Xbox 360 E3 2010 Conference: Project Natal Becomes Kinect

Today the Xbox 360 held an E3 2010 Conference. While it briefly featured such video games as Gears of War 3, HALO Reach, and Fable 3, most of the show focused on Kinect (formally Project Natal). Kinect will launch on November 4th in the US and will be compatible with all Xbox 360s.

What is Kinect?
Kinect (pronounced "connect") looks like a black sensor box. It has cameras, takes video, recognizes voices and faces, scans your body, and tracks movement. There is no controller, like the Wii needs. With Kinect you can video chat with friends who have Xbox Live or Windows Live Messenger. The camera tracks and keeps you in the frame if movement is detected. Kinect lets users watch movies or play music all through voice commands or by pointing your hand.

Starting up Kinect
With Kinect all you have to do to sign in is wave your hand and you are taken to the Kinect Hub. The Hub features all of the Kinect compatible Xbox 360 features like games, Zune, Netflix, and Facebook. To pause a movie on Zune, all you have to do is say "Xbox pause." To pick a different song, just point to the arrow and the next track will play. Microsoft also signed an exclusive deal with ESPN to bring users On Demand live sports events.

Games for Kinect
While it may seem nice not to use a remote to stop or pause movies, the most important part of Kinect is what games will be available at launch. There's 15 titles set to released on November 4th. Here are a few.

Kinectimals is a virtual pet adoption game featuring 40 animals and 30 activities. By using your hands and voice, you can call your pet over to the screen, pet him, and play games like jump rope. This looks like it might have a limited audience, catering towards very young children.

Kinect Sports features track and field events, bowling, soccer, table tennis, boxing, and volleyball. All sports are played using your Xbox 360 avatar, just like the Miis in Wii Sports.

Joy Ride is a racing game. Positioning your hands like you're holding a steering wheel is how the car is controlled. There will be 5 modes of play, including a Stunt mode.

Kinect Adventures looks like more of a "collect the coins" type of game then any actual adventures. The first level featured was a rail car type ride. Using body movements, you collect different coins and power ups, as well as dodge obstacles. The second level featured was a raft level with the same objectives. In the 20 levels, there are photo opportunities that capture your movement. You can share these pictures with other users.

Ubisoft's Your Shape Fitness Evolved is an exercise game that scans your entire body. The activities feature cardio, yoga, and running. Your on screen character resembles a Predator-like view of a human with your color changing to orange or purple. I'm not sure why your 360 avatar isn't used. The on screen blob you become looks unfinished and rough.

There are other games shown such as a dance game and another racing game. LucusArts in developing an exclusive Star Wars title slated for 2011. In the demo, a Jedi fights Stormtroopers with a lightsaber and force powers. The demo ends as Darth Vader shows up.

While some of the Kinect titles look promising, many of them like Kinect Adventure look like glorified mini-games. Will Kinect Sports play like a rip off of Wii Sports, especially since many of the sports games are already available on the Wii? I'm afraid Kinect might run into the same problems as the motion control on the Wii. A few fun titles doesn't balance out the avalanche of terrible "party" games. I guess only time will tell.

Sources:

Xbox 360 Press Conference at E3 June 14th, 2010

http://skattertech.com/2010/06/e3-2010-microsoft-press-conference-live/

http://www.gametrailers.com/e3/livefeed/Microsoft