Kinect Review

For Christmas I received a Kinect. Those who do not know what a Kinect is, GOOGLE IT! But if you don't have the time or want to open a new window, I'll tell you what it is. Kinect is a sensor that connects (get it? I think it actually refers to the kinetic energy that's used when playing. More on that in a second) you to the world of Xbox 360. As its tag line goes, "you are the controller." When you move, the sensor track you and portray what you are doing to the game. You punch in real life, you punch in the game. You run in place, in the game you're doing a quarter-mile sprint. You kick the ball, well, I think you get the point. It's the newest gimmick (you know that's all it is, but we still love it) in the "get fit now while playing games" era of technology.

Now to the pros and cons.

PROS: It works. The sensor tracks your movement efficiently with about a tenth of a second delay. The games actually work you out and if you're a bit out of shape, like most, you're going to feel it the next day... or later that same day. My favorite game is "Rally Ball" on the Kinect Adventures (which comes with the sensor). You have to keep the balls in play while smashing the boxes. And you have to hit those balls hard. If you do a little limp-wristed smack, the ball bounces a little with no force to break the boxes, and slowly trickles back to you. When the boxes open, some of them contain other balls, and that's when the real fun starts. You do the oddest stances, sideways jumping-jack for example, trying to keep all the balls in the court. And it takes pictures when all the balls are flying at you, so you can see how much of a fool you look like.

CONS: Minimum of six feet from the sensor for it to work properly. Eight to ten feet is preferable though. I have a small living room, longer than it is wide, and I'm constantly stepping out of range when playing. From sensor to couch is about six and a half feet, so you can see the issue with that. Another con is how the sensor tracks you. In order to get the best game experience, the room has to be well lit, and the tighter the clothes, the better it can track your slightest movement. Also the pictures. Sometimes it takes one of you that is not flattering, down-right embarrassing, I found out. Word of advise, your shirt doesn't hide those love-handles, wear a longer shirt. If it takes one in an unflattering way though, you can always erase it or disable the feature all together.

Even with all the cons, the sensor is amazing. The games right now are limited, but many are coming out later this year, including a Star Wars one (Christmas 2011, cannot wait!), and several first-person shooters. The games they have out now are fun to play, just make sure you have enough room to play them.