Last November Microsoft released the Kinect for the Xbox 360, and it was recently named the Fastest-selling Consumer Electronics Device in the world, breaking a Guinness World Record.

I made it almost 5 years since the Xbox 360 was released without breaking down and buying one. With all the hype surrounding this new peripheral, along with my love for anything new and shiny, I couldn’t hold off anymore and ended up getting the system bundled with the Kinect. Overall, I’m happy with my purchase…I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I haven’t written anything on here since I bought it. Of all the time I’ve wasted trying to build up my Xbox Live gamer score however, the role that the Kinect has played is minor.

Compared with the Wii and the Playstation Move controllers, the Kinect wins in the battle to get gamers off the couch in my opinion. I don’t have a Playstation 3, but despite the fact that the hardware and graphics blow the Wii out of the water, it basically does the same thing. I’ve had a Wii for a few years, but its use has been limited to a Netflix streaming console. Removing the need to use any controllers at all, the Kinect really stands out from its competitors. It also works quite well in tracking your movements to control the games. It does have its flaws however, some of which can be fixed and some that probably can’t be.

Where are all the games?

It’s been 5 months since it was first released, yet Microsoft only lists 23 games available or coming soon. The number of fitness or dance games make up almost a third of the games on the list, none of which I’d be interested in. Unless they’re able to get some solid games developed soon, the Kinect will fade away fast.

Coffee table discrimination

How many people have a living room like the one in the picture? My guess is that most people don’t. Yet the open space around the television is really needed to properly use the Kinect. Sure, the whole point is to move around, but the space requirement means that for many, they’d have to re-arrange their living space to accommodate for the Kinect, or put it in a separate entertainment/game room. Plus, the space around you needs to be not only clear of furniture, but clean. There have been a few times when I opted not to play a Kinect game because I didn’t feel like moving the couch back a few feet and picking up all the dog toys to keep from tripping over them.

The dogs think I’m crazy

Our family is growing, if you consider a puppy weighing under 2 pounds to be growth. And yes, this is just a cheap excuse to put up a picture of her on my site. With 3 dogs in the house now, it can be a little uncomfortable to use the Kinect. If they’re around you, one of two reactions can be expected. They’ll either think it’s play time and start jumping all over you and really mess up your game, or they’ll go run and hide out of fear. From a safe distance, they’ll sit there trying to figure out why I’m swatting and kicking furiously into thin air, convinced that I’ve lost my mind.

Is it worth it?

At the end of the day, I’m still glad I bought the Kinect. It forced me to get the 360, and I’ve been playing it every chance I get, which is bad for productivity at home. If I didn’t get it, I’d want it just to know what it was all about. It’s a solid peripheral, and has a lot of potential. Hopefully it will live up to the hype, at the expense of my perceived sanity by my dogs.