Kinect

[diskoboy]

Anyone pick one up? So far, I don't see a reason to spend the $150 on one.

And I'm also hearing they're not coming with the AC adapters, so those of us non 360 slim owners are SOL....

Any opinions? Thoughts? gripes?

[kupomogli]

Any opinions? Thoughts? gripes?

Some games supposedly take pictures while you're playing. Don't play Kinect naked unless you're a hot girl. Other than that looks pretty lame. Kinectimals and that one set of sports mini games looks like the best two games so far.

[rbudrick]

I got one last night and I'm digging it, but you HAVE TO have, practically to the inch, 6 feet of space in front of you. My game room is set up in such a way that I barely managed to get exactly that between my TV and me. I was pretty pissed that the Kinect camera can't sit on top of the TV.

I fear this will really restrict me in future games. I take one little step forward and the camera can't detect me any more.

With that said, the rafting demo is pretty fun, and the device is pretty impressive. My wife really digs it and thinks it's the coolest thing ever. I look forward to future games without "dance" or "sports" in the title.

-Rob

[maxlords]

They are gonna lose a TON of buyers due to that 6' distance requirement...

[DuckTalesNES]

I heard it can't see black people.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/209708/is_microsofts_kinect_racist.html

[kupomogli]

I can tell you my room which is where I do all my gaming wouldn't be compatible.

http://www.gamesradar.com/f/oh-dear-my-house-is-not-compatible-with-kinect/a-20101104112019187027

[Tupin]

Played a demo of it. It's good, but not $150 good. I'll wait for a price drop unless something absolutely amazing and awesome comes out for it.

[Flashback2012]

My friend was seriously jonesing to get a Kinect. He used to mock me for going to midnight launches for things like WoW expansions and what not but his butt was at Best Buy to get his Kinect. :embarrassed:

As far as I can tell he likes it. I'm failing to understand the whole allure of it, seems as gimmicky to me as the Move and the Wii are. I dunno...I guess as long as he's enjoying himself. :p

[BHvrd]

I heard it can't see black people.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/209708/is_microsofts_kinect_racist.html

Considering the problems Xbox has had in the past this would be the icing on the cake.

It is gonna take one HELLUVA!!! killer app for me to buy into any of this motion sensing bs. So far I can't see myself playing any of the games more than once or twice then not touching it again for a year.

[FxMercenary]

I got one last night and I'm digging it, but you HAVE TO have, practically to the inch, 6 feet of space in front of you. My game room is set up in such a way that I barely managed to get exactly that between my TV and me. I was pretty pissed that the Kinect camera can't sit on top of the TV.

I fear this will really restrict me in future games. I take one little step forward and the camera can't detect me any more.

With that said, the rafting demo is pretty fun, and the device is pretty impressive. My wife really digs it and thinks it's the coolest thing ever. I look forward to future games without "dance" or "sports" in the title.

-Rob

Hey just a heads up, I saw a stand that is made for the kinect that lets you put it on top of an LCD TV, best buy had a few. Its made by Microsoft... Lol they want more money for it... lol....

[zemmix]

Just measured the room in front of our TV. Only 5 feet or so. Could be 6 but then I'd have to move the beds everytime we want to play (wife says no). Idk how well this thing will sell in Japan. Houses usually don't have a whole lot of space. I'm interested in the Steel Battalion game though.

[heybtbm]

I heard it can't see black people.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/209708/is_microsofts_kinect_racist.html

Exposed as bullshit...

http://kotaku.com/5682058/consumer-reports-knocks-down-kinect-skin+color-claim

[heybtbm]

Anyway, on topic...

Although I picked up Kinect from Best Buy on Thursday, I have nothing to offer on what it's like yet. It's a Christmas present for my wife and daughter. It's hiding up in my game room closet. I plan on picking up the dancing game and Kinectimals at some point before then.

I picked it up in-store during lunch and there seemed to be enough to last the day. Amazon was sold out for the last few weeks, so I thought there was going to be a larger demand (I mean how many times does Amazon sell out of anything?). Maybe that was a bit premature since Amazon (and other online retailers) had them back in stock Thursday night. You can never tell with these things when they release before Christmas.

[Swamperon]

I've played it for a few hours and... it WAS fun but nothing amazing. Certainly not worth $150. Not sure if it was my mate's set up or not, but there did seem to be a delay between my body and my avatar's movements in some games.

Dance Central is probably the the best game I played, much better than 'Just Dance' for the Wii, although that isn't saying much. I've heard Sonic Free Riders is terrible? (And I quite enjoyed the first two!)

