only major [launch] game you should actively avoid"

    5/10 is "actively avoid" now? What's 2/10? "Singlehandedly responsible for cancer"?

  • GrizzleBoy #114 2 years ago

    RobTheBuilder said: "Imagine Gears of War where ducking and breaking cover are controlled by your movements."

    Hmmmmm, that would be pretty dumb :\

    If we had a light gun or something it would make sense, but then you'd have to ask yourself why you need a £130 camera to do something a light gun that costs less than half the price can do. It would also kill Microsofts "you are the controller" line.

    You could actually pretend you are coming out of cover and do all the "cool" movements etc that include actually aiming and firing.

    However, ducking and diving with your head while firing with a standard controller just seems like a terrible idea lol.

    Not intuitive at all imo.

  • onyxbox #115 2 years ago

    I've been reading most of the reviews out today and most are pretty downbeat about Kinect. The positives seem to focus on 'it's potential' but I have a feeling that that potential is based on hype from Microsoft rather than the capabilities of the hardware.

    Kinect's limitations will become apparent very quickly IMO (within a few months), the novelty will wear off and will be remebered as a fun distraction that people had one Christmas.


    One other thing while I'm here...
    The irony that you have to use the 360 controller to set it up and go through the tutorial is pricesless :)

  • coastal #116 2 years ago

    Would be jolly helpful if EG produced some videos of it being used. I want to see daft limbs battered about. The on screen graphics are only half the story. Take that track and field running - presumably this is running on the spot? I have no idea but if it is I would like to know.

  • TopKatt #117 2 years ago

    Okay, I think my plans for Kinect are pretty much sorted. Wait until I see it on sale somewhere for around £50-£60 then maybe pick one up.

    Assuming there's a couple of decent games out for it by then of course.
    Edited by TopKatt at 04/11/10 @ 12:24

  • drumbaby #118 2 years ago

    The moment the promised 'controller + camera' options begin to take over the Kinect library (which I'm sure will happen once the limitations of Kinect by itself come to light) Kinect's position as a very expensive Eye Toy will be secured. Then they'll have to drop the price pretty quickly if they want to extend this excitement beyond the hype wave they're currently riding.

    I'm just wondering where Msoft can go with the controller option though...a whole lot of patents must be tied up now between Sony and Nintendo for the wand style controller.

  • Byblos1 #119 2 years ago

    The Wii would've been DOA without Nintendo's support, not convinced MS can get decent games out fast enough. The whole 'clutter free' stuff is complete BS, unless I missed the part where the 360 runs off air.

    Really can't see how Kinect will offer anything but hand waving party games, plus expect the media to catch on to the space requirements soon, resulting in a media shitstorm.

    Quite amusing how MS can buy pretty much anyone.They couldve been selling a glass of water this holiday and people wouldve been queuing for hours.

  • TelexStar #120 2 years ago

    Douche - "The review describes the low points of Kinect clearly. They are not hidden or skimmed over, yet it seems Oli (and by the sounds of it the Eurogamer staff) enjoyed the experience and the kit and think there is potential in it.

    I would honestly like to know how many of the people who say the review is too kind or that kinect is pants have actually tried it?    "

    CrumpledPaper - "@Douche That's true, I'm not criticising the review for not pointing out the good and the bad. I'm just saying that I think a lot of the good stuff is tied to novelty that won't outlive the downsides, so I wouldn't weigh the positives and negatives evenly. The win of not needing any other equipment will always be there, but a lot of the other upsides seem rooted in 'omg shiny and new' novelty the kind of which I'm very wary of after eyetoy for example (or even Wii to a lesser extent)."


    Douche, I'm not "wanting Kinect to be shit". As CrumpledPaper said, the review did a good job of pointing out the good/bad. I simply picked up that much of the tone of the review was sounding like it was trying to be positive despite the many glaring practical problems they highlighted. I have no doubt the EG crew had a blast reviewing it and there's nothing wrong with that but I also know they didn't each pay £130 of their own cash for the priviledge. The cost translates to a big difference as to whether Kinect is worth it. For me, it's most definitely not.



    @ swisstony - "It's not your fault, but games which are hits in the playground with my 8 year old and her friends, that they play for a while and talk about, are games which usually don't review well with this website, or indeed many others.

    I like that you keep covering this stuff, but finding a way to review kids games that isn't bringing the baggage of the adult hardcore gamer is probably the key challenge.    "

    You make a good point... For you, as a father to an 8 year old, 130 quid may well be worth the expense if you know she and her friends will love the experience (and who can blame you), but for me it comes down to an issue of cost. I think when reviews are concerned, so long as they give the facts (the good the bad etc), I think it's up to the individual as to whether the cost justifies it. I don't think it's fair (or even possible) to expect reviews to try and interpret the "worth" of a game/peripheral for all who read them.

  • secombe #121 2 years ago

    So I need to move my wireless adaptor to the front and lay it on the floor (no clips to hold it at the front of an XBox) and clear my living room out every time I want to play it.

    It begs the question, who like myself, who already has a Wii is really going to bother with this?

  • Vergis69 #122 2 years ago

    Kinect, the videogames industries latest joke.

