By Phil Vecchione
Get Moving! Video games are no longer for couch potatoes. Sony and Microsoft have taken the plunge into the world of motion gaming with the recent releases of the Xbox 360 Kinect and Playstation Move. Watch your back Nintendo.
Nintendo is the father of motion gaming. The Wii, which was released on Nov. 6, 2006, was the first ever-motion gaming console. Wii revolutionized the video game world and promoted a healthier gaming experience by forcing people to get up off their Lazy Boys. But the Kinect and Move may pose a threat to the Wii.
Sony launched the Playstation Move on Sept. 17. The Move bundle sold at Best Buy for $99.99, includes a Move controller, which is shaped like a magic wand with a sparking ball of light at the top, and the Eye Camera that copies the motion of the gamer holding and waving the controller.
Microsoft just released the Xbox 360 Kinect on Nov. 4. This second generation motion console is sold at Best Buy for $149.99. The major advantage of the Kinect is that it requires no controller. The innovative motion tracking system makes the user the controller. All motions made are mimicked and copied within the game.
The no controller technology causes a problem for Wii and Playstation. The new technology gives more freedom with no controller, creating more natural motion within the game. Even the slightest movement of your finger will be detected.
The Wii reportedly reached 30 million sales in the U.S., as of August 2010. In a report from Nintendo, 600,000 Wii consoles were bought in the U.S. during Black Friday.
Sony says that they have sold 4.1 million retail units since the Move’s September release. The Kinect has reportedly sold 2.5 million sensors in its first month.
Some critics were skeptical of the Playstation Move. They felt the Move would produce an identical experience to the Wii. The only difference would be in the games released.
The critics were wrong. The ball at the top of the wand provides more pin-point accuracy then that of the Wii; Sony calls it “zero point.” Sony engineer Anton Mikhailov feels the Wii remote does not compare and that it's like moving blindly.
“The problem with inertial sensors is that they tell you where you’re going, but not really where you end up,” Mikhailov said on digitaltrends.com. “You don’t know with the Wii sensor bar whether you’re turning – like in the pointer scenario – or moving. Because of that ambiguity, you can’t discern whether you’re moving in space.”
A drawback of the Move is its dependence upon camera technology. The camera must be placed in perfect position so that the motions can be detected properly. The user must have 8 ft of distance between the camera and must always be in line with the camera. Sunlight has also disrupted the camera eye throwing off motion detection.
The Kinect on the other hand can be “laggy,” meaning that the motion is sometimes detected late. Making the gaming experience annoying and hard to play with. The Kinect also requires 6 feet of distance between the user and console.
Facial recognition is an issue with Kinect. Dark-skinned people have had trouble with the face recognition implemented into the system. But this is an issue that has been concurring with all motion sensor technology.
The camera devices used with the Kinect and Move also allow for video chat. Gamers can video chat with someone overseas as long as they have the camera technology and a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. Only Playstation users can connect with Playstation users and Xbox users with other Xbox users. There is no market cross over. The Wii does not offer any type of video chat.
The two motion systems also come with microphones built into the cameras. The Kinect allows for voice command when navigating through its various menus. This can make using the Kinect simpler for those who may struggle with its interface.
At the moment, in regards to games, Wii still has the upper hand. It has over a hundred titles to choose from, many of which had record breaking sales. Will the Move and Kinect catch up? The Move and Kinect are too new at this point to understand the level of gaming they are to reach.
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