This would make a good christmas present for kids to play with on Christmas day, though they'd inevitably later tire of it. I've already got a Wii so this doesn't really interest me.

[Graham Mitchell]

I don't know why I'm even bothering to post this, but kinect and move both seem pretty retarded. It's bothersome that bs distractions like this are preoccupying the time of some decent developers. For example, any further Heavy Rain episodes were halted so that they could adapt the game for the move.

And even when I consider the handful of Wii titles that have emerged over the years, it always occurs to me that these games could have been done just fine with a standard controller.

[Swamperon]

And even when I consider the handful of Wii titles that have emerged over the years, it always occurs to me that these games could have been done just fine with a standard controller.

Well, it's certainly sure that the majority of Wii games could have done just fine with standard controls, motion controls certainly improves some of them. I'd say at least...:

The 'Wii' titles
Boom Blox
Little King's Story
Mario & Sonic Olympic Games
And the new Zelda I imagine.

Not a great deal admittedly...

[The 1 2 P]

Exposed as bullshit...

http://kotaku.com/5682058/consumer-reports-knocks-down-kinect-skin+color-claim

I was going to post that same thing, although I was going to use a link from a different site.

Kinect is still interesting to me but that price tag is a bit too high considering Dance Central is the only launch game I'd want. I might get it for my mom(xmas gift) since I'm sure she'd love all those fitness games. That way I can play it every now and then to see if I want to eventually get one for myself.

[BenG76]

I am completly uninterested in this. I want a controller and I want to push buttons.

[rbudrick]

Hey just a heads up, I saw a stand that is made for the kinect that lets you put it on top of an LCD TV, best buy had a few. Its made by Microsoft... Lol they want more money for it... lol....

Well, buying this could be a saving grace for me, but it's pretty damn shitty of them not to include it. No what really made me go WTF? They only included composite cables! Composite! Who actually uses those? I ordered a $3 HDMI 6' cable from monoprice.com.

Any idea how much this stand thingy cost?

-Rob

[G-Boobie]

Xbox. Tea. Earl of Grey, hot.

[buzz_n64]

How Apple lost the motion-tracking market http://www.news.com.au/technology/gaming/how-apple-lost-the-motion-tracking-market/story-e6frfrt9-1225949273571
Source- news.com.au

I got a good kick out of this story.

[portnoyd]

I have the space for it but I could honestly care less. I like to sit on my ass when I play games, Mr. Wii, Mr Kinect and Mr Move. Take the hint.

[8-bitNesMan]

Xbox. Tea. Earl of Grey, hot.

http://tctechcrunch.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/picard-facepalm-jpg-921c397606.png

Garry Shandling :D

[RCM]

I picked up the 250gb 360 Kinect bundle and was given a few games to try out (Sonic Free Riders, Adrenalin Misfits, Fighters Uncaged, Motion Sports) along with Kinect Adventures (the pack-in). I unfortunately missed one of M$’ private Kinect events leading up to the launch, so didn’t really know what to expect considering many so-called critics bemoaned the lag, unresponsiveness and general lack of appeal of the launch titles.

Kinect Adventures and Sonic Free Riders were much better than critics would have you believe, and much more responsive too (from what I’ve played so far). I don’t know if this matters or not, but my HDTV has a minimal amount of lag (if truly any, it’s CRT), my game room was already set up perfectly for Kinect and I’m in good shape, so I could spin and lean, etc. when I had to with little difficulty. These were the best of what I’ve played so far.

Motion Sports and Adrenalin Misfits were aesthetically bland and boring, but were pretty responsive and surprisingly fun for the most part, especially Motion Sports. Fighters Uncaged was ok, but it was the least polished and arguably most narrowly focused title of the bunch. There was lag and it was pretty unresponsive at times. I thought this was a limitation of the hardware, but found the boxing portion of Motion Sports to be much more precise.

Would I pay $50 for any of these titles? Probably not, but besides Fighters Uncaged, they’re all at least worth a rent. I purchased Kinect to play Children of Eden and Project Draco, and now am much more optimistic about both. As for the concerns about lag, and the issue means a lot to me, while it’s certainly there, it really wasn’t an issue during gameplay, if that makes sense.

I encourage anyone on the fence to try a few games out for themselves, just make sure it’s calibrated correctly. Bottom line, Kinect is a lot of fun, and if you loved Eyetoy (I did), you'll love this even more.

