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I've been an xbox 360 user since 2007 and have been happy with it (as a "hardcore" gamer). This purchase was for my parents in their living room to use netflix and video chat with family hundreds of miles away. Here are my pros and cons for the console itself, then kinect:
PROS of the xbox 360 Console
+ Easy setup, take it out of the box, plug in the power, the hdmi and pop the batteries in the controller (I setup kinect after the 360).
+ 1 month free xbox live (bought a 12 month as well so 13 months).
+ Easy wifi-N setup!
+ The xbox itself has great wifi, I was worried about streaming netflix in HD but so far it's worked flawlessly, after the initial buffer, movies play perfectly from start to end. Also, streaming video files (like xvid and divx) on a home network wirelessly to the 360 works perfectly as well, in the midst of properly renaming my backed up tv shows and movies (no mkv support of course :/)
+ With windows 7, setting up a shared folder for the xbox to find and use for video playback was pretty easy.
+ Touch sensitive buttons for power and dvd eject is pretty cool, makes the unit feel a bit more high tech.
+ Smaller size of the 360 (while not much smaller) is noticeable and looks very pleasing to the eye
+ Adding 8gb of extra hdd space with a thumb drive is pretty sweet, later (if they need it the space) I'll buy a used hard drive.
CONS of the xbox 360 Console
- Unit gets pretty warm, DO NOT block the heat vent or keep the 360 in an enclosed space, you will find it a grave xbox.
- While initial setup of the 360 was easy for me (a gamer) it is still confusing and not as easy as it should be for casual gamers
- Not being able to plug thumb drives into the back of the console (via usb) is a drag, in a dark room my sandisk cruzer's orange glow is a bit distracting when watching a movie.
*Note - none of these cons are serious problems/deal breakers, just things to note
PROS of Kinect:
+ Setup is pretty simple, nothing too difficult to figure out.
+ With the new xbox 360, you don't need an additional power adapter (cord) for kinect.
+ Awesome, NEW experience, completely new way to interact with games (everyone who has used it in the house has loved it or has been amazed by how well the technology works).
+ Kinect video chat is great, the automatic tracking is just sick, person on the other end (my friend on a laptop) could hear me just fine and I was speaking normally in the livingroom.
+ Love the hand gesture based gui navigation, just cool to wave your hand or say "xbox" and then say a command (I currently have a cold and my voice is garbled but it still recognizes my voice commands)!
+ The price of the xbox/kinect bundle plus amazon's $40 game credit really made this deal worth it (also no tax and free 2 day shipping!).
CONS of Kinect:
- This is brand new technology, that being said you must be prepared for it to not work 100% of the time or exactly how you want (games and navigation).
- Menu navigation for the dashboard is limited (for now), this includes Zune (which won't recognize my hand gestures now) and Last.FM isn't 100% kinect, you still need the controller to setup new stations (which I understand).
- Some games work better than others. Kinect adventures is a fun package of mini games (and really, thats all it is, which is ok if you know that ahead of time) and tracks fairly well, sometimes my legs go crazy even though I repositioned kinect to clearly see the floor an my feet. Then Your Shape Fitness is about as precise as this tech can get (blew me away).
- NETFLIX.. where are you?! I really wanted to try kinect with netflix, I tried out a zune video (when it let me navigate with my hands) and it was very cool. The hand navigation is pretty intuitive and just fun to use! Really want to have this experience with netflix!
- YOU need a good amount of room! Do not blow this off, this is the most important thing you need to take into consideration. I measured it out and for my living room setup for kinect to work well I was 7 feet away from kinect and for most games needed 7 feet left and right. I thought kinect would readjust its space requirements around me, but thats not true it has a "sweet spot" depending on where it is placed and thats it. So, please measure your space first (or have a good idea of space).
