Kinect - Timeline
Monday27th Jun 2011
News Fruit Ninja Kinect Release Date and Price Confirmed
Coming to fruition in August
We love Fruit Ninja Kinect here at Kinectaku — that much should be obvious from our exhaustive Fruit Ninja Kinect preview. Thankfully, the rest of you will be lucky enough to experience this amazing title on the 10th of August, because it's being launched as part of Microsoft's Summer of Arcade 2011. The Big M has just...
Thursday23rd Jun 2011
First Impressions Fruit Ninja Kinect
Ripening nicely
If you happen to own a modern smartphone then you’ve probably already sampled the delights of Halfbrick’s amazing Fruit Ninja. The game has now registered over 20 million downloads across mobile formats, and rightly so — it’s one of those unique titles that takes a very basic premise (in this case, the slicing and dicing of...
Friday10th Jun 2011
News 2K Play Announces Nickelodeon Dance for Kinect
Get down with the kids
2K kids label 2K Play is mining a rich seam of Kinect games based on Nickelodeon characters — first here was Nicktoons MLB, now there's Nickelodeon Dance, coming to Xbox 360 later this year. The game will feature Dora the Explorer, Diego and the Backyardigans, whom we assume your kids or younger siblings might recognise...
Monday6th Jun 2011
News Look Out Dance Central, Just Dance 3 is Coming to Kinect
This just got interesting
Dance Central 2, your competition has arrived: Ubisoft just announced Just Dance 3. The multiformat game — it's heading to Wii and PlayStation Move too — has got an exclusive mode on Kinect, the karaoke-styled "Shout Out" mode that gives you points for singing along as you groove. Will Just Dance 3 continue to...
Tuesday31st May 2011
News Kinect, PlayStation Eye and Wii All Mount Your TV
Why change?
CTA Digital's Kinect wall mount and TV clip lets you easily switch between the sensor and Sony's PlayStation Eye for PlayStation Move, but if that's just too much like hard work — or you have a Nintendo Wii too — then dreamGear's Trimount might be for you. The enormous mount lets you stack your Kinect, Eye camera and Wii sensor bar...
Friday27th May 2011
News Pro Boxer James DeGale Practises with Kinect Sports Boxing
Recently lost. Probably a coincidence.
As countless tired gamers can attest, Kinect Sports boxing is a tough workout, but it's so gruelling even professionals use it to keep their training interesting. Professional boxer James DeGale recently took media behind the scenes at his gym in Essex, where he revealed he loves nothing more than a bit of...
Wednesday25th May 2011
News Blacklight Team Working on Kinect "Zero Person Shooter"
So CV says
According to a pair of CVs posted on LinkedIn, Zombie Studios is in the process of creating a new title for Kinect. The team behind admittedly mediocre online shooter Blacklight: Tango Down is apparently creating a "zero person shooter" according to one programmer's CV, that uses the Unreal Engine 3 currently seen powering Gears...
Tuesday10th May 2011
Talking Point What Should Microsoft Do With Kinect At E3?
Tell us your hopes
Microsoft's E3 2011 news conference is only a few weeks away, and our thoughts are turning towards what the company will show off on Monday 6th June. Here's a list of what we believe Microsoft should do with Kinect in order to capture the imagination like it did at E3 2010. Improved Tracking: In its current form, Kinect can...
News Forget Video Kinect, Skype is Coming to Xbox 360
Welcome news indeed
Video Kinect is Microsoft's free online chat programme for Xbox 360, and while it has a few neat tricks — Kinect will follow you around the room, zooming in and out accordingly — it's about to get some tough competition, as Microsoft has confirmed Skype is coming to Xbox 360. Microsoft shelled out $8.5 billion — the press...
News Microsoft's E3 2011 News Conference Details Confirmed
What new games will we see?
It's still highly unlikely we'll see a new Xbox and Kinect at E3 this year, but at least we know where and when the revelation would be made, as Microsoft has announced its pre-show conference details. The event kicks off on Monday 6th June, with guests asked to arrive by 9am Pacific Time, or 5pm UK time. The show is...
