Kinect - Timeline
Sunday20th Nov 2011
Talking Point What's Kinect Doing Right or Wrong?
One year on, how's it going?
Kinect has had a full 12 months to bed itself in, and arguably the standard of releases this Christmas is higher than what the sensor launched with last year, but the sensor still hasn't established itself as a home for quality games. In the past few days we've seen an encouragingly healthy discussion about the matter...
Tuesday8th Nov 2011
News Be Soothed by Deepak Chopra's Leela's Soundtrack
It's Sumthing Else
A good soundtrack is crucial to any relaxation experience, so it's probably good news that the tunes accompanying Deepak Chopra's Leela will be released separately on 15th November. The soundtrack, put together by Sumthing Else Music Works, draws from "traditional string instruments and dubstep" and features artists...
Monday7th Nov 2011
News Free Kinect Sports Season Two DLC Out Now
Up your game
We're big fans of Kinect Sports: Season Two here at KINECTaku, especially now Rare's released some new downloadable content for free. Available on Xbox Live Marketplace today, the Kinect Sports: Season Two Challenge Pack #1 adds new modes to each sport: Crazy Kicker (American Football), Frantic Fielder (Baseball), Cool Ringings...
Wednesday2nd Nov 2011
News The Worst Kinect Photoshop We've Ever Seen
You won't believe your eyes
You'd think paying some actors to stand in front of a TV and Kinect and pretend they're having a great time would be among the easiest parts of releasing a game. You'd probably be right, which makes this back of box art for MotionSports Adrenaline even more brilliant. We're no Photoshop experts, but even we can tell that...
Wednesday26th Oct 2011
News Zumba Kinect 2 Official, Called Zumba Fitness Rush
Groovy
If you've finally had your fill of Zumba Fitness: Join the Party, you'll be thrilled to know Majesco is bringing a sequel your way in February 2012. Called Zumba Fitness Rush, the game adds more songs, steps and style to its predecessor, with downloadable songs after launch extending the game's lifespan. MAJESCO ENTERTAINMENT AMPLIFIES THE...
Thursday20th Oct 2011
News Ubisoft Announces Four New Kinect Quiz Games
Final answer?
Update: Ubisoft has informed us that Family Feud 2012 is not Kinect compatible, despite an earlier Gamestop leak pegging the game for Kinect. Original story: Ubisoft's locking down the licensed quiz show category on Kinect, with no fewer than four game shows on the way before the end of the year. First up we've got Family Feud 2012,...
Tuesday11th Oct 2011
Out Today Kinectimals Bear Island DLC (Worldwide)
Now with bears!
You guessed it: bears are coming to Kinectimals today in DLC form. The Bear Island add-on is available on Xbox Live Marketplace for 1,200 Microsoft Points. Weighing in at a hefty 1.54GB, the pack grants you stacks of new animals, activities and quests to take on. Explore a whole new island and mystery in the Kinectimals add-on Bear...
Friday7th Oct 2011
First Impressions Kinectimals with Windows Phone 7
Kitty in your pocket
Unlike Nintendo and Sony consoles, sadly you've never been able to take your Xbox games on the go with you, something even Dreamcast offered over 10 years ago. Now with Windows Phone 7 devices and Xbox 360 you're able to access select content wherever you are, something we recently got chance to try out with Kinectimals and...
Monday3rd Oct 2011
News Tiger Woods Tees Off EA Sports' Kinect Support in 2012
The first of many
EA Sports hasn't done anything with Kinect yet, somewhat surprising considering its unrivalled stable of sports games. The publisher will break that duck next year when it releases Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 for Xbox 360. The golf game, due out in March 2012, will make use of Kinect's body-tracking and voice recognition capabilities...
Wednesday14th Sep 2011
Hands On Kinect Sports Season Two
We visit Rare's UK HQ to experience what could be this Christmas' biggest Kinect title
Given the incredible commercial and critical response to the original Kinect Sports, it was inevitable that a sequel of some description would occur. What was slightly less predictable was the news that the legendary British code house Rare would be co-developing...
