Microsoft's Kinect, its new motion sensing games controller, launches on November 10 just in time for the Christmas rush - and Which? has a first look review of the UK version of Kinect.
Which? got its hands on a pre-launch sample of the UK version of Kinect at a Microsoft event last week, giving us a chance to get closer to this innovative new technology and get hands-on experience of Microsoft's answer to the Nintendo Wii.
You can read our first impressions of an early version of the Kinect from the E3 games convention in June in our hands-on first look Kinect review.
Kinect's unique selling point is that it turns your body into a video game controller, recognizing up to 48 key parts of the human skeleton, and tracking how they move in real time. The device itself is a slim bar which incorporates two infra-red 3D depth sensors and a more conventional digital camera.
The device attaches to Microsoft's Xbox 360 games console and rests on a motorized stand that allows the unit to pan and tilt as necessary.
The in-built sensors and digital camera in the Kinect sense and track the movements of your body. So you don't need to keep hold of a physical device like the Nintendo Wii Remote or Sony PlayStation's recently unveiled Move device.
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Our sneak preview gave us an insider's view as to how Kinect fits in with the newly revamped Xbox 360 interface.
If you have an Xbox Live user account, the camera built into Kinect's sensor bar can recognise your face, and sign you in automatically - a neat trick.
Once signed in, you can control your Xbox 360 using simple, intuitive gestures. Waving at the screen tells Kinect to take notice, and by moving your hand you can move a hand-shaped pointer over the different options on the screen, selecting one by hovering over it for a second or two.
Read our first look review and see a video of the Xbox 360
You don't even have to use your hands if that's too much effort, as the Kinect also features voice control. Say 'Xbox', and you can control the system using voice alone. According to Microsoft, 'If you see it, you can say it', so by reading out a menu option or speaking a command from a context-sensitive black bar at the bottom of the screen, you can do anything you might normally do with a physical controller.
This extends to playing music from your Xbox 360's hard drive, choosing and watching films from Microsoft's Zune marketplace, or even watching Sky TV using the Xbox 360's Sky Player.
This ease of use seems typical of Kinect. Depending on the game, players can join in just by stepping into the space in front of the Kinect sensor, and games we tried were able to calibrate the system automatically. Microsoft admits that you’ll need to stand approximately six feet away from the sensor and clear your living room of clutter to see Kinect working at its best, but it can work in smaller spaces by predicting what any parts of the body it can’t see are doing.
We’ll see if this holds up in a full Kinect review.
Volleyball is one of the games you can play with Kinect
Kinect will stand or fall on its software line-up, but we're cautiously optimistic. Among the launch games Which? tried we found titles that matched Wii favourites for fun.
Whether you're desperately plugging leaks in an underwater chamber or dancing to a range of pop hits, Kinect does an impressive job of tracking every movement, and Kinect Sports highlights like boxing and table tennis proved that, while there is a small lag between your movement and movement on the screen, this needn't get in the way of fast-paced gaming.
It's only once you get to more traditional and complex games, such as a Kinect-enabled version of the next Harry Potter game, or the Kinect fighting game, Fighters Uncaged, that Kinect feels unresponsive.
We're also expecting big things from Kinectimals. In this stunning-looking game, players explore a mysterious island, befriending five cuddly big cats and training them with activities, gestures and vocal commands. It's a Nintendogs for the next generation.
Meanwhile, a bevy of keep-fit titles, including a tie-in for the Biggest Loser and a Kinect version of EA Sports Active 2 look set to outclass Wii Fit. Not only do they offer a wider range of exercises and routines, but Kinect can actually see when you’re not following your instructor’s commands.
We'll have a final production Kinect sensor in for a full review soon, but it seems like Kinect will offer Nintendo some serious competition this Christmas.
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