Microsoft Kinect innards exposed by iFixit

Lots of tech in a cheap plastic wrapper

Those little tinkers at iFixit waited in line on launch day to buy Kinect controller for the Xbox 360, then pulled it to bits for their own sordid amusement and our edification.

The controllerless controller contains a dizzying array of sensors housed in what appears, from the gallery of destruction, to be some pretty cheap and nasty plastic.

In particular, the gearing assembly and motor which powers the sensor head's rotation look scarily fragile, and we won't be surprised to see lots of these being returned under warranty having succumbed to the ham-fisted pawings of temperamental teens.

At the heart of the motion-sensing and voice recognising device, are two cameras and an IR projector which can measure a player's position in a 3D space to claimed accuracy of 1cm.

The device also includes four microphones, an accelerometer, more chips than a Vegas casino and a fan to keep everything cool.

IFixit reports that the design is very modular, with no desoldering required to pull it apart, and gives it a 6 out of ten repairability rating, despite the use of lots and lots of torx security screws.