Kinect - Catch All

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So, it's now out. I don't own a 360, but I find the Kinect tech to be interesting and I know there are some community members who have spoken about getting it, so I figured a space for discussion would be good.

A promising review here:

Let's do the 'no trainers' checklist:

* Kinect is not for you if... you intend to play it your bedroom. Unless you're Prince Harry, you almost certainly won't have the space. (If you're reading, your Highness, Just Say No).

* Kinect is not for you if... physical exertion is an issue. As already described, it's likely to exhaust you - especially in those eager first few hours.

* Kinect is not for you if... you're the sort of illogical, sticky-pad crank who refuses to entertain technology also enjoyed by housewives. (If so, may I recommend you consider chucking out your microwave. Warning: You may have to warm your Rustler's burgers on a radiator as a result).

For the rest of you, Kinect is an absolute pleasure to have in the home. Much more importantly, it's a reliable one.

Within an hour of messing about with the Kinect Dashboard, any nagging question marks over lag and unresponsiveness are snuffed out. Your on-screen hand matches your real-life movements near-perfectly, whilst the voice commands (ranging from "Xbox, Kinect" to "Xbox, Zune Highlights") are an absolute revelation.

Likewise, worries that the device won't be able to recognise you sitting down soon fizzle to nothing; I successfully reclined to 'arse off the cotton' levels, whilst still managing to flick between menus, movies and music as if I were swatting away flies.

It looks good on your TV stand, too. A glossy black technology Toblerone - complete with crowd-pleasing nods and whirs every time you boot up your 360 - it has something of the Short Circuit about it; every bit as impressive as it is adorable. (Until you put the launch software in your disc tray, that is - but more on the games later.)

Bad news is, it's racist:

Debunked, but I will leave it because it's funny.

GameSpot testing suggests facial recognition features of Microsoft's motion-sensing camera system might not work properly for some gamers.

Source: In testing the Kinect, two dark-skinned GameSpot employees had problems getting the system's facial recognition features to work.

What we heard: Part of Microsoft's $500 million marketing push for Kinect includes positioning it as an accessible entertainment device for all audiences. However, it may be more accessible to some than others.

While testing out the Kinect, two dark-skinned GameSpot employees experienced problems with the system's facial recognition abilities. The system recognized one employee inconsistently, while it was never able to properly identify the other despite repeated calibration attempts. However, Kinect had no problems identifying a third dark-skinned GameSpot employee, recognizing his face after a single calibration. Lighter-skinned employees were also consistently picked up on the first try.

Right now it's too expensive (for me) and lacking in titles other than Dance Central. If I do manage to get myself a 360 as planned in about 6 months the Kinect will probably come bundled with Dance Central by then, and there should be more games.

So, who's getting it? Anyone got it? Who is, like me, interested but not ready to commit?

Can a guy in a wheelchair use this? I thought about buying this for Christmas as a gift

I'm not really interested in this, haven't seen any games that catch my attention... Maybe one of those instructional yoga things like the wii, but for the same price I can go to lessons for 2 months...

Mex, yes on the wheelchair. Same as sitting on the couch. The video on Xbox live under the Kinect tab clearly shows the family sitting down manipulating some of the screens. However, individual would need use of their arms. Voice commands work for some functions as well. I'd suggest watching the associated videos on Live to see if it would work as a gift for the individual in question.

Would you be able to calibrate it from a seated position though? The review says that it works sitting, but most of the calibration was done standing?

While a cool gift I'm not sure a wheelchair-bound person would get that much benefit from it.

LockAndLoad wrote:

Yep, not for me.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/11/04/ki...

Interesting. Almost opposite to the CVG review. Glasses being a problem is a f*ck up though.

Kinect is not for you if... you're the sort of illogical, sticky-pad crank who refuses to entertain technology also enjoyed by housewives. (If so, may I recommend you consider chucking out your microwave. Warning: You may have to warm your Rustler's burgers on a radiator as a result).

Hmm. That's kind of insulting. The actual article keeps hitching on the stupid advertising gate so I can't get any more context. If they don't get into how the Kinect actually handles gaming (something notably absent from that brief quote), then I'd say item three is actually, "If you're a gamer."

