CNN Kinect review: Looks extremely promising, still concerned about the price

I don’t think x360 owners playing Halo and Forza now will be addicted to dancing and fitness in front of their tv next year.

Kinect may look extremely promising for Wii-addicts and children, it certainly doesn’t for core gamers.

IGN doesn´t think the same http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/110/1108080p1.html.

“but because the Kinect sensor bar scans and monitors 1 million points on the body”… sorry, what?!

I’m as hardcore a gamer as they come, and I still intend to bite when this is released.

This review is pretty accurate though, and I have to agree. The price probably *will* be a barrier to a lot of people, but the thing is.

The thing is though, Microsoft has the financial clot to drag this device out as long as it needs to to get it into people’s homes. They did with the Xbox brand, and I imagine they’re going to do the same with this.

The bulk of the CNN reads “Microsoft claim” or “Microsoft say” there is very little sense the writer has played Kinect fully.

The 1 million points is very odd, too. It really sounds like he doesn’t actually know much about how Kinect really works.

More of a light opinion piece taking the manufacturer’s claims as solid than anything else.

The IGN link though, that sounds like it’s based on hands on and my does it paint a different story.

Personally I think Kinect looks very weak for gaming, but it’s just wacky enough that it might sell well anyway to those who don’t give a damn it’s a poor way to play games.

i dont care wtf reviews r 4 this is i still aint getting this

@4 Boris Fett,

As a self-proclaimed hardcore gamer, what about this casuals-only device interests you?

Well I’m pretty much sold on getting this device. It is an odd situation though as the reasons aren’t as clear cut as they usually are when I’m buying a more traditional gaming product.
There isn’t really one game that has sold me on the concept as a whole, but the collection of games shown so far has demonstrated that Kinect is certainly something that will interest my family and other non-gamer friends (even if it’s only for one drunken night).
It’s that aspect more than anything that makes me want Kinect. Those nights where a whole bunch of people are gathered round the same TV, having a laugh and everyone is just enjoying the experience, even if they’re “not that into games”.
This differs from my usual reasons for buying a game, ie. It looks good, possibly a sequel to another great game or just simply made by the same people, or more recently, has a strong emphasis on online play.
Some people will say, and rightly so, that the price doesn’t justify what might essentially be a device you get out for when folk are round at yours, but I suppose that comes down to personal opinion.
People were pretty negative when talking about the Wii before it came out (and after), but for what its worth, some the best gaming experiences I’ve had this ‘generation’ have been playing Wii games.
So, as for Kinect, it’s the potential that I’ll be buying for.:)

Oh, and the same goes for Move of course.

@7 While I may be a hardcore gamer, I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with casual games. I think the two can sit very comfortably together.

All I know is, I’ve played many casual multi-player tittles on the Wii with my family and non-hardcore gaming friends, and loved every moment of it.

The Kinect is just another form of that, and find the technology at work with it pretty cool. Dance Central and Your Fitness Evolved are probably the two titles that interest me the most. However you may feel about the technology, that fitness games has a huge amount of potential solely for the fact that you don’t need to stand on a stupid piece of plastic to make it work.

Gaming hasn’t been purely about “traditional” gaming for quite some time, and I’m far more interested in embracing these new ideas alongside typical video games (which I’ll always love), instead of hating on them.

Casual games can co-exist alongside hardcore games. They don’t have to be mutually exclusive to each other.

I’m actually quite interested in Fitness Evolved but if the Wii’s taught me anything its that theres a massive gap between the interest you have for something before its out, and the actual motivation to continuously play it when you finally have the thing between your hands.

@9

I, too, enjoy both casual and hardcore titles, and agree there is no issue with both playing styles coexisting with each other. I play pretty much every genre under the sun, though I steer clear of the kiddie titles. My main gripe about Kinect is that it is purely a casual experience, which doesn’t go well with my frugal buying habits, especially considering the price of admission. However, your reasoning falls in line with what this device is intended, good times with family and alcohol-enhanced party gaming.

Dance Central looks great, as does a Kinect-controlled Child of Eden. Other than that, nothing really interests me.

I honestly don’t understand why some gamers are so xenophobic towards games which do not immediately fit into the ‘hardcore’.

They tend to be receptive to the right stuff. Peggle, for example. Most of time they don’t care if something can be considered ‘casual’ as long as it’s a good game, they’ll grudgingly play it and enjoy it.

I’m a mid-core gamer. I don’t have a 360. But if I did. I’m pretty sure I’d be up for kinect. But I have a ps3 and I’m am definitely getting Move. I think there are slightly more hardcore PS3 owners who welcome Move then 360 owners who welcome Kinect. This is just the vibe I get from my daily trawl of game sites. That it all. Good night

Owning all three platforms. I don’t think I’ll get kinect till there’s more than a few games that I’m interested in. I mean the dance game might interest the missus but besides that nothing hits home.
The interface and voice control don’t do much for me, I mean publicly available voice control software even now is pretty unreliable for the most part. It’s just a step up from cellphone voice recognition from the early half of the last decade (AFAIK).
Only real reason for me to get Move is I’m interested in Kung Fu Rider, Sorcery, Heroes on the Move (I’ll wait to see gameplay before I actually decide on that), Echochrome 2 (it’s under-rated at exhibits for some reason though those who played it say it’s highly enjoyable) and a few others. (don’t care much for Socom)

I’ll have to give the review the benefit of the doubt and presume he’s talking about pixels, not points on the body.

As for price… it’s *way* overpriced. No way am I going to slap the cash down for something like this at that price!