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Kinect: Gaming's future or flash in the pan?
By STEVE TILLEY, QMI Agency
Microsoft's new Kinect game console for the Xbox 360 is demonstrated at the Tokyo Game Show in Chiba, east of Tokyo September 16, 2010. REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao
It's either a heady sci-fi glimpse of the future of gaming, or the biggest flash in the pan since the ill-fated Nintendo Power Glove from years gone by.
Behold Kinect, the new motion-sensing peripheral for the Xbox 360 that will, according to Microsoft's relentless promotional material, make YOU the controller.
No wires, no remotes, nothing between you and the action on screen. Pet a virtual lion, kick a virtual soccer ball, drive a virtual car by holding and turning an imaginary steering wheel ... stuff once imagined by sci-fi gurus Ray Bradbury and William Gibson is now becoming reality.
Kinect, previously known as Project Natal, has been building buzz for well over a year now. After a massive marketing push, the sleek black sensor is finally on sale for $149.99 as a standalone unit with one game, or bundled with an Xbox 360 system for $299.99 to $399.99.
We've had a Kinect unit for two weeks now, and have put half a dozen games through their paces. Does it work as advertised? Yes, mostly. Do you want it? Well, that depends.
The technology driving Kinect is impressive. The device itself is a black bar roughly 30 cm long that connects to the Xbox 360 via a cable and perches in front of your TV.
I step in front of it, and its cameras recognize my face and sign me into my Xbox Live account. I say "Xbox ... play game," and its microphones hear and execute my command.
I fire up the included Kinect Adventures game, and feel like I really am whacking a ball, ducking obstacles or plugging leaks in a submarine. (And the next morning, my whole body aches.)
Games such as the booty-shaking Dance Central or the fitness trainer Your Shape are perfect matches for Kinect, and, coincidentally, the two titles that are most likely to appeal to the vast audience of casual gamers that Microsoft hopes to tap into.
"We're anticipating we're going to have our biggest holiday ever," said Don Mattrick, president of Microsoft's interactive entertainment business. The company is hoping to sell as many as 5 million Kinect units before the year is up.
"We're feeling like we've got the must-have consumer experience going into this holiday, and we're going to do our best to make sure we can manufacture enough and get enough to consumers to meet the demand," Mattrick said. "A great thing happens when consumers try (Kinect), they become advocates, they become ambassadors. They say to their friends, family members, 'You gotta get this.' "
But while some of the current Kinect games are good fun, others are uneven. For instance, Kinect Joy Ride, a cartoony racing game, doesn't offer the degree of finesse needed to consistently control your digital dragster.
And there are compromises that must be made to bring Kinect into your home, such as having at least two metres of free space in front of your TV (three metres is better, especially for two-player action.) If you have coffee tables, lamps and a floor littered with toys, be prepared to move them. If you have a tiny, Tokyo-sized apartment, forget it. Kinect is not for you.
Right now, Kinect feels like a first step toward something really interesting. Some of the games are fun to play, others don't quite fit. The technology is cool, but not flawless. It would be the first thing I'd fire up if I had people over for a party, but the last thing I'd want to play after a long day at work. My standard Xbox controller and hard-earned couch butt groove aren't going anywhere.
Now, it's up to game developers to build new experiences around Kinect, rather than trying to shoehorn Kinect into existing genres.
If they succeed, it will kick off a mind-blowing new era in gaming. If they fail ... well, there's still room in the box in the back of my closet, right next to the Power Glove.
steve.tilley@sunmedia.ca
David Canton 
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