    Wake up people.

    Wonder how many notes went to reviewers of kinect to make it sound better too..

  • SpaceMidget75 Verified Senior Software Developer, Minerva Computer Services #123 2 years ago

    I've been very careful not to slag off Kinect until launch. I was hoping that the space issue wouldn't be a problem and I could then buy one for the kids for christmas (rather than toys everywhere).

    However, I live in a 3 bed house in England and even with a wall mounted plasma I'm gonna have trouble with 50% of the games in single player and 100% of the games in multiplayer! So it's a no-sale from me now.

    Given I was pretty close to pre-ordering this due to apparent shortages I expect LOTS of people to be returning these after christmas. You mark my words, if you think it had bad press before launch, wait until the press hear about the mass returns.

    MS have fucked up majorly with this I think. It might be fine for the US but Japan and England are fucked.

  • thedaveeyres #124 2 years ago

    I do not want
    to jump about.
    I want to sit
    on my arse
    on the couch.

    FIN

  • Zephro #125 2 years ago

    So everyone's preconceptions have been confirmed for Move and Kinect. No one is going to stop playing "core" games on their "core" console of choice, they won't migrate platform for it and everything will just continue as normal.

    I'm really unclear on why everyone got their collective knickers in a twist.

    Though from a gadget point of view Kinect seems like it would be more fun to fiddle with, not much more.

  • mode7 #126 2 years ago

    "If you don't have the room, don't buy Kinect."

    This is the key point for me, I simply don't have that 8 feet of distance away from my TV.

  • drxym #127 2 years ago

    If you think it's a hassle to get up and swap discs over, just imagine having to haul your coffee table and other crap out of the way too just to play a game. That's even assuming you have a room large enough to do it. Perhaps now is the time to plan that extension, assuming you don't live in a bed sit, council house, apartment, high rise flat, semi etc.

  • Rack #128 2 years ago

    @Grizzleboy/Robthebuilder There was an old arcade game where you could duck and dive to avoid shots and use cover, while using a light gun to fire. It was very, very cool. But then, that's the kind of thing Move is built for. Kinect could theoretically do some very interesting things with rail shooters but I don't see hybridisation being it's strong suit, that's where Move would come in strongest.

  • Les #129 2 years ago

    "with tremendous wow factor and a number of impressive party tricks."

    For the first month or so and then you realize that it badly fixes things that weren't broken in the first place...

  • TopKatt #130 2 years ago

    Where's the Goldeneye review guys? :(

  • CloisterBlack #131 2 years ago

    I'm sensing in-story advertisement of Kinect in some future episode of the Big Bang Theory. :p
    For example: the guys walk in Sheldon's apartment and he is playing Kinect. H H !
    Edited by CloisterBlack at 04/11/10 @ 13:30

  • fragglerocks #132 2 years ago

    I might have to get this purely for Dance Central, but it sounds like a wait & see review (i.e. could be awesome in time).

  • Retro_ #133 2 years ago

    Reading that review was a strange sensation. It felt almost as it it was being censored for part of it, almost like you couldn't actually say exactly what you thought..... very strange indeed.

    So, Kinnect is fine until kinnect actually gets used and then it turns into a lag fest that gets worse the more kinnect needs to do. Doesn't sound to encouraging for future games that will use Kinnect more then!

    So, to summarise, Games not using Kinnect are the best ones lol!
    Edited by Retro_ at 04/11/10 @ 13:35

  • ChuckNorris #134 2 years ago

    I'm glad that this thread has turned out mostly retard-free. Filled with very level headed comments, no trolling and interesting informative opinions. If this were the rule rather than an exception in the exclusive department I for one would be weighed down with far less anger and annoyance after being on the can (where I do most of my reading).

    On topic, Kinect is not for me. I suspect that no game dev will find a way to use it in the sort of games that I generally play. Also, I too have no room for it.

  • axman303 #135 2 years ago

    When playing at 2.5m+ what size TV screen do you need to have on-screen text readable? I'm guessing something like a 50"+. Another consideration/impracticality there, maybe?

  • muscleblade #136 2 years ago

    The average gamer is about 30 years old. Where i live as good as everyone at that age or above have atleast 2,5 + metres space in their livingroom. They might have to move the tea table and maybe the couch though. Anyway, this will sell shitloads in my country (Norway).

  • ronuds #137 2 years ago

    Why do so many of EG's reviews confuse me?

    It's terrible, but it's great. I think they focus too much on the negatives, when in general it seems they really like it. If you like it, say stuff about it that you like!

  • muscleblade #138 2 years ago

    @ronuds

    They need to be critical. Thats why their called critics.

  • Johnsters #139 2 years ago

    I think 1.5m is minimum optimal viewing distance to watch a 40"" HD TV.
    So if you have one of those and you reckon Kinect wont fit in, then you are probably sitting too close to your telly.

    Edited by Johnsters at 04/11/10 @ 14:38

  • RobTheBuilder #140 2 years ago

    I heard today that the recent UA with the live updates permits the US government to use the camera to spy on you (under the patriot act)... no idea if it's true but the source was quite reliable.

