1. Xbox 360 Kinect Review
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Xbox 360 Kinect tech specs
Resolution:
640x480 pixels @ 30 Hz (RGB camera)
640x480 pixels @ 30 Hz (IR depth-finding camera)
Xbox 360 Kinect
In 2010, Microsoft introduced the video game masses to a familiar yet unrecognized motion
control video gaming experience called the Kinect (Project Natal as it was code named before
the projected release date). As of January 2012, Microsoft has ship more than 18 million units
of the Kinect. It has gone onto to be recognized as the "fastest selling consumer electronics
device" by the Guinness Book of World Records. Along with numerous awards and recognition
like “Gadget of the Year” by T3 in 2011, you’ll understand why the Kinect has garnered such a
healthy fan base. (No pun intended). Nintendo had established the motion control genre with
the Wii and Playstation (PS3) followed suit with the Move. Very similar in concept, both the Wii
and PS3 utilized motion controllers and a sensor to interact with the game. With the advent of
virtual reality and 3D motion control gaming, this thirst for a higher level of gaming started in the
1990's to the mass market arcades. We as video game aficionados, looked forward to the
future of home entertainment motion control video gaming but we had no idea what we were in
store for. Games such as Sonic Blast Man (Taito, 1990), Mocap Boxing (Konami, 2001), and
Top Skater (Sega, 1997) were such huge hits and introduced us to a primitive form of this
motion control sensing (with applied controllers) type of gaming and yet had so much replay
value. Children and adults alike found themselves spending more quarters just due to the
different outcomes that could be achieved just based on ability alone. Fast forward 20 years
with Microsoft taking a stronghold on the video game entertainment market, the Xbox Kinect ran
out of the gates like a bat outta hell with one distinct change, no motion control sensors
controllers.
Technical Side of Things
1/4

2. The basics of the Kinect provide motion capture, facial recognition, and voice recognition.
Basically, you as the gamer can control certain functions of the Xbox and games with hand
movements and voice commands. The Kinect utilizes a horizontal bar that houses an infrared
laser projector, camera, and includes a unique microchip that tracks the movements of the
players on screen. The horizontal bar unit that houses the cameras and sensors move via a
motorized pivot that tilts the Kinect up and down for a customized setup for young children and
adults, depending on the size of the players. A monochrome CMOS sensor is paired with the
infrared laser projector that can capture video data in 3D in any ambient light condition. So it is
quite intriguing that you can use this thing in the dark! Even during the Kinect setup it tells you
to make it dark as possible in the room for an ideal set up. Imbedded within the housing is a
multi-array microphone that can be used as a mic for Xbox live multiplayer games or as a video
chat mic with Messenger. The Kinect can track two active gamers on screen for motion
analysis and you’ll be amazed at how technical the Kinect can analyze you all the way down to
about 20 joints on your body for precise movement. The facial recognition is amazing as it will
allow you to log in by scanning your face and associating it with the correct gamertag. Imagine
this thing creating its own artificial intelligence (A.I.) and being able to track your movements
physically and learning your online behavior and game style preferences especially if you have
your system connected to the internet...HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey anyone? Three eyes
and one very special light, quite creepy if you ask me.
Tiny Complaints
I've played multiple games where the Kinect is absolutely outstanding and probably ahead of its
time with regards to development. There are two negative aspects I have with the Kinect and it
is probably not really with the system itself but with your area of play, the other is with the
multi-array microphone. If your area of movement is smaller than recommended and you need
to play close to the TV and the Kinect, you might have some issues of non-recognition. At times,
the Kinect will not pick up the little details of your limbs and will get them confused with other
parts of your body, and in some cases does not pick them up at all. During multiple sessions of
EA Sports Active 2 and UFC Personal Trainer fitness games, I’ve experienced non-recognition
with a few of my movements and exercises. For example, lying flat on the floor doing push-ups
or sit-ups. The Kinect will not pick up my movements most likely due to myself being out of view
or that part of my body being out of view of the sensor and camera. This probably can be
rectified with having the minimum amount of room for the sensor and camera to pick you up.
Third party companies have also made available extensions to the Kinect that will allow you to
snap on an external peripheral that can also fix this problem if you have a small area of play in
your house.
Another disappointment of mine is being able to utilize the mic from the Kinect instead of using
the headset. Now say you are playing an Xbox live multiplayer session of Call of Duty Modern
Warfare 3 and you decide to forgo the headset, the mic will pick up everything it hears and will
feed that into the game. I’ve experience this on countless sessions and have decided to just
turn the mic off before playing and just use the headset. If you are like me, you have a home
2/4

3. theater set up and you love to hear the explosions go boom with serious volume and bass. This
does not translate well as the other players will hear the feedback echo into their speakers and
will most likely complain. Needless to say, all the actions like running, jumping, side to side
motion, and subtle movements of your arms and legs are all picked up with insane detail as you
see your avatar on screen move just as you do in real life!
Ins and Outs
"...I love the fact that Microsoft is supporting the Kinect 100%..."
I love the fact that Microsoft is supporting the Kinect 100% and they periodically keep pushing
out enhancements and improvements dealing with all things Kinect. The Kinect has an
improved user interface and voice recognition when the last big update back in December 2011
occurred and taking into effect having a significant improvement with the motion control through
various entertainment apps and voice recognition. Being able to control Xbox throughout the
home screens and through apps makes life so much easier. I’ve had moments where I did not
have my controller readily available but I was able to navigate to Netflix and browse through the
movies and my favorite section, the documentaries, to see what was new. I mainly find the
voice recognition the most useful but very inconsistent at times. It has to be a fairly quiet room
with little to no sound interfering to have Xbox listen to you correctly to perform the stated
function. Now only if you could only turn your Xbox on and off with voice control that would
even be better. Did you know that Kinect is a type of wordplay or also called a portmanteau of
the words kinetic and connect? We are always dropping knowledge at any given moment to our
Techpaw readers!
Last But Not Least
All in all, the Kinect is a solid product and a very amazing add-on peripheral for the Xbox 360.
With games like Mass Effect 3 and Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor utilizing the voice recognition
with controller game play, it further evolves playing videos games. When you need to move
your squad or when you need to activate certain items there is no need to be mashing buttons
or going to a menu select to choose certain functions. The commands all are done on the fly, in
real time while the game is progressing. Certain games that allow you move constantly is great
for small workouts and children. On those rainy days where they can’t make it out to the park or
outside to play in the backyard, the Kinect is a healthy alternative and stimulates them. There
are so many other uses for the Kinect with all the apps that are included within the Kinect menu
you don’t necessarily need to be jogging in place all the time to make use of this peripheral. I
highly recommend checking out the Kinect Fun Labs for some interesting activities for you and
the kids. I predict the Kinect will be around for quite some time and will evolve with the future
iterations of the Xbox. I predict we will also see the types of games that are made focus more
on versatility having the ability to use the Kinect’s features in every type of game and not just
feature the type of motion control we have seen so far from the past. Things are looking good
and getting better and better each year for the Kinect and Xbox.
3/4

4. Author: Robert Myerswww.TechPaw.com
Xbox 360 Kinect Review
4/4
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