Επιτέλους, είναι εδώ. Tο άνευ χειριστηρίου περιφερειακό της Microsoft ή αλλιώς, Kinect , πηγαίνει στα ράφια των καταστημάτων σε όλο τον κόσμο.Η ερώτηση ώμος είναι: είναι πραγματικά μια επανάσταση ή απλώς άλλο ένα καταδικασμένο περιφερειακό ; Μην αναρωτιέστε άλλο. Εδώ θα βρείτε μια πλήρη σειρά από Kinect reviews για να σας βοηθήσουν να αποφασίσετε αν είναι για σας. Από reviews για το hardware μέχρι reviews για την τεράστια σειρά από παιχνίδια, σας το παρουσιάζουμε από όλες τις πλευρές...
Kinect
- Δημοσιεύθηκε από: Microsoft
- Ανάπτυξη: Η Microsoft Game Studios
- Είδος: Hardware
- Αριθμός παικτών: 1-2
- Ημερομηνία κυκλοφορίας:
ΗΠΑ: 4, Νοεμβρίου, 2010
Ιαπωνία: Q4 2010 - Ευρώπη : Νοέμβριος 2010
- Τιμή : 149 euros (κάμερα + Kinect adventures) -299,99 euros ( πακέτο μαζί με κονσόλα xbox 360 4 gb )
The Kinect sensor is unlike anything we've seen before in a consumer-grade peripheral. While there certainly have been plenty of elaborate prototypes shown off at industry trade shows, Kinect is one of the few to ever make its way to mainstream availability. It isn't that the technology is particularly revolutionary -- in fact, most of the components can be found in existing products – it is how they've been implemented.
Microsoft has paired an RGB VGA camera with a resolution of 640 x 480, a depth sensor of the same resolution, and a multi-array microphone into a single peripheral that can gauge distance and motion, digitally map a 3D space, and even visually recognize players and accept voice commands; and it does it all in real time.
In order to adapt to varying room layouts and sensor positioning, Kinect is capable of automatically adjusting its orientation with a motorized swivel and tilt mechanism built into the base. While the tilt mechanism is pretty solid, it can be damaged by improper care or attempting to manually adjust the sensor.
The sensor connects to the Xbox 360 via either the auxiliary port built into the new Xbox 360 S or USB on previous models. The new Xbox 360's auxiliary port is an all-in-one solution that both powers and communicates with the sensor, whereas older systems will have to use an included AC power adapter to power the device. Neither connection is particularly cumbersome, but obviously reduced wire clutter is always preferred.
Microsoft has paired an RGB VGA camera with a resolution of 640 x 480, a depth sensor of the same resolution, and a multi-array microphone into a single peripheral that can gauge distance and motion, digitally map a 3D space, and even visually recognize players and accept voice commands; and it does it all in real time.
The Kinect sensor is unlike anything we've seen before.
The Kinect unit itself is admittedly a bit of an eye sore – its big, its bulky, and it must rest at the forefront of your entertainment center – but, of course, this is just a necessary element of ownership and use. Otherwise, the device is fairly well constructed, with a weighted base and sturdy plastic casing. The only vulnerable element of the Kinect's physical design is also one of its coolest features – the motorized tilt function.In order to adapt to varying room layouts and sensor positioning, Kinect is capable of automatically adjusting its orientation with a motorized swivel and tilt mechanism built into the base. While the tilt mechanism is pretty solid, it can be damaged by improper care or attempting to manually adjust the sensor.
The sensor connects to the Xbox 360 via either the auxiliary port built into the new Xbox 360 S or USB on previous models. The new Xbox 360's auxiliary port is an all-in-one solution that both powers and communicates with the sensor, whereas older systems will have to use an included AC power adapter to power the device. Neither connection is particularly cumbersome, but obviously reduced wire clutter is always preferred.
Setting up and calibrating the Kinect can be simple or a bit of a hassle, depending on the type of playing environment. Not only is there an extensive on-screen setup process, but players must physically prepare a room for Kinect.
