So there has been talk of Microsoft's very ambitious Kinect project for some time now.  After Nintendo released the Wii to critical acclaim in November of 2006, it changed the face of gaming and quickly became the number one selling console of all the major new gen releases from Sony (Playstation 3) and Microsoft (Xbox 360).

Unbeknownst to the public, Sony and Microsoft began working on their own peripheral laden add-ons in an attempt to compete with the Wii.  What happened over the next few years was everyone but kids practically abandoning their Wiis, not unlike cob-web covered treadmills.  Microsoft released a teaser video of the Kinect, featuring Wii-like games but curiously missing any kind of handheld device, the main drawback to the Wii.  Just as the Kinect was gaining buzz and setting up release, Sony came out of nowhere with their Playstation Move, which is essentially an uglier ballful version of the Wii, the only improvement being that the games themselves have a higher quality rate than those of Nintendo.  The Move's release was obviously rushed to get ahead of the Kinect, the problem being the very small amount of actual games available.

When the Kinect was announced, there were widespread doubts that it would work anywhere near what Microsoft claimed.  The video showed that this little "Johnny 5"-esque camera head would track your every movement, legs, arms and head, not just where you move your arms ala the Wii.  Does it work?

Amazingly enough, it does and it works extremely well.  There is, of course, a glitch or two which I will get to in a minute, but it surprisingly captures what that teaser video promised: a new generation Wii without being tied down (or tied on) to a handheld device (or two).

I tested this peripheral on a few different games; Kinect Adventures (comes bundled with the Kinect), Kinect Sports and Xbox's commercial go-to, Dance Central.

Kinect Adventures is fun, though not as entertaining as Wii Sports was upon release (the game that came bundled with that console).  In 'Adventures', you get to hit and kick dodgeball-type balls at targets, go white-water rafting, play a Wipeout-type dodging and jumping game, plugging leaks in a submarine and hover around popping bubbles.  The games work up a surprising amount of activity as you get every part of your body involved.

Dance Central is surprisingly fun even for those (myself included) that haven't been blessed with any kind of choreography skills.  The thing that sets this apart from Dance Dance Revolution is the fact that you aren't just moving your feet around to hit some squares and match arrows on a screen.  Dance Central actually tracks your arm, leg, head and body movement in order to teach you actual dance moves so you feel you are actually learning to dance (it even features real dance numbers like Soulja Boy's "Crank That").


Kinect Sports is more along the lines of Wii Sports and offers bowling, boxing, soccer, table tennis, volleyball and track & field.  The games are fun and addicting like it's Wii counterpart though jumping hurdles can be a bit difficult while still staying in the predetermined box.

The space requirement for the system is certainly not meant for every living room, especially in two player mode as you have to stand back approximately 15 feet.  I have a large living room but even with that, I still found myself backed against a couch so definetely measure out your living room and what you will be able to move regularly to play the system.  Also, in two player mode, you WILL smack into eachother pretty consistently and, when you get really into a game like the ball hitting, you can be swinging your arms at a pretty dangerous pace.

A downside of the movement tracking technology is that it's not quite up to par with what people will want.  A lot of times, putting an arm or hand in front of you will result in the Kinect losing track of where it is and will refuse to pickup your movement.  Also, since you have no controller in your hand, the only exit strategy is, understandably, judged by motion.  You have to put your left hand to your side for a few seconds, a great idea, but could have possibly been place in a better location (like raising your hand to the top left perhaps) as you will hit that motion several times while dancing or moving (especially in the Kinect Adventures game in which you need to plug cracks in an underwater window).  Not a huge issue and certainly not a constant one but it does leave room for improvement and is something game developers have to keep in mind when creating any sustaining actions.

The Kinect is much more active, intuitive and potentially dangerous than the Wii and Move.  It certainly takes the Wii's active idea four steps farther and makes the Move look as old as Nintendo' Virtuaboy.  Look it up.