  • Beano #141 2 years ago

    Reading the review it seems to be pretty much what I expected. Not buying at launch since Dance Central is not my kind of game and the rest is launch-filler titles bound for the bargain bin in a few weeks. But maybe when something exting and fresh arrives which does something new and different.
    Edited by Beano at 04/11/10 @ 14:44

  • Beano #142 2 years ago

    @RobTheBuilder : Link?

  • SecretStage #143 2 years ago

    Interesting Review, I wont be buying one myself as it doesn't appeal to me. Although the Hybrid concept is intrigueing (i could imagine it working with sqaud based games where i could use kinect to tell my AI teamates to "take cover" or "hold Postion" while i controlled my character with the controller).

    Im Looking forward to the 3DS though i might add

  • GrizzleBoy #144 2 years ago

    Yes, link please?

  • JensonJet #145 2 years ago

    Gaming is all about the games, as far as I'm concerned. I don't care what the equipment looks like (it's all ugly to me... all I want to see is the screen on which the game is displayed), and I find it hard to get excited about any kind of kit, especially cameras and microphones. Admittedly I'm not into gadgets and find the whole gadget culture extremely dull.

    There are games I love, but on the whole the majority are just not for me. And that's why Kinect is no more desireable to me than a kettle, a radiator, a light fitting, or anything else I don't want. Mind you, I'd happily buy a light fitting or radiator if I needed replacements.

    Without exception there isn't one game I've seen or heard of for Kinect that interests me. I'm sure many gamers (and non gamers) will be thrilled and impressed with the Kinect games. Maybe I'm just too select a gamer. Maybe this product is better suited to people who'll play anything and love everything videogame related!

  • Geordiemp #146 2 years ago

    I will buy games if they have depth of gameplay.

    A good analogy is O's and X's, its a game, but one you get to grips with and know all the outcomes by the age of 5 or 6.

    Kinect is looking similar, I am sure we would master and complete most of the games in an hour or at least sus them to the point they go on the shelf...

    When a game lasts 20 hours or has good multiplayer, the £ 40 game price is cheap, when its an hour or 2, even £ 20 is expensive....

  • Les #147 2 years ago

    "I simply picked up that much of the tone of the review was sounding like it was trying to be positive despite the many glaring practical problems they highlighted."

    That's unfortunately the nature of how video game journalism works.

    But it does make you think: Kinect underdelivers hugely versus the initial E3 presentation. In fact, it's not much use right now. The only thing it currently has is 'potential' (and if the last couple of years have shown anything it is that 360 lovers don't care about potential... ;) ). That's a bit meagre for me. And until a recently, it would have been for EG.

    I guess the casualization of video gaming is slowly but steadily leaving its marks on EG.

  • RobTheBuilder #148 2 years ago

    @Beano - It just said look at the live update ULA if you live in the US. It might be rubbish but seemed a genuine surprise when they saw it.

  • TopKatt #149 2 years ago

    Is this the one?

    http://www.lazygamer.net/kinect-is-spyin...

  • GrizzleBoy #150 2 years ago

    @TopKatt

    Wow looks like he was telling the truth. They really are spying on your private information.

    Anyone could go over your voice or vid chat sessions if they wanted to. Guess no webcam pron for us then. Then again, someone could find a pic of their daughter getting changed for school if data is abused (or some other, equally fearmongering situation).

    This should basically cut Kinects sales in half as obsessive right wingers go all "omg teh gubberments!".

    Well, since they put it in an agreement that you had to agree to, I guess they have the case that they technically aren't spying in the literal sense.

    Could still call it "snooping" though. Still has that nice scandalous ring to it :-)
    Edited by GrizzleBoy at 04/11/10 @ 15:29

  • TopKatt #151 2 years ago

    It wouldn't put me off too much, if MS wanna watch me playing Halo in my y-fronts while eating wotsits and drinking lager then good luck to them.

  • Scopeh #152 2 years ago

    So its just Eyetoy 2.0 with more lag? I'll let the Casual Gamers out there give this thing a bash, pass for me.

  • lennon #153 2 years ago

    Interesting video showing setups in living rooms. Looking at some of them it looks like it can work quite well in a number of environments.

    [link url=http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/puzzle/dancecentral/video/6283517/kinect-at-home?nonRedirectElement=1
    ]http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/puzzle/da...[/link]

  • FogHeart #154 2 years ago

    USA right wingers have no problem with communications tapping, they condone it in the name of National Security (clap of thunder). Their philosophy is that if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. Otherwise you may be a terrororrorrorrist (NINE....ELEVEN!)

    See Cory Doctorow's 'Little Brother' for details. Awesome book showing where this could go.

  • 43n1m4 #155 2 years ago

    I've been hovering the mouse over the 'cancel' button on my preorder all day, but decided to keep it.

    There are a couple of reasons for that:

    1) My livingroom/lounge is big enough (and I live in a rather smallish house)

    2) Expecting this to be a fad, would go against everything that has been written about Kinect. In fact, the opposite is more realistic: Things will improve from here. As most of the shortcomings right now is software in nature, chances are it will be fixed, patched and improved. The 2nd wave of Kinect titles will probably be much better and diverse than the launch titles.

