Motion control... with no controller? It must be our Kinect preview!

Are we becoming more tolerant of absurd names in the video games world, or is it that games are driving us all a little loopy too? We've had the Dreamcast, the Gamecube, the Wii... all names we screwed our faces up at when we first heard them, then quickly came to accept. Now we have Microsoft's latest hardware venture called Kinect, which is a clever name in one sense, and really very silly in another.
 

A tenner if you can skewer that cheeky sod on the right

Let's skim over the label, however, and talk about whether this upcoming motion-controlled peripheral is actually any good. Kinect is rather unique compared to its Sony and Nintendo rival, in that it provides a controller-free experience without the need for a waggle stick - as Microsoft are so keen to point out, 'You are the controller'. Of course, with this type of technology you find a varied mix of commotion surrounding it. Will it work properly, how accurate will it be, how bad is the lag...

After our recent shape-throwing session with Kinect, we're now more excited than ever to give it the full workout. There's something distinctly awesome about the way it feels to play around with the hardware, be it the fantastic one-to-one movement or simply standing on the spot doing the robot, and watching your avatar follow suit. The Playstation Move may have perfected motion-control, but Kinect is about to polish it up and attach the awe-inspiring bow.

We tried out a few different games and found each one showed off Kinect's potential in satisfyingly unique ways. First up was Kinect Sports, a launch title that will most likely be compared to both Nintendo's Wii Sports and Sony's Sports Champions. In fact, Kinect Sports is perhaps a little too similar to its rival counterparts - you've got six sports to play and only the football minigame is unique - the other five have all been seen before.



Bowling and football are the most party friendly, as players can simply stand up and take their go, be it bowling an imaginary ball or scoring an imaginary goal. Both are simple in execution, but feel great to play. The bowling in particular feels really impressive, as the hardware picks up the movement in your arm and copies your figure as you pull back and let rip.

The ping pong and volleyball are pretty good fun, but also feel a little forced. These games don't really give the impression that you're in the driving seat - during ping pong, you simply swing your hand out every time the ball is coming towards you, and your character will hit it back. Simple, but not all that interesting. The track and field events are more our cup of tea - you've got hurdles, sprint, javelin, discus throwing and long jump to take part in, and each works in exactly the way you would expect - run, jump, throw, and you've got the idea.
 

Yeah, it's Wii Bowling, but it's not like Nintendo own it or anything...

It's with these particular games that one of Kinect's defining pros is most relevant - the majority of games that we played were very intuitive, and didn't require much explanation at all - in fact, the guys in charge of the booth simply said 'Have fun' and let us play. It's a stark contrast to the Playstation Move, which usually sees people waggling the stick around before asking someone what exactly they're meant to be doing.

Next, we took Kinect Joy Ride for a spin - a 'hands-free' driving experience, you could say. The idea is to hold your hands out in front of you, as if clutching a steering wheel. It's an odd feeling that is quickly warmed to, as you rotate your hands to power around corners. We found ourselves wowed by how well it all worked - you don't exactly feel like you're really driving a car, but the sensitivity is spot-on.

Pulling your 'wheel' close to your chest builds up the boost then, then pushing your hands out away from your body unleashes the speed. Bring an extra person into the Kinect's view, and they can ride along in the passenger seat, throwing their arms about in the air wildly. Switch to multiplayer mode, and two players can race each other. Yet another game to make for a brilliant launch title range, then!

Finally we (reluctantly) took to the stage for Dance Central, Harmonix's own take on the popular Just Dance genre. From what we played, Nintendo should be worried - Dance Central is really fantastic stuff, yet again thanks to the one-to-one nature of the hardware.

Dance moves are given on screen, and your task is to follow along and copy the illustrations move-for-move. There's a little leeway involved - as long as you move your body into a pose which generally matches that on screen, you'll be grabbing the points - but once you get into 'the groove' as the kids are calling it these days, the motions are really fluid and Kinect does a great job of picking up all the little details.

The song list is a great selection too, although you wouldn't expect any less from Harmonix - you've got your Lady Gaga, a bit of No Doubt, Young MC's Bust a Move, some Kylie... it's a song list that will please everyone from the kids to the teens to the adults.
 

Annnd duck!

All-in-all, Kinect is shaping up to be the king of motion-control. Of course, the question of price will be on the majority of potential buyers' lips: is it really worth $150 for US gamers, and will UK consumers really fork out £130 for it? The costs are perhaps a little too steep, although if you compare it to the Playstation Move (which costs $120 in total for the motion + navigation + Eye combo) you could argue it's fair game. We'll have a full review ready for your dissection when Kinect hits the shop on November 4th.

Most Anticipated Feature: Simply standing on the spot doing the robot for hours on end. It's impossible to get bored of it.