In order to play games and ensure peak performance, users must clear a fairly large space in their room. There must be at least 6 feet between the sensor and the player, 6 feet of width, and any objects obstructing a full view of the player, like coffee tables, must be moved. Additionally, in order for visual recognition and motion tracking to work effectively, Microsoft recommends users play in rooms with bright, even lighting, though our experience showed that just about any lighting environment produces reasonable results.
In realistic home use, however, this can be a pretty tall order. While the minimum distance between the player and the system is listed as 6 feet, multiplayer configurations require at least 8 feet, and taller players will need even more room to be fully captured in frame. Players in full-sized homes may have no issues making room for Kinect, but those in apartments or dorms are likely to have trouble.
Once you clear a space, the software setup and calibration process begins. The initial setup of the Kinect requires the use of a calibration card that is included with the system, which players simply hold up to camera and attempt to align it with an on-screen graphic. If the calibration card proves insufficient, players can access the Kinect Tuner, a new feature built into the Xbox 360 dashboard that fine tunes player tracking, audio identification, and calibration. The Kinect Tuner essentially allows users to identify problems with their play space, indicating that they are too far the sensor, if they can't be identified, if objects are obscuring them, or if the room is too loud.
In realistic home use, however, this can be a pretty tall order. While the minimum distance between the player and the system is listed as 6 feet, multiplayer configurations require at least 8 feet, and taller players will need even more room to be fully captured in frame. Players in full-sized homes may have no issues making room for Kinect, but those in apartments or dorms are likely to have trouble.
Once you clear a space, the software setup and calibration process begins. The initial setup of the Kinect requires the use of a calibration card that is included with the system, which players simply hold up to camera and attempt to align it with an on-screen graphic. If the calibration card proves insufficient, players can access the Kinect Tuner, a new feature built into the Xbox 360 dashboard that fine tunes player tracking, audio identification, and calibration. The Kinect Tuner essentially allows users to identify problems with their play space, indicating that they are too far the sensor, if they can't be identified, if objects are obscuring them, or if the room is too loud.
Perhaps the most elaborate setup processes is Kinect ID, aka facial recognition. In order for the system to identify you and automatically sign you into your profile, players must perform a series of gestures, stand in certain areas, and strike certain poses. Worse yet, players may have to repeat this process in new lighting environments, or even if they change hairstyles.
In many ways, the calibration and setup process is one of the Kinect's biggest issues. While the system is intended to be easily accessible and intuitive for players of any age or experience level, the setup process is pretty intensive, and strays from Microsoft's vision of an effortless interactive experience. Beyond the rigors of the setup process, the real test of the Kinect is its motion tracking performance. The sensor recognizes players and detects their motions with an impressive amount of accuracy, capturing the slightest movement of their bodies, but it can be affected by a number of different variables, including multiplayer scenarios, environmental elements, and, most notably, input delay.
Game reviews
Kinect Adventures Review
The adventurer is a breed of hero commonly found in video games. The brave men and women that embark on quests for fame, fortune, or the thrill of the unexplored can be found all over the digital landscape. Gamers that purchase Microsoft's Kinect device -- a camera that tracks the entire body in real-time -- will instantly become adventurers.
The reason behind this automatic enrollment is because Kinect comes with the mini-game compilation Kinect Adventures, a title designed for parents and their kids. This pack-in puts players in the shoes of a fun-loving adventurer that travels the world searching for challenges... but it's much less exciting than it sounds. The "adventurer" of Kinect Adventures is actually just someone that plays the same five, simple mini-games over and over again. And while these games are entertaining at first -- and serve to show off the technology -- the charm of Kinect Adventures will fizzle out very quickly. For a pack-in title, Kinect Adventures has a lot of pizzazz. The adventuring theme, cute music and family-friendly interface make the game a perfect fit for Microsoft's latest device. Players can engage in sets of mini-games in the adventure mode, which gives those participating different goals to complete, or players can opt to play a specific mini-game of their liking. There's also a time trial mode available, as well as online multiplayer, and an option to share photos of yourself that are taken during play.