    3) 3 decent launch titles (Dance Central, Kinectimals, Kinect Sport) is quite good, imo, considering the technology. I'm not going to compare this to the competition, as that is a slippery slope, but suffice it to say that at least 3 decent titles is ok in my book.

    4) I am a family father. My wife sees the potential in Kinect, even though she hasn't shown the slightest/minimal interest in my hobby for as long as we've been together. Kinect might be a chance to actually combine two of my main interests :) And my daughter may be able to use it later on (1-2 from now)

    I think the release of Kinect shows a few things -
    The overly optimistic has been shown the (current) limitations of the hardware and the software. There are always some, especially at launch.
    The overly negative has wallowed in the weak points, but ignored the strong points as well. This was to be expected.
    However I had to find out whether or not this was something that could add value to my household - and considering I expect MS to support this product for a long time - yes, I believe Kinect will be used enough to be worth its 1200 DKr (130 £) pricetag.

    Now, bring along Child of Eden...

  • Negotiator #156 2 years ago

    Wonderful device, Microsoft you have done it again.

  • ronuds #157 2 years ago

    "This should basically cut Kinects sales in half as obsessive right wingers go all "omg teh gubberments!".

    Well, since they put it in an agreement that you had to agree to, I guess they have the case that they technically aren't spying in the literal sense.

    Could still call it "snooping" though. Still has that nice scandalous ring to it :-)"

    Are you serious? Has anyone here actually, oh I don't know, read the ToS from Microsoft? You'd have to be an idiot to believe they're spying on people, if you actually took the time to read it rather than just jumping to conclusions based on what some dope said who doesn't know what contract language means.

  • smithdown #158 2 years ago

    @FogHeart - good shout on referencing 'Little Brother', a very scary look at how far govt surveillance could be taken in the name of 'security' (security for who?).

    I must say that even the potential for the govt to force MS to using Kinect for surveillance freaks me out a bit. I realise they (probably) aren't recording every session by every user on to some gigantic database for instant access, but will presumably be targetting those they have suspiscions about. But still, look at some of the awful things that have been done to innocent people in the name of national security. What's to say Kinect won't just lead to more of that.

    Oh, and before any one accuses me of being a terrorist or anti-govt nutjob, I actually work for a central govt department.

  • geeza2020 #159 2 years ago

    didnt they have tele-screens in 1984? Where you would get shouted at by a burly woman if you werent doing enough morning sit-ups. And there was no way to turn it off. Kinect takes us one step closer.....

  • lcmnick #160 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 12:48:44 14-04-2012

  • man.the.king #161 2 years ago

    @mc_mclovin

    "I dont see the same being said about psmove (which i have) sports champions, for example, says you need to stand 8ft from your tv....haters will latch on to any excuse for a moan... "

    You are LYING - I have Move, I have Sports Champions (and a few other Move-capable games) and I stand something like 4-6 feet from my TV - it works EXCELLENT.

  • man.the.king #162 2 years ago

    @vizzini

    I was following your post with interest, but your last paragraph -

    "An early demise of the 360 platform could potentially effect Microsoft's company value in a negative way; and with Apple sat with ~$50 billion in “dry powder”, there might be plans within Apple to finally end their 25year war for Cybertron, by buying Microsoft when their shares are low enough. "

    - seems a bit silly. I really don't see that happening.

    Unless you were joking, of course - in which case I feel like a chump :)

  • man.the.king #163 2 years ago

    @RobTheBuilder

    "I heard today that the recent UA with the live updates permits the US government to use the camera to spy on you (under the patriot act)... no idea if it's true but the source was quite reliable. "

    That seems kinda hard to believe...

  • tancredo #164 2 years ago

    man.the.king, I thought the exact same thing about vizzini's post. A bit inocent/childish or humorous, whatever the intention.
    **********
    Regarding Kinect, I have been reading the reviews about the tech. After comparing and thinking about all info read, it seems clear that the set up of Kinect may be a little more time than the reviewers are willing to take or spend time working on it (not complaing - need to get the early reviews in time). There are many inconsistencies in the reviews which do not make too much sense. Some reviewers are having issues with direct sunlight, others with darkness. Some are having problems with voice recognition while others highlight its responsiveness. One would expect similar problems in all cases (besides the need for 6ft of minimum space - 8ft for multi)

    I do not know if this is a case of doing a quick set up of kinect and running with it, but after reading many reviews, it seems big improvements were found in the kinect responsiveness after doing repeated setups of the tech under different conditions. A web like CVG goes as far as spending time setting up the tech during different times of the day and different light conditions, doing several different set ups, and they claim a big improvement.

  • PlugMonkey #165 2 years ago

    ""Kinect will get better with time"

    That comment reeks of kickbacks.

    So EG can predict the future now? "

    It's a hardware launch. The titles available at the launch of some new hardware are never as good as the titles that come later. Such it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen.

    "Put simply, if you ever want to use this thing with two players (and you really should) you need plenty of room. If you don't have the room, don't buy Kinect. "

    8 feet? Srsly? That's that knackered then. Unless I buy Kinect and get rid of the sofa.