[buzz_n64]

Look at Kinect using IR goggles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7nRKU0nFxA
Crazy, I'm now slightly freaked out about using it by this video.

I did try the Kinect briefly at Best Buy with the Bowling game, and I can see the appeal of the thing.

[dgdgagdae]

Look at Kinect using IR goggles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7nRKU0nFxA
Crazy, I'm now slightly freaked out about using it by this video.

I did try the Kinect briefly at Best Buy with the Bowling game, and I can see the appeal of the thing.

So that's why Kudo Tsunoda is always wearing sunglasses!

[swlovinist]

I got to experience this at PAX, and it just is not for me. I just dont have faith that MS is going to make anything for the system that I intend to play long term. This is a pure and simple focused product that is going after the casual game market. As the intended price of this product jumped dramatically, that is when I became uninterested. I think for party games this could be fun, but not for me. Give me a controller please.

[Greg2600]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/09/shocker-clumsy-kinect-players-make-for-entertaining-viral-video/

You knew these kinds of videos were coming....

[SegaAges]

http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/09/shocker-clumsy-kinect-players-make-for-entertaining-viral-video/

You knew these kinds of videos were coming....

Why did smacking that kid in the back of the head look almost planned?

[portnoyd]

Because it likely was. Viral doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't preplanned. These days, I think it's a 70:30 split towards marketing gimmick/legit.

[Rob2600]

Because it likely was. Viral doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't preplanned. These days, I think it's a 70:30 split towards marketing gimmick/legit.

Remember Sony's graffiti fail and alliwantforxmasisapsp.com?

"Sony and agency Zipatoni have come under fire for one of their marketing tactics for the Sony PSP. In December of 2005, the brand came under fire for a graffiti tactic that was used as a disguise for its marketing efforts (http://gothamist.com/2005/12/06/sony_getting_na.php). Neighborhoods spoke out against the company for using what some consider vandalism.

This time the wrath comes from a blog titled alliwantforxmasisapsp.com (which has already been taken down by Sony) that featured two guys trying to spread the word about convincing family members to get one of them a PSP for Christmas. Except the whole thing wasn't really a blog -- a fact revealed by cyber sleuths who looked up the domain's registration file. It was all just an advertising ploy.

I'm sure the one thing Sony did NOT expect was the amount of active bashing of the brand (and the site) that has virally spread over every gaming site and marketing blog out there. Top gaming site Penny Arcade had this to say, 'Unwilling to let an increasingly savvy portfolio of titles speak to gamers directly, they chose instead to bring aboard guerilla marketing gurus Zipatoni to do irreparable damage to their brand.'"

adage.com - What We Should Learn From Sony's Fake Blog Fiasco (http://adage.com/smallagency/post?article_id=113945)

[retro junkie]

well it sounds like the Kinect will ultimately join other add-ons in the closet at some point. It will sit along side the NES Glove, Eye-Toy, Sega Menacer, Super Scope, ............. etc.

I wonder how many games it will attract before its demise?

If developers have the same attitude as they have had in the past concerning add-ons, they usually concentrate their game efforts toward the basic system package that every consumer purchased. It is more risky in this present generation to make the investment than it was in the past.

:band:

Just a few thoughts on my expectations.

[Aswald]

I've seen this on television commercials, and am wondering- does this thing actually "see" you, and what you are doing? Does it also detect an object you are holding, like a soda can or gun?

It does actually transmit the image to the video game's "brain?"

Why I'm asking this is leading to something in the "Off-Topics" section- it goes back to something from around 1985.

Thanks.

[Rob2600]

I've seen this on television commercials, and am wondering- does this thing actually "see" you, and what you are doing?

This is how the Kinect "sees" you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gbzXjdHfJA

[Aswald]

It's just that I'm no expert on just what this thing can actually do- if it does, in fact, effectively connect the computer's brain to the actual environment, then the single biggest problem with real-life robotics has been conquered.

In 1985 or thereabouts, they showed a documentary about people trying to build a robot that would simply pick up empty soda cans- but the problem was getting the robot to really see what was going on; the best they could do was what looked like a crude infrared image, so a can on a table looked like one shape.

It didn't work out very well.

But if the kinetic can do half of what is implied, then a robot, an actual robot capable of properly interacting with its environment, of recognizing the elements in and around it, without all of the effort once needed, is now practical.

[The 1 2 P]

I want them to bring back the ability to scan in items the way they once showed off with skateboards and such. That way I could scan in something as a fake lightsaber for the upcoming Star Wars game due out holiday 2011.

