Oh dear. I bet I’m not the only person to use that pun. Terrible.

When Microsoft first announced the Kinect, did anyone else think it would never see the light of day? It seemed far too magical, a technology far greater than what we currently had, a step beyond what anyone would want in their homes. Think: Microsoft Surface.

But here it is, launched in the States, and ready to break out across Europe today. I haven’t even been keeping a close watch on the hype surrounding but I already know that I want one.

There are plenty of barriers to entry for us, even if you don’t count the fact that we just don’t have time to play games. We don’t have a TV, we don’t have an X-Box. In fact, we don’t have all that much space for flinging arms around and such-like.

I know a lot of people have been critical about the Wii, and now Kinect, because it doesn’t allow for the “proper games” like first-person shooters or racing titles to be played the way they are meant to be. That doesn’t mean there isn’t space for this in the market.

Our Wii sits gathering dust at my parents house at the moment, but when I had the motivation to use it, it was all about the balance board - Wii Fit, Wii Sports, plus maybe the dancey bit on Raving Rabbids.

The only non-active games we ever attempted were The Sims 2, which was awful, The Urbz, which was even worse, and Super Paper Mario, which was excellent, if a little tricky.

I find that the Wii was designed with motion in mind, so why not embrace it for it’s dance/workout/sports philosophy. Everyone always says that people need to get up and moving more. It may not be outside, but it’s more than just sitting on a sofa.

What do you make of the Kinect? Will it catch on? Will anyone buy it? And more importantly, will it stick around or is it just a fad?