The first thing I noticed once I got started was how long the device takes to get set up. While the hardware is simple enough to attach, the configuration process can be a chore. In order to get the full experience, one must run several set-up wizards to allow the Kinect to recognize you, differentiate you from other objects in the room, decipher background noise from voice commands, and calibrate the depth sensors. None of these were incredibly taxing and I expected as much would be required going into the process. However, many of these tests had to be repeated several times. I can only walk around my apartment trying to put glasses on a picture of a smiley face for so long before I start to question how well I'm spending my time. The process also made one major problem very clear.
The Kinect requires a lot of space. The biggest reason I had to recalibrate the device so many times is because I had to move the sensor so many times in order to optimize the space in my apartment. I probably have an above average sized living space, and I still had to move everything around just to have adequate playing space. I have been in many homes that would not have the convenience I had creating a functional play area. I imagine this will lead to one of two outlooks on firing up the Kinect: it will be either a chore, or an event.
Once everything was set up, I decided to play around with what is called the "Kinect Hub." The hub is a second dashboard specifically designed to work with the Kinect. You can switch between the two conveniently enough, but they do not ever function together. The hub is where I experienced my first geeked out grin. The voice commands work very smoothly, allowing you to interact with everything on the menu by simply stating "Xbox (command)." I instantly found myself wanting to shout commands to other fixtures in my home, only to be shot back to reality. My only complaint with regards to the multi-array microphone is that the hub does not have enough menu items. Within the first week the only command I even consider using is "play disc." It is also worth noting that there is also no command for turning on/off the console with Kinect. To my understanding, the ability to turn it on was left out as an energy conservation move (the sensor would have to always be on in order to accept the command) but the inability to say "xbox off" is rather disappointing.
Unfortunately, the hub is also where I experienced my first kick in the balls with the Kinect. The hand motion navigation of the menus is extremely clunky and far more effort than its worth. You find yourself caught in a feedback loop between the cameras excellent tracking, and need for pin point accuracy. To navigate to different pages you must first "grab" on to the scroll bar, and then swipe in the direction you want to navigate. This sounds easy enough, however in practice it is much tougher to keep your hand locked into the scroll bar long enough to get a full swipe across than you would think. Any change in height (so even a slightly diagonal swipe) seemed to cancel the action, requiring me to wave my arm back and forth several times before I could turn a page. Each time this happens you really find yourself change from feeling like a Jedi using the force to feeling like your parents trying to operate a cell phone. It pulls you from an immersive experience back to reality and this is something that the Kinect can't afford to do.
Navigation and aesthetic are important, but the big question lies around the games. Do they work and are they fun? My answer to both questions is.... kind of. My experience thus far is rather limited, as the only games I have played are Kinect Adventures, Sports and Dance Central. As this is a review of the Kinect itself I will try not to dive too deep into the games themselves, but shed light on how different software interacts with the device. Suffice to say, Kinect Sports and Dance Central are both a bunch of fun, and if you have a Kinect you should own both.
All three games succeed in getting you off the couch and really interacting with the games. I started with Kinect Adventures as it is the first game many consumers will be playing right out of the box. To be honest, this game felt like a glorified tech demo. The mini games were not all that great and slightly fun at best, but they did do an excellent job of showing you what playing the Kinect is supposed to feel like. It takes a while to get used to (especially when dealing with depth to the camera), but once you are able to break out of your X/Y axis comfort zone, you start to really feel how special the experience can be.
You also discover just what a problem the space requirement really is. The camera requires a lot of space, but it also requires a very specific amount of space. I noticed particularly while playing Kinect Sports sports games. You find yourself inching forward as you kick soccer balls or diving left and right to hit ping pong balls. The more you do this, the more you lose track of your designated play space and will often find the camera alerting you to fix yourself. This is a problem because in order to be successful with the Kinect, you must lose yourself in the games you are playing (this is a good thing). Unfortunately, the more you immerse yourself in the game, the more likely you are to be jolted out of it by a warning that you are leaving the play area. It doesn't help that this often results in you failing whatever you were trying to accomplish to begin with. It also can cause problems when trying to play with multiple people.
Adding a friend to the play space does not make it any bigger. For some games, it can be challenging to stay within the space as it is. Throw in another body and you are destined to collide, fall out of the space, or both. For more contained games, or games that require more vertical space than horizontal space it works fine. I have yet to try any games that do not meet these criteria in fear that something, or someone, will be broken. Last week I was also able to test the Kinect in a party atmosphere. Initially, I had concerns with whether or not the Kinect would be able to funtion properly if there were multiple people moving in and out of the camera, albeit in the background. With Dance Central, at least, this was not even a slight problem.
The shining star in the whole experience rests, in fact, with Dance Central. It is the perfect example of what the Kinect gaming experience can be like when running on all cylinders. Menu navigation is fluid, motion capture is accurate and the more you let yourself go and enjoy yourself, the easier it is to succeed. I was able to observe the perfect example of this by booting up the game at a recent party. The nature of the game (and goal of Kinect overall) is about forgetting that you are playing a game and simply living an experience. This resulted in a large group of people, whether they were actually the active player or not, participating in the dancing and being a part of the fun.
Overall, I can put the biggest concern I had before purchasing the Kinect to rest; the hardware works. While it is far from perfect on the software end, I think there are enough examples of what the Kinect is capable of to justify putting one of these bad boys in your living room: provided you have the space. If the hub can bring in more features (just today Netflix became navigable, a huge step in the right direction) and create a more natural browsing experience, then we are in for a very exciting period in home entertainment.
Plus, there's this to look forward to:
