Xbox 360 Steering Wheel: 2010

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Ear Force X11 Amplified Stereo Headset with Chat

The Turtle Beach Ear Force X11 is an amplified stereo headset with microphone for Xbox 360 Live Chat The X11 allows you to push your XBOX 360 gaming experience to a new level with thrilling stereo game sound and crystal clear online communication on XBOX Live (261) The Ear Force X11 replaces the Ear Force X1 and the upgrades include microphone monitor for so you can hear what you are saying, larger black mesh ear cups with acoustically tuned 40mm speakers, and a new universal talk-back cable that eliminates the puck connection.

Price: $59.99

CopyAnyGame v3.26 - Easily Copy Games to your Hard Drive

Copy and backup any of your games using CopyAnyGame v3.26. Copy Wii, Xbox 360, and Ps3 games to internal or external Usb hard drive. Easily unlock and jailbreak your console and play the games from the dashboard. Mac and PC compatible.

Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter

Designed for versatility and ease, the Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter enhances your Xbox 360 experience in the digital home, seamlessly synchronizing with the Xbox 360 system. The Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter lets you play head-to-head wirelessly on Xbox Live, or on your home network. It is for use exclusively with the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. wireless networking adapter is designed to attach directly to the back of your console. It streams photos and music from Microsoft Windows XP and recorded TV, movies, and videos from your Microsoft Windows XP Media Center based PC, all without the clutter of wires.

Price: $119.99

Thursday, December 9, 2010

NEW Xbox 360 Component HDAV High Definition HD AV Cable

XBox High Definition AV Component Cable. If you have an HDTV, this is the best cable for you! Crisper graphics from your XBOX on your high definition TV! This cable is brand NEW and is about 6 feet in length. * High-Definition gaming output of 720p or 1080i * Also works on standard TV's * Progressive Scan DVD playback in 480p * Component (Y,Pr,Pb) High-Definition video output * 6ft long high density shielded cable * Can switch between both Standard TV or High Definition Output

Price: $31.99

FPS Freek (Classic White)

Legendary performance. 100% Tournament legal.

Created with precision and accuracy in mind, the FPS Freek is our flagship accessory. Fueled by our desire to win, the FPS Freek was developed for the sole purpose of becoming better at first-person shooters. The result has become somewhat of a legend. Proven a winner time and time again, the FPS Freek has been praised by numerous professionals, enthusiasts and n00bs alike.

By increasing the length of the thumb-sticks slightly, precision while aiming is improved dramatically. Your range of motion is increased by 40%, giving you the opportunity to make smaller adjustments and "snap" to targets much faster in first-person shooters. This affords you the luxury of turning up controller sensitivities to get the closest feel to a mouse possible on a console. The greater leverage offers you better control and less force-alleviating thumb-fatigue and adding more comfort to long gaming sessions. In short, this increased accuracy and decreased thumb-fatigue results in more kills and less deaths.

In the competitive world of online gaming, you'd be crazy to play without the FPS Freek!

FPS Freek is designed to fit both the PS3 and Xbox 360 controllers but will also fit many third-party versions.

Works great in games like:

* Modern Warfare 2
* Battlefield: Bad Company 2
* Call of Duty: Black Ops
* Halo: Reach
* Medal of Honor

Price: $19.99

Xbox 360 Motorola Gaming Headset X205

Experience football gaming like never before with this accessory for serious football video gamers. The Motorola Gaming Headset X205 blends enhanced capabilities such as voice command technology and genuine NFL design to re-define play time. The Motorola Gaming Headset X205 delivers endless hours of entertainment while built for superior sound and comfort. Noise reduction technology and integrated volume controls ensure a frustration free experience. Replicating authentic NFL's headset design, the Motorola Gaming headset looks and functions like the real thing. Delivering a live game experience, the Motorola gaming headset features voice recognition technology from pause to play calls, simply state a command and receive real time results as if you were coaching from the sideline. The integrated flip boom noise canceling microphone ensures your voice is always clearly heard while inline volume and mute control provide easy access to sound management. Featuring ergonomic design, high quality adjustable headband and full cushioned mono ear cup, the Motorola Gaming headset provides comfortable wear for extended playing time. Set up is easy, simply plug into your gaming module via detachable wire support. Truly get in the game with the Motorola X205 Gaming headset.

Price: $19.99

ULTIMATE Xbox 360 Rapid Fire Mod Kit (4-Mode) COD MW2- All games

You will get exactly what is pictured; OFFICIAL BRAMBHAI Business card Product, torx tool, Blue led set, Custom Thumbsticks, Tutorial Cd, Chip, Resistor, Wire and Button. ONLY BUY FROM BRAMBHAI. Guaranteed 100% satisfaction. Easy 6 wire install, basic soldering.

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Xbox 360 Ring Of Death Fix - Earn Massive 75% of $34

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Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller for Windows - White

MODEL- C8G-00004 VENDOR- MICROSOFT CORPORATION

FEATURES- Microsoft Xbox 360 Common Controller
Based on the acclaimed design of the Xbox Controller S the Xbox 360
Controller features an extended 9-foot cable and an improved
ergonomic design. The centralized glowing Xbox Guide Button gives
you quick access to your digital movie music and games libraries.
* Compact and ergonomic for comfortable play
New and improved ergonomic design enables maximum comfort and endless
gameplay.
* Integrated headset port for Xbox Live play
Plug the Xbox 360 Headset into the controller for full duplex voice
communication a wireless first.
* Works with most Windows XP-based PCs
Connect the Xbox 360 Controller to a Windows XP-based PC.
* Adjustable vibration feedback for a customized gaming experience
Enjoy an unprecedented level of Rumble Control. Set the Rumble Control
to Full Medium Low or Off to match your personal preference.

-- SPECIFICATIONs ------------------------------------
INTERFACE - USB port
REQUIREMENTS - 233-MHz or faster processor
128 MB of RAM
60 MB Free hard drive space
CD-ROM drive
Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition
Available Universal Serial Bus (USB) port

MANUFACTURER WARRANTY: 3 YEARS

Price: $39.99

Microsoft Xbox 360 Premium 20GB System

Introducing the Xbox 360 Premium 20GB System from Microsoft, which delivers the most powerful console, the best games, the next generation of Xbox Live, and amazing digital entertainment experiences. All in an unprecedented home entertainment console. If you are a serious gamer looking for the ultimate console, the search ends here. Fully loaded, it is the unsurpassed gaming and entertainment experience right out of the box. We are talking a 20GB detachable hard drive for downloading content and saving games.

Price:

Xbox 360 250GB Console

Price: $299.99

Xbox 360 250GB Console with Kinect

The Special Edition Xbox 360 250GB Console with Kinect. Kinect brings games and entertainment to life in extraordinary new ways-no controller required. Easy to use and instantly fun, Kinect gets everyone off the couch moving, laughing, and cheering. See a ball? Kick it. Control an HD movie with the wave of a hand. Want to join a friend in the fun? Simply jump in. Wi-Fi is built-in for easier connection to the world of entertainment on Xbox LIVE, where HD movies and TV stream in an instant. Xbox 360 is more games, entertainment, and fun.

Price: $399.99

Xbox 360 Live 1600 Points

Redeem points through the Xbox LIVE® Marketplace to crank your favorite games up a notch with add-ons like new songs, maps, levels and more. You also can download HD movies or TV shows for an instant movie night or pick up and play arcade games the whole family will love.

Price: $19.99

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Xbox 360 Head Set Communicator

- For use with Xbox LIVE(R) games to talk with teammates & opponents or chat through Xbox(R) Dashboard- Voice-masking feature changes voice to sound like a tough guy, a small child, a robot & more- Selectively mute other players- Plugs into any Xbox 360(TM) controller

Price: $19.99

Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect

The Xbox 360 Console with Kinect. Kinect brings games and entertainment to life in extraordinary new ways - no controller required. Easy to use and instantly fun, Kinect gets everyone off the couch moving, laughing, and cheering. See a ball? Kick it. Control a HD movie with the wave of the hand. Want to join a friend in the fun? Simply jump in. Wi-Fi is built-in for easier connection to the world of entertainment on Xbox LIVE, where HD movies and TV stream in an instant. Xbox 360 is more games, entertainment, and fun.

Price: $299.99

Xbox 360 4GB Console

The new Xbox 360® 4GB Console. Here today, ready for tomorrow with a brand new, leaner machine. Wi-Fi is built-in for easier connection to the world of entertainment on Xbox LIVE, where HD movies and TV stream in an instant. It’s ready for the controller-free experiences of Kinect — you don’t just play the game, you are the game. Xbox 360 is more games, entertainment and fun.

What’s In The Box?
• Xbox 360 4GB S Console
• Xbox 360 Black Wireless Controller
• Xbox 360 Composite A/V cable (standard definition)
• One Month Xbox LIVE Gold Membership
• 1 year limited warranty on console

Price: $199.99

Kinect Joy Ride

Joy Ride Xbox 360 KINECT... Kinect Joy Ride combines the fun of classic karting with the controller-free gameplay of Kinect. Enjoy five different game modes as you race through three unique worlds with stunning landscapes. Navigate obstacles, drift through corners and fly off jumps to wow your opponents with mid-air acrobatics. Then earn boosts, power-ups and other items to turn up the competition and the fun. It's racing action, Kinect style.

Price: $49.99

Xbox 360 Black Play & Charge Kit

Play & Charge Kit Black Xbox 360

Price: $19.99

Xbox 360 Wireless Controller - Glossy Black

Unlike High-performance wireless gaming now comes in black! Using optimized technology, the black Xbox 360 Wireless Controller lets you enjoy a 30-foot range and up to 40 hours of life on the two included AA batteries - and when they run low, you're given ample warning so you can connect a Play & Charge Kit for uninterrupted play. Plug the Xbox 360 Headset into the controller for full two-way voice communication: a wireless first. The same award winning Wireless Controller is back in black!

Price: $49.99

Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter A/B/G & N Networks

Designed for versatility and ease, the Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter ‘N’ enhances your Xbox 360 experience in the digital home, seamlessly synchronizing with the Xbox 360 system with the newest Wireless N standard. Wireless N offers increased speed, coverage and reliability and can easily stream media-intensive applications such as ‘Games on Demand’, HD movies, videos and music to your Xbox 360 system from Xbox LIVE® or your Media Center PC.

Price: $99.99

Xbox 360 12 Month Live Gold Card

Experience the best in gaming and entertainment with Xbox LIVE Gold. Raise the curtain on your own instant movie night with thousands of HD movies and TV episodes streamed instantly from Netflix. (Netflix membership sold separately). Invite friends all over the world to connect, cheer and play online multiplayer games. And as a Gold member, you’ll enjoy exclusive Deals of the Week that save you money and special sneak-peak game demos that give you early access to the newest and latest.

Price: $59.99

Microsoft out to Kinect with gamers

MOVE THAT BODY: Biggest Loser trainer Michelle Bridges films scenes for the Your Shape: Fitness Evolved game for Xbox 360 Kinect. Source: Supplied

GEARED UP: Biggest Loser trainer Michelle Bridges wears her motion-capture suit for filming scenes for the Your Shape: Fitness Evolved game for Xbox 360 Kinect. Source: Supplied

VIRTUAL SELF: The resulting Michelle Bridges avatar that appears in the Your Shape: Fitness Evolved game for Xbox 360 Kinect. Source: Supplied

MICROSOFT launches its futuristic controller-free gaming device, Kinect, today with an Australian featuring prominently in one of its biggest launch titles.

The Biggest Loser trainer Michelle Bridges is one of only two instructors to feature in Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, an Xbox 360 game that takes a 3D scan of your body and tracks your every move while you emulate on-screen exercises.

Ms Bridges said she propositioned game maker Ubisoft to choreograph training sessions for the title and later discovered she would feature in its worldwide release.

In what is potentially a blow for personal trainers, the 20-year veteran says playing fitness video games such as this can raise your heart rate enough to keep you fit and out of the gym.

"I played part of the game called Smasher recently and my heart rate reached 160 beats per minute," she said.

"If you can roll out of bed and turn on your Xbox and get into it games like this one, you've just cut your travel time to get the gym, to find a park and you're good to go. There's a real opportunity to spark a passion to get into your fitness."

The Your Shape game is among the first to use the Kinect for Xbox 360 accessory that plugs into the game console and uses a camera, infra-red sensor and microphone to recognise your movements and commands.

The technology eliminates the need for a game controller or button-pushing, allowing players to navigating game menus and play games by simply moving their limbs or announcing instructions.

Ms Bridges says the lack of a controller could open games "to a wide audience" that might have been baffled by the technology previously.

Other Kinect launch titles include the pop-themed Dance Central, virtual pet game Kinectimals, and racing game Kinect Joy Ride, which involve busting moves, patting tigers and moving an imaginary steering wheel.

Microsoft's Kinect accessory costs $199 and requires players to stand at least 1.8m from the games console.

The Xbox 360 add-on will have plenty of competition this Christmas, however, with Sony selling cheaper movement-sensitive controls in PlayStation Move, and an extra game and different controller added to the Nintendo Wii sales pack.

Level Up!: Splatterhouse Returns

Namco’s Splatterhouse is Set To Deliver Buckets of Blood for Black Friday

By Tim Janson November 18, 2010

© Tim Janson Welcome to this week’s LEVEL UP! We’re checking out all the new games set to release next week, just in time for your Black Friday shopping. Somewhat surprisingly, the release list is a little on the thin side, but this is just the beginning of the four-week holiday shopping binge. Before we get to the new releases, let’s take a look at what’s in the news this week.

Kinect Sales are Through the Roof!

Microsoft’s motion peripheral Kinect has sold a staggering one million units in just its first ten days after being released. In light of these figures, Microsoft has raised its expectations from 3 million to 5 million units sold by the end of 2010.

Diablo III Coming to Consoles?

It looks as if Blizzard is bringing its bread-and-butter game, Diablo III to consoles. While not specifically making an announcement as such, a statement on their forums page says that “Blizzard is currently exploring a Diablo-related concept for consoles.” It should be noted that their job opportunities page notes openings for a lead designer and lead programmer for a console version of Diablo III.

iPhone App Coming to Consoles!

The most popular game app for the iPhone will be making its way to consoles. Angry Birds will be developed for the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii. No date on the release but apparently a sequel is already in the works.

No Next Generation System from Nintendo Before 2012

Despite competition from the Playstation Move and Xbox Kinect in the realm of motion gaming, Nintendo has no plans to release a new console in 2011. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime still believes there’s a lot of tread still on the Wii’s tires and they are looking for at least 15 million more units sold before they even discuss their next generation console.

