I bought the Kinect upon release but never though about a review but though about writing a Review. So here is my personal experience with Microsoft's Kinect and whether or not I recommend it.
When Nintendo announced the Wii everyone had mixed feelings. Some Developers and Consumers saw the creative potential and others were deterred by the weak hardware such as the lack of a HDD and DVD Drive. But despite such low Specifications, Nintendo manages in trump both Sony and Microsoft in sales and now they both crave a bigger piece of that pie. While Sony has gone with the safer route with the PS Move, Microsoft has focused all their efforts on the Kinect and their controversial way of Gaming but will it pay off?
Hardware and features:
Kinect tracks and translate movement using two IR Sensors and the RBG webcam has practical uses such as facial recognition and taking photos. There are four microphones on the bottom to find different voice from different parts of the room. Microsoft says they are facing downwards for the best sound detection. Click on the link below for a more technical explanation.
http://www.ifixit.com/Teard...
Accessibility:
Kinect does as advertised and responds to player movements accurately. The UI has been completely designed for Kinect. Anything can be selected by moving the hand over the icon and waiting five seconds for the ring to enclose to confirm the selection. Applications can also be chosen using the voice recognition by say "Xbox" proceeded by the command. Both work like they should but are 10 times the hassle. I found myself grabbing my controller for the simplest tasks like signing-in or returning to menu. Standing in from my television and holding my hand in place for 5 seconds for each character is too much effort to sign-in. Another issue is the spacing required. This problem should vary the individual since the size of the rooms will vary. To be fair my living room is unusual compared a normal living rooms since there is a king size bed in the right corner bit having to move stuff out the way.
Games:
I only got a chance to play the bundled Kinect Adventure game and demos so this section of the review might need some work. There five minigames in Kinect Adentures that showcases some of the capabilities of the device:
-20,000 Leaks
Your are inside a glass tank underwater and plug and clog leaky cracks with your limbs and head.
-River Rush
Shift your body left and right and jump to navigate your raft around obstacles to the finish line.
-Rally Ball
Blocks balls and bounce them off your body to break blocks for points.
-Reflex Ridge
Jump, duck, and turn awkwardly from incoming obstacles and collect points to the finish.
-Space Pop
Float in space to collect points... I don't really have no clue.
Some game are fun and enjoyable while Space Pop are just plain confusing and annoying to play. The best game in the list IMO is River Rush. Stuggling to move your body to collect adventure pins Finding alternate routes to get to the finish line is a blast. Kinect Adventures is a fun game but the demos are even funner. The demo that kept me coming back was Ubisoft's Fitness Evolved.
The main gripe I have with all Kinect games is the inability to skip past the beginning publisher and developer credits. Takes a good 40 seconds getting to the menu. An infamous issue pointed out by all Sony Fans is the Lag. You see the lag when others are playing but is hardly noticeable when playing yourself.
Pricing:
The console bundle can cost 300 or 400 USD and the Unit can be purchased separately for 150 USD(the option I chose). Even though the parts inside cost $56(see link below)it very expensive for good reason. Microsoft spent 500 million dollars on advertisement alone and the prototype cost them a cool 30k and I'm not even including the two year research fee.
http://www.digitaltrends.co...
Conclusion:
Kinect is a bold and risky investment because of the questionable list of games currently available and expensive pricetag. There a few games worth playing but the introductory price of 150 bucks makes this a pass, especially for the hardcore gamers. It does the job well with a bit of lag. The potential for this technology is endless and hackers are already making open source drivers for PC. I recommend waiting next year for Microsoft to meet net profit so prices can go down and wait for that killer app.
Joy Ride Turbo launched 10 years ago today. The first title was Xbox Kinect exclusive, yet this sequel failed to support the device at all.
For a moment a decade ago, the game industry looked like a very different place.
I was never bought into Kinect. Never wanted one even if it did break sells records 10 years ago. Interesting concept but failure at the end. Glad its dead and gone.
Microsoft's misunderstood audio-visual peripheral was, at one point, the fastest-selling consumer electronics device of all time, believe it or not, with over 10 million units sold during the first six months after its release. Of course, that was the Xbox 360 version, which was vastly inferior to the "V2" version available on the Xbox One and Windows PCs.
Despite the superior power of Kinect V2, a combination of poor messaging, bad positioning, and lackluster software support led Kinect V2 as an Xbox accessory down the path of obscurity, right into being killed off completely.
Hell no, only way it's fine is if you're still using a launch model, otherwise be prepared to shell out $50+ on an adapter just to be able to yell at your xbox to turn on. Only reason i could see for buying one is if you're trying to get started as a streamer, even then streaming through a PC is a better choice if you got it.
Replies(2)
MIcrosoft killed the kinect so obviously its not worth it unless you like wasting your money. I think Microsoft did the right thing by ending kinect support because kinect games were trash
There is a dozen or so kid games on the 360 that my kids love, but not worth it on x1. We have about all of the 360 Kinect games and there is some short times of fun in almost all of them. But I can’t even buy all of the x1 Kinect games because they rarely go on sale. If they were $5-10 I would try them all with the kids.
It was a great product just for the camera and voice stuff ..too bad they pretty much murdered it
I'd like to sell mine to New Jersey airport, but I don't think the logistical price is worth paying for the meager amount I'd obtain from such a thing.
I get the urge to play fantasia now and again, but not enough to shell out on an adaptor
After reading the review and being a fan of Kinect I thought that game would be a classic for me. But it just didn’t work well with me, not sure if it was my lack of rhythm or what. I do need to give it another shot though.
Well looks like it got a 10 in the only category that counts. ;)
This is actually a pretty good review. IMO I would have scored it a little higher, but then again I played more games than you have so that could lead to you scoring it higher or even lower, depending on the games you play. I would say try Kinect Sports if you can, it's a great game. Dance Central IMO was great also, but since you get a demo of it, you can decide for yourself.
I agree about the lag, every time I play I never notice it, but when I watch someone else play, I can see the slight bit of lag. However in certain sports in Kinect Sports, Table Tennis to be more precise. There is zero lag, even when watching I never noticed lag.
Good job on your review :)
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'Has Limitless Potential', LOL
More like is very limited, You'll soon get bored of having to do exactly the same gestures in games, looking like fools running on the spot, swinging arms etc.
How many 'Dance Central' clones can one endure.
Lack of workable genre's will be Kinects downfall. Without BUTTONS kinect is destined to fail.
Pew Pew Pew says it all really. Kinect is lame period.