[buzz_n64]

I want them to bring back the ability to scan in items the way they once showed off with skateboards and such. That way I could scan in something as a fake lightsaber for the upcoming Star Wars game due out holiday 2011.

Wow, thanks! I completely forgot about that! Maybe they will still have that feature in upcoming games. Hopefully it wasn't a feature only possible with their extra processing chips that they now left out.

[Leo_A]

It's just that I'm no expert on just what this thing can actually do- if it does, in fact, effectively connect the computer's brain to the actual environment, then the single biggest problem with real-life robotics has been conquered.

I'm quite certain that a consumer level videogame product that cost $150 isn't going to offer any revolutionary advances in the fields of robotics.

[rkotm]

Wow i wouldnt buy one, but WATCH THIS! Using the Kinect as a 3d Camera!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QrnwoO1-8A
A good use of Kinect no? What about two?

[Zapf]

Wow i wouldnt buy one, but WATCH THIS! Using the Kinect as a 3d Camera!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QrnwoO1-8A
A good use of Kinect no? What about two?

Its pretty great if you are interested in computer vision and the like (stereo cameras and other equipment of that nature start at several hundred dollars), but if you just want a 3d webcam, there are cheaper options, like the minoru

[rkotm]

Its pretty great if you are interested in computer vision and the like (stereo cameras and other equipment of that nature start at several hundred dollars), but if you just want a 3d webcam, there are cheaper options, like the minoru

exactly, motion cameras START at several hundred dollars-the Kinect is 150..The Minoru is 90$ and goes for the cheap blue red 3d effect, not the actual 3d that the Kinect does..not trying to be an ass but hey, just saying.

[ProgrammingAce]

From a developer's perspective the move and kinect are almost non-starters, it's just too hard a sell. By default a kinect or move game is single platform, and from there only available to a small subset of gamers who have purchased extra hardware

Imagine going to activision and saying you want 50 million dollars to make a game that has a total possible audience of 5 million people. Let me know how that turns out.

So what you're left with is budget titles produced by small teams on the cheap. Enjoy your mini-game collections while Sony and Microsoft wonder why their equipment isn't selling.

[Leo_A]

The Move seems to be getting decent support from normal PS3 games that are supporting it as an option. So I don't see it as being a major road block as long as traditional gamepads are also supported.

Kinect on the other hand I have trouble imagining ever getting anything substantial beyond prettied up Wii shovelware.

[The 1 2 P]

Wow, thanks! I completely forgot about that! Maybe they will still have that feature in upcoming games. Hopefully it wasn't a feature only possible with their extra processing chips that they now left out.

I just read an interview with Kudo and he said the Kinect still supports it but it's up to each developer to decide rather or not to include it. Right now both Kinectimals and Joy Ride support it so it's definitely still possible with the current hardware configuration.

[WCP]

Right now both Kinectimals and Joy Ride support it so it's definitely still possible with the current hardware configuration.


How does Joy Ride and Kinectimals support it? What can you scan into those games?

[The 1 2 P]

According to this forum (http://forums.xbox.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=34910382) you can scan tags from Burger King toys into Kinectimals and colors off of any item to use as paint for your cars in Joyride. Not quite as cool as the original video where they scanned the skateboard in but it's a start.

[ProgrammingAce]

The technology still supports it, but they downgraded the cameras themselves so the feature is pointless.

Removing the onboard processor from the kinect was never really a problem, the 360 has enough horsepower to handle the calculations. The problem is when they gimped the optical camera. We lost planned features like the ability to scan in textures and recognizing hand positions (like the awesome application of reading sign language).

[Zapf]

There was a video where some people where using the camera and the users arm/hand as sort of a shadow puppet control, and it would recognize the thumb moving away from the palm as mouth open/close. So I guess you can coax some basic hand position detection out of it, though probably not as detailed as individual fingers / sign language.

edit: this was on the pc obv, but still using the kinect camera.

[ProgrammingAce]

This has more to do with game design then the technology, but amusing none the less:

http://gizmodo.com/5695639/kinect-doesnt-need-you

[WCP]

It's interesting, because I listen to a shit ton of gaming podcasts. My job at work being quite monotonous, I'm able to kick back and listen to podcasts all day. It makes an 8 hour day seem closer to a 5 hour day.

Anyways... I'm about 2 weeks behind the current podcasts, and all the ones that I listened to this week critiqued Kinect. The opinions were all over the board. The thing that stood out, was that even the people that liked Kinect couldn't help but talk about caveat after caveat. It basically sounded to me like Kinect would be awesome in a laboratory environment, but when you get into real world homes and apartments, things start to fall apart.