Namco Generations Announced!

Namco Bandai Games has announced Namco Generations, a brand of digitally distributed games on Xbox Live Arcade, and for the PlayStation Network. Namco Generations games will reinvent favorite Namco franchises with high-definition graphics, enhanced gameplay features, and regularly updated community news. Pacman Championship Edition DX, the follow-up to 2007’s award-winning Xbox LIVE Arcade title, will be the first game available under the Namco Generations label when it is released on November 17 for Xbox Live Arcade, and November 23 for PlayStation Network. Additional titles in development include Galaga Legions DX and Aero-Cross, a reimagining of Namco’s 1985 arcade hit, Metro-Cross.

Guillermo del Toro develping game for THQ

All eyes will be on Spike TVs Video Game Awards on December 11 for official word on the game that director Guillermo del Toro is developing for THQ. However leaks mention a RPG-style game similar to Mass Effect with a distinct Lovecraftian horror element to it.

Nominees for the Spike TV Video Game Awards Announced

Speaking of the Spike TV Video Game Awards, Spike has just announced the nominees for this year’s awards. Here are some of the highlights:

Game of the Year: Call of Duty: Black Ops, God of War 3, Halo Reach, Mass Effect 2, and Red Dead Redemption.

Best Xbox 360 Game: Alan Wake, Fable 3, Halo Reach, Mass Effect 2

Best PS3 Game: God of War 3, Heavy Rain, Modnation Racers, Read Dead Redemption

Best Wii Game: Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Metroid: Other M, Super Mario Galaxy.

After 14 years, Donkey Kong Country has returned with an all-new banana-hoarding adventure only on Wii!! Donkey Kong makes his triumphant return by going back to his running and jumping roots in an all-new barrel-blasting, rail-riding and ground-pounding adventure! Like earlier Donkey Kong Country games, Donkey Kong Country Returns is a side-scrolling platformer, but although the game contains classic references, as well as levels and activities reminiscent of earlier games in the series, it is far from a remake. In fact, Donkey Kong Country Returns stands very much on its own not only in its nearly 3D status, but also in its new visual treatment and control scheme. The game features the familiar team of Donkey Kong and his little buddy Diddy Kong. The goal is make your way across Donkey Kong Island collecting bananas and searching for hidden items as you swing on vines, ride mine carts and avoiding the variety of enemies and situations set against you. New silhouette graphical treatment of both game heroes and enemies in certain levels also introduces new challenges, as players must perform all actions from within an entirely new perspective. The game also features the players choice of either the Wii Remote/Nunchuk controller configuration, or a sideways oriented Wii Remote. In addition to simple navigation and jumping movements, the Wii Remote also allows for a variety of other actions, including: ground pounds, rolls and even air blowing with simple, yet timed shaking of the remote.

In addition, the game also contains fun and user-friendly co-op functionality. In co-op mode players take on the role of either Donkey Kong or Diddy. Both characters have abilities of their own, but work together. Beyond this the game takes possibilities for cooperation even further, especially with players of different skill levels, as Diddy can if need be simply rest on Donkey Kong's shoulder and let him do all the work at times. In the event of death, either character can also be revived by the other by hitting a Donkey Kong barrel within the game. The game also continues the series' use of additional animal friends such as Rambi the Rhino, who can serve as a battering ram and can be ridden in certain areas of the game.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare (Rockstar Games) Playstation 3, XBox 360 Rated M

The Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare collection is a collection of three downloadable content (DLC) releases for the open world third-party shooter, Red Dead Redemption on a single PlayStation 3 disc. A stand-alone release, meaning that the original Red Dead Redemption game is not necessary for play, the three DLC bundled here include: the Undead Nightmare pack, the Liars and Cheats pack and the Legends and Killers pack. Together these three contain a new single player adventure featuring John Marston in a zombie-stomping storyline, hours of new gameplay, new multiplayer maps and play modes, new characters, mounts, new hunting opportunities and weapons.

As with many console based action-oriented games, the playing experience of Rockstar Games' popular, American Wild West based, third-person shooter, Red Dead Redemption, has been supplemented by several downloadable content packs since its mid-2010 release. Players on the PlayStation 3 platform that are connected online have been able to partake of these via the PlayStation Network. Now offline players can do the same with the Red Dead Redemption:

The collection consists of three of the five available DLC packs on a single disc - these include the Undead Nightmare pack, the Liars and Cheats pack and the Legends and Killers pack. In addition to adding playable content for owners of the original game, the collection serves as a stand alone game release, that allows players who have not purchased the original game to experience the game world of Red Dead Redemption for the first time on disc via the new zombie-themed single player adventure built into the Undead Nightmare pack, as well as multiplayer functionality. The other two packs add new weapons, characters, multiplayer options, ridable mounts and more to either the existing game or a stand alone play experience built around the content of the Undead Nightmare pack.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom™ is the modern incarnation of inspired partnership gaming, seamlessly integrating problem solving, combat and an engaging storyline in a fluid cinematic experience like no other!

Forge an alliance: partner with the powerful monster to cooperatively battle the forces of darkness and creatively solve massive puzzles. Discover a whole new world: journey though the mysterious fallen empire full of adventure, creatures and puzzles and seamlessly explore the lush forsaken kingdom

Diverse gameplay action: experience the perfect gameplay mix combining stealth action, problem solving, platform navigation and combat. Legendary developer talent: directed by Yoshiki Okamoto, whose previous works in the Resident Evil and Street Fighter II series have reached critical acclaim and sold millions.

Disney's Tangled takes you on a storybook comedy adventure. In this visually entertaining journey inspired by the 3D animated film, you will explore familiar environments, take on engaging quests and play a host of mini games along the way. Discover multiple activities, rejuvenate and nurture characters in need, befriend animals and ensure that adventurous Rapunzel aided by the swashbuckling Flynn overcomes challenging escapades to untangle her dreams. You can also collect a variety of colors to draw and paint the Tower wall. Brush Rapunzel's hair, paint Flynn's wanted posters, make cupcakes, race goats and groom horses.

Monster Jam 3: Path of Destruction (Activision) Playstation 3, XBox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP Rated E

Get behind the wheel of the world's biggest and baddest monster trucks and prove you're the best at the Monster Jam World Finals! Monster Jam 3: Path of Destruction is all about authenticity, personality and fun, with 30 officially licensed Monster Jam trucks, including fan-favorites Grave Digger, Maximum Destruction, and Grinder. You can also create and customize your own trucks with thousands of options, unlocking new parts and upgrades as you progress through the game. Eight real-life stadiums from the Monster Jam circuit help bring the live atmosphere to the living room, with explosive truck introductions, pyrotechnics and lighting, all happening before a roaring crowd. In single player mode the goal is the same as for real life drivers: rise through the ranks of ruthless competitors to ultimately battle against the best at the Monster Jam World Finals. Plus, head-to-head multiplayer modes take the heart-pounding competition to another level. And best yet, get the true Monster Truck experience with the Playstion 3 and Wii exclusive Monster Jam Grave Digger Custom Steering Wheel peripheral, included in special edition Monster Jam 3: Path of Destruction PS3 and Wii game packages. Combine it with your Playstation 3 or Wii remote controller for a true steering feel. It's the most authentic Monster Jam action ever!

Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time is a party game for play on Wii that is rooted in fast and frenetic comic multiplayer action that is the hallmark of the original releases in the Raving Rabbids franchise. Utilizing a time travel theme, the game features 20 mini-games, set at pivotal stages in human history, as well as shorter history-oriented micro-games and hilarious cutscenes related to each mini-game. Additional features include 1 to 4 player support, co-op play options, online leaderboards and Rabbid customization.

The Rabbids are about to change the course of human history and you're invited to the party. The Rabbids are bwaaack and this time they have an infallible plan to invade the human world, by way of the past. Sounds crazy, even for the Rabbids, but when they discover time travel by way of their Time Washing Machine, you can bet they will cause loads of ridiculously wacky mayhem in history.

As with most of the releases in the Raving Rabbids franchise, Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time is a party game, filled with comic adventure that unfolds against the backdrop of a large number of frenetic mini-games and micro-games that utilize the Wii Remote and Wii Remote/Nunchuk controller combination. Returning in full force to the series theme of full-fledged multiplayer, all of the game's 20 mini-games support 4-player multiplayer, with the Wii providing AI functionality in the event of fewer than four players. The game also contains co-op play options. Each of the mini-games is set in a different time period/benchmark in human history, anchored by comic cutscenes showing historical characters. As the chaotic Rabbids burrow their way back into the past using their unorthodox time machine, the established timeline of human events and history hangs in the balance, with players participating in mini-games action that utilize a variety of gameplay mechanics. Success in these earns players points, which can then be used in a museum area that exists outside the realm of the mini-games to collect over 30 costumes for the player's personal Rabbids. Micro-games are also available here. Additional features include online functionality, including leaderboards and Wii MotionPlus support.

Splatterhouse has been around a long time: over 20 years in fact, getting its start in the arcades and then on the TurboGrafx-16 (and boy are we going back in time for that one) and then later on the Sega Genesis. The horror series has now been complete revamped for next generation consoles and is set to debut next week promising buckets of blood and gore.

Follow Rick and his mysterious Terror Mask as he unmercifully tears, cuts and beats his way through denizens of unearthly creatures in an epic adventure to rescue his girlfriend from the clutches of deranged occult figure Dr. West. Embodying the unfiltered, primal aggression of its namesake, Splatterhouse combines visceral, adrenaline-soaked combat with horror elements to deliver an original gaming experience that defies the boundaries of the traditional action category with over the-top gore and shocking new gameplay mechanics.

Game Play Features include:

· Re-imagined Enemies – Classic enemies have evolved into horrific monsters of radical proportions and shocking detail

· Extreme Gore – Splatterhouse pulls no punches, taking gore and shock value to the next level with physics-driven fluids and organ parts flying in all directions

· Regeneration – Real time physical damage and regeneration shows the rebuilding of bone, muscle and skin

· Pulse-Pounding Combat – Use Rick’s deep set of moves, improvised weapons, environmental attacks, and unique enemy AI to obliterate enemies at each turn

· Engaging combo system that opens up to gruesome Splatterkills, which destroy your enemies with gory and cinematic effects

· Terrifying enemies and epic-scale bosses provide unnerving experiences and memorable challenges

· Diverse environments with H.P. Lovecraft-influenced style are coupled with a world-class heavy metal soundtrack and custom music score, keeping the tone tense and eerie

· Utilize weapons of all kinds to bludgeon your enemies, from classic 2X4’s to chainsaws to your enemies’ own limbs

View the trailer for Splatterhouse!

Microsoft gaming takes off

The point is to let you control games with your body, without having to find, hold, learn or recharge a controller.
With the money Microsoft has spent on failed efforts to design hardware, you could finance a trip to Mars.

Its failures make up quite a flop parade: WebTV. Spot Watch. Ultimate TV. Ultra Mobile PC. Tablet PC. Smart Display. Portable Media Center. Zune. Kin phone. If this were ancient Greece, you?d wonder what Microsoft had done to annoy the gods.

There is, of course, an exception the size of Mount Olympus: the XBox.

With 45 million game consoles sold, XBox 360 is Microsoft?s monster hardware hit. And last week, what will surely be its second monster hit went on sale: the Kinect.

The Kinect (?kinetic? plus ?connect,? get it?) is an add-on for the existing XBox 360. If you already have an XBox, you can buy the Kinect for $150, or you can buy it with a 4-gigabyte XBox for $300 ? if you can find it in stock.

The Kinect is a glossy, foot-wide, black plastic horizontal bar. You plug its single cable into your XBox. (If you have the bulkier, pre-2010 XBox, you also have to plug the Kinect?s power cord into the wall.) You park the Kinect itself on, or beside, your TV. During startup, a motor moves the bar on its stand, making it scan the room up and down like some would-be Wall-E.

It has four microphones and three little lenses: a video camera, an infrared projector and a distance sensor. Together, these lenses determine where you are in the room.

And not just you. The system tracks 48 parts of your body in three-dimensional space. It doesn?t just know where your hand is, like the Wii. No, the Kinect tracks the motion of your head, hands, torso, waist, knees, feet and so on.

The point is to let you control games with your body, without having to find, hold, learn or recharge a controller. Your digital stunt double appears on the TV screen. What you do, it does.

The Wii, by tracking the position of its remote control, was amazing for its time (2006). It?s a natural for games in which you swing one hand ? bowling, tennis, golf. But the Kinect blows open a whole universe of new, whole-body simulations ? volleyball, obstacle courses, dancing, flying.

It doesn?t merely recognize that someone is there; it recognizes your face and body. In some games, you can jump in to take a buddy?s place; the game instantly notices the change and signs you in under your own name. If you leave the room, it pauses the game automatically.

There?s a crazy, magical, ?omigosh? rush the first time you try the Kinect. It?s an experience you?ve never had before.

The Kinect comes with ?Kinect Adventures,? a suite of five starter games. In ?20,000 Leaks,? you?re at an undersea observatory where particularly aggressive fish keep poking holes in the glass; your job is to plug the leaks by touching them with any part of your body. There?s also ?Rallyball? (glorified dodgeball), ?Reflex Ridge? (an exhausting whole-body obstacle course), ?Space Pop? (pop bubbles in zero gravity) and ?River Rush? (control a white-water raft by lunging and jumping). Two players can play these games together, which is fantastic.

The graphics aren?t quite as simplistic as the Wii?s amputated-Weebles aesthetic, but they?re still cartoony. Don?t expect to look especially sexy while you?re playing, either. Kinect is about what you feel, not how you look. Some games make that point by snapping photos of you at especially humiliating moments. You get a quick slide show of them when the round is over.

For now, there are 17 games available, most for $48. Microsoft says many more are on the way. They?re generally simple, family-friendly, Wii-type games, not the elaborate adventure games and war simulations that XBox fans may be used to.

Still, some are pure genius. ?Dance Central,? for example, is like ?Guitar Hero? for your whole body. You learn and perform dance moves by following the on-screen model, as pop songs play and the crowd cheers. ?Your Shape: Fitness Evolved? is an interactive fitness program, complete with cardio classes and personal training.

?Kinectimals? is a standard explore-the-abandoned-island mystery game, made charming by baby tigers and lions that accompany you, and that arch their backs and purr when you pet them.