The reason behind this automatic enrollment is because Kinect comes with the mini-game compilation Kinect Adventures, a title designed for parents and their kids. This pack-in puts players in the shoes of a fun-loving adventurer that travels the world searching for challenges... but it's much less exciting than it sounds. The "adventurer" of Kinect Adventures is actually just someone that plays the same five, simple mini-games over and over again. And while these games are entertaining at first -- and serve to show off the technology -- the charm of Kinect Adventures will fizzle out very quickly. For a pack-in title, Kinect Adventures has a lot of pizzazz. The adventuring theme, cute music and family-friendly interface make the game a perfect fit for Microsoft's latest device. Players can engage in sets of mini-games in the adventure mode, which gives those participating different goals to complete, or players can opt to play a specific mini-game of their liking. There's also a time trial mode available, as well as online multiplayer, and an option to share photos of yourself that are taken during play.
Each game (20,000 Leaks, River Rush, Rallyball, Reflex Ridge and Space Pop) copies the player's movement and projects it onto the in-game avatar. You need plenty of space to play and an equal amount of energy to go with it.
These mini-games are very easy to learn and they're fun at first, but they'll wear out quickly. 20,000 Leaks, for example, puts players in an underwater glass case where fish are mischievously attacking the case and causing leaks. Players must move their hands and feet around to plug the leaks. River Rush, on the other hand, is a simple rafting game where players lean from side to side to pass through gates as their raft travels down river rapids.
As you try all these mini-games, you'll unlock "living statues," which are trophies that you can animate with your own body movements. These are really fun, if only because you can hear your own voice coming out of a ridiculous cartoon creature.
The most fun I had with Kinect Adventures is with Rallyball and Reflex Ridge. The other mini-games are entertaining for a short amount of time but they get old. This is actually the case with the entire Kinect Adventures experience, as each mini-game has a very limited appeal outside of the initial "wow factor." You'll be racing the same races, popping the same bubbles, and doing frustratingly simple activities. The problem is that the gameplay of Kinect Adventures just doesn't change over time. Once I played River Rush once or twice, every subsequent round felt identical.
Reflex Ridge was one of my favorites.
Kinect Adventures is the type of game that will be fun for the first hour or two after opening up the Kinect box, but not long after that. This is not because the motion-tracking technology doesn't work well here -- far from it. I'm fairly impressed with how accurate Kinect is at reading my body's movements, barring a few exceptions like during a 20,000 Leaks game where Kinect can't always read my feet properly.
This game will be an absolute blast for families. Parents might get annoyed with the repetition soon after starting, but it's a great start to learn how to use Kinect and show off the tech to your friends. And considering how well the motion-tracking actually works, it's a suitable demo for 360 owners. I should note, however, that Kinect Adventures requires a lot of calibration and I also had some problems selecting my avatar. These were minor concerns, but still annoyances.
Kinect Sports Review
Kinect Sports is a yardstick for measuring the potential for Microsoft's new motion tech. Sports collections are ideal introductions to motion control because of the wide variety of activity they approximate. Every motion control device, from the Wii remote to this year's PlayStation Move, has launched with this kind of game. But, Kinect Sports is a little different: it's the first sports game collection to track your entire body -- and its position -- within a 3D space. This sets it apart from its competitors and makes it something special.
Kinect Sports casts the Xbox 360's avatars in a sort of Olympic festival of looking really silly in front of other people. The graphics are cartoony but slick enough in their own way, and there's a very particular kind of inoffensive friendliness everywhere. Most importantly, the visuals and menus are designed to make sure you always know what you're doing, and in that regard Kinect Sports usually succeeds.
Kinect Sports is fundamentally different in practice than any video game you've probably played , including on the Wii or the PlayStation Move. The reason? Your feet. Where other sports collections have been exercises in moving your arms while standing in place, Kinect Sports requires real, physical movement , tracking your position within its active area while also monitoring exactly what your limbs -- not just your arms -- are doing.
Anything and everything you do with the pet gives you money and experience points (more if you complete the goals that pop up). The money can be used to buy additional toys and furniture for your house, and the experience points unlock new game content. Each area has its own Discovery Bar that tracks your experience progress. As the bar fills up, you open up five mini-games, and eventually earn a new area to explore and play in.
