Wow, just dropped by my local Best Buy and there were stacks of Kinects and although the store was busy enough, no one was even looking at them! They didn't even have a demo setup. Not at all what I was expecting to see. I'm sure that it will sell quite well but this was surprising.
Kinect Games
- Thread starter AzBat
- Start date
Yes I was going to comment on this, despite my comments above I did end up dropping by Wal Mart this morning and picking one up. Anyways, their was a display just out on the floor with ~10 Kinects, and it wasnt attracting much attention. I get the distinct feeling "soccer mom" doesn't know about kinect yet. There was a couple mom types hovering around the Wii display for example, and even the stock hardcore 360 section seemed to attract more attention. Also, the lady at the cash register inquired about Kinect and did not know what it was. Word of mouth or advertising may change all that though.
So how should I set it up? The pic is my living room. Where is the ideal placement for the sensor?
ShadowRunner
Veteran
I use the PSEye mic array for ingame chat, should work just fine on kinect. The main problem is that most games dont let you configure the loudness of other peoples voices coming through the speakers, so while people can hear you perfectly its sometimes hard to hear them over the in-game sound. Dont know if 360 gives you the ability to adjust the chat volume though.
So how should I set it up? The pic is my living room. Where is the ideal placement for the sensor?
If you are willing to sacrifice the voice chat it would fit well on top of the center channel speaker (assuming that is a flat surface). It is repeatedly emphasized in menus that centered with the TV at a height of 2' to 6' is ideal.
For launch I expect existing 360 owners are more interested(have to have the cool tech now). My Best Buy had a midnight launch and when I stopped by this morning the sensors were the hardest hit. They only had 9 left. But the 4GB SKU were the most in stock. They had at least 20 bundles & the 250gb SKU there only 2 left. I suspect once the official start of Holiday shopping begins on Black Friday that's when the casuals will be zeroing in on buying game systems.
BTW, I heard Microsoft has some stringent requirements for Kinect demos. Just can't put up a 19" TV & give customers 2 feet worth of demo space. Thought I heard they wanted 20 feet(can't find source sorry). So you'll have a hard time finding Kinect demos in any stores. That's one of the biggest reason why Microsoft did the Kinect Tour. That way they could control the play space & experience.
Tommy McClain
the kinect space (with a working kinect) is the same size at our local best buy as the ps eye toy.they are back to back (so the tvs have thier backs to each other) and they both ave a wood dance floor type deal with a fake wall about crotch level for me to mark the end of the area. Kinect works fine in it.
Anyone else playing kinectimals?
Personally I think on top of TV would be best. The manuals say they want you as close to 2 feet or as close to 6 feet as possible. Not in between. I've got mine mounted 2 feet from the floor. I have my center channel speaker 3-4 inches lower than Kinect but about 14 inches to the left. It's not effecting the microphones, but then again it's probably 1/3 the size of Robert's too. I've also heard the higher you mount the sensor the wider field of view & the shorter distance you need. With my setup at 2 feet high I need 6-8 feet. I suspect if I mounted it to the wall at 6 feet high I might be able to save a few feet of depth & might not need to move my recliners. I would measure how much space you have from the center channel to the back of your play space. If you don't have at least 6 feet, then mount it high. If you 8 feet or more, then just set it on top of your 360.
Tommy McClain
How deep is the playspace from the sensor?
I got it. Bought the Limited Edition at Toys R Us with the King Cheetah plushy. Paid $50. Evidently they weren't selling any standard versions. Also have 2 Burger King toys. We scanned all 3 codes but it took some major effort. Have to be about 2-3 inches away & perfectly aligned. Other than that the wife LOVES it. It's really cute and it's cool that it recognizes you personally and works with voice too. Kudo said that it's the only title using the most of the Kinect features. And it looks great to boot!
Tommy McClain
I'm not sure as I didn't measure it , however i'm pretty sure i could barely lay down in the display area and i'm 6'4. To lay down my feetwould be under the tv I believe. The kinect was on like a try pod behind the tv and mabye 5 feet in the air in total
My gf loved it and my nephew who is 18 months old could play catch with the tiger and would keep saying kisses and run up and kiss the tv i think it will be a few months before he fully gets it. But it was the cutest thing watching him and the tiger at one point he saw the tiger was on a truck racing and he got his truck and was going around in a cricle iwth it.
I have some problems with my kinect as my couch is in the way but its up against the wall and isn't moving. I moved the sensor to about 7 feet in the air and 2 feet behind my tv and it works much better now as it can see us more and in kinect adventures the2 player space went from being 90% in my couch to being about 20% in my couch
My gf loved it and my nephew who is 18 months old could play catch with the tiger and would keep saying kisses and run up and kiss the tv i think it will be a few months before he fully gets it. But it was the cutest thing watching him and the tiger at one point he saw the tiger was on a truck racing and he got his truck and was going around in a cricle iwth it.
I have some problems with my kinect as my couch is in the way but its up against the wall and isn't moving. I moved the sensor to about 7 feet in the air and 2 feet behind my tv and it works much better now as it can see us more and in kinect adventures the2 player space went from being 90% in my couch to being about 20% in my couch
dragonelite
Veteran
If you're using game chat, then the game controls the volume differences, some games allow you to change the settings (Game chat is enabled by linking in libraries in the XDK). If you're using Party Chat (which is controlled entirely by the flash) we'll automatically "duck" (lower the volume) the game sound when someone else is talking, this makes understanding other folks much easier.
Not sure about your family, but my family really likes Kinectimals. Did you also consider Joy Ride, Harry Potter or Motion Sports? And it looks like Brunswick Pro Bowling is shipping Dec 7.
Tommy McClain
Tommy McClain
Well, I've come to the conclusion that Joy Ride might actually be a lot better than I was expecting. The demo on the Kinect Adventures disc wasn't too bad. Showed some promise, but it wasn't till I downloaded the Xbox Live demo that I realized it's actually pretty good. My 15yr old son loves it. The new Xbox Live demo has a Battle Race on the Great Dragon Road track & it's a blast. Feels more like a proper cart racer with all the weapons & power-ups. BTW, I had heard Joy Ride works while sitting. So I had my son try it out with a simple dining chair about 6-7 feet away. Absolutely worked with no problems. He's now decided that's his next game. 
Anyway, I recommend downloading the demo(Gold required).
Tommy McClain
Anyway, I recommend downloading the demo(Gold required).Tommy McClain