Monday5th Sep 2011
News First Puss in Boots Screenshots Look Furry Good
You might be surprised
Licensed games rarely look good, but we have to say that the first screenshots of Puss in Boots don't look bad at all. The Kinect-exclusive title puts you in the feline footwear of the titular cat, with the official details laying out a three-stroke gameplay system: Master the style and charm of Puss in Boots in an engaging...
Friday2nd Sep 2011
News Playing Cabela's on Kinect Makes You Look Like This
"We're having a great time!"
You wanted more hardcore games for Kinect, and you've got it: Cabela's Big Game Hunter: Hunting Party combines all the fun of body-tracking with the thrill of hunting animals with a plastic gun. Activision has just released the first screenshots and 'lifestyle' photos of the Top Shot Sport, the plastic gun necessary to...
Friday26th Aug 2011
News GamingZap Shows Off New Powerless Kinect Adaptor
It'll make sense
When Microsoft launched Kinect in November 2010, it faced a problem: how to get the sensor to draw power from older Xbox 360 consoles, as well as the newer S models. The simple solution was to bundle a USB to mains adaptor, but that still requires a separate plug socket. UK retailer GamingZap has just launched a way around it: the...
Tuesday16th Aug 2011
News You Can Breed Horses in Champion Jockey
Just think that over for a second
The road to becoming the ultimate jockey isn't all about being short and light: it's also about riding a top notch horse, bred for speed. That's one part of the process Champion Jockey is eager to represent, with an in-depth breeding mode shown off in these new screenshots. Each horse has an individual personality...
News Microsoft UK's Release Dates for Kinect's Biggest Titles
Get informed
You want to know when you can expect some of this year's biggest Kinect games, right? Well then, you've come to the right place, as Microsoft UK has just sent us a press release full of calendar-marking goodness. Here's a round-up of when you'll be able to pick up the brightest lights for your sensor this year. Bear in mind these...
Thursday11th Aug 2011
Reader Blog Losing 80 Pounds with Kinect and Dance Central
It can be done
In the first of a new series of reader blogs, we're sharing stories from Kinect fans just like you. We want to hear bout any success stories you might have had — a great video you made in Yoostar 2, a world record score in Kinect Sports or something awesome made possible by Kinect. You can contact KINECTaku to share your story, and...
Monday8th Aug 2011
News You Can Look This Stupid Playing Champion Jockey
Live the dream
There's no easy way to say this: if you play Champion Jockey, you're probably going to look a bit foolish, especially if this new tutorial video is anything to go by. The demonstrator in the video below is clearly aware of how silly he looks but carries it like a champ, even roping in a second player for some truly momentous...
Wednesday3rd Aug 2011
News Grab a Matte Xbox 360 250GB with Kinect
Gloss over
At the moment the Xbox 360 S comes in two flavours: 250GB and 4GB, in glossy and matte finishes respectively. A new challenger is about to enter the ring though, with a matte 250GB console on the way. There's no word on when the new bundle will be available or if Microsoft has made any changes other than taking the dust-sucking gloss...
Thursday21st Jul 2011
News Microsoft Announces Limited Edition R2D2 Xbox 360
Told you so
We exclusively revealed the limited edition Star Wars Xbox 360 with white Kinect two weeks ago, and now Microsoft has made the bundle official. The white R2-D2 Xbox 360 S, C-3PO-inspired control pad and white Kinect sensor will launch with Kinect Star Wars later this year, with exclusive downloadable content in the console box too...
Wednesday20th Jul 2011
News Go On a Fitness Adventure with Jillian Michaels
More Kinect adventures
Jillian Michaels is really working herself into a video game-related frenzy these days: she's already appeared on The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout and later this year her buns of steel will be challenging you to push yourself to your limits (we assume) in Jillian Michaels' Fitness Adventure. Rather than put you in a smelly...