?Kinect Sports,? an obvious ripoff of ?Wii Sports,? offers ?Soccer,? ?Bowling,? ?Beach Volleyball,? ?Boxing,? ?Table Tennis? and ?Track & Field? ? hours of sweat for the whole family. The unseen commentators are a kick. When I scored a strike in ?Bowling,? one said, ?Liking the style of this bowler!? And when I bowled a gutter ball, he offered, ?Interesting approach there!?

The novelty in ?Kinect Joyride? wears off much faster. Pretty much all you do is turn an imaginary steering wheel.

You can?t play Kinect sitting down, and that?s a plus. I left my two youngsters alone with ?Kinect Adventures? one afternoon. When I returned, they were drenched with sweat, panting hard and practically levitating. ?Dad! Dad! Can we get one for Christmas? Please??

Next thing you know, we?ll be hearing doctors say, ?I think your kids really need to play more video games.?

Then again, the Kinect may not be the antidote for sedentary lifestyles. It?s connected to an XBox, with its infinite access to movies, TV shows and a million games where all you do is sit there on the couch.

The Kinect is often compared to the futuristic holographic computer-control system in the movie ?Minority Report.? But that degree of refinement is still decades away.

You should know, first of all, that the Kinect requires a lot of open space. You stand at least 6 feet away from the TV ? preferably farther, especially if two are playing. Dorm rooms may be iffy.

There?s way too much administrative hassle, too. Games take a long time to start up, a minute or more of company logos and repetitive Wii-style warnings.

Remember, you don?t have any physical controls, so you make menu choices by ?tapping? big buttons with your hand. To avoid accidental taps, you have to hold your hand still in the air for several seconds, which gets old fast.

Sometimes, you can navigate by voice instead, saying, for example: ?XBox: Sign in,? or ?XBox: Sponsored trailer.? Unfortunately, that?s slow and inefficient in its own way.

I couldn?t understand why this error message appeared whenever I completed a game: ?This operation will result in a loss of player progress. Do you wish to proceed?? Come on, Microsoft. You can track 48 parts of my body, but you can?t figure out how to save my game?

Navigating the XBox/Kinect software is baffling. Where would you guess you would go to switch games: to the Dashboard, the Guide or the Hub? And good luck trying to sort out all the different Microsoft accounts you?ll need: for starters a Windows Live ID, an XBox Live Profile and a Kinect ID.

Finally, note that the body tracking isn?t as quick or precise as the Wii?s remote-tracking. When you jump, there?s a slight delay before your on-screen character jumps. My fitness instructor in ?Your Shape? kept tsk-ing that I wasn?t in sync with her, even though I swear I was.

But few normal people will mind. The Kinect?s astonishing technology creates a completely new activity that?s social, age-spanning and even athletic. Microsoft owes a huge debt to the Nintendo Wii, yes, but it also deserves huge credit for catapulting the motion-tracking concept into a mind-boggling new dimension. Just this once, the gods have lifted the Curse of the Microsoft Hardware.

Review: Kinect for Xbox 360 "sloppy"

By Shaun Conlin, Evergeek Media

There's no denying that Nintendo took Microsoft by surprise when its comparatively wimpy little Wii became a runaway hit with general consumers, not just gamers. Wii's simple, and somewhat sloppy, motion-sensitive controllers were key to its success.

After some presumed head scratching, Microsoft set about the none-too-small task of one-upping the competition. Taking the controller out of motion-controlled gaming altogether, the Xbox people delivered last week a true evolution of interactive entertainment, one where the player's body waves and flails and prances about - and sometimes speaks - to invoke on-screen actions of the playable character on screen. Awesome idea there, Microsoft.

Wee problem: Kinect is sloppy - just like Wii. So while it's still an evolution, it's a lateral mutation rather than an advance for the species. Further to that analogy, Darwin might suggest it will only keep on living and maybe even thrive if its unique new features don't prove a detriment in the eat or be eaten ecology of videogames.

The good news: It'll probably thrive. Someday.

As of today, Kinect comes off as rushed.

In and of itself, Kinect is a remarkable chunk of technology, a forward-facing, articulating camera and microphone array that's like nothing else out there. Within its elegant, foot-long sub sized housing (a slim, calorie-wise sandwich at that) resides more electronic components than a James Bond wristwatch. We're talking two auto-focusing cameras and an infra-red projector so the thing can "see" in light spectrums beyond mere mortals, scoping out the room size and then monitoring bodies, hands, arms and legs in 3 dimensions of motion therein. Also in the mix: four microphones for voice recognition with noise filtering and positional awareness, plus a double stack of circuit boards apparently born of black magic and cinnamon. It sits atop a motorized stand so the thing can self-adjust its view of the world and even look around a bit.

Jacking Kinect into an Xbox 360 (game console sold separately or as a bundle) is straightforward enough with a conjoined power plug and USB cable connecting AC power with the console and the Kinect sensor in two steps.

All plugged in and fire up, Hal 9000 it is not. Bummer.

Here's the thing: most of the Kinect marketing material out there - the TV commercials, the magazine ads, etc. - invariably show a couple or a family of four engaging with Kinect. There's mom and dad and/or their teen and their 'tween bopping around a spacious living room. HDTV and connected Kinect sit on a knee-high entertainment stand against the wall.

As it turns out, that's not just a shiny-happy-people ideal, it's a requirement.

With the understanding that Kinect offers an off-the-couch gaming experience, that you'll need to move the coffee table out of the way is a given. However, while Kinect's instructions indicate that the device needs to sit under or over a flat panel TV within 2 to 6 feet off the floor, our testing environment had Kinect struggling when placed at both the minimum and maximum heights suggested, above a picture- high, wall-mounted TV or below on the 2" high cabinet.

In fairness, our seven-person testing crew range in height from 2'6" to 5'8", and Kinect seems unable to distinguish a toddler from dad's right leg when forced to "see" both, and assumes someone's having one mean conniption. This is also why a family with five kids (ages 2 through 12) won't be appearing in Kinect commercials any time soon.

It took the 7-year-old in the crew to figure out that a stubby tower of MegaBlok's could set the sensor at an ideal (for us) height of 42 inches - just below the wall mounted 46" Sharp Aquos Quattron (sweeet). Other user experiences may vary. It took the 2-year-old 10 seconds to shriek with glee and topple said tower and a dad with cat-like reflexes to grab the sensor before it smashed.

Needless to say, Kinect expects you to dispose of your toddlers or have a roll of duct tape handy. Fair enough. And then there were six.

Next up, the instruction book suggests you stand 6 feet away from the sensor while a second player, if optioned, should stand 8 feet away from the sensor and arm's length from the first player. Good call, considering the YouTube-documented dad-elbows-son-in-face mega hit appearing on day 1 and dozens of "Kinect Fail" videos after that.

So yeah, lots of space needed. Even more than suggested, actually, as Kinect and its instruction booklet don't seem to be on speaking terms. The sensor instead insisted the "good" position for one player was 8 feet away, not 6, and the second player barely "good" at 10 feet away, also known as standing on the couch, where upon Kinect surmises the first player is now on his knees because the second player could not possibly be 7'9".

Assuming the average living room is 12, maybe 14 feet deep, take away roughly 3 feet for the couch and two feet for the entertainment unit, you have 7 to 9 feet of Kinect-friendly space. As dad's back is not what it used to be, our testing scenario left the couch in place and only one person testing at a time.

After a great deal of calibrating and re-acquainting Kinect with its environment and the bodies on hand, playing Kinect games actually turned out to be a lot of fun - with caveats.