  • hiscore #166 2 years ago

    US-market only so it seems... at least 2.5 meter of FREE space for two or more players (this definitely excludes the average japanse/european living rooms ). Plus: they didn't test on people with glasses: http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/04/kinect... (see paragraph 'The Setup'). Basically: EyeToy 1.5. Saw this coming from the first time it was revealed. **waves at laptop to post comment**

  • ronuds #167 2 years ago

    "I do not know if this is a case of doing a quick set up of kinect and running with it, but after reading many reviews, it seems big improvements were found in the kinect responsiveness after doing repeated setups of the tech under different conditions. A web like CVG goes as far as spending time setting up the tech during different times of the day and different light conditions, doing several different set ups, and they claim a big improvement."

    On XBL there are videos of how to set it up, and they even say to do it at different times of day so it can learn you better.

    If these sites aren't going to take the time to set Kinect up properly, then they shouldn't be reviewing it.

  • vizzini #168 2 years ago

    man.the.king: “by buying Microsoft when their shares are low enough. "

    seems a bit silly. I really don't see that happening.

    I see what you mean, but $50Billion cash is lots of money in a global downturn, especially when the target (according to the wiki) has company equity less than that amount.

    It doesn't seem any more far fetched to me than how Porsche actually ended up buying a controlling stake in VW.

    With Apple growing market share, and Microsoft declining against Linux/MacOs/OpenOffice, there could be a point in the not too distant future where Microsoft's public shareholders would welcome Apple for a merger or sale, as a means of forcing everyone in the world to upgrade their computers and O/S again. While Microsoft hold the lion's share of the PC market and aren't losing market share rapidly it sounds silly; but Apple are growing in the PC market; year on year.

  • JediMasterMalik #169 2 years ago

    It well sell a shit load, MS have caught on big with it, at least initially. How can it not with that kind of advertising?

    I'm still unconvinced that long term it's gonna catch on.

  • TRUTH #170 2 years ago

    Steel Battalion is the only game interesting me using Kinect - but even then more then one decent game is needed to convince me to get Kinect.

  • Loghorn #171 2 years ago

    @RobTheBuilder: The genius of Wii was that they disguised the limitations very well.
    Looks like Kinect is not quite doing it.

    That said, if you want to be totally wowed by gaming technology then this is easily the best way until 3DS.

    I agree with you; I'm a 360 owner, & even I knew that Kinect was crap from the beginning. And yet, people still defend this piece of junk as being "revolutionary," etc., when it's truly not & is just an Eyetoy on steroids.

    I certainly can't wait for the upcoming 3DS as well in 3-4 months from now. Now that device would be worth my hard earned money. Bring it on!

  • TexMurphy01 #172 2 years ago

    The front page is all Kinect. I'd say EG has been bought and paid for.

  • GrizzleBoy #173 2 years ago

    GrizzleBoy said:"This should basically cut Kinects sales in half as obsessive right wingers go all "omg teh gubberments!".

    Well, since they put it in an agreement that you had to agree to, I guess they have the case that they technically aren't spying in the literal sense.

    Could still call it "snooping" though. Still has that nice scandalous ring to it :-)"

    Ronuds said:"Are you serious? Has anyone here actually, oh I don't know, read the ToS from Microsoft? You'd have to be an idiot to believe they're spying on people, if you actually took the time to read it rather than just jumping to conclusions based on what some dope said who doesn't know what contract language means."


    ...................I guess you didn't read the part (that you quoted ffs) where I EXPLICITLY mentioned that its not really spying in a literal sense?

    Is that twig really stuck so far up your backside? Jesus Christ........

  • irrelevanthuman #174 2 years ago

    Even though Kinect is clearly not aimed at the majority of folks who post here,my fear is that we will suffer a drought of the kind of games we enjoy in its wake.Its not like Nintendo has suffered any sleepless nights over neglecting us(a handful of stupendous titles aside of course).

  • ronuds #175 2 years ago

    "I guess you didn't read the part (that you quoted ffs) where I EXPLICITLY mentioned that its not really spying in a literal sense?

    Is that twig really stuck so far up your backside? Jesus Christ........ "

    To suggest it's spying in any sense is a crock of shit that I would only expect the most ignorant to believe.

    I only have twigs for ignorance and stupidity, which that comment exhibits in droves. You should know better.
    Edited by ronuds at 04/11/10 @ 21:01

  • jebus #176 2 years ago

    "So a pixel may go in and what comes out of it may be - hey, this pixel? 80 per cent chance that this pixel belongs to a foot. Sixty per cent chance it belongs to a head, 20 per cent chance that it belongs to the chest."

    It should really read

    "So a pixel may go in and what comes out of it may be - hey, this pixel? 80 per cent chance that this pixel belongs to a foot. Sixty per cent chance it belongs to a head, 20 per cent chance that it belongs to the chest but ultimately the Kinnect will assume it belongs to the chair behind you anyway"

  • miiiguel #177 2 years ago

    Microsoft redefining video-gaming since 2001.