On the one hand, I'd like for Kinect to succeed since I like it when gaming stuff succeeds because it means I get to play new games. On the other, I've been cynical about Kinect from the start and I really like being right. Maybe that makes me an illogical sticky-pad crank, heating burgers on my radiator.

LiquidMantis wrote:

So the bulk of that review's negative tone is about needing space. Really? This is a controller that expects you to get up and move, every video has showed people jumping and flailing about, and the reviewer is irked that he has to move his coffee table?

I didn't get a pre-order placed in time as I'm tired of buying stuff for the family and them having no interest (see Wii and Wii Fit), but they're excited about the kinect. I don't know if I'll be able to track one down today but I'll be getting one when I can find one.

I guess that's just the market divide. Families looking to give their kids a very expensive reason to flail around and/or get in shape need the space. Gamers still want to sit on their couch because their couch is comfortable.

So the bulk of that review's negative tone is about needing space. Really? This is a controller that expects you to get up and move, every video has showed people jumping and flailing about, and the reviewer is irked that he has to move his coffee table?

The slowness of using it for navigation does suck but I'd already seen that in the demonstration videos and knew that wasn't for me. Maybe if they can implement the tech they acquired with Canesta and have a gesture give an immediate "Select" click it will be more usable.

I didn't get a pre-order placed in time as I'm tired of buying stuff for the family and them having no interest (see Wii and Wii Fit), but they're excited about the kinect. I don't know if I'll be able to track one down today but I'll be getting one when I can find one.

Well I'm at least a token gamer and actually enjoy moving around. Don't lynch me.

Hey, Joy Ride came out for $50. That "free XNA game" for everybody.

I'm really, really, really tempted by Kinect, largely because I'm a giant technology geek and it's oooooh shiny shiny new pretty shiny. I'm utterly fascinated by the *idea* of Kinect and am really curious to see how it will work. That being said, I think it's probably going to be a Christmas thing, depending on how well Kinectimals works.

I would like to try it, mostly because it looks like fun for my elementary school aged girls. But 1) I have a sound bar in front of my TV where this would likely need to sit, and 2) I doubt I have enough room. The part of our living room where the TV resides is about a 10' x 8' rectangle, with the TV in one corner, and the opposite 2 sides bounded by large sofas. The TV is about 6 feet from the seats on the sofas, and at an angle. So I probably have about 4 feet of unobstructed, oddly shaped space in front of the TV for this. Doesn't seem like it would work.

The technology works, I'm not worried about that. Just give me quality games. Dance Central is likely enough reason for me.

Someone post impressions!

I find myself strangely compelled by this. Will visit the neighborhood Best Buy at lunch and if they have it in stock, I'll see where the chips land.

I plan on picking this up with Sports and Dance Central. I will try give my impression tonight.

And at the same time, Engadget (Joystiq's sister site) has a positive review.
Pogue @ NYT has a gushing review.

Joystiq wrote:

Oh, and Netflix does not support Kinect gesture or voice control.

NOW that's a bummer.

I'm just not sure I can rationalize the cost at this point. Personally, it looks like a really cool interface for the dashboard. And as I use it more and more for watching video via Zune, Netflix and ESPN, it would actually get some use. But that is a steep price for doing the same thing I can do now in a fancy way.

I guess it will be interesting to see how well it enhances social networking. Will we see some video tweeting, maybe through a videogame we are playing. Same goes for Facebook.

Gamewise, I can't say I have any interest in it at all. None. Best case scenario, Pop Cap comes out with some really cool games. I'm not driving, playing sports, or shooting people without a controller. Maybe i will be proven wrong, but that is one constant I have seen from kinect videos so far. Gamers look more confused that enthusiastic.

But something like Kinectimals might have some sway. My daughter wants it, like yesterday. but I still have my doubts that it is a game with staying power. Will the pack-in game sell Kinect like Wii sports did? I think the price of entry is too high if they think folks without 360's are going to buy into this in mass like they did with the Wii. and I'm just not sure they can sell enough of them to current 360 owners. It's the problem with all accessories.

And if they don't sell right away, publishers won't greenlight games. Without games, people won't buy them.

So then it comes back to being an input device for the dashboard. I'm just not sure that's a good value argument.

Jayhawker wrote:

And if they don't sell right away, publishers won't greenlight games. Without games, people won't buy them.

