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Kinect the future of gaming?

You are the controller. Seriously. The commercials were quite right about that. What is less obvious at this point is whether that's a good thing.

You are the controller. Seriously. The commercials were quite right about that. What is less obvious at this point is whether that's a good thing.

Microsoft's Kinect control system hit the stores last week with a handful of games, and so far the reviews have been pretty good - although there's a sense the technology is not quite ready for prime time.

On the game front, there's Kinectimals, a game which appeals to younger kids by allowing them to play, interact and care for a real jungle cat - lion, tiger, panther, whatever he or she chooses. It's actually a series of mini games that you play with gestures and voice commands to unlock new games and areas of the tropical island in search of treasure. Some games involve driving your pet around, others throwing a ball for him/her to fetch.

Then there's Kinect Sports, a selection of motion-sensitive games similar to what you'll find on Wii Sports title, but with no controller required. The list of games includes bowling, track, beach volleyball, table tennis, soccer and boxing. I've seen demos and soccer looks to be the lamest, but generally people are quite happy with the games and the control scheme. Did I mention there's no controller?

Also available is Dance Central, which is a rhythm dance game where you move your arms and body as well as your feet to get your avatar cutting the rug. There are several different training and gaming modes to give this title some variety - in one you'll be graded on your ability to keep up with the routine for the duration of a song. In another you'll match moves with an online opponent in a dance-off format. By all accounts it's a fun game - maybe the best dance game of all time, say commentators - and something every teen is going to want.

There's a driving game, which is supposed to be largely forgettable once you get over the "there's no controller!" novelty. Then there's Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, a motion sensing fitness program that is obviously designed to give Wii Fit a run for its considerable money.

Here's the thing: Kinnect will cost you $150. It's pretty cool hardware with voice and motion technology, and it does other things besides games. It will let you sit in your chair and navigate through Xbox Live using gestures and voice commands. You can use the camera to video conference. However, since your body is the controller you also need a lot of space - the optimal distance from Kinect's sensors is about eight feet to ensure you remain squarely in the frame, and not everybody is going to have that much open area. For most people it's going to take a minor redecoration just to play with one person, much less with two.

As for the games, the Kinect comes with one free title called Kinect Adventures, that by all accounts is pretty solid. The other five titles are $50 each.

That may seem kind of expensive, but by all accounts the first round of games is decent and kids apparently love it. Kids are also far more tolerant of the slight imperfections in the way that Kinect interacts and detects motion.

There's no question that it's incredible technology, basically flooding your room with ultraviolet light then using sensors to overlay virtual skeletons on the people in said room to allow the Kinect to detect and reproduce movements in (almost) real time.

I kind of want this. I also really want the full Rock Band 3 setup with the real guitar and keyboard. I don't have enough money to buy both. Who does?

But I have a daughter. And I think this daughter would like a pet tiger, since we're not able to give her a real flesh and blood pet just yet. But on the other hand I'd like her to play piano and drums...

My reservations over Kinect have more to do with the newness of the Kinect technology and the lack of games to start with. However, I do have faith this is going to succeed - as do most of the major game studios that are developing Kinect titles - but there's no denying that it's a niche technology on a single console, introduced at a time when companies are trying to make their games playable by as wide an audience as possible.

It's the same limitation facing Sony Playstation Move controllers - any game you make for that technology is only going to appeal to PS3 owners that purchased the Move controllers, which is to say a niche market within a niche market. It's too small a group for serious game developers and serious games.

But the Kinect has one thing going for it, and that's the massive PC market out there. There's no reason why PC Gamers shouldn't be able to hook up Kinect to their home computer or media PC at a future date, a feature that could potentially increase the size of the market exponentially.

Another ace-in-the-hole is the touted object recognition ability of Kinect, which would allow you to wield a sword, steering wheel or gun, or even a special type of controller that would enhance your ability to move around a virtual landscape. In the future, games will also incorporate the controller.

The possibilities are infinite. I suspect it could take years for Kinect to really connect, but when it does it will be incredible.