As advertised, you use your whole body as the controller; mostly hand gestures for all the basics, plus a the gambit of running on the spot, head bobbing, arm flailing, body swaying and kicking motions in games. And yes, you'll look ridiculous. Kinect will even snap a few photos on-the-fly and embarrass you with them later. Fine. And then there were five, said mom.

Kinect comes bundled with a mini game collection called "Kinect Adventures!" that could have done without the exclamation point. Nevertheless, "Adventures" does offer a solid sample of what Kinect can to your living room: make it a lively place for the family to hang out and watch at least one person, maybe two people make spastic fools of themselves and synchronize the spasms with some rather stunning high def visual up there on the TV. This includes jumping in a river raft (repeatedly), whacking at balls in a 3D breakout kind of thing, dodging obstacles while standing on a conveyor belt, and plugging aquarium leaks with your head.

Sold separately, a game called "Kinectimals" had the 4-year-old girl of the group absolutely gushing with joy as she interacted with a big cat cub, petting it virtually, playing fetch and spinning with it like a ballerina. It didn't bother her that Kinect assumed she was an adult on her knees rather than a little girl standing up, but it did make for a peculiar rendition of jumping-like-a-double amputee. Mind you, this was before we taught Kinect who was who and who and how tall, a brutally cumbersome process.

Also on hand was "Kinect Joy Ride," an effective little "air driver" where you make like you're holding a steering wheel. Not precise enough for Formula One, but silly, wholesome racing fun nonetheless.

"Kinect Sports," meanwhile, offered token similarity with "Wii Sports," but the controller free play of it all did make for an utterly fresh experience - though still a little slipshod at times, more dumb luck than competitive. Kinect bowling, it should be noted, is an absolute standout, the best motion-activating bowling of any platform.

That said, fun as it is, the body-as-controller shtick is currently a sluggish affair more often than not - the same sort of laggy, hit and miss exactitude as the good ol' Wii. Much better looking mind you, and spooky cool with the controller-free control concept. But slow to behold, no doubt about it.

In fairness, Kinect never promised a suite of neurosurgery and small appliance repair games. Not yet, anyway. Still, rushed to market, no question. Kinect needed another year of tuning, tweaking, and debugging, certainly. Of course, one could argue that there was market share in the waiting, Wii's sales are slumping, opportunity knocks, the next new thing is needed now and Kinect is certainly "it," get it out there. Polish it up on the fly, because everyone's Internet connected and patches and firmware updates are relatively easy. That's the now and the future of Kinect: pretty great family fun for those with the space or the patience to set it up now, great gobs of controller-free potential to be realized in a year or two. Or so Darwin would indicate.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Xbox 360's Kinect motion-sensing system impresses

There are a lot of futuristic things we're still waiting on: jet packs for the entire family, self-driving cars and time-travel, to name a few. But one new, pretty darn amazing bit of technology has finally come to fruition, thanks to the folks at Microsoft.

The Kinect system, which went on sale Thursday for the Xbox 360 game console, offers controller-free control of living room entertainment and aptly delivers a groundbreaking piece of technology.

It's part game controller, part fitness guru and part Minority Report, the movie in which Tom Cruise famously interacts with a multi-touch interface by making rapid motions with his hands.

Instead of gripping a physical controller to play games and movies on your Xbox 360, Kinect allows you to simply move your body -- hands, feet, hips -- to do everything.

Kinect is a hybrid video camera and motion sensor that sits just above or below your television display. It looks like an extra wide webcam and connects to the Xbox 360 -- even older models -- through the USB port. Kinect sells for $150 and comes with one game; you can buy it bundled with a low-end Xbox 360 for $300, saving $50 on the package.

Activating and configuring Kinect was easy enough, though it does require a system update.

Kinect calibrated itself by testing the ambient light in my room, the background noise and my voice. Kinect then asked me to get used to performing my moves in a fairly large rectangular space about 8 feet in front of the television.

The 46-inch LCD display from Sceptre I used for my tests delivered the Kinect experience in tack-sharp high-definition. A larger-than-average display is ideal because it'll help you see the various digital versions of yourself more clearly, as captured by Kinect's camera and motion-sensing voodoo.

At the Xbox 360 main menu screen, a small dark box appeared at the lower right corner. Inside was a live view of my body, with my hands glowing at my sides. A quick wave of my right hand told Kinect I was ready to interact.

To select items on most menu screens, I simply held up my right hand at about shoulder height and guided an on-screen hand to an icon or word. In games, similar control takes place to select people and objects. Simply hover and grab.

Kinect also brings voice control to the Xbox 360, and you can launch movies and social media apps by saying something like "Xbox. Play." I had spotty success with that and found the hand guide technique more dependable.

The game that comes with Kinect is Kinect Adventures, an outdoorsy jaunt into the world of whitewater rapids and antigravity. As I stood in front of my TV, I looked at my avatar's back, careening down a rushing river in an inflatable raft. As I instinctively stepped and leaned to the left, my character on-screen did so as well, steering the raft around rocks and obstacles.

In Space Pop, I floated in a low-gravity room and waved my arms and legs to pop bubbles for points. These games were fine for a warm-up, but I was quickly ready for a more stern test.

The Kinect games now available all require the system to play them. Your physical Xbox 360 controller won't suffice. There will be Kinect-enhanced games available later that can be played both ways, but Microsoft Corp. says Kinect will give you a better experience.

I met my match with Dance Central ($50, MTV Games, rated T). This top-shelf title is essential for Kinect users. I mimicked the on-screen character's dance moves for high scores.

I jumped and gyrated to songs from top artists such as Lady Gaga and Audio Push. I learned the moves individually, with a few restarts, then launched into a dance battle to string them together to the music.

A circle beneath my on-screen feet glowed green when I hit the moves correctly. It glowed red when I muffed the moves, indicating I had suddenly sprouted at least two left feet, if not more. The music on this title is fresh, and additional tracks can be purchased through the Xbox Live Marketplace.

One title that was a dud for me was Kinect Joy Ride, a cartoonish driving game. Driving is one of those game genres that begs for a physical controller. I had trouble keeping my hands in an imaginary grip on an imaginary steering wheel to control my imaginary car. I crashed because I overcorrected my steering. My hands moved too freely because they weren't really holding anything.

My wife had better luck when I raced against her. She even found time to lean over and answer a real-world cell phone call while "driving," gently cradling the phone on her shoulder while gripping her nonexistent steering wheel.

There is one title that literally left me breathless, but for all the right reasons. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved is a masterpiece. The exercise game talks and walks you through precise movements to improve your cardio and work out your muscles.

I began by standing in front of my TV and letting Kinect measure my body size and structure. I then used a hand-motion menu to enter my age, weight and exercise habits so the game would learn not to overexert me too soon.

Within minutes I was following along with the Tai chi and yoga moves of an on-screen instructor, with my on-screen mat placed just behind and to the right of her. She led me through the movements, and at the end of each routine I was given a score for my performance, based on how well I stayed in rhythm and mimicked her deep knee bends.

I would have never thought that the most impressive game title for Microsoft's foray into motion-sensor gaming would involve me invoking the phrase "Namaste" instead of "activate plasma rifle."

Motion-sensor gaming has now hit all three major gaming platforms. Nintendo Co.'s Wii arrived first. Sony Corp.'s Move for PlayStation 3 added more realistic games, graphics and highly acute player control.