From all reports, it's selling surprisingly well. MS's gone all Oprah here with it's marketing dollars.

Amazon's warning of limited supply, Best Buy and Target are sold out online, and Walmart is forcing a bundle.

I've not seen anything yet that I need it for, but my gf's daughter is asking her mom about it. So I think MS's is possibly succeeding in broadening the appeal of the Xbox with this thing.

What it needs are legs to keep selling. It's $400 if you want to buy it bundled with a 360, or $300 if you buy it without a hard drive. The Wii maintained extraordinary sales for so long because it was cheap. We'll see if a $300 Wii (lack of hard drive and all) will sell at this point in the generation.

I posted this on Twitter but I'll say the same thing here...

I can't wait to see what the hacker/maker groups do with Kinect!

I've been playing around with webcams & coding augmented reality apps using FLARToolkit and there's tons of libraries in existance already. Someone just needs to code up a Kinect wrapper and the sky's the limit for custom apps.

LockAndLoad wrote:

I posted this on Twitter but I'll say the same thing here...

I can't wait to see what the hacker/maker groups do with Kinect!

I've been playing around with webcams & coding augmented reality apps using FLARToolkit and there's tons of libraries in existance already. Someone just needs to code up a Kinect wrapper and the sky's the limit for custom apps.

MS's already said this tech will move beyond consoles. I suspect Windows 8 will have some kind of motion interface using either web cameras or some kind of peripheral.

Whether this is a good game things or not, it's interesting tech.

Whether this is a good game things or not, it's interesting tech.

See, this is the reason I'm tempted by it. I'm not sure I'm interested in any of the games currently available, but man is it cool (if it works)!

Jayhawker wrote:

I'm not driving, playing sports, or shooting people without a controller. Maybe i will be proven wrong, but that is one constant I have seen from kinect videos so far. Gamers look more confused that enthusiastic.

I'm skeptical as well, but this little bit of news perked my ears.

http://www.1up.com/news/hybrid-kinec...

Looks like developers are working on using Kinect and the 360 pad in tandem. This could be seriously fantastic news if applied well. Imagine playing a racer and steering with the standard pad but turning your head would swivel the cockpit cam to look out the car windows.

Also, this wouldn't force developers to have to choose between developing a game for the limited Kinect audience or the millions of 360 owners without the peripheral. Simply coding in Kinect features for top-tier games being released for everyone could create an incredible snowball effect as people see the extra accessibility Kinect could theoretically offer in a game like Dead Space 2.

Developers don't sweat investing in a limited audience. Gamers are inspired to invest in Kinect when they see it being used in software they care about. (This is all assuming that the integration is intelligent and functional.)

Hybrid Kinect functionality has me more excited about the hardware than the stand-alone product itself, as I'm interested in Kinect, but more attached to my 360 game pad.

Aaron D. wrote:

Looks like developers are working on using Kinect and the 360 pad in tandem. This could be seriously fantastic news if applied well. Imagine playing a racer and steering with the standard pad but turning your head would swivel the cockpit cam to look out the car windows.

So when you turn your head away from the screen? :p

Seriously, that could be cool, obviously not as 1:1 movement, but it would help spacial awareness.

First impression: awesome. Unbelievably it works great in my dim ambient light basement without me mucking with lights or turning on the overheads. The candid photos would probably be better with some more light but the less said about those snapshots the better. I haven't even fired up Dance Central or Kinect Sports, but my few minutes setting it up and messing around with Kinect Adventures left me very satisfied with the performance. I was actually laughing out loud in Adventures. Now off to play some more.

MrDeVil909 wrote:
Aaron D. wrote:

Looks like developers are working on using Kinect and the 360 pad in tandem. This could be seriously fantastic news if applied well. Imagine playing a racer and steering with the standard pad but turning your head would swivel the cockpit cam to look out the car windows.

So when you turn your head away from the screen? :p

Seriously, that could be cool, obviously not as 1:1 movement, but it would help spacial awareness.

Exactly, it's not a 1:1 thing. Kinda like this demo on Track IR:

There is some serious filthy enabling going on in this thread. Stop making me want to go to Best Buy to check this out.

Alright, VERY happy with Dance Central so far. I only wish Microsoft had Harmonix design the Dashboard interface. It's fast in Dance Central and very Minority Report.

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