After much fanfare and a big publicity push, Microsoft's Kinect launched last week for the Xbox 360. And while the games will inevitably vary by publisher, developer and personal preference, the one constant is the hardware. After a few days to go hands-on - or rather hands-off - with the new technology, The Clik gives you the low-down on Kinect, and what it may or may not mean for the future of casual video gaming.

The first thing potential buyers should be aware of is that Kinect is rather large. It's hard to tell from the unit shots posted online and out of context, but Kinect actually measures about 11 inches wide, about 3 inches deep and 3 inches tall. So it's pretty big. It is designed to be placed either directly below a TV on a stand, or affixed to the top of the television with a bracket that is disappointingly sold separately (even with Kinect's $149.99 price tag). It also requires a large, clear area of at least 6 feet for one player, or at least 8 feet for two. This may be detrimental to gamers with small apartments or to people with a labyrinth of furniture in their gaming spaces.

The physical setup is simple, but the digital setup is lengthier. For players using older Xbox 360 models, a USB cord has to be plugged into the USB port on the back of the console, and a power cord must also be plugged into a wall outlet. Owners of the new, slim model of the Xbox 360 get to skip the wall outlet step, with the Xbox powering the Kinect itself through an auxiliary port. There's also a workaround USB extender for users with the Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter using the back slot.

Once it is physically set up, players can turn on the Xbox 360. In addition to the recent Fall Update to Xbox Live, players are prompted for an update specific to the device. With a good internet connection, this takes less than a minute. The Xbox then runs gamers through a series of steps that test the sound of the room, sound created by the games, visual space and more, calibrating Kinect for use in the room where it is placed. This also means simply moving it to another space without calibration may cause some problems.

Next, the system runs players through a tutorial of the new features for Kinect. When the Xbox 360 with Kinect attached is powered on, players will initially see the regular Xbox 360 Dashboard used with a standard controller. Waving at the sensor, though, switches this to the Kinect Dashboard, and with any luck (it worked 3 out of the 4 first tries for me), signs in the player based on facial recognition. The chances can be increased even more by actually going through a facial recognition calibration process, as well.

On the Kinect Dashboard, players can do their best impressions of Tom Cruise in Minority Report. Menu screens can be navigated by simply holding up a hand in the right place and then waving it over. Games can be paused with the gesture of the right hand down and the left one out at a 45-degree angle. Selections are made by holding the virtual hands (by way of one's real hand) over an item and holding it there until the circle fills, indicating the selection.

In all sincerity, it's a totally cool feeling upon first loading up the system. It's the kind of thing that makes you feel like you're part of the future when participating in it. It's something you want to show to friends who haven't seen it yet. It's likely everything Microsoft hoped it would be in the hands of gamers. Then some time sets in and it becomes apparent that, while it serves as a cool display of technical prowess, controlling the dashboard using motions and gestures is not better than using a controller. In short, it takes longer and is less precise than simply using a controller. It's less efficient.

And the voice command feature finds itself in a similar place. It's cool, but requires a bit of yelling that gamers won't want to do late at night. It doesn't always respond to "Xbox!" on the first try, as if it isn't really listening until the talking starts. So while neat, it's not as accurate as one would like it to be. The same goes for the usually correct facial recognition. It's impressive, but it's always correct when the gamer just picks a profile with the controller. Ultimately, Kinect is a very impressive piece of technology, but it lacks the practicality that needs to be there to make it a necessary purchase for gamers.

But as with any gaming system, it will be the test of time and the titles released for it that make it either a WIN or FAIL. Kinect Adventures, the title included in the Kinect package, is an impressive piece of software. Though it gives the outward appearance of being another collection of Wii-like mini-games - something casual gamers may be growing tired of by this point - the new way to play actually lends some excitement to what's included.

But other games have already proven that the technology, while cool, may not have the control chops to be as precise as it needs to be for certain genres. Racing with an invisible wheel is a cool trick, but it comes nowhere close to a title fans will want to compete with even in the casual caliber of the Mario Kart realm. It's just not as tight as it needs to be to hold more stock than a temporary diversion.

And it remains to be seen whether hardcore gamers will get any use out of the device. Will something like Gears of War 3 allow players to give Dom commands via voice recognition? Whether casual or hardcore, the technology is impressive, but like any impressive hardware, it will ultimately be up to the developers to prove they can use it in intelligent, inventive ways. The best games on platforms like the iPhone are the best because they are smart enough to play to the strengths of the device and avoid the weaknesses. For Kinect to be a true success, it will have to find the same sort of innovation in its software as it has with the hardware. Without good software, it's just another piece of impressive tech without practical applications.