Kinect Review – A Girl’s Perspective
I hate video games, but after seeing the XBox Kinect, I just had to write this Kinect review. Video games to me seem stupid: They’re just one more reason for families to separate, not communicate, and sit on the couch staring at a screen, accomplishing nothing. While I realize online games let you connect with people around the world, and you can play just about any game with someone on the couch next to you, I always thought of them as a general time-waster. Until now… and I’m not alone.
“I love it, kids love it, Mom loves it and the best endorsement anyone can give is that my “video game hating” wife loves it.” – R. Fink from Amazon
“My wife can’t stand videogames…. but I put her in front of Kinect Adventures and she doesn’t stop laughing and smiling.” – user from Shak News
As you can see, video games aren’t just for the guys anymore. Kinect games offer so many different options for both men and women and kids of all ages. You can dance or learn how to dance, take a raft down a river, play with exotic animals and even have your own fitness trainer right in your own living room.
I’ve scoured every source I could find looking at every Kinect review out there from real users, so I’ve taken the time to sit down and tell you what I found. Overall, people are very positive about the XBox Kinect. It’s an amazing deal of fun, which surprises a lot of people who didn’t think they would like it at all. I think most of this comes from not understanding exactly what it is.
How Does Kinect Work?
In fact, XBox Kinect is the first gaming system on the market that is completely hands-free. That means there are no controllers, switches, buttons or wires. Instead, there is a camera that senses 48 different points on your body, and up to 2 people can be detected at one time. Because of this, your body actually controls what’s happening on the screen in real time.
Kinect also uses voice recognition, so you can just tell it what to do instead of pushing buttons, which is really convenient. For instance, you can start it by saying, “XBox play” or pause your game by saying, “XBox pause”. You can also watch movies or play games with people online using your XBox Kinect.
Kinect is actually an add-on to the popular XBox console. You can purchase just the Kinect unit and hook it up to any XBox, or you can buy one of the newer XBox consoles, which come with Kinect as part of the system.
XBox Kinect Setup
Some people who wrote a Kinect review said they had problems connecting the unit to their existing XBox, but most had no trouble at all. It’s a pretty easy process involving connecting the usb cord and following the onscreen prompts to update the software if needed.
Make sure when you set up your system you leave lots of room to play. The sensor works best when located 2-6 feet off the floor. Also, no direct sunlight should shine on the sensor, or it may have trouble recognizing you. To get the maximum playing area, place the Kinect at about eye level. There are also various mounting kits available if you’re more comfortable with that option, but it’s not necessary (unless you have a big dog who knocks everything over). Don’t put the sensor on top of anything that vibrates, like speakers. Positioning the sensor properly will help avoid any lag time in having it recognize your movements during a game.
What to Know Before You Buy an XBox Kinect
- The camera must be about 6′ away from you in order to read you correctly. This means you’ll need some uncluttered space to play. If you’re short on space, you can put the Kinect camera on top of the tv.
- Kinect requires 175MB of storage space on the XBox hard drive. That means, if you really store a lot, you may need to transfer or delete some files. Most people won’t have any trouble with running out of space.
Get the XBox Kinect cheapest online right here at Amazon.
My Kinect Review Conclusion
If you set up everything properly and leave plenty of room to move around and play, you are going to have a blast with the XBox Kinect. Right now, games are limited, but many more are in the works for the future. Now is the time to invest in this very cool piece of technology. Whether you’re single or have a big family, you can enjoy Kinect in so many different ways. By yourself, you can exercise or learn to dance. With friends, it’s a fantastic party game. Everyone will be laughing and looking goofy together, and you’ll be wanting to write your own glowing Kinect review. Overall, I think the XBox Kinect is a great investment, especially for the price.