  • bladdard #178 2 years ago

    I think kinect tech could be great even in it's current guise and I love a bit of casual party games, I even have room for it but £130 still seems like a hell of a lot of money for what is essentially a low res motorised webcam and infra red camera.

  • GrizzleBoy #179 2 years ago

    GrizzleBoy said:"I guess you didn't read the part (that you quoted ffs) where I EXPLICITLY mentioned that its not really spying in a literal sense?

    Is that twig really stuck so far up your backside? Jesus Christ........ "

    ronuds said:"To suggest it's spying in any sense is a crock of shit that I would only expect the most ignorant to believe.

    I only have twigs for ignorance and stupidity, which that comment exhibits in droves. You should know better."



    Which is why I specifically stated that it wasn't actually spying?

    To be honest, your twig filled behind speaks more about character than my post of questionable seriousness.
    Edited by GrizzleBoy at 04/11/10 @ 21:38

  • bloodflowers #180 2 years ago

    If you want one wait until March-May when this is almost certain to bomb as hard as the original Zune did, and cost half as much.

  • espibara #181 2 years ago

    Fuck it my spare room is too small, and I'm old school give me the tactile feedback a pad anyday.

    I like to be able to line up my target and press the button/pull the trigger.................its a primitive joy I dont wanna be flapping my hands around.

  • Les #182 2 years ago

    "Although Eurogamer is a gamer's site we pride ourselves on the fact we take casual and motion-controlled games seriously, having reviewed them on their own terms ever since the arrival of Wii Sports. We hope that's reflected in these reviews." "

    You've got to be kidding...

  • Negotiator #183 2 years ago

    Xbox 360 has won the console war, Kinect will put sales through the roof, just wait and see.

  • Dave52 #184 2 years ago

    Negotiator: "Kinect will put sales through the roof, just wait and see."

    This is true. But a cursory look at this years number one UK singles tells quite a story.

    [link url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_number-one_singles_from_the_2010s_(UK)
    ]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_num...[/link]

    That's right, people buy a lot of stuff that is clearly shit.

    Kinect doesn't do what MS claims. You need a fucking barn to play it in. It doesn't know who you are if you wear glasses. You need a fucking field if you want to play with a friend. The lag can be hidden if your programers are clever but it will never be adequate for proper gaming. Kinectimals will apparently plicate the core gamers, but only if you take crystal meth.

  • MonkeyMagik #185 2 years ago

    getting tempted - just measured the lounge and its game on.

  • JBlokeUK #186 2 years ago

    @negotiator: Xbox 360 has won the console war

    That has actually made my day and given me a good laugh to end the week, thank you. I thought those who believe the whole ''console war'' saga had died a slow death, seems there are a few stragglers.

    So, your saying I should just sell my PS3 now?

  • bladdard #187 2 years ago

    I'm surprised the ban hammer hasn't fallen on Negotiater before now, most of his posts are either a veiled attempt at or in this case blatant trolling or fanboy wind ups.

    *edit* and this was a thread devoid of this childish nonsense up until this point.
    Edited by bladdard at 04/11/10 @ 23:23

  • Verwandlung #188 2 years ago

    Useless paraphernalia for ancient hardware.

  • Dogzilla #189 2 years ago

    £130? Wow, the EyeToy is really expensive nowadays.

  • J.C #190 2 years ago

    Has massive fail written all over it. its not the same thing they showed when project natal was announced. the home version pales in comparison.

  • darkmorgado #191 2 years ago

    Not sure where I read it (I think it was Kotaku) but apparently the very first build of Kinect cost them $30,000 to make. Not R&D, just the manufacturing costs. When you look at it that way, it's sort of understandable that they downgraded it - after all, who has $30k to spare on a gaming peripheral?

    I've got Kinect on preorder (bundled with a 250gb slim), along with Kinectimals (Im a sucker for kitties), and I am hoping that the core games announced do it justice. I think hybrid controls are the way forward though. Kinect has a future, just not used in isolation from a standard control scheme.

  • tee_lau #192 2 years ago

    how high
    komisch

  • Ryze #193 2 years ago

    5/10

  • CrumpledPaper #194 2 years ago

    I watched a lot of the Giant Bomb live coverage, and I'm just more surprised now that more reviewers haven't torn shreds off this thing.

    'It works' - some of the time. Menu navigation in particular seems to be a spectacular failure. The people playing seemed willing to forgive it due to the novelty of it, but that will wear off. Then you'll be left with an interface system that is a) unreliable and b) cumbersome and slow. I was crying out for them to pick up a controller to whizz through the menu navigation while they were playing. Everything was taking about 10 times as long as it would with a controller, and it was enormously frustrating to watch them as they tried to do stuff and the system didn't respond.

    There's no two ways about it - that's a broken interface. MS's talk of putting this stuff into PCs seems entirely laughable. This thing needs a lot more time in the labs.
    Edited by CrumpledPaper at 05/11/10 @ 09:51

  • MeBrains #195 2 years ago

    seems like negotiator is actually not very good at negotiating... can someone change her name to "StubbornTroll" pls?

  • Numbat #196 2 years ago

    Not really interested in getting Kinect at the moment, but have been interested to find out about it. Reading comments here, there's a lot of negativity from people who have never used it, but I've just looked up user reviews on Amazon.com from people who actually have it and they are generally very positive about it.