*Note - Although there are some hiccups with kinect, I'm so glad I bought this, its a completely new way to experience gaming. I've had an xbox for 3+ years now and I'm confident Microsoft will keep releasing updates and fixes as time goes by, giving us more features and apps than what we started with. This technology is truly innovative, first time I used it I was blown away.
**Bonus Mini Game Reviews**
Kinect Adventures - This is the game that comes with Kinect. Its touted as a "full game" but really its a collection of some mini games. The games are fun for the moment (and actually some give a really good workout!) but they're still mini games. I played them a few times but I don't see myself going back and playing them alone, in a party atmosphere, why not. Overall, the tracking is done quite well and its easy to pop in and play, there is some depth to each game type and achievements etc so there is stuff there to keep you in it.. if you like the mini games. For kids, they'll love it.
Your Shape Fitness Evolved - Excellent game! For best tracking and menu system, in a dead heat tie between Your Shape and Dance Central! It has a collection of gym games which get your heart pumping and jump in and go type of cardio classes. These classes are quick and don't have a lot of help (like a break it down, slow mode) but considering what they are (cardio classes), in a real class you'd just jump in and try and learn as the class goes on. I haven't tried the actual personal trainer classes (which look very cool, slower and a complete workout - warm up, cardio, cool down) so I may edit this once I get around to that section. I didn't picture myself really out of shape but by the end of about 20 minutes of playing I was drenched in sweat and sore the next morning! Overall, I'm impressed by the flow of the game and how well they made it easy to use and yet challenging and fun. I look forward to my friends getting this game and smashing their records!
Dance Central - Awesome game! This is my favorite game of the 3 we have right now! Its slick, the menu navigation is the best of any game (or xbox dash for that matter) and needs to be copied by the industry! I'm not a dancer and actually can't remember the last time I danced in public but my sister really wanted to try this out so we got it. I played the first song, lady gaga: poker face and went to break it down mode. What a great mode, this slows everything down and gives you a real shot at learning every move. Its deep and very intuitive. For instance: in break it down, you start with a new move, if you nail it flawlessly the first time you move on to the next move, if you don't you have to do the move 3 times in a row successfully (with a 3 second break in between). Then you move on to the next, you can slow it down any time and speed it back up when you've got it. I really believe the tracking system is monitoring me and giving me excellent feedback (I can also see my body outline as further proof). After dancing to the first song 2 times I was sweating pretty well but I actually felt like I was learning how to dance. Maybe not in a pro way but I felt more comfortable with certain moves, became more familiar, which I was surprised by, actually dancing and having fun! Add in leaderboards and dance offs and now you're dancing to win! They hit one out of the park with this game! Also, anyone who can beat multiple songs 1 after another on hard mode has my respect as a gamer because I cant!
Overall, the xbox 360 + kinect bundle is a great product for the price. We're having a ton of fun with this and the technology is still hard to understand.. how does it work this well?! The video chat and hopefully addition of netflix (in the future) will make this a must own product. As I was playing these games with kinect I kept thinking in my head "if I was 8-12 years old my head would have exploded playing this..." Its a strange idea to think there will be kids out there thinking kinect is a standard in gaming, that this is where they started with gaming and technology.
One last tip, while trying to navigate menus leaning back in my recliner I realized kinect needs to see my face, not just my hand to recognize a user and allow me to navigate menus. So if it doesn't recognize you waving at it, make sure your face is noticeable (not leaned back cloaked in a recliner).
Hope this helps! Kinect is really a lot of fun!
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I really just bought this bundle so my kids could play Kinect instead of staring at the RV for their screen time, so I was super happy to find an inexpensive older model.The big negative is that the controller sent with it was not working, so I looked around and realized that the last battery they had in there must’ve melted the inside. The plastic is melted and both prongs are badly corroded. That being said I just ordered a new 20$ controller and it wasn’t a big deal, still a great price. I’m just annoyed they included a non functional controller instead of just selling the package without one so that the buyer can be more prepared.After it arrives I’ll update my review as I can’t actually test it out or update without a controller.
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