Microsoft Kinect may lack the fine character control of the Move, but it adds the promise of an expanded breadth of activities in front of the gaming console. The possibilities for Kinect are rich, and I will forever more feel a touch guilty while sitting in that well-worn corner of my couch to play a video game.

Four stars out of four.

Kinect Joy Ride Review [Xbox 360]

This motion-controlled racer is fun, but it'd undoubtedly be better if you could play it with a regular controller.

Kinect Joy Ride is a colorful racing game that has a lot of good things going for it. It lets you play as your Xbox Live avatar and choose from a number of good-looking rides; its imaginative environments are host to several different event types, in addition to regular races; and it can be played with friends both locally or online. Sadly, though, almost every aspect of the game falls short of its full potential because you're forced to play with motion controls that, while uncomplicated, are imperfect at best.

All of the events support two players simultaneously on the same console.

You don't need to concern yourself with accelerating or braking in Kinect Joy Ride, but you are responsible for steering, performing tricks, using weapons, and charging up and triggering speed boosts. To steer, you stretch your arms out in front of you as if you're holding a steering wheel. The Kinect has no problems recognizing your attempts to turn left and right, though it's difficult to make subtle adjustments when drifting around corners or attempting to collect tokens on the track, for example. Worse still, attempts to charge up your all-important boost by pulling both of your arms back don't always register. Activating boosts by thrusting your arms forward works more reliably, but that doesn't count for much if you're having trouble charging them beforehand. Weapons and other power-ups--which only come into play in Battle Race mode--are activated by holding one of your hands out to the side. That works just fine, but because steering is already problematic, it can be a little worrisome to take one of your hands off of the invisible wheel.

Despite the problems with its controls, Kinect Joy Ride is rarely frustrating. There are times when a missed boost opportunity might cost you a position in a race, but the game does a good job of rewarding you regardless of whether you finish on the podium or are last across the line. Every time you finish an event, you gain fans, and as your fan base grows, you unlock new rides and events. You make progress regardless of how poorly you do, and you're free to repeat events that you particularly enjoy and can ignore any that you don't like. It's unfortunate that the differences between the numerous vehicles you can drive are only aesthetic, but it's at least fun to show off your latest unlocks in online races.

Pro Race and Battle Race are the only modes that can be played online, where they support up to eight players simultaneously. Races are contested on tracks that incorporate plenty of shortcuts, numerous boost pads, and--more often than not--some opportunities to get big air and then perform flips and rolls by leaning as if you're shifting a significant amount of weight in your kart. Stunts earn you additional fans, and although there's no other tangible reward for performing them in the middle of a race, there's also never any danger of you failing to land one and losing time as a result. AI opponents do a good job of keeping both offline and underpopulated online races challenging, and even if you manage to finish first, there's some replay value to be had attempting to beat bronze, silver, and gold medal times for every event. Battle Races aren't as much fun as Pro Races. There are only six different power-ups, and none of them are particularly satisfying to use because they don't require any skill. Falling foul of one that freezes all of your wheels or having opponents simply teleport ahead of you just isn't much fun either.

Stunt mode, on the other hand, offers an enjoyable challenge and--because it doesn't demand precise controls--is one of the better event types on offer. Your goal is to rack up as many points as possible on courses that resemble either a gigantic halfpipe or multiple halfpipes connected by loop-the-loops and the like. Using well-timed speed boosts, it's possible to get insane amounts of air, and as you perform stunts, you can also score points by collecting items like bells and cherries that are hanging in midair. There's something very satisfying about launching your chosen ride high into the air and then, as you lean in different directions, watching your avatar clinging to it for dear life as you perform barrel rolls and backflips.

Similarly satisfying, though more demanding of precision, are the Smash events that challenge you to drive around bowl-like arenas destroying statues and other items by crashing into them. It's not particularly challenging, but to achieve high scores, you need to destroy as many of the targets as possible while drifting so that you keep your points multiplier going. Furthermore, you need to keep an eye on the clock that's counting down because once you've destroyed all of the statues, you trigger a ramp and must jump off of it to take down the giant "boss" statue. It's a shame that there are only a few similar Smash arenas in the game because they're fun when you get a good drift going.

The remaining two modes are titled Dash and Trick, and both are odd because they play very differently from everything else in Kinect Joy Ride. Dash events are short time-trial events on tracks that are littered with both obstacles and collectible fan tokens. Speed boosts are every bit important in these events as they are in races, but what's strange is that when you steer your kart, you don't have analog control and can only move left or right one or two lanes at a time. Your car takes corners automatically, so all you need to do is make sure it's in a lane where the only thing it's going to hit are collectibles and boost pads. This method of steering works well enough that it makes you wonder if races could've worked better if they employed a similar system. Trick events are even further removed from the rest of Kinect Joy Ride and see your chosen kart taking to the skies as a plane, which you then wing walk on. Avatar silhouettes appear onscreen prompting you to copy their poses, and you score points for doing so both accurately and quickly. This makes for a nice change of pace, but you're unlikely to spend much time in Trick events because it doesn't take long for them to become repetitive.

Kinect Joy Ride isn't a bad game by any means, but it's also not a good game to release alongside the new Kinect hardware. Rather than showing off what the Kinect is capable of, Kinect Joy Ride is an obvious example of a game that would be better if you could play it with a regular controller. It's fun to see your avatar racing around in a muscle car or an ice cream van, but the sad fact is that he or she invariably appears to be having a better time behind the wheel than you.

Xbox 360's Kinect motion-sensing system impresses

The Kinect system, which went on sale Thursday for the Xbox 360 game console, offers controller-free control of living room entertainment and aptly delivers a groundbreaking piece of technology.

It's part game controller, part fitness guru and part Minority Report, the movie in which Tom Cruise famously interacts with a multi-touch interface by making rapid motions with his hands.

Instead of gripping a physical controller to play games and movies on your Xbox 360, Kinect allows you to simply move your body -- hands, feet, hips -- to do everything.

Activating and configuring Kinect was easy enough, though it does require a system update.

In Space Pop, I floated in a low-gravity room and waved my arms and legs to pop bubbles for points. These games were fine for a warm-up, but I was quickly ready for a more stern test.

I met my match with Dance Central ($50, MTV Games, rated T). This top-shelf title is essential for Kinect users. I mimicked the on-screen character's dance moves for high scores.

I would have never thought that the most impressive game title for Microsoft's foray into motion-sensor gaming would involve me invoking the phrase "Namaste" instead of "activate plasma rifle."

Four stars out of four.

Review: Kinect for Xbox 360 "sloppy"

By Shaun Conlin, Evergeek Media

The good news: It'll probably thrive. Someday.

As of today, Kinect comes off as rushed.

All plugged in and fire up, Hal 9000 it is not. Bummer.

As it turns out, that's not just a shiny-happy-people ideal, it's a requirement.

Needless to say, Kinect expects you to dispose of your toddlers or have a roll of duct tape handy. Fair enough. And then there were six.

After a great deal of calibrating and re-acquainting Kinect with its environment and the bodies on hand, playing Kinect games actually turned out to be a lot of fun - with caveats.

Xbox Kinect: Just How Controlling Can a Body Be?

Katherine Boehret, On Tuesday November 23, 2010, 6:26 pm EST

This holiday season, the war against couch potatoes wages on with Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect, the latest in motion-sensing video-game consoles. While the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation Move encourage people to stand and play games using familiar gestures and simple controllers, Kinect encourages people to motion their way through games and screens using their bodies as controllers.

