Kinect puts the Xbox controller aside

Microsoft’s Kinect sensor reached North American stores today for the Xbox 360. Mounted near a television, it watches the player with a color camera and depth sensor while a microphone array listens for voice commands.

The launch lineup emphasizes dancing, exercise and approachable sports rather than the button-heavy games associated with the console. Kinect can also recognize a user, navigate portions of the Xbox interface and track several body joints without a handheld controller.

The interesting question is whether removing buttons makes games more welcoming or merely less precise. Kinect gives a roomful of people an immediate way to participate, but it also needs floor space and asks software designers to invent a new physical vocabulary. Its value will depend on games that use body tracking as more than a novelty.