Kinect Bundles and Games
Kinect comes available as a $149.99 standalone device, but should you want to purchase it along with an Xbox 360, there are two additional options. Microsoft sells a $299 bundle that pairs Kinect with a 4GB Xbox 360, as well as a $399 bundle that packages Kinect with a 250GB system. I like the flexibility here, as it gives gamers many options for getting in on Microsoft's motion action. You won't need an Xbox Live subscription to use Kinect, but you can use Kinect's motion navigation with several of Xbox Live Gold features, such as ESPN.
Kinect Adventures is Kinect's pack-in game, but there will be several other titles on store shelves at or near its launch including Dance Central (a pad-free take on Dance Dance Revolution), Kinectimals (an advanced spin on Nintendogs), Kinect Joy Riders (racing), Kinect Sports (the Microsoft equivalent of Wii Sports), Sonic Free Riders (racing), and Your Shape: Fitness Evolved (exercise). Granted, not many of these titles will appeal to the hardcore gamer, but Microsoft has marketed it toward families, so the titles' casual nature isn't very surprising.
Kinect Design, Setup, and Tutorial
The 1.3-pound Kinect is an all-black 2.8-by-11.1-by-2.8-inch (HWD) horizontal bar positioned on top of a motorized pivot that's designed to blend inconspicuously into your entertainment setup. Its face houses three sensors that are used to track players' movements and voice commands: a 640-by-480 RGB camera, a monochrome depth sensor, and a multi-array microphone. The back houses the lone connection cable, and air vents are built into the sides and bottom of the device to keep it cool during long play sessions. A power/USB cable is included for connecting Kinect to older Xbox 360 models.
The 1.3-pound Kinect is an all-black 2.8-by-11.1-by-2.8-inch (HWD) horizontal bar positioned on top of a motorized pivot that's designed to blend inconspicuously into your entertainment setup. Its face houses three sensors that are used to track players' movements and voice commands: a 640-by-480 RGB camera, a monochrome depth sensor, and a multi-array microphone. The back houses the lone connection cable, and air vents are built into the sides and bottom of the device to keep it cool during long play sessions. A power/USB cable is included for connecting Kinect to older Xbox 360 models.
Setting up Kinect is a simple affair: If you have the new Xbox 360 ($299.99, 4 stars), simply plug the device's sensor cable into the Aux port, which is easily identified by the orange stripe positioned above it. If you own an older Xbox 360, plug the sensor cable into the included Power/USB cable, and then plug one end of that cable into a USB port and the other into an outlet. When we connected Kinect to the new Xbox 360, it was instantly recognized and powered on without the need for AC power—the new Xbox 360 supplies enough juice to power the device. Note: Microsoft recommends positioning Kinect between 2 and 6 feet above the ground, and centered just above or below your television or monitor.
After powering on, the Kinect sensor came alive and immediately began scanning the environment,then locking the camera into a prime position. The Kinect then ran through a series of required tests, in which it checked the background noise level, speaker volume, and microphone calibration, the three components that power its voice command feature (more on that later).
A brief tutorial then showed me important gestures all users need to know to operate Kinect. First off, moving your hand so that the floating cursor is positioned over a game option makes a selection ring appear that assists in the confirmation process. Also, raising your right hand and waving it back and forth, for example, causes Kinect to recognize you, while positioning your right arm next to your body while holding your left arm at a 45-degree angle away from your body pauses games. These three gestures are universal, and work in any gaming scenario. Kinect's facial recognition can be used to log you into your Xbox account.
Stellar Motion Control (When You're Within Range)
Kinect comes packaged with Kinect Adventures, a collection of athletic titles that serve as a fun tech demo, like a more thematic version of Nintendo's Wii Sports. The most interesting of these six games is "Reflex Ridge," a two-player split-screen (player versus player or player versus Xbox) racing/obstacle title that has gamers speeding down a river on a raft. As your on-screen avatar moves forward, obstacles appear to slow your progress, so you have to leap, side-step, and duck objects. The motion tracking was surprisingly accurate in my tests; the instant I leapt, my avatar leapt. When I leaned left or right, my character leaned left or right in step. In fact, the only time I felt a disconnect between myself and my on-screen persona is when I had to jump up and down rapidly to increase the speed of the raft—occasionally a jump wouldn't register. Still, the overall experience was extremely impressive.
Kinect comes packaged with Kinect Adventures, a collection of athletic titles that serve as a fun tech demo, like a more thematic version of Nintendo's Wii Sports. The most interesting of these six games is "Reflex Ridge," a two-player split-screen (player versus player or player versus Xbox) racing/obstacle title that has gamers speeding down a river on a raft. As your on-screen avatar moves forward, obstacles appear to slow your progress, so you have to leap, side-step, and duck objects. The motion tracking was surprisingly accurate in my tests; the instant I leapt, my avatar leapt. When I leaned left or right, my character leaned left or right in step. In fact, the only time I felt a disconnect between myself and my on-screen persona is when I had to jump up and down rapidly to increase the speed of the raft—occasionally a jump wouldn't register. Still, the overall experience was extremely impressive.
Even better, a second player can jump into the game at any time without the need for calibration or having to pause the game and dig through menus. When another person walked into Kinect's field of vision, "Reflex Ridge" automatically detected the new challenger and split the screen. I was floored by this, as it allowed a second player to jump in without breaking the flow of the game.
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