  • Bulbatron #197 2 years ago

    Well, since I'm partially sighted I wouldn't be able to use Kinect properly even if I wanted to. I have to sit close to the screen to play games, which obviously wouldn't be possible with Kinect. The voice control sounds good, but not worth the extra money.

    At the moment though, it all sounds like a bit of a mess.

  • davisorle #198 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 20:44:35 16-04-2012

  • Les #199 2 years ago

    "Not sure where I read it (I think it was Kotaku) but apparently the very first build of Kinect cost them $30,000 to make. Not R&D, just the manufacturing costs. When you look at it that way, it's sort of understandable that they downgraded it - after all, who has $30k to spare on a gaming peripheral?"

    But that's a terrible way to look at it. It's the job of a good hardware manufacturer to produce something that works, that customers want and at the price they're willing to pay for it.

    Releasing something that doesn't work just because you can't create something workable at an acceptable price is a terrible strategy.

  • EuroStalker #200 2 years ago

    Funny how things go around in circles. A few years back, Xbox owners were dissing the PS3 for not having any games and Wii games being far too casual and crap. But now Xbox 360 owners will be paying 130 quid for a second hand Wii experience because there haven't been any original games on the Xbox 360 for a while now. Same old Halo and Fable.

  • 43n1m4 #201 2 years ago

    #eurostalker

    I don't see what PS3 has to do with this article.
    And biased generalisations like these just make you look like you have an agenda.

    Am I the only one who's tired of the mudslinging?

  • EuroStalker #202 2 years ago

    What accessory will Microsoft be flogging next for Xbox 360? We've had own 2 consoles (RRODs), wireless adapters, propertery over priced hard-disks, HD DVD (remember that) and now Kinect?

    My worry is that in order to experience great games, it is no longer enough to own just a conole like I did with SNES, PS1&2, Xbox and many others. You now have to buy a base item (360 Core) and spend even more. Sony are going down that route now. Might as well go back to PC gaming.

  • EuroStalker #203 2 years ago

    And of course my personal favourite add-on Dualshock 3. We messed up with Sixaxis but hey you can now spend 40 quid for vibration.

    I predict the next gen of 'games consoles' will only come with a chip. You have to buy and build the rest.

  • EuroStalker #204 2 years ago

    @43n1m4

    Nah man. I'm just bitter about the direction games are going. I want meaty games like Knights of the Old Republic and Halos. Not bloody ping pong HD on my 40 inch 1080p HD 3D TV with 7.1 surround sound.

  • dsmx #205 2 years ago

    There's a fan on kinect because a infared camera needs to be kept cooler than the room it's in for the sensor to work properly. The cooler it is the better it is at detecting heat.

  • BonzoBanana #206 2 years ago

    Another, just what I was expecting to read for the review here. Rarely does this happen but the kinect highs and lows were predictable. I'll get one but not at anywhere near the current price. Knock off £100 and I'm interested.

  • headrush #207 2 years ago

    didnt give a flying fuck about kinect til now and it looks i was right...

  • technotica #208 2 years ago

    You know all these stories about Move and Kinect made me want to buy a Wii and play Metroid and Monster Hunter...

  • SUNDANSS #209 2 years ago

    I would like to know how many people who comment in these threads have actually played connect at home.
    I love Halo, Modern Warfare and Bioshock etc etc and have been playing games since the 70's on my Pong machine.
    Kinect is excellent and above all fun, it took me 5 minutes to set up and start to play with no problems. It feels different but it also feels right, you are soon submersed in the game and soon fully interacting with the action, very very small amount of lag is also soon compensated for. I cant wait to play with my kids at Xmas and friends after a beer.
    People should stop being killjoys and enjoy having fun again while gaming. If you play it you will love it my friends.
    Edited by SUNDANSS at 11/11/10 @ 16:01

  • LordMorpeth #210 2 years ago

    I've had a great time so far with Kinect. Calibrating wasdoodleddle, and this is in a room with nowhere near the recommended amount of free space - it has to scan me using a thin sliver of space between a wall and bed. I defy anyone not to raise a smile when they see a picture of themselves jumping like a lunatic during Kinect Adventures. This will keep me away from Black Ops for a good few days, something which I'll trade in for Kinectimals when done with.
    Edited by LordMorpeth at 11/11/10 @ 20:46

  • KrazyFace #211 2 years ago

    "If these sites aren't going to take the time to set Kinect up properly, then they shouldn't be reviewing it."

    I don't own Kinect, but I have read enough about it to know that to get it to work PROPERLY you have to do the set up like seven times in a day. Now correct me if I'm wrong here, but isn't it a bit odd that you need an ENTIRE DAY'S light cycle and your full attention just to get this thing to work as best it can!?

    The Wii might not be responsive, but at least it won't take A DAY to set up... or come out the closet as a specta-racist!!! XP

  • captain-future #212 2 years ago

    Kinect is here, it does what is says on the box and I think it's brilliant and for a certain type of "casual" games Wii and Sony Move is outmatched by Kinect.