The structure works really well for progression. New toys and mini-games unlock at a fast enough pace where I felt satisfied even playing just a short few minute long session. The game never stalls in its pacing, either. Your cat constantly brings up toys he wants to play with, or you can just pick whichever one you want.
This would all make for an awesome game, if the motion controls actually worked well. Granted, most of them work fine. I rarely had a problem teaching my Kinectimal a trick, or playing volleyball, or driving an RC car. But then I try to do something really basic like toss a ball, and it's a mess. Balls fly in all different directions, or they jump out of my hand of their own accord. Likewise the jumprope routinely lost track of my hand and would trip up my pet. Granted, with such an open game, you can easily just skip over these toys, but that's not a solution. Mini-games use almost all these motions, and there are numerous games that require you to toss objects, which can be really frustrating if you want to get a high score.
Kinect Sports casts the Xbox 360's avatars in a sort of Olympic festival of looking really silly in front of other people. The graphics are cartoony but slick enough in their own way, and there's a very particular kind of inoffensive friendliness everywhere. Most importantly, the visuals and menus are designed to make sure you always know what you're doing, and in that regard Kinect Sports usually succeeds.
Kinect Sports is fundamentally different in practice than any video game you've probably played , including on the Wii or the PlayStation Move. The reason? Your feet. Where other sports collections have been exercises in moving your arms while standing in place, Kinect Sports requires real, physical movement , tracking your position within its active area while also monitoring exactly what your limbs -- not just your arms -- are doing.
Table tennis is awesome.
In some events, this movement is a little abstracted. In track and field events for example, you aren't going to be running through any 100M living rooms, obviously. These events will have you running in place, and sometimes jumping in place. Bowling also loses a little bit in translation, since you don't have anything to actually let go of, though Kinect Sports makes pretty good guesses as to when you'd want to.
Kinect Sports really comes together when you're playing an event that requires you to move around within Kinect's designated play space. This is where Kinect Sports goes from something kind of interesting to something you need to play. This isn't you waving your arms and expecting things to get done – Kinect Sports requires pretty close approximations of actual physical activity. You'll be moving. You'll probably be sweating. And I can almost guarantee you that after about 45 minutes of Kinect Sports, you will be sore in places you may well have forgotten you had. Kinect Sports is labeled "Very Active" on the back of the box, and you can doubt that at your peril.
And I was crawling back for more. Once I realized that minor changes in technique and style for kicks in soccer, or paddle technique in table tennis yield big results, Kinect Sports really clicked. I was lunging across a table that wasn't there to catch fast serves in table tennis, and bringing my arms down hard to spike a ball that never existed into virtual sand in volleyball. At its best, Kinect Sports sort of makes you forget it's there.
Kinect Sports really comes together when you're playing an event that requires you to move around within Kinect's designated play space. This is where Kinect Sports goes from something kind of interesting to something you need to play. This isn't you waving your arms and expecting things to get done – Kinect Sports requires pretty close approximations of actual physical activity. You'll be moving. You'll probably be sweating. And I can almost guarantee you that after about 45 minutes of Kinect Sports, you will be sore in places you may well have forgotten you had. Kinect Sports is labeled "Very Active" on the back of the box, and you can doubt that at your peril.
And I was crawling back for more. Once I realized that minor changes in technique and style for kicks in soccer, or paddle technique in table tennis yield big results, Kinect Sports really clicked. I was lunging across a table that wasn't there to catch fast serves in table tennis, and bringing my arms down hard to spike a ball that never existed into virtual sand in volleyball. At its best, Kinect Sports sort of makes you forget it's there.
Kinectimals Review
The 9-year-old version of me really wants Kinectimals. It is at the top of his wish list. He's the kid that makes a beeline for Cat Canyon (by way of Tiger River) whenever he goes to the San Diego Zoo. He wants the game so bad, and he'll probably be able to overlook the game's many faults. If you know that kid, awesome, you have a Christmas present for him/her now, and can stop reading. Everyone else, listen up, because Kinectimals is far from perfect.