Don't get it twisted... some of the podcasts were positive on Kinect, mainly talking about Your Shape, Dance Central and Kinect Sports. Those seem to be the three decent games according to all the podcasts that I've listened to. Pretty much every single one of them felt that Kinect Adventures was one of the lamest games of all. It's sad that they are packing in a game that is so weak.

I still want to try one of these things, but I just don't want to spend that much cash on it.

[8-bitNesMan]

Bumping this because I'm curious what you all think about Kinect now. I haven't seen any new games on the shelves lately and the units themselves are sitting in TALL stacks at most game stores I frequent. Is it dead in the water? Ready for a price drop? Discuss...

[Collector_Gaming]

i watched a kid in best buy play with one of these and it seemed atleast for him very sensitive.
I've still yet to try it for myself. No one i know has one for me to try

The thing that goes against this thing is it doesn't bring interest for us hardcore gamers.
The device was invented for people who wanted to add a more free moving exercise enviroment to their gaming then say a DDR pad or swinging Wii-mote or a knock of it or guitar hero/rock band controllers

This thing opens up for people who want a personal fitness program that works with them on what seems more personal then ever with the free movement range thanks to games such as Your Shape and Kinect Adventures Dance Central and Kinect Sports
the one thing i don't get is the Kinect Animals game
but then again i guess its suppose to be like those dog games they had for the DS where kids who can't have pets can enjoy a virtual pet *shrug* i don't know

From saying this. if your a hardcore gamer that could careless about exercise games and more about fable and COD then probably your gonna wanna skip this device all together

and this might be why they aren't selling as well as they hoped because there aren't that many casual gamers on xbox as apposed to Wii

[kedawa]

The high latency and strict environmental conditions really limit its usefulness.
Sales would have been pretty lacklustre right from the start had it not been bundled with so many consoles.

[Graham Mitchell]

Because these devices tend to distract developers from making good games as opposed to shovelware for the new peripherals (ie-Heavy Rain updates squandered in favor of releasing an update to make the game PS Move compatible) I would love to gloat about this thing being dead in the water.

However, there have been consoles, particularly those introducing new technology (specifically the DS) that had a long slump for 6 months to a year after the initial launch, only to really pick up in sales and become extremely successful.

I have no interest in the Kinect myself, but given my experiences with things like this, I wouldn't count it out of the race yet.

[The 1 2 P]

Bumping this because I'm curious what you all think about Kinect now. I haven't seen any new games on the shelves lately and the units themselves are sitting in TALL stacks at most game stores I frequent. Is it dead in the water? Ready for a price drop? Discuss...

I got my Kinect at Goodwill two months ago and the tech is pretty amazing(especially for what I paid for it). Sure theres some lag but thats mainly based around where you set your Kinect at and how much space you have. The space issue is a deal breaker for some but my game room is big enough where I can't complain.

It's definitely not dead in the water(8 million units and counting) but it has noticeably stalled since the holidays ended, which is exactly what I figured would happen. While games have been trickling out for it since January, most are more party-style, dance and fitness games. Microsoft is holding the big game announcements(Kinect Gears of War and more on the Star Wars Kinect game) until E3.

And while I don't think that sales will pick up until the holidays again, I also don't expect Microsoft to drop the price of it this year, mainly because they have been outselling the Wii and PS3 in the US for the last 9 months straight(except for December when the Wii beat them by a small margin). But when they do drop this down to $100 or $129 sales will pick back up again.

As for my personal experience with it, I was lucky enough to find the complete boxed version so I also had Kinect Adventures to play around with. It showed off the tech well and impressed all five people I have shown it too so far. I have since got Kinect Sports and thats pretty much more of the same but still fun. I enjoy the quick fun of Kinect Adventures and Kinect Sports the same way someone would enjoy a download console or cell phone game but I'm also anxiously waiting for Microsoft to start announcing some more core games for it, even hybrid games where you can use both a controller and Kinect. But at this point, even if Microsoft never sold another Kinect it would still be considered a success as far as peripherals go.

[WCP]

I have a bit of buyers remorse in regards to Kinect. My wife and I purchased one as a Xmas gift to our kids, and when our kids opened it up, they were very excited and happy. Unfortunately, they very, very, very rarely play the thing. They played it off an on for a couple of weeks following Xmas day, but since then, the thing was collecting dust.

