Kinect is it Worth It?

whitecastle

whitecastle

CAGiversary!
I am just curious if the kinect is actually worth it. Did anyone get one out of curiousity and actually ended up liking it? Just don't want to save up money for one and me or my daughter wouldn't use it.
 
I personally love it. My wife is a jazz dancer and she has a blast playing Dance Central. (and laughing at me trying to dance)

Kinect Adventures is a fun party game. We also have Yourshape fitness and it really does kick your butt.

I'm hoping with all the hacking that is being done to the device that MS takes some of what has been done to it and makes some really awesome upcoming games. There is major potential for greatness, I hope it doesn't turn into a Wii waggle fest or kid game galore.

I personally feel it was money well spent but YMMV. As long as they don't start forcing motion stuff into Gears of War I'll be fine. I'd rather there be the motion games and the regular games, no need to merge the two.
 
It's simple really: If you don't have a Wii, then definitely get the Kinect. If you do already have a Wii, wait for price reduction and better quality titles.
 
I think right now your money is better spent on a Wii. I have a Wii with Just Dance and Wii Sports/Resort, plus some other great games, and I don't see a point in buying a Kinect to play Kinect Sports or Dance Central.

My philosphy on the Kinect is this. Wait it out, and see if actual good games come out. If so, THEN I will determine if it's worth $150. If they don't, I'll wait till the price tanks on them and might pick one up then.
 
Good info...so does anyone one know when the price might drop? Maybe, I can check out some gamestop to see if any used ones are there...
 
I love Dance Central and I got my Xbox/Kinect for free from Burger King, so I'm having an absolute blast with my Kinect! It's not for everyone, but I love mine.
 
I can't see the Kinect's price being dropped in the near future. It just came out late last year for one. I think they sold 8 million so far. It's a "hot" item right now. The price will remain high as long as they continue to provide support for it and a few good games a year. Adding Netflix and Hulu+ capability to the Kinect is gonna make me lazier than before.
 
[quote name='DV8']I can't see the Kinect's price being dropped in the near future. It just came out late last year for one. I think they sold 8 million so far. It's a "hot" item right now. The price will remain high as long as they continue to provide support for it and a few good games a year. Adding Netflix and Hulu+ capability to the Kinect is gonna make me lazier than before.[/QUOTE]

Shipped 8 million.
 
Honestly I think MS is saving millions of dollars in R&D by letting the public hack the connect to give them and developers ideas on what the Kinect can really do. It's a smart move IMHO. However if developers don't back it up quick enough, I can see it slowly becoming a fad by summer of 2011. Unless the next COD has some sort of Kinect support......
 
Honestly? I think it's fun for a while. My first impression is "WOW, that's pretty awesome." Dance Central is not bad, the packed Adventure game is fun too. You definitely need some space and lighting to make it work. Also, no little kids running/fooling around, they will just confuse the poor sensor :lol:

I think the controller free interface is fairly good, but many times I have to ask the question, WHY? It's cool to wave your hand like Tom Cruise in Minority Report, but it's faster with the controller :lol:

Overall, it's a lot of fun with other people. I don't see how it's fun by yourself, but eh... I recommend the Kinect Xbox 360 bundle. I have a 20gb Xbox 360, but after my earlier RRoD episode (not Kinect related) and read various posts, I rather not risk it, so I got the whole bundle instead (4gb one).
 
Its definitely not worth it. For the price you could easily just get a used Wii which would be a way better value and have access to a larger library of games. I got a kinect for Christmas and some of the games are cool but I couldn't imagine paying anymore than $50 for it.
 
I like it for the interface functionality. Just wish there was more things I could access...

I'm going to return it (just wanted to try it) but I am definitely impressed by the tech and would love to have one as a console aid - once it becomes more affordable. In terms of using it for games for the younger generations - I'd say stick to your Wii, they can't tell/don't care about the technological differences.

I showed the Kinect to my gf's sister (15yo) and after a bit she wanted to go play Wii Sports 1... yea let's go back 5 years in tech!
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']I like it for the interface functionality. Just wish there was more things I could access...

I'm going to return it (just wanted to try it) but I am definitely impressed by the tech and would love to have one as a console aid - once it becomes more affordable. In terms of using it for games for the younger generations - I'd say stick to your Wii, they can't tell/don't care about the technological differences.

I showed the Kinect to my gf's sister (15yo) and after a bit she wanted to go play Wii Sports 1... yea let's go back 5 years in tech![/QUOTE]

Why not play Wii Sports? The tracking is more accurate on Wii than on Kinect.