Monday9th May 2011
Rumour Avatar Kinect Launching 27th May
New updates roll out soon
According to Joystiq, the next round of Xbox Dashboard updates will begin to hit consoles everywhere from 19th May, with the big addition being the launch of Avatar Kinect on 27th May. Joystiq cites images sent through from a Microsoft technical support employee that reveal the release date, as well as reconfirming the...
News Analyst: New Xbox and New Kinect May Be Unveiled in 2012
Gaze into the crystal ball
Recent rumours suggested we'd see a new Xbox console at E3 next month, but these were quickly squashed and thrown away. But next year? That's much more likely, according to M2 Research analyst Billy Pidgeon. The brilliantly named analyst believes the new machine could be shown off at next year's E3 if Xbox 360 sales begin...
Friday6th May 2011
News A Kinect Steering Wheel? Now We've Seen It All
Hold out your hands
Try this tricky test of hand-eye coordination: hold out your hands in front of you. Okay, now pretend you're driving a car. Finding it difficult? Then CTA Digital has the solution for you. The company that brought you the Kinect Perfect Range Game Mat has created the Xbox 360 Kinect Steering Wheel. It's like one of the countless...
Thursday5th May 2011
News New Kinect Wall Mount and TV Clip has a Dual Identity
Why just have one?
Don't know whether to choose a wall mount or a TV clip for your Kinect? Accessory manufacturer CTA Digital has the perfect solution for such a quandary: a peripheral that does both. The new Universal Wall Mount & Clip for the Kinect Camera & PlayStation Eye can be adjusted either to sit on top of the TV or attach to the...
News Perfect Range Game Mat Makes Judging Distance a Doddle
Get in the zone
Ever been frustrated by not knowing where to stand in your play area to get the most accurate detection from Kinect? Then accessory manufacturer CTA Digital has the solution to your problems! The Perfect Range Game Mat sits on your carpet and tells you exactly where you should stand, whether playing solo or with a friend, to get the...
Wednesday4th May 2011
News Let's Look at the Let's Dance with Mel B Track List
Get on the floor
Ex-Spice Girl Mel B is making quite a name for herself in the motion gaming world: following fitness title Get Fit with Mel B the formerly Scary one has teamed up with Ubisoft in the hope gamers will say Let's Dance with Mel B. Ubisoft has released the 28 songs players will be able to dance to when the game launches in Europe on...
Tuesday29th Mar 2011
News Kinect Input Lag Could Be Cut to Under 5 Milliseconds
Limb-tracking gets faster
When developers take the time to minimise Kinect input lag it's barely noticeable, but the sensor's response time could get even faster in future, according to a newly published Microsoft research paper. Essentially, the current method works out which of your limbs is which and then tracks them, frame-to-frame, says...
Monday28th Mar 2011
News Kinect Erotics is a Sexy, Sensual, Sensory Overload (NSFW)
Translation: Bit steamy
Carnivals, pets, minigames: these are all fine uses for Kinect's limb-tracking ability, but when the kids have gone to bed you might want to play a slightly different kind of party game. Ubisoft recently caused a bit of a fuss with We Dare on PlayStation Move and Nintendo Wii, but it's nothing compared to the saucy happenings...
Monday21st Mar 2011
News Join the Party with a Free Zumba Fitness Demo on Xbox Live
Or don't
Funky rhythm fitness game Zumba Fitness: Join the Party may not be the best exercise game on Kinect — in fact, it's one of the worst — but if you wanted to bring a little Latin flavour to your home workout you can now do so for absolutely nothing, thanks to a demo. Exclusive to Gold Members, the Zumba Fitness demo weighs in at a 4GB...
Wednesday23rd Feb 2011
News Forget Kinect Sports Boxing, Kinect Punch-Out!! is the New Champion
One hit KO
We already know it's possible to play Super Mario Bros. on Kinect, but what about something a bit more suited to the sensor's purpose? While Rare did an admirable job of translating the sweet science in its Kinect Sports boxing mode, coder Dan Dockery has brought classic NES fighter Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (also known as Punch-Out!!...
