Junior Member
I've now spent between 4 and 9 weeks each using Your Shape Fitness Evolved, EA Sports Active 2 and The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout.
Your Shape should be the best. It has great workouts, lots of variety, lots of Downloadable Content...
It's really too bad... The whole "in rhythm" approach is fundamentally flawed and it ends up being the worst of the bunch.
If I'm just a little out of sync, or if I don't go into dangerous contortions to force the program to recognize my movements, I score extremely low for the exercise. It's just too frustrating. Exercise is supposed to be enjoyable.
Please fix it. Make the program more accurate or tolerant. Count the calories when I'm moving along with the exercise even if I'm a little out of sync. Give me accurate feedback. Don't say my lunge isn't low enough when the problem is that my back isn't straight.
The DLC, mobile apps, etc are nice. But fix the program first.
Junior Member
The sensor still gives you credit for the movement you are doing, even if you're not in sync.
Try this, bring up some routine, and instead of doing whatever it is, just do jumping jacks, or some other exercise instead of what it's telling you. You won't get any "score" percentile wise, but you'll still see the calorie counter going up.
I agree that it can be very frustrating when you know you're doing it right and it's likely just some lighting aspect, or angle of body in relation to the sensor that it's not picking up....and I do hope that those things get fixed too, but I've also just realized that in the bigger scheme of things (healthier, stronger, less weight and fat on my frame) it's not as important.
As to the rhythm aspect, one of the reasons I feel it's actually a GOOD thing and works is that it allows you to know the rough amount of time a routine is going to take. Without the rhythm aspect, you couldn't do that.
Junior Member
I see folks complaining about not being able to get credit, and I am left wondering if it's either their gaming conditions (not enough space or light) or their Kinect camera itself. I have no problem getting credit for exercise unless I am doing it wrong. Sometime it takes me a while to realize I should have been, you know, squatting when I wasn't or that the trainer model is swaying right to left during Leg Curls for example, and as soon as I adjust, I get the score.
Given that I wonder what else could be the problem cause this issue is not in my copy of the game.
Just got my first 100% ever ona whole routine on Gold Cardio boxing this past week! She said "Flawless performance" or soemthing like that. So exciting...
Junior Member
Bhorza: for the basic exercises (cardio, toning, shaping) you can't advance if you don't have a high enough score. Due to accuracy problems, the only way to advance to a higher level is to retake the fitness test. I'm not convinced the calories counted are accurate if you are out of sync. If the In Rhythm was reasonably accurate and/or a little more tolerant, I could live with it.
DeltaBadhand: Neither EASA2 nor Biggest Loser have the same level of problem recognizing movement as YSFE does. Each of them have their quirks, but YourShape is by far the worst at recognizing my movements and "in rhythm" status across a wide range of exercises.
I really want to like the program, but 2-3 days of playing it always sends me back to one of the others in frustration.
Junior Member
I know we all would love to see the in rhythm be more accurate so we can get a better calorie count. I can’t tell you the times I get upset when my percentage is low because it’s not reading right. I’ve tried different lighting (moving lamps around) and moving the kintec around. I even got a tri pod for the darn thing. I still have issue but I found it’s more accurate when it is about eye level and you have lighting around you and not directly above you.
Here are the things I learned from all of this:
1 I still get upset when the calories and percentage numbers are low. But I do get a good workout and even though I know I’ve burned more calories.
2. I also tell myself “I’m in it more for the workouts to get in better shape”.
3. This is a lot cheaper then being in a gym fitness class.
Junior Member
This convinces me that this is an environmetal (lights, spcae ) thing because EASA2 is basically unusable for me. It just won't register anyone as running or doing knee ups. When I do the left/right or back/front jumps my character floats in the air with his arms contorted in impossible positions and sometime the left leg is bent FORWARD and it doesnt count any jumps! I won't even get started on how frustrating anything is that requires me to get on the floor (push ups, planks, cruches) It doesn't even know I am standing there and after it prompts me to stand to be recognized, ( I was already standing) it lets me get down and then makes me get up again! I don't even try to play it anymore!DeltaBadhand: Neither EASA2 nor Biggest Loser have the same level of problem recognizing movement as YSFE does. Each of them have their quirks, but YourShape is by far the worst at recognizing my movements and "in rhythm" status across a wide range of exercises.
That you have a good experience with that game and not with YSFE and I have the opposite experience convinces me it's not the game as much as the set up!
Junior Member
DeltaBadhand: Let's compare notes: I have between 8 and 10 feet of space in front of my camera. I have a ceiling light fixture with two 60 watt equiv. CFL bulbs. I added a floor lamp in front with a 150 watt equiv. CFL bulb. The front light helped quite a bit. I have a rear light too, but that seems to make things worse so I don't use it.
The ceiling light is directly over my head. Before I added the front light, I'd have recognition problems sometimes due to shadows.
My camera is mounted at maybe 5'10" above the floor directly in the center of the room, over my TV. I've wondered if offsetting to the right or left might help. I've experimented with facing slightly to the left or right of the camera and sometimes that makes a difference. I've also wondered if the camera is too high. I sometimes get feedback in BLUW that says I am squatting too low or not punching high enough that is just inaccurate.
I have a grey floormat that I sometimes think interferes with reading me when doing floor exercises. It varies. Usually it's fine, but sometimes it loses me.
I suspect the optimal height and distance may be different for different programs.
Senior Member
First of all, I've enjoyed reading this discussion on the way the various workout programs work/don't work for various people. Both YSFE and EASA2 work well for me though both have a few minor quirks that I can live with.
I want to add a bit about the calorie count (these observation have nothing to do with getting high percentage scores, which is a whole other topic): I have noted in YSFE that whether you are in perfect rhythm or not, the more vigorously you do the exercises the more calories you will burn and get "credit" for. I have also noticed that if I move about, pump my arms, do some squats or whatever during the small breaks between exercises I can dramatically increase the number of calories I burn during the workout session. This is because calories continue to be counted during those small breaks.
Junior Member
I have 9 feet in front of my camera, I use the back 4-5 to play YSFE. I have no overhead fixtures, I keep the lights behind me off and one lamp to the right of the TV on at night (60 watt) and off when natural light comes in a window 12 feet to the left of the camera.Originally posted by rjbbob:
DeltaBadhand: Let's compare notes: I have between 8 and 10 feet of space in front of my camera. I have a ceiling light fixture with two 60 watt equiv. CFL bulbs. I added a floor lamp in front with a 150 watt equiv. CFL bulb. The front light helped quite a bit. I have a rear light too, but that seems to make things worse so I don't use it.
The ceiling light is directly over my head. Before I added the front light, I'd have recognition problems sometimes due to shadows.
My camera is mounted at maybe 5'10" above the floor directly in the center of the room, over my TV. I've wondered if offsetting to the right or left might help. I've experimented with facing slightly to the left or right of the camera and sometimes that makes a difference. I've also wondered if the camera is too high. I sometimes get feedback in BLUW that says I am squatting too low or not punching high enough that is just inaccurate.
I have a grey floormat that I sometimes think interferes with reading me when doing floor exercises. It varies. Usually it's fine, but sometimes it loses me.
I suspect the optimal height and distance may be different for different programs.
My TV sits on a console two feet off the floor and the camera sits on the same console in front of the TV. They are both slightly turned to the left (not square to the console, but paralelle to each other.)
My carpet is light brown, so I make sure to wear different colored sneakers than the floor, and make my socks a different color than my sneakers to help my feet "pop" out.
