Well ladies and gentlemen the so-called change in culture has finally arrived for the Xbox 360.  Kinect launched last week and it appears the general opinion of it has been very favorable.  I was one of the people who was very skeptical of this hardware and especially the games that were slated to come with it.  I remember when it was announced I made fun of Microsoft and told them to never go full motion.  Remember that?

The simple thing to say about Kinect is to say that it just works.  Kinect manages to capture your entire body and track it in such a way that controlling the Dashboard or games feels very natural.  There’s a lot of technology behind the sensor and however they did it, it works.  When you first get started, the console will take you through a series of steps to properly “kinect” Kinect.  This includes the proper placement of the sensor and even a run through an audio calibration so that Kinect can respond to your commands.

You can control ESPN, Zune and whatever else is inside the Kinect Hub with voice commands or hand gestures.  And yes you can sit down while doing it.  The voice commands are done by saying “Xbox” and whatever command comes on screen.  Waving at the Kinect Hub or any Kinect enabled screen lets you control with your hands.  None of this works with Netflix for some strange reason and quite a few are upset with that.  Why Netflix isn’t Kinect enabled?  Who knows.

Those of you thinking that you’ll be able to control every aspect of the Dashboard with Kinect are in for some disappointment.  I know it sounds good but Kinect has its own Dashboard.  So you can’t go cycling through the regular Dashboard waving your hands around.  You have to tell the console to go to the Kinect Hub or wave yourself into the Hub.  From there you’ll be able to control the Kinect parts of the Dash. 

Another cool thing about Kinect is that it allows you to use it as a microphone for Party Chat and voice.  What this means is that you don’t have to wear a headset if you don’t want to.  I’ve had success and failure with it the audio usage via Kinect though.  When using Video Kinect my audio often drops out for moments at a time.  Video Kinect is pretty cool by the way.  The resolution and clarity of the video leaves a lot to be desired but it’s still cool.  You can use Video Kinect either between Dashboards friends or PC on Live Messenger.

One of the things that bothered me was having enough room to take advantage of Kinect.  The manual will tell you that you need 6 feet of space and let me tell you….you need every bit of that space.  Anything below that and you’ll start to have problems with certain games and situations.  I’d go so far as to recommend at least 7 feet of space and if possible, more. 

Space is the biggest drawback facing Kinect.  Yes it’s even bigger than some of the games that were just thrown together at the last minute with Kinect slapped on them (Fighters Uncaged).  If you’re in college, you won’t be able to take advantage of Kinect.  If you play inside of your bedroom, you won’t be able to take advantage of Kinect.  Unless of course your bedroom is like a separate living space in itself that could fit Shaq in it.

Some people live more comfortably than others so I imagine there are some people who have 6-7 feet of space in their bedroom.  The rest of the gaming world will have to move the sensor to a living room, den or basement to play.  And that’s really how Kinect will be played.  It’ll be played as an event and not something you can pick up and enjoy because of the constant rearranging most people will have to do.  (not to mention the workout simply playing will give)

Beyond some of the nightmares that may occur with setting it up, there is a lot of fun to be had with Kinect.  If you have a family, you’ll likely not find a better time to all play together than with Kinect.  Kinectimals, Kinect Adventures, Kinect Sports…Dance Central…they are all games that make you look so ridiculous as a family that you’ll sit back and just laugh.  I know because my daughter got wild and crazy with Kinect Adventures and had a blast.  She’s been screaming for Kinectimals so that will likely be my next Kinect game. 

For all the fun you can have with the Kinect games, it’s a little cumbersome to get to the them.  Remember all the Kinect videos we were shown of the Hub and how easy it was to get to the games?  The Kinect games were a part of the Hub and each one had its own little block you could select.  However, as it stands right now Kinect games don’t become a part of the Hub for you to select.  You have to load them up like normal.  Perhaps there’s a digital solution coming so that you can download the Kinect games to your hard drive?  I hope so because it would just make sense.  But then perhaps Microsoft would rather control some of the Kinect squares with useless advertising?

Overall I must say that I’m impressed with Kinect.  I’ve been impressed with Kinect since I first had the opportunity to try it out.  It has some issues and challenges that it faces though.  Space, a few not-so Kinect games, audio issues and the Hub experience are things you can’t ignore.  But with all that said, the experience is still one that I enjoyed and one that my family enjoyed.  Right now, that outweighs some of the issues I’ve mentioned.  In fact, I’m planning a family Kinect party soon.

Kinect is one of those things that you just have to sit down with and try.  Commercials won’t do it justice…watching other people won’t do it justice. 

You have to actually become the controller yourself to get a proper feel for Kinect.  I’ll have some reviews of the first batch of Kinect games soon so be on the look out for them.