Kinect (xbox.com/kinect), a rectangular strip of four microphones, a 3-D sensor and a video camera, is $150 for those who own the Xbox 360. It’s sold in a $300 bundle with the 4-gigabyte Xbox 360 console; $400 with a 250-gigabyte console. (Sony’s PlayStation Move is $100 without the console and $400 when bundled with the 320-gigabyte PS3; Nintendo’s Wii costs $200.)All packages include the Kinect Adventures videogame. There are currently 17 games that work with Kinect, and each costs $50, $10 less than a standard Xbox game.

Kinect can sit on top of, below or beside the TV, plugging into a wall power outlet and the Xbox via a USB cord.The concept used by Kinect has potential far beyond games and might even become a new way of controlling computers of all kinds.

Thirteen of the 17 available Kinect games are rated E for Everyone, and the remaining four are rated T for Teens—a sign that Microsoft is going after a different crowd with Kinect than with its regular Xbox games, which offer a wide range of ratings, including violent games.

It automatically identifies who you are and pauses when you leave its vicinity, so it isn’t hard to imagine this ingenuity controlling all kinds of devices, like a PC, smartphone or tablet.

Over the past few weeks, I played a variety of Kinect games with three other people in the room, one other person in the room and completely by myself. I tried it with a 46-inch, 1080p LCD TV as well as using an old standard-definition TV.

My experiences were mixed. Kinect works beautifully for activities that involve only your body, like exercise classes, running, jumping hurdles, yoga and dancing, with the moves feeling natural and fun. The motion sensor detects even slight movements to reflect what you’re doing on the TV screen. I battled my boyfriend in Dance Central while busting out dance moves called Double Dig ‘Ems and Headwrushes. I sprinted down a virtual track, running in place fast enough to earn a game world record. And I toned my arms and abdominals while punching floating boxes in the Your Shape’s kickboxing class.

But when it came to sports that involved holding or throwing objects like bowling, volleyball or discus, Kinect started to feel a little inauthentic, like I didn’t really have control over the object. When I threw a discus far enough in Kinect Sports to prompt the game’s commentator to shout, “Is that discus a part of the space program?” I didn’t know what I did to get that result.

The same was true for driving a car in Kinect’s Joy Ride game: Players are instructed to hold their hands like they would if they were gripping a steering wheel, turning left or right by moving hands accordingly and leaning back and quickly forward to get a burst of speed. But it’s hard to mimic a motion to accelerate, and I found myself jerking my body all around to get results. My arms also got tired after holding them up for awhile.

Other games, like Kinectimals and Kinect Adventures, play to the Kinect’s strengths by using broader gestures and fewer accuracy-focused tasks. With Kinectimals, I moved my hands to virtually scratch a Bengal tiger cub; the cub even became more familiar with me the more it listened to my voice. I rode a raft in Kinect Adventures by leaning left or right to steer through rapids, jumping up to grab on-screen coins for points and ducking to avoid getting clocked in the head with objects.

In certain games, two people can play simultaneously standing in front of Kinect. The system can identify and sign in up to eight people as they step in and out of play. It recognizes those who are signed into Xbox and playing, so only their gestures maintain control of navigation. Its sensor will identify and log you in a few seconds after you step in front of it. If you walk away in the middle of a game, Kinect will sense that you aren’t there and will pause the game.

Kinect isn’t yet fully integrated into the entire Xbox navigation system. Some tasks still require the old Xbox controller, like opening the Xbox Guide, a quick way of launching anything in the system. Xbox’s Dashboard, which is the first menu you see when you turn on the system, also requires the controller. The Dashboard is separate from Kinect Hub, which lets you use your voice and gestures to do things like opening the system’s disc tray, selecting menus or even pausing a movie—just by saying, “Xbox, pause.” A spokesman said Microsoft plans to integrate these commands throughout the Dashboard. For now, it’s tempting—but futile—to want to use voice and gesture on every screen.

Many Kinect games capture videos of you as you play games and then play them back for you at the end. The results are hilarious. Kinect Adventures gives you a heads-up so you can make an extra silly pose at the right moment. Kinect Sports compiles a highlight reel as you go, playing this video back at the end of your athletic events, goofy sport gestures and all. And Dance Central announces a freestyle dance for all players at the end of each round, capturing video snippets of these moves. Users who are signed into Xbox Live can share these videos with others.

Kinect can also be used to video chat with anyone who’s using Windows Live Messenger and a webcam.

I really enjoyed Dance Central—and not just because I won most of my dance battles (the one who gets the most moves correct wins). This game offered a large variety of songs ranging from old-school rap to Lady Gaga. Each dance was taught in a different virtual venue by an instructor who shouted words of encouragement or instruction, and cheers from the crowd spurred me on.

Navigating the menus in Kinect games is usually more enjoyable with gestures, though it takes a little longer than if you were pressing a controller button to skip ahead. In the Your Shape game, I selected from Personal Training, Fitness Classes and Gym Games using my arm to touch my selection and another red icon below that to confirm it. When I started this game, the sensor scanned my body to measure my height, arm length, leg length and shoulder span, thus customizing games just for me.

In the future, Kinect could use be used to recognize communities like a group of fans all wearing the same team colors while watching a game, in which case the system might display extra on-screen data for that supported team. Another example could include playing along with game shows from home, like reality TV for the masses.For now, Xbox Kinect does well with many games that mimic real-life gestures and motions. Games with specific actions using objects, like rolling a bowling ball, need work to feel more authentic.

Watch a video with Katherine Boehret on the Xbox Kinect at WSJ.com/PersonalTech. Email mossbergsolution@wsj.com

Kinect Joy Ride review

We review Kinect Joy Ride, a title for the Xbox 360 and Kinect by Microsoft Game Studios and Big Park.

Have you ever wished you could drive a car — but without a controller? Probably not, and with good reason. In Kinect Joy Ride, you are a racer with limited racing controls, and by steering the air, you control your car as it accelerates around the track. You can also pull off some tricks while jumping.

The game offers several game types, including: a “Pro Race,” which is your average lap-based race; “Battle Races”, similar to pro races, but with weapons; “Smash”, a game mode that encourages you to destroy items to increase your score; “Stunt”, which ranks you based on the amount of tricks you pull off; “Dash”, a time-based race; and “Trick,” a Simon-says style where you need to imitate poses on screen.

The problem with Kinect Joy Ride is that steering without a wheel is tough enough without the added element of lag introduced by the Kinect’s hardware. It is a novelty, and one that wears off quickly. If this game had been included with the Kinect, it would have received a bit of a pass, but since it is a full retail game, it is shockingly light on content. A decent game for families, but one that most families might enjoy for an evening, if that.

If you’re interested in the Kinect system then check out our Microsoft Kinect review.

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Xbox Kinect: Just How Controlling Can a Body Be?

Katherine Boehret, On Tuesday November 23, 2010, 6:26 pm EST

It automatically identifies who you are and pauses when you leave its vicinity, so it isn’t hard to imagine this ingenuity controlling all kinds of devices, like a PC, smartphone or tablet.

Kinect can also be used to video chat with anyone who’s using Windows Live Messenger and a webcam.

Watch a video with Katherine Boehret on the Xbox Kinect at WSJ.com/PersonalTech. Email mossbergsolution@wsj.com