Let's get one thing straight: Kinectimals is the cutest game in existence. This is just a fact. It's Cute Overload: The Video Game. Frontier has put over 30 great looking felines in here, and they all animate well and look soft enough to reach out and pet (which is kind of the point). The environments are gorgeous, and everything is colorful and full of life.
Bumble, talking flying lemur fairy character voiced by Richard Horvitz of Invader Zim fame, acts as your guide through the island of Lemuria. He takes you to the Bonding Circle where you pick a cat to adopt. At the beginning you've got a limited selection, though it's the standard all stars of the Big Cat family: lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, and panther. After giving the cat a name, and petting him a bunch, you get launched into the game. There's actually a loose narrative to the game about a pirate's treasure, and the various mysteries to the island, but for the most part it's very open ended. I like the structure the story provides, and though Bumble can get a bit annoying, he's pretty cute too
Let's get one thing straight: Kinectimals is the cutest game in existence. This is just a fact. It's Cute Overload: The Video Game. Frontier has put over 30 great looking felines in here, and they all animate well and look soft enough to reach out and pet (which is kind of the point). The environments are gorgeous, and everything is colorful and full of life.
Bumble, talking flying lemur fairy character voiced by Richard Horvitz of Invader Zim fame, acts as your guide through the island of Lemuria. He takes you to the Bonding Circle where you pick a cat to adopt. At the beginning you've got a limited selection, though it's the standard all stars of the Big Cat family: lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, and panther. After giving the cat a name, and petting him a bunch, you get launched into the game. There's actually a loose narrative to the game about a pirate's treasure, and the various mysteries to the island, but for the most part it's very open ended. I like the structure the story provides, and though Bumble can get a bit annoying, he's pretty cute too
From there Kinectimals becomes a "do whatever you want" game. You can pet, wash, play catch, throw Frisbees, jump rope, drive RC cars, and more. Being a Kinect game, all the actions are done through motion controls. You toss smaller balls to fetch, and kick the big ones. You can dangle a fish on a string, or teach your cat tricks by doing a variety of actions. Each toy starts a microgame experience, giving you goals. For instance, if I select a Frisbee, a little box will pop up, encouraging me to hit some targets, or to throw the disc a certain distance.
Anything and everything you do with the pet gives you money and experience points (more if you complete the goals that pop up). The money can be used to buy additional toys and furniture for your house, and the experience points unlock new game content. Each area has its own Discovery Bar that tracks your experience progress. As the bar fills up, you open up five mini-games, and eventually earn a new area to explore and play in.
The structure works really well for progression. New toys and mini-games unlock at a fast enough pace where I felt satisfied even playing just a short few minute long session. The game never stalls in its pacing, either. Your cat constantly brings up toys he wants to play with, or you can just pick whichever one you want.
This would all make for an awesome game, if the motion controls actually worked well. Granted, most of them work fine. I rarely had a problem teaching my Kinectimal a trick, or playing volleyball, or driving an RC car. But then I try to do something really basic like toss a ball, and it's a mess. Balls fly in all different directions, or they jump out of my hand of their own accord. Likewise the jumprope routinely lost track of my hand and would trip up my pet. Granted, with such an open game, you can easily just skip over these toys, but that's not a solution. Mini-games use almost all these motions, and there are numerous games that require you to toss objects, which can be really frustrating if you want to get a high score.
Kinectimals is also way too menu heavy. Doing anything in the game is a major process. I have to hold my arm out for a few second to open the toy box, wave my hand repeatedly to get to the type of object I want, hold, wave some more to select the specific toy, hold once more, and then finally play. It makes something as simple as scratching my cat behind the ears as big a process as traveling to the other side of the island (actually traveling across the map takes fewer menu commands, baffling enough). It keeps the game from being this immersive experience of cute cats, and just makes it feel like a very pretty looking computer program.
When I was little, I loved pretending that inanimate objects were vehicles. I would climb onto the couch and use it as a make-shift space shuttle, or I'd turn a household chair into the cockpit of a slick race car. I think it's safe to say that most people know the feeling of holding their hands out and pretending to grab onto a steering wheel, and that's exactly what you'll be doing in Kinect Joy Ride.
