Experience with XBox 360 Kinect
I was finally able to try out Kinect
last weekend. I played the Kinect Adventures
and the Kinect MotionSports
games. It was fun and very, very, very tiring. Good thing our good host served food that night. Otherwise, I would have given up after the first game!
Kinect is Microsoft's take on the evolving gaming user-interface. The games we tried out require you to really stand up and move. You'll need a lot of space to use Kinect: left, right, front, aft and above. You need to use your entire body to play most of the games. And yes, you'll need to be ready to burn lots and lots of energy.
Kinect Adventures
Space Pop is pretty much a warm-up game to get the hang of using your body as the controller. The game is pretty much the easiest to play and perhaps the most responsive game in the pack. Or perhaps, the delay is forgiveable because you're supposedly moving in space.
Rally Ball is a challenging game and could take a while to getting used to. There's an obvious delay in the avatar's motion. It's fun and could really test your reflexes.
Reflex Ridge is perhaps the best game in Kinect Adventures but it is also the most tiring! You need to jump, dodge, twist and turn to get the highest score possible. You should definitely aim to finish the Olympian challenge! I assure you you'd be catching your breath afterwards. Add more heat to the game by racing with another player.
Kinect MotionSports
I tried only a few games in Kinect MotionSports. The Boxing game is like Wii Boxing in many ways. Hang Gliding and Skiing can strain the back -- they're cool but I can't seem to figure them out (needs more practice). Finally, I tried Horseback Riding which is fun but also the most unrealistic. MotionSports requires you to adjust to the game's behavior and response times. Some motions require a little bit of getting used to but they work.
Between Kinect Adventures and Kinect MotionSports, I would recommend Kinect Adventures. You can skip MotionSports for a better sports game, really...
Kinect is an exciting product. "Hacks from tinkerers" popped up as early as a week after Kinect was released to stores. Microsoft seems to be supporting these "hacks" expanding the reach of Kinect as a product that can be used not only with XBox 360 but with various platforms as well.
Overall, the experience with Kinect is pleasant. The games we played were pretty much like "demo" games and they don't seem to fully utilize the capabilities of Kinect. There are more games to try and I can't wait to try them out next time, perhaps after my sore body recovers...
last weekend. I played the Kinect Adventures and the Kinect MotionSports games. It was fun and very, very, very tiring. Good thing our good host served food that night. Otherwise, I would have given up after the first game!Kinect is Microsoft's take on the evolving gaming user-interface. The games we tried out require you to really stand up and move. You'll need a lot of space to use Kinect: left, right, front, aft and above. You need to use your entire body to play most of the games. And yes, you'll need to be ready to burn lots and lots of energy.
Kinect Adventures
Space Pop is pretty much a warm-up game to get the hang of using your body as the controller. The game is pretty much the easiest to play and perhaps the most responsive game in the pack. Or perhaps, the delay is forgiveable because you're supposedly moving in space.
Rally Ball is a challenging game and could take a while to getting used to. There's an obvious delay in the avatar's motion. It's fun and could really test your reflexes.
Reflex Ridge is perhaps the best game in Kinect Adventures but it is also the most tiring! You need to jump, dodge, twist and turn to get the highest score possible. You should definitely aim to finish the Olympian challenge! I assure you you'd be catching your breath afterwards. Add more heat to the game by racing with another player.
Kinect MotionSports
I tried only a few games in Kinect MotionSports. The Boxing game is like Wii Boxing in many ways. Hang Gliding and Skiing can strain the back -- they're cool but I can't seem to figure them out (needs more practice). Finally, I tried Horseback Riding which is fun but also the most unrealistic. MotionSports requires you to adjust to the game's behavior and response times. Some motions require a little bit of getting used to but they work.
Between Kinect Adventures and Kinect MotionSports, I would recommend Kinect Adventures. You can skip MotionSports for a better sports game, really...
Kinect is an exciting product. "Hacks from tinkerers" popped up as early as a week after Kinect was released to stores. Microsoft seems to be supporting these "hacks" expanding the reach of Kinect as a product that can be used not only with XBox 360 but with various platforms as well.
Overall, the experience with Kinect is pleasant. The games we played were pretty much like "demo" games and they don't seem to fully utilize the capabilities of Kinect. There are more games to try and I can't wait to try them out next time, perhaps after my sore body recovers...
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