Xbox 360

It's safe to say that the Kinect is the must-have gift this holiday, but it looks like there might be some disappointed faces come Christmas. Don Mattrick, the president of Microsoft's Xbox business unit, told audience members at the Web 2.0 Summit that if they want a Kinect in time for Christmas, they need to buy one within the week. Don speculates that at the rate Kinects are currently flying off shelves, there won't be any left by the time Christmas rolls around.

Microsoft moved one million Kinects in under two weeks and is projecting to sell five million by year's end. A quick look around the web shows that it's currently sold out online at GameStop, Amazon, Target, and BestBuy. Is this the equivalent of the Cabbage Patch Kid craze of the '80s or more recently, the great Wii shortage of 2007?

Welcome to part two of my Kinect review, where we take a gander at some of the available games for the Kinect system. I was able to test out a half dozen during my time with the Kinect, so let's dive right in as I take you through what each game is about and rate them to help you decide if they're worth your dough.

Kinect Adventures
Coming stocked with every Kinect bundle, you're going to kick off your Kinect experience on the right foot. Fun challenges have you moving your feet (and body!) side to side to avoid obstacles, rafting down a river, jumping up and down, and all in all, having a fantastic time doing it. This game is a blast — no wonder everyone is getting a copy!

Hear about the rest of the games after the break.

While testing out the Microsoft Kinect system this past week, there was one thing that kept running through my mind: Leonardo DiCaprio's breakdown scene in The Aviator (stick with me here). Unlike Howard Hughes, I don't have a crippling case of OCD, but I do think that the Kinect system is "the way of the future." Think about it — just a few short years ago, the Wii broke serious ground in the motion control arena, followed by the glowing remote of the PlayStation Move, but taking leaps and bounds ahead of that is the Kinect, which uses no controllers at all. Sure, some serious gamers will say that controller-less games are a fallacy and may be no more than a baby's toy. OK, fine. But here's something — maybe there's room for both.

The Xbox 360 has always kinda been known as "the gamers' console". There are plenty of games for hardcore gamers to choose from, and access to Xbox Live to play online with your friends makes it social, but really, the Kinect allows the Xbox to be the best of both worlds, fluffy and edgy, at the same time. It's obvious that Microsoft is targeting the "nongamer" for this system, as it's been featured on shows like Oprah and Ellen, and I believe that it will open up a huge market for Microsoft to tap into.

Find out more about the Kinect, along with the rest of my review after the break.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 is a popular gaming system, but fans can use for much more than games given its streaming capabilities and Internet connectivity. Xbox Live, Microsoft's Xbox content service, now has 25 million subscribers worldwide, which is officially more than top cable company Comcast. This is bad news for the cable service, which has been seeing a recent decrease in subscriptions, down to 23 million subscribers nationwide.

Find out why Comcast should continue to worry after the jump.

Being woken up in a comfy bed by your dutiful butler, Jasper, doesn't seem like that bad of a deal for a young princess. I mean, you live in a castle, your brother is the king, and you have a hot boyfriend waiting for you in the garden. Seems awesome, right? As you begin your adventure in Fable III, which is available today on your Xbox 360 and PC, you realize that, in fact, not all is well in Albion. Picking up around 60 years from where Fable II left off, you quickly discover that it's up to you to change the future of the kingdom by sparking a revolution, and take your place on the throne. However, battling your way to the throne is just a means to an end. If you get there, you'll have to make some serious decisions on the future of your kingdom and take the side of good, which will help the people of Albion or veer evil in the footsteps of your tyrannical brother. The decision is yours.

I've been waiting a long time to experience Fable III, a continuation of the wildly popular Fable II release of 2008, and it didn't disappoint. Bringing together a sort of "choose your own adventure"-style game play, beautiful landscapes, and a whole new menu feature make this title a worthy successor to one of my favorite games of the past few years.

Find out more about Fable III, and read the rest of my review after the break.

Oprah has been extra awesome in her last season, already sending an entire audience to Australia along with a brand new Motorola Defy. During yesterday's show, she got a demo of the Kinect system, then sent each audience member home with one of their own.

I'm already looking forward to the Kinect's ability to shape my bod, but there's a ton of other games that will be Kinect-compatible soon, as well. Check out Oprah's audience after they find out they're all getting a Kinect and an Xbox 360 in the video after the break.

You guys were pretty psyched about the first DJ Hero, and with DJ Hero 2, there's even more reasons to get excited.

Available today, DJ Hero 2 allows you to mix some of music's hottest tracks (Lady Gaga, anyone?), but you can also battle it out with another DJ, add vocals with a mic, and have pals hop in and out of gameplay in the party mode. The DJ Hero 2 Party Pack ($150) includes everything you need to get started — two turntables, a mic, and the game, so you can get your friends involved from minute one. Going solo for a while? There's the Turntable Bundle ($100) that includes the game and one turntable, or just the game ($60) if you already have the hardware.

To sweeten the deal, Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy are tossing in some extras with a purchase. Find out what they are after the break.

2007's CES brought the news that AT&T's U-Verse service would be coming to the Xbox 360, and according to a new report, that dream is finally becoming reality next month.

Three years after its initial announcement from former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, AT&T will be allowing Xbox 360 owners to access U-Verse programming from a dashboard app on their consoles, essentially turning their Xbox into a U-Verse set-top box that streams programming over your broadband Internet connection. Other than eliminating one extra set-top box from your home theater, that's really all it does. Handy? Yes. Essential? Probably not. But there are a few catches if you want to get in on the deal. Find out what they are after the break.