Thursday10th Feb 2011
News Kinect to Receive its First Wartime First-Person Shooter
Heavy Fire: Afghanistan is real
The other day we told you about a new Kinect first-person shooter called Heavy Fire: Afghanistan, leaked by Gamefly. Since then we've been in contact with developer Teyon, who has confirmed the game is very real and on the way to multiple formats in April. The Heavy Fire series has appeared on WiiWare in the form of...
Monday31st Jan 2011
Rumour A New Lips Game is On the Way to Kinect
Another domain mystery
Earlier we reported EA may be bringing The Sims and SSX to Kinect, a rumour started by the registration of Kinect-related domains for both franchises. That's not the only Kinect web address registered this week though, as Microsoft also bought up KinectLips.com. Lips is Microsoft's karaoke title – its answer to SingStar, if...
Rumour EA Bringing The Sims and SSX to Kinect
Play the domain game
There may not be many official Kinect game announcements these days, but that doesn't mean there aren't Kinect games in the works, and EA may have a couple of big ones up its giant corporate sleeves. Microsoft recently registered several domains that point to Kinect-enabled versions of popular franchises The Sims and SSX:...
Tuesday25th Jan 2011
News EA Sports Looking to Bring Golf to Kinect in Future
But not this year
The bad news is that EA ran out of time to bring Tiger Woods to Kinect this year, but it's not game over for the idea of a hands-free golf game. Lead designer on Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters Mike DeVault spoke to Eurogamer about the sensor's potential, and although the didn't give any specifics it looks like future outings...
Thursday13th Jan 2011
News Game with Olympic Fame in UK Kinect Sports Showdown
Competition commences soon
Feeling confident about your Kinect Sports prowess? Want to put it to the test? Microsoft UK is offering you the chance to do just that by taking on Olympic gold medal-winning sprinters Linford Christie and Mark Lewis-Francis. Winners of the competition will go head-to-head with the sprinters on Kinect's flagship sports...
Monday3rd Jan 2011
Features A Guide to Kinect Fitness Games
Let's get sweaty
If you're looking to lose a few pounds as part of your New Year's Resolution, grabbing a fitness game for Kinect is a good way to go, but with so many out there how can you pick the one that's best for you? Here a brief rundown of all the fitness games currently available for Kinect, all of which we've exhaustively playtested and...
Saturday18th Dec 2010
News Here's a List of Useful Kinect Voice Commands
Xbox, inform!
If your Kinect, like a naughty puppy, is failing to obey your simple commands then perhaps this helpful list of voice activation phrases for Kinect will help out. Most of these phrases are just for use in the Kinect Hub, though some are for use with Sky Player, for example. Remember that this is a partial list of phrases, so if you...
Monday6th Dec 2010
News Become Tom Hanks in Big with Kinect's Giant Piano Hack
Heart and soul
Kinect can be used to create art but what about music? Yep, that too, with this Kinect piano hack letting players tickle the ivories with no keyboard required. As well as being able to project a piano onto a desk it can also be used to create enormous keyboards on the floor, not unlike the classic scene from Big. This is another...
Wednesday24th Nov 2010
News You Can't Turn Your 360 On or Off with Kinect for a Good Reason
You're saving the planet
"Xbox, Dashboard. Xbox, Kinect. Xbox, turn off." That last voice command doesn't work and probably won't, as Kinect project manager Alex Kipman explained on Major Nelson's podcast this week. The reason the company doesn't allow you to turn your machine on or off with the sensor is very simple: it would mean your...
Tuesday16th Nov 2010
News Harry Potter Casts Magic Spell on Kinect This Week
Today in the US, Friday for Europe
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I is an unexpected milestone for Kinect: it's the first title to be labelled as "Better with Kinect", rather than the usual "Kinect Sensor Required" tag on the box. Whilst the main game is playable with a regular controller, the Kinect-specific content...