Monday18th Jul 2011
First Impressions The Black Eyed Peas Experience
Rock that body
Michael Jackson: The Experience was a pretty good attempt at bringing the King of Pop to the living room, but the Black Eyed Peas are a totally different undertaking: whereas the MJ game put you in Michael's shoes in his legendary live shows and music videos, in The Black Eyed Peas Experience you don't play as Will.i.am, Fergie or the...
Saturday16th Jul 2011
First Impressions Just Dance 3
Get on the floor!
Until now Harmonix has undoubtedly had the Kinect dancing market all sewn up, but that dominance will meet its sternest challenge yet in October when Ubisoft brings the astonishingly successful Just Dance brand across to Xbox 360 in the luridly coloured form of Just Dance 3. At first glance, very little has changed from its Wii...
Friday15th Jul 2011
First Impressions Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012
Toned up
Ubisoft knows when it's onto a good thing: not only is the publisher bringing Just Dance 3 to Kinect, it's also gearing up to launch a sequel to the sensor's biggest selling fitness title. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012 is set for release this November with all the original game's content and some new tricks up its sleeve too. Game...
Wednesday13th Jul 2011
News There's a Kinect Game Out Even We Didn't Know About
Hope you like singing
We pride ourselves on knowing pretty much everything there is to know about Kinect, but we're not infallible Kinect-powered robots: sometimes we miss things. This is one of those things. While there are still no Kinect-enabled games to download on Xbox Live Arcade, there's already an Indie game available: Avatar Superstar for...
Saturday9th Jul 2011
First Impressions Kinect Sports: Season Two
Another big score for Microsoft?
Last night we brought you our First Impressions of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier from Microsoft's Christmas showcase, and next on our travels was the sequel to Rare's Kinect Sports, without doubt one of Kinect's best launch games. We were quickly told that the motion tracking had been vastly improved from the first...
Friday8th Jul 2011
News Microsoft to Release Limited Edition Star Wars 360 Console with Kinect
Special R2-D2 themed model in the works to coincide with the release of Kinect Star Wars
We've just heard from one of our close sources in the retail sector that Microsoft is prepping a limited edition R2-D2 Xbox 360 console — complete with Kinect sensor — set to launch alongside the forthcoming Kinect Star Wars. According to our reports, the...
Wednesday6th Jul 2011
News Make Your Room Bigger with Nyko's Kinect Zoom
40% less space required
If your living room isn't quite big enough for Kinect to work properly, you might be interested in Nyko's handy new accessory, the Zoom for Kinect. The peripheral manufacturer has announced the new bit of kit will release across North America on 23rd August at $29.99. Clipping over Kinect's eyes, the accessory means you'll...
Monday4th Jul 2011
Rumour Fighters Uncaged Preparing for Round 2
Make it stop
Not had enough of the physical torture inflicted by Ubisoft's Fighters Uncaged? Ubisoft has got you covered then, according to a recent release schedule from major retailer Gamestation. The list reveals Fighters Uncaged 2 from Ubisoft, with a release date of 11th November. No further information is given. Gamestation has previously...
Wednesday29th Jun 2011
News Forza Motorsport 4 Limited Edition is Packed with Extra Cars
Soak it all up
Microsoft just revealed its big Forza Motorsport 4 Limited Collector's Edition, containing 25 extra cars and a stack of other additions to convince you to part with your hard-earned £59.99. Inside the special edition you'll find cars from Lamborghini, Bugatti, Ferrari and more, though it's worth pointing out that most — if not all...
Tuesday28th Jun 2011
Rumour Power Rangers Samurai Suiting Up for Kinect
Become Megazord!
You can already be a Japanese superhero with Kinect, and Ubisoft's PowerUp Heroes will transform your Avatar in a super being, but neither can quite quench the desire to become a Power Ranger. Perhaps Power Rangers: Samurai will do the trick. Spotted at GAME and