Anyone here have Kinect yet?

[yoda313]

So does anyone here have the Xbox 360 Kinect system yet?

I haven't seen a demo yet. I want to check it out at Best Buy this weekend - hopefully they have a demo instore.

I am not getting it for a 150.00. though one article I had read online pointed out that the Move or the Wii does add up once you start buying controllers for four people - I hadn't thought of that when the price was first announced. You have the one large investment but you don't need extra controllers or anything.

I was impressed with the Xplay review and the online review on g4tv. They were saying the system actually works and does what its supposed to. What I'm interested in is the controller free menu access. I also like the idea of a "psuedo" holodeck experience. Yes you don't see the world in front of you but this seems to be the closest to "real" 1:1 response yet out of the three systems.

If the system drops to 75.00 next year I might consider it. Then it only comes to a price just a little more expensive than a regular game. But there have to be more serious games for it. Right now its kinda a wii/ps move clone with mini games and stuff.

Oh and I have no intention of buying Dance Central - no way uh uh. Not gonna go there. I don't even sing in rockband or guitar hero so I'm not gonna be swinging around like a fool for dance central.

How about you? Does it seem something that could truly "revolutionize" gaming? Or is it just a gimmick thats gonna be on the back burner in a year or two?

[gll99]

Bought the 250gb bundle plus a couple of extra games the day it became available.

I'm not much of a gamer so it's not for me. Although I did try the raft game and the game does follow your jumps and movements pretty well. You do need to be no less than 6-8 feet from the Kinect camera.

We own a Wii for games and a PS3 (used as my Blu-ray and stream player) so we didn't plan on buying an Xbox360 but all the kids in the extended family love it so what could we do.

btw) One of the games we bought is Dance Central and all the kids from 4 to 14 want to play that one.

[yoda313]

@gll99 - how does the kinect respond on the menu navigation? From the reviews on xplay they said it really works.

How is it navigating the menus without a controller or a remote? Have you used voice commands yet?

I will probably get it one day just not at this price.

As for the MOVE for playstation forget it. I hardly use my Wii as it is. Why should I fork over more money for an add on my ps3 that I won't use either?

[gll99]

I haven't used the menus much myself but I've watched the kids. If the room is quiet the voice commands like left, right or a menu option by name work pretty well. However as you know when kids get together and 2 or 3 of them try to bark out all at once it doesn't respond. The menu hand movements are accomplished by holding your hand up and moving it until a lighted area which represents your hand covers a menu icon for a second or 2. Once it locks in, you either drag your hand over to an arrow for next or in other cases sweep from left to right to accept that option. It's hard to explain but once you get the hang of it it's pretty easy.

The 3 xbox360 Kinect games we have are very Wii-like but to me it's a step up since you don't need extra controllers and it responds to body and hand movement rather than the way you hold or bend a controller. Hard core gamers will probably hold out but based on the games, it doesn't look like for this first release they are the principle target audience anyway. I don't own a driving game but one reviewer said that he had to stand while pretending to drive. I'm not convinced he was right since you can let the Kinect re-find you and it seems to know if you are standing or sitting. Maybe the reviewer started while standing and then didn't readjust his position before playing the games. Anyway until more games and reviews are out I wouldn't trust every comment people make.

[yoda313]

Thanks for the insights on the menu feature gll99.

Yeah the games and the price are the reasons I'm not getting it right now. I have a wii and hardly use it so this would be redundant right now.

I will say this it is very promising. With the power the xbox 360 has the potential is limitless if they get the right premise for a knock out game title (not boxing just top notch a+ title)

[lordsmurf]

Not getting one.
Wii is fine, the 3-4 times a year I have time to play it.
I'd just assume pull out old NES games, to be perfectly honest.
Most of my XBOX time is on emulators -- only do that one maybe 1-2 times a year.

[yoda313]

Well I was at Best Buy yesterday to pick up Assassins Creed Brotherhood for the ps3 (awesome game by the way - just as good as ac2 but tweaked in the right ways) and was able to get a little time with the kinect.

I was there early in the day and no one was around the display area. I got up and it was on a menu of some game. It had the continue button and I held up my hand over it and the cursor was there and after a few seconds it clicked it! It was a dumb soccer game and I didn't play it but that was freekin awesome. No controller. Though it seemed a little out of synch.

Does the kinect need to be calibrated for each individual person? Also I may not have been standing far enough away from it to read properly. But it was cool.

Like I said when it drops in price I'll consider it.

But before I buy that I want the KEYBOARDS for Rockband 3. I already have the game but need the Keys!!!! I'll be getting it sometime this holiday season I'm sure......

[MJA]

if the make a 1st person shooter game for the Kinect this sucker will fly off the shelf in no time

there was a nice deal yesterday on the new 250GB 360 and kinect for $319 free shipping form dell