I've played it a bit here and there, but I also started to totally forget about the thing. I've played it recently, and I have to say that Kinect Sports and Dance Central are both pretty fun. I don't own either game, but have rented them, and did enjoy the experience. I wouldn't mind buying either game once I can get them on Craigslist for like $24 or something. The exercise game, Your Shape Fitness Evolved is also pretty good.

The thing that bothers me the most about it, is that had I waited until now, I could have gotten Kinect for $90 used via Craigslist. There are tons of Kinects out there, and there are many people like me who have a Kinect collecting dust, and just sitting in front of their TV, staring at them... mocking them.... At least I bought mine at Amazon and didn't pay tax, lol.

[swlovinist]

MS will probably have some games to show at E3, release them for the holidays, and Kinect fans will have some games slowly being released. The problem with an expensive accessory like the Kinect is that you split your user base between the folks who have it and the folks who dont. This is a product that will not last if there is limited software support. Without any great software, this is going to just be yet another expensive accessory with limited appeal. I have posted earlier that I was not a fan, and time has so far shown me that I was smart to hold off.

[WCP]

The biggest problem with Kinect is that there is only so much you can do without an easy way to control the movement of a character. This means action games need to be on rails. In the year 2011, having a game on rails is kinda lame. The other big problem, is no buttons.

I really think MS needs to release a knunchuk-like accessory for Kinect. I know it would seem crazy to have an accessory to an accessory, but what are you gonna do? If they had a wireless knunchuk with an analog thumbstick on it, and a couple of buttons, I think that would be a smart way to go. Have it feel very natural to hold in your hand, along with some rumble action as well.

Or maybe Microsoft could release a special light-gun type peripheral that Kinect can recognize. Something like Sony's sharpshooter. Otherwise, dancing games, mini-games, certain Wii-Sports like games, and on-rail shooters is all the Kinect will have.

[Rob2600]

The biggest problem with Kinect is that there is only so much you can do without an easy way to control the movement of a character. This means action games need to be on rails. ... The other big problem, is no buttons.

Remember some people were predicting the Kinect would totally blow away the Wii because the technology would be so much more amazing and the games would be so much more "hardcore." Yeah.

I'm not saying the Wii is perfect, but compared to the Kinect, the Wii suddenly becomes super "hardcore" with amazing controls and games.

[Graham Mitchell]

"Kinect sells more than 10 million units, scores Guinness World Records nod"

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/03/kinect-sells-more-than-10-million-units-scores-guiness-world-records-nod.html

Yipes! I guess it shows how isolated from popular culture I am when this thing is selling like hotcakes and I don't know anyone who has one or is even interested in one.

[WCP]

I'm not saying the Wii is perfect, but compared to the Kinect, the Wii suddenly becomes super "hardcore" with amazing controls and games.

I think the Move has better potential than the Wii. Not to be a graphics snob, but I do like the HD graphics a helluva lot better. Also, the move controller seems to be more accurate than the Wii-mote with motion plus. Not dramatically more accurate, but still... a bit more accurate and defined. The wireless nunchuk on the PS3 is crucial as well.


Going back to Kinect though, I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater in regards to Kinect. Not having a nunchuk with a thumbstick or any buttons is definitely a huge liability, but there are certain games that the Kinect could be amazing at. If you look at Your Shape Fitness Evolved, how they basically put you on the screen in a 3D world, that could be done for various action games where you could move around and punch, kick, jump, run in place, climb ladders, jump up on ledges, etc, etc.

Maybe you could kinda control movement in the world by the direction your feet are facing. (not sure if Kinect could detect that accurately enough though). You would need to do some specific hand movement to tell your character to turn 180 degrees if you want to head in the opposite direction. Somebody is going to eventually learn how to make a killer Kinect game, that will kinda be similar to Mirror's Edge in a way, except controlled with Kinect.

Still, I wish Microsoft would release a little wand type controller that you can hold in one hand, and it has a thumbstick to control movement, a couple of buttons with a trigger on it, and it also has rumble/force feedback. It would make things much, much easier.

[The 1 2 P]

Yipes! I guess it shows how isolated from popular culture I am when this thing is selling like hotcakes and I don't know anyone who has one or is even interested in one.

I also know very few people who have one, besides myself. But obviously people are buying them. I'm about to pick up a Kinect lot on craigs list so I can sell the unit and keep the games for free.

I'm still waiting for E3 so that Microsoft can announce some new games for Kinect beyond all these party-style mini game collections and dance/fitness games.