    BUT... the potential is there, developers now need to use is to the max.

  • Downside #213 2 years ago

    I remember all the gamers going on about how the Wii was going to bomb because who wanted to wave their hands about playing games

    I don't find my kinect laggy or unresponsive, it's also fun and impressive. Maybe I'm a simpleton or my Kinect is broken, cos the people dissing it on this thread all come across like objective experts who've used one for ages.

  • masterson #214 2 years ago

    Just picked one up - my initial impression extremely poor. GUI torturous to navigate, frequently fails to recognise new players and my living room is simply not big enough (despite being a pretty good size and me moving furniture etc.). I've only tried it with Kinect Adventures so far, about to put on Dance Central which I have higher hopes for. We'll see, but thus far my main thought has been "I wonder if they'll let me return it?".

  • masterson #215 2 years ago

    To be fair it IS a bit dingy at the moment (which would explain face detection issues). Just tried Dance Central - I think the camera cannot see my legs as I have it placed on a cabinet. I'll try fiddling about with placement a bit more later - but I've turned it off in a huff for now. :)

  • masterson #216 2 years ago

    I've now moved the sofa back as far as humanly possible and the sensor bar to the edge of the cabinet its on.
    My wife is now leaping about in front of it after I just got 4 stars on my first DC track (Poker Face fact fans!). :)
    Must admit - quite fun now that its working - but not sure I can be doing with sliding furniture around to this extent.
    The GUI in Dance Central works far better than the one in the dash as was mentioned in the review (swipe > hover).
    Not sure how to fine tune for floor etc - I did the thing with the calibration card and the bit where you must stand on green squares throwing shapes. :-S

  • Geminosity #217 2 years ago

    So far so good. I love Dance Central and it's had no trouble noticing what I'm up to dance-wise.
    My only real complaints about it so far are...

    - If someone walks off and someone else walks on it doesn't bother to check if the person who arrives is a new player, it just assumes it's the same person. I get this is probably to save time (if it had to scan every time you left it's view and popped back on it might get tedious) but it's kinda irksome too. Perhaps a hand gesture to make it re-scan would be good?
    - The voice stuff is fantastic so I'm frustrated at how often the mic isn't turned on. I'd love for this to be a way to bring up the kinnect menu as assuming that stupid pose takes longer and it can be fussy about your posture sometimes.
    - Mirroring the complaints of others; the 'hover' selection system is silly. It often leads to people selecting stuff by accident because they left their hands in place after selecting something and a new button appeared where the old one was. Dance Central's selection system is way better, as is the 'flick pages' gesture in the actual kinnect hub. I'd much rather 'push in' the buttons as that'd be less annoying and error-prone. Sure, the kinnect can't do fingers but it can certainly do depth for crying out loud; just watch for me pushing my hand forward and register that XD
    - If you obscure your hands behind your body the system doesn't represent it well on your avatar in most games. It tends to flip out a bit. I'm not really sure why this is the case considering the fact the kinnect can see the rest of your body and easily guess/extrapolate where your hands would roughly be.
    - I want a good physical fighting game. From the giant-bomb feeds it looked like fighters uncaged could detect the different punches pretty well and had no problem with knees so I think it could be done. Sadly fighters uncaged is flawed as an actual game in the most basic of wasy so even if it'd been a controller game it still would've been awful. I'd like to see a GOOD version of fighters uncaged with some artistic flair, character and a tutotiral that isn't long and boring. Oh and 2 player of course :p

    On the bright side, all my complaints so far are software related.
    That said, if they do release a kinect 2 with a higher resolution so it can pick out fingers then I wouldn't complain :p

    Noting people talking about various issues however, here's my experience...

    - I've only had to configure kinect ID once for everyone. Then again we have thick curtains and I tend to keep the room gently lit so Kinect is happy enough.
    - Our living room is pretty long so we've no real space concerns
    - Two player can feel a bit cramped if the game involves any sidestepping. The raft game in Adventures has our two players bumping into each other and the player on the left often leaned out of the kinect's field of view. I didn't have any trouble myself but I was a bit more aware of the playspace than the others I suspect :3
    - I've not seen any problem with it detecting our hands (as long as they're not hidden) or IDing our faces but it's leg detection seems a bit less impressive. It's been ok with me but I do notice one or two of my friend's legs floating a little. No major problems in stuff like dance central, it's more an issue in avatar-related stuff like adventures.

    Remember when using kinect that it uses infrared so unlike eye-toy gentle lighting is better than blazing brightness. Obviously you don't want it too dark so that the photos turn out black :p While we've never played with our curtains open I hear direct sunlight is kind of a no-no, especially if it shines on you as you play so you might want to treat it like you would watching a movie when preparing the room for a gaming session :3

    Overall I'm happy enought with it that I don't regret the purchase and dance central is ace. I'll probably pick up konami's dance masters when that hits too :3
    I'm looking forward to the two horror games, steel battalion, the new panzer dragoon thingy and suda's new "no more heroes"-alike game that are in development for it. Hopefully those and whatever else is on it's way will be as good as I hope, though admittedly I'm very curious how the new steel batallion will use the kinect XD