I am the controller!

[kandrathe]

We picked up an XBox Kinect for the kids. So far... I'm impressed. We also have a Wii, and the Kinect does better for mapping hit collisions. That is, for example, when you are batting around a ball, the Kinect seems to better calculate the position of your hand in space. I was impressed with the recognition sign in option. It has learned who we are by sight, and when we step in front of it it logs us into our various profiles... I was impressed with the integration of things like ESPN, and Netflix and I attached via the HDMI interface. Over Thanksgiving, I introduced my sons to the joys of watching Rugby.

Facebook and Twitter are more hampered by Xbox, and better served by computer interface.

I haven't tried the demo of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows yet, but I'm interested in how well they incorporate "wand" action and voice to activate spells. I imagine vast possibilities for this game play interface.

Some things I'd like to see now:

• vs lightsaber or sword/shield battle
• vs martial arts, boxing or kickboxing.
• flying around like superman, or Neo.

My boys are both very much enjoying Kinectimals. It's actually death by cuteness.

[Chesspiece_face]

I have it myself. So far it is a novelty for so-called "core" gamers, but if you have the room for it and children around it is wonderful.

I picked it up mostly for Ubisoft Your Shape: Fitness Evolved. It's coming on winter and I didn't want to buy new running shoes only to be miserable when I did go running. Instead the cardio programs on that have been my exercise program and I don't think I'll be going back to running.

Regarding Harry Potter. The Kinect aspects of the game are only a small part of it and they were essentially tacked on last minute. You do not use Kinect for the main portion of the game and the majority of the game is HORRIBLE. It may be enough for undecernable youths with the potter bug, but even then I'm not sure and there are much better choices out there to fill that niche. Lego Harry Potter first on the list.

Edit: Also This.

[Wyrm]

There is a fighting game out for it, but I haven't seen any reviews or buzz in general so not sure it's any good. I am interested in some of the fitness games though, that's sure to be cheaper than joining a gym.

The no controller thing seems pretty interesting, I think it was a good decision on the part of MS to try something like that. Playstation Move is nothing but a Wii with hi-res graphics (and a big blue ball on the end of the controller), so at this point I don't think I'll bother with a PS3.

Only problem I have with kinect is I don't have enough room to set it up; heck, we don't really have enough room for more than 1 person to use the Wii.

[Chesspiece_face]

There is a fighting game out for it, but I haven't seen any reviews or buzz in general so not sure it's any good. I am interested in some of the fitness games though, that's sure to be cheaper than joining a gym.

The fighting game is bad. It has a lot of complex moves that it doesn't recognize well at all and in general the system is poor and not very rewarding.

It's odd. Ubisoft designed their own drivers and kinect software from the ground up. They have by far the most experience working with Kinect and most of their dev teams have turned out garbage. Your Shape seems to be the team that really understands the hardware the best. Both the fighting game and Deca Sports seems to be designed from teams that view Kinect like the Wii, as a dumping ground for gimick trash and mini game compilations.

Edit: if you want to get a look at a lot of the Kinect games in action (or many other games) Giant Bomb has a video section labeled Quick Looks that does 30-60 minute vids of them playing the games and talking about how they feel about them.

[ShadowHM]

We picked up an XBox Kinect for the kids. So far... I'm impressed. We also have a Wii, and the Kinect does better for mapping hit collisions.

Thanks for the recommendation, kandrathe. I tried a Kinect last weekend for the first time at the home of my eldest son (the technophile who buys all things new and techie). We did have fun with it. We played table tennis. We played volleyball. We tried the Olympics - discus, long jump and hurdles. On a couple of occasions it 'lost sight of' my youngest son, much to his annoyance. But I gather that the Wii does occasionally suffer the same problem.

I am, I admit, predisposed to like the Kinect because it has no adjunct gadgets. We do own a Wii. Not only do I find that I dislike holding anything while I am moving about, but I also dislike the clutter. We have four controllers, four steering wheels and four nunchuks (sp?) which (all too often) are left scattered around the room. And I have to allocate storage space for the damn things.

I admit that the notion of buying something (anything) that will be outmoded in a heartbeat irks me. OTOH, I might actually use the Kinect and I have not used the Wii since the weekend it arrived.

[Taem]

OTOH, I might actually use the Kinect and I have not used the Wii since the weekend it arrived.

Same reason we sold ours and got an Xbox.

[Wyrm]

This makes me want a Kinect more than any of the current games for it.

[kandrathe]

I'm interested in what they do to Star Wars The Old Republic (saw an E3 gameplay trailer), and Steel Battalion -- coming in 2011. The next 12 months will probably see some more hard core gamer releases. I'd envision the marriage of the controller, and the Kinect in the future. Maybe the controller as more of a gauntlet with buttons/sticks where you could combine movements/action with the more refined selection possibilities of a controller. Forza racing looks pretty sweet too.

Ubisoft's "Children of Eden" looks like a game to avoid if you are frequently messed up on hallucinogens. My first impression from the preview video was; "A tab of acid and that game would mess you up big time."

"Rise of Nightmares" also looks promising, but I have no idea how the control would work. I imagine being scared out of my bejesus and putting a fist through a wall accidentally.

[Chesspiece_face]

I'm interested in what they do to Star Wars The Old Republic (saw an E3 gameplay trailer), and Steel Battalion -- coming in 2011. The next 12 months will probably see some more hard core gamer releases. I'd envision the marriage of the controller, and the Kinect in the future. Maybe the controller as more of a gauntlet with buttons/sticks where you could combine movements/action with the more refined selection possibilities of a controller. Forza racing looks pretty sweet too.

Ubisoft's "Children of Eden" looks like a game to avoid if you are frequently messed up on hallucinogens. My first impression from the preview video was; "A tab of acid and that game would mess you up big time."

"Rise of Nightmares" also looks promising, but I have no idea how the control would work. I imagine being scared out of my bejesus and putting a fist through a wall accidentally.

There should be a lot of new announcements in the next few days. Microsoft and Epic Games are scheduled to make some during the Spike VGAs on the 11th.

Children of Eden intrigues me. I've always enjoyed "Zen" games and was a fan of it's spiritual predecessor Rez. If it is successful in carrying on the tradition of that or other games like Geometry Wars I may end up picking it up sometime.

I personally would really like to see Rare re-up on Viva Pinata. That was a great resource management game mascarading as kiddie fare and I think Kinect would be a great place to give that franchise a second life. Take some pet control ala Kinectimals and add in resource management and rpg elements to build, manage, and grow your garden and I think that it could bridge the gap between casual and hardcore that the originals couldn't.

In other Xbox news, for anyone that enjoys arcade games or just has an interest in good game design, Pac Man Championship Edition DX is probably the best thing I've seen all year.