Xbox kinect - how much space required

pledgeX

I'm thinking about getting a 360 with a kinect but I'm worried I haven't got enough space. I've read that about 6ft is the minimum between yourself and the sensor.

The front of the TV unit is 240cm from the very front of the sofa. So if I put the kinect in the middle of the unit (at the base of the tv) I'd have about 260cm (8'6") absolute maximum. Now bearing in mind I wont be standing with my heel on the sofa the whole time and would need to throw body parts toward the tv, do you think this is enough space? There's no way I could move furniture to make space.

I'd also want to ensure at least 2 people could play side by side.

Does anyone play in a room of similar dimensions or perhaps even smaller? Have you had any problems?

Thanks.

jaydeeuk1

6ft is the absolute minimum for one person, and even then you'll be standing flat against the wall. You'll also need a good 6ft sideways too.

Ours is 8ft from the sofa, and that just about gets us in the 'excellent' zone for one person, too much of a squeeze for 2 really.

You can also get lenses apparently that fit over the kinect to allow you to play in a smaller space, but they do have some drawbacks.

pledgeX

Thanks jay.

Horinzontal space isn't a problem, got about 14ft. It's the depth that's the problem.

When you say its too much of a squeeze for 2 people @ 8ft. Is that even playable or is it completely hopeless? If there's no way to play with another person then I wont be bothering. Taking it in turns would be a bit lame!

I've seen those lenses but I would have thought there must be a disadvantage, or MS will have used it from the off.

jaydeeuk1

Its playable, just, but we do find ourselves getting in each others way, or the xbox warns us that we're drifting out the ideal zone.
Plus there aren't any decent games out for it at the moment (got bored of adventures!), so its relegated to being plugged in to my PC and used to control media center and the like.