An Xbox 360 update lets you access Netflix without a controller, but the question is, why would you want to?
Navigating menus without a controller is a pretty neat way to impress your friends, but – as anyone with a Kinect will tell you – it’s not quite as cool in practice as it is in theory. So while the latest Xbox 360 update does indeed allow users to access Netflix using Kinect, early reports suggest that doing so is just about as much fun as you would expect, which is to say that it’s not much fun at all.
The main problem is that Kinect only allows you to access the primary “Recommendations” page on Netflix, which considerably limits your selections. Normally, you would be able to hit the ‘Search’ button to access hundreds of other movies, but if you try doing so with Kinect, you’ll get a nice message telling you to use a freaking controller. (Or at least, that’s the general gist of the message.) Kinect also won’t allow you to access your Instant Queue, and further limits the utility of Netflix.
Once you’re actually in a movie, you can fast forward, pause, and rewind using hand gestures or voice commands. From what I’ve heard, this part works pretty well, so hopefully Microsoft fixes the rest of the experience.
Source: Wired