DV8:

When companies refer to "sold" numbers, they're referring to units sold to stores (shipped units), not units sold to customers.
 
eh, not impressed by the interface stuff. I can blow through it faster with a controller or remote right now. I think even Wii is more accurate too. If it was more discrete...maybe, but as it is you feel like a traffic cop standing there waving your arms around while the software inaccurately feeds back delayed responses. >_<

Don't buy it unless you like dancing, need to placate a non-gamer SO, or really need an excuse to get off your ass and do some of those exercise games.
 
Disclaimer: I don't have a Kinect, but know someone that does. I do have a Wii. I am very good at steering people in the right direction to get the results they want (use your internet skeptic filter as you see fit) My post will probably have questions at the end that you need to ask yourself (Drinking beer so I might forget ;))
Answer to OP: Yes, but it depends on what you are trying to achieve. I will give a lengthy argument and

Here is the allure of Kinect for me...my kids (4 and 18 mo.) can possibly handle the Kinect interface and get into gaming with me. I have tried to use the Wii with my 4 y.o. and the controller is too small for her hands. The Kinect removes that hurdle by being controller free. That is a huge hook IMO.

My friend that has the Kinect (his kids are a couple of years older than mine) says they love it. He has had some of the same challenges that I have had with just using a controller. His kids are now being able to use the 360 when they couldn't before.

I will say I don't think the Kinect is at its highest potential, but I do think this is the time it will stick. Look at the iPad as an example....how many times has a tablet been tried and failed? The same argument could be said for motion sensing hardware.

IMO a console that senses motion is the future and will most definitely be integrated into the next generation of consoles. 2 of the 3 consoles have relatively similar technology and the 3rd has a vastly different tech. You have to make a decision about which of the 3 you see as the most viable. Personally, I think that it will ultimately settle on a hybrid between controller and Kinect interface. I envision the Kinect of the future replacing one of the analog sticks (used as the camera stick for games) if not both of the games.

For the questions to ask yourself...
What are you trying to accomplish?
How old is your daughter and do you think she can handle a Wii controller?
What do think is the future of motion controllers and what controller is the closest to that?
 
I would have gotten one but with all the space issues I heard about I was deterred from purchasing one. On the other hand, I also have heard good things about it on the plus side from some friends.
 
I played it and enjoyed it. I think it's great for a party or group game night. It does require a bit of getting used to but overall I taught it was very responsive. I have a Wii and I much rather not hold the remote in my hand while I'm dancing or swinging.

Cheers
 
I'm just amazed at the utter lack of display units in any store I've been in. If there were EVER a gaming system/peripheral that would be great for in-store demos the Kinect would be it.

I mean, how many times have you wanted to try out a display unit for a system maybe you haven't gotten to try before and it's missing buttons, or has sticky junk all over it, or just plain-out doesn't work anymore ? Almost every display I've ever seen has been at least broken a little bit. That wouldn't be an issue in this case.

I know it's been a smash, and my wife enjoyed it when she went to visit a friend of hers who had gotten it for Christmas, but I'm just really surprised that no place I've been is letting people try it. Seems if it is THAT impressive a demo unit would be the smart move.

I'd imagine that if you are looking for what they're selling (Dance, fitness, casual) than it would be a wise investment for you. Otherwise this is really one of those things I think you are better off waiting and seeing how support for it at E3 is.

Personally, I've entertained notions of picking one up because my wife had a decent time and she doesn't like games, plus my kids want to try it out for Kinectimals. I've just been concerned that MS is going to offer really half-assed support and just 32X the whole thing and announce a new console at E3 2012.

You know what would be the smart thing, I think ? If the Kinect were what I call a "bridge" console.

Sure, they release it now in lieu of a new-gen console. To sort of tide us over until they can produce a MUCH more powerful system at a reasonable loss or perhaps a modest profit.


THEN, in 2012 or 2013 they reveal the Xbox 720 or KineXbox or whatever they call it, they reveal that the old-school Kinect you bought for your 360 is ALSO compatible with the new system (of course there would be a version of the system for sale with the Kinect as well for those who didn't buy it). Kinect would be a fundamental, necessary part of the new system and already having bought one for the 360 would almost be like getting the new system at a discount.

Now, my idea would be for the new system to come out of the box with the ability and software to give Kinect all kinds of improved functionality. This way, your initial Kinect purchase isn't in vain and the new system is cheaper for you, MS gets to push it's successful tech, and everyone walks away happy.

I mean, MS has already said that the next version of Kinect would ship with their next system, why not just make it improved software ? As long as they can decrease the required space, which I think is a pretty hefty issue already.
 
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