lol - no, hopefully not.  But I'm just the messanger answering the original query.

Kinect does have (relatively short though it is) the longest calibration process and it is the most sensitive to room layout.  In a review which isn't just about the product but normally by extension somewhat comparative to similar products (Move / Wii) that's going to get called out to some extent.

Some sites are just chosing to see it as more of an issue than others.

So I think it is fair to be called out, just not over-emphazised as some have done.  After all, not having to move your coffee table vs having to move it is a difference and for the customer one that might make a difference - which is what reviews are all about.

I always assume there will be some idiots cursing somewhere struggling to get something like Wii, Move or Kinect working, and you'll hear about it too.  So long as it remains in proportion then it's fine.  Personally, setting up Kinect doesn't seem too bad to me and reasonable (pardon the pun) for the hardware itself.

http://kotaku.com/5680506/configuring-a-room-for-kinect-a-tale-of-two-houses

Well Brian Crecente would seem to disagree!

The point you seem to want to ignore - and if you're willing to insult a senior mod then I guess you're going to continue to ignore - is that no-one is saying EVERYONE will have issues.  Life isn't black and white, and you should deal with that.  What is being noted is that SOME PEOPLE are definately going to have trouble due to the space requirements, and that Kinect is the most space demanding of all the current devices on the market.

Just because you didn't have trouble doesn't mean that those who do are wrong and that the whole topic is WRONG.

Some people won't have space, some people - this would include myself - have very heavy, expensive coffee tables that take some moving and which we are reluctant to move regularly.

I had a bitch of a time, calibrating Move, when I tried it at Best Buy when it launched.  I was trying to play the riding chair-fighting game, and I got pretty frustrated, and just decided to play table tennis instead, which was a pretty cool game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV-x62DQa0c

This amount of space works fine. It would be interesting to find just how much smaller of a room it can work at.

This isnt about space. This is the actual setup of the system. Speaking of space yesterday stopped at Best Buy and my 9 year old went to try Move.  The calibration in Sports Champions set him up nearly 6 feet from the screen.

The majority of the negative points I've seen in tech reviews around calibration have to do with lack of space interferring with the whole process.  Second to that is the fact that, although I'd argue it's pretty easy, Kinect initial setup is longer than Move or Wii in general - the key point being in general, not your or my own unique experiences.

This isn't a competition between Move/Kinect - at least so far as I'm concerned.  The OP queried what the issues were that would cause some reviews to be critical.  I and others clarified this factually.  This apparently was an attack on Kinect which I guess, so far as you and others are concerned, 100% of the time calibrates without error and works in 100% of rooms with a TV and a 360.

Anyway, I'm done with this thread TBH.  When something is asked and answered and the factual answers are 'o'migod he's attacking my new favourite thing' for some people then there's no point continuing.

For the record, exactly what does your experience in a Best Buy with Move have to do with the original question "why are some reviews critiquing elements of Kinect calibration and setup" and what relevance does it have to any of the replies?

I can't see one myself other than an obviously defensive "hey yeah but Move has issues too" as if I'm automatically backing Move.  Check my responses, I've noted ALL the motion control devices can have issues, because they all can.  All three of them (Wii, Move, Kinect) can also be easily messed with due to their nature.  They're not magic you know, they rely on specific conditions and clear input from their various sources, and they are not going to work 100% of the time and that's why - pretty boring repeating this but hey why not one last time - this is being mentioned because it's something buyers should be aware of so they can judge just how easily - or not - they can use the device.

Good post fella, unfortunately a minority of posters on this forum have been allowed to troll so much in Kinect threads that even honest posters are now being unfairly labelled.  I really cannot be bothered posting in any threads on here anymore, it's quite sad to watch a forum in decline.

I'll post my findings when I get mine but I suspect I will have no issues as it's going in the living room wher there is plenty of space and nothing really gets moved around.

Then you have a tiny living room. Anyone with a tv over 40" for example  should have it placed no closer then 8-9 feet from their couch. Do the math. If your tv is smaller then obviously less space is needed but to have less than 6 feet between the tv and couch means you should adjust your livingroom layout anyways or your tv should be no bigger than around 30".  The requirements are not as demanding as you and some other people seem to be making it out to be. 6 feet of space is not very much. If someone has a livingroom no bigger than a bathroom then they probably can't afford Kinect in the first place or live in a super tiny apartment.