This casual racing game makes full use of Microsoft's Kinect and drops players into a colorful world filled with all sorts of challenges. Kinect Joy Ride is, for the most part, a very intelligent package. It's designed to be approachable, varied, and extremely rewarding. But the most important thing about a racing game, the driving itself, is where Joy Ride stumbles. It's a shame, really, because every time I encountered a frustrating occurrence I thought about how fun it would be to play with a regular controller.
This casual racing game makes full use of Microsoft's Kinect and drops players into a colorful world filled with all sorts of challenges. Kinect Joy Ride is, for the most part, a very intelligent package. It's designed to be approachable, varied, and extremely rewarding. But the most important thing about a racing game, the driving itself, is where Joy Ride stumbles. It's a shame, really, because every time I encountered a frustrating occurrence I thought about how fun it would be to play with a regular controller.
During a normal race, you hold your hands out in front of you like you were holding a steering wheel. Turning your hands controls the car's direction, and sticking out your hip while turning will execute a drift. You can also pull your hands back close to your chest to charge up a special boost and then push forward with your hands to activate it. Lastly, bending at the waist in any direction will perform tricks while in the air.
You'll notice that I made no mention of acceleration or braking in the above explanation. That's because the actual speed of your car is handled automatically, which -- as you might expect -- drastically limits user input. This was done, I imagine, to make the racing experience as easy for children as possible, but as an adult it's really frustrating. Controlling a car's speed is one of the joys of racing, and it also brings out the skill involved in competing with other racers. So having no speed control is a sizable blow to Joy Ride's sense of immersion (which is odd, because I thought the point of Kinect was to enhance a player's feeling of immersion).
This is not Kinect Joy Ride's biggest issue, however. The steering itself is loose and doesn't allow for the minute input that a racing game requires. I constantly failed to make turns that I would normally have no problem with if I was using a traditional controller or wheel. The boosting was equally problematic, as Joy Ride would often fail to recognize my hands pulling back. Or, on occasion, my car would randomly start charging or executing a boost when I didn't intend to.
The reason these control issues are so disappointing is because the rest of the game is great. It's a well designed reward structure, as every completed challenge earns you fans. With enough fans, you'll start to unlock content like new cars and new tracks. These tracks span plenty of modes, including standard races, battle races, stunt challenges, drag racing, and more. It's great to see so much variation in the types of modes available to players, with multiplayer being possible in most of them. But no matter how diverse the challenges are or how much fun it is to earn medals and build up a fan base, the actual controls always come back to hurt the experience.
You'll notice that I made no mention of acceleration or braking in the above explanation. That's because the actual speed of your car is handled automatically, which -- as you might expect -- drastically limits user input. This was done, I imagine, to make the racing experience as easy for children as possible, but as an adult it's really frustrating. Controlling a car's speed is one of the joys of racing, and it also brings out the skill involved in competing with other racers. So having no speed control is a sizable blow to Joy Ride's sense of immersion (which is odd, because I thought the point of Kinect was to enhance a player's feeling of immersion).
This is not Kinect Joy Ride's biggest issue, however. The steering itself is loose and doesn't allow for the minute input that a racing game requires. I constantly failed to make turns that I would normally have no problem with if I was using a traditional controller or wheel. The boosting was equally problematic, as Joy Ride would often fail to recognize my hands pulling back. Or, on occasion, my car would randomly start charging or executing a boost when I didn't intend to.
The reason these control issues are so disappointing is because the rest of the game is great. It's a well designed reward structure, as every completed challenge earns you fans. With enough fans, you'll start to unlock content like new cars and new tracks. These tracks span plenty of modes, including standard races, battle races, stunt challenges, drag racing, and more. It's great to see so much variation in the types of modes available to players, with multiplayer being possible in most of them. But no matter how diverse the challenges are or how much fun it is to earn medals and build up a fan base, the actual controls always come back to hurt the experience. It's also unfortunate that all the cars are virtually identical in their handling, making vehicle selection purely aesthetic. This is, admittedly, fine for kids that just want different-looking cars, but it took some of the punch out of unlocking new rides.
Άλλα παιχνίδια Kinect....
