Move It: The Breakdown of Two New Motion-Controlled Gaming Options
Curious and confused about those new motion control additions for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360? Let’s clear it up for you.
When the Nintendo Wii was released it blew minds away with the way that it introduced motion control to the masses. Interacting directly with a video game through body motion was something that was previously only seen in science fiction movies and comic books, but ended up popping up in millions of homes around the world. Four years after the release of the Wii, Sony and Microsoft have joined in on the fun and recently released motion control peripherals for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Don’t be mistaken, these are far from high definition carbon copies of Nintendo’s entry, these are beasts all on their own.
PlayStation Move
One of the biggest complaints that people have had about there Wii — which may currently be collecting dust — is the lack of adult-oriented games and lack of high-definition graphics. On a high level, the PlayStation Move tackles both of these issues.
On the HD side, the Move delivers just like you would expect any PS3 game; no more jagged edges or bland colors that you are used to experiencing on the Wii, instead you’ll be subject to the full 1080P glory that Sony loves to deliver.
Regarding games, not only are the motion controllers equipped with more buttons that the Wii, but Sony has the intention of adding optional motion controls to existing games. I had the opportunity to play SoCom 3 — a first person shooter — with the Move and it worked great. No longer are you stuck with Mario Bros. and party games, you can now jump into titles that were previously reserved for standard controllers.
But, the Move isn’t solely directed towards adults, fun for the kids is present in some ways that the Wii cannot duplicate. Part of the Move set up is the PlayStation Eye peripheral, a camera attachment that helps the accuracy of the motion controllers that is also used in some games. EyePet, one of the launch titles, creates and displays an augmented world of your living room — or wherever you have the console set up — where you can interact with a cute furry creature as if it were really there with you. I told you, science fiction has turned to present day reality.
The set up may look somewhat familiar: a main wand-like controller and a secondary peripheral to fit into your other hand, similar to the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. Physically they look different, most noticeably the giant glowing ball on the main Motion Controller and the fact that the secondary Navigation Controller is shaped more like a Wii Remote than the Nunchuck. Multiple players are supported to make sure that people don’t just watch you act silly, they get to join in on the fun. Various bundles with the PlayStation 3 are available now as well as stand alone units of the Move peripherals.
Microsoft Kinect
Making a larger marketing presence than the Move, you may have seen the Kinect in action at places like Best Buy or even Old Navy — a weird place for video games but hey, it made my shopping experience with the wife that much more pleasant. You may have wondered why kids, or even adults, are dancing or jumping in front a TV screen at these locations — the answer is Kinect.
A super-high-tech camera, the Kinect tracks over a million points in its viewing area for state of the art motion detection. In laymen’s terms — and the peripheral’s marketing tagline — you become the controller. This isn’t like the Move or Wii where it just detects your hands; this bad boy grabs data from your entire body and limbs.
The highlight launch game of Kinect is hands down Dance Central (picture Dance Dance Revolution, but for real). Learn and mimic dance moves to progress through the game in ways that have never been seen before. Another great launch game is Kinectimals. Similar to EyePet, you interact with an animal on the screen using nothing but body movements and voice control.
But the fun doesn’t stop there, Kinect also contains a microphone that can be used for video chat with other people that have Kinect or even MS Messenger. To delve even more into the sci-fi state of mind, you can even control your Xbox dashboard — the userface for the console — using voice control and hand motions, a la “Minority Report”.
The Kinect is a single-item peripheral (just the camera set up), in other words, you don’t have to buy a bunch of controllers and/or chargers to make it work. It can be found bundled with the new Xbox 360S or by itself if you already own the console.
Motion controller is here in full effect and nowadays there are more choices than ever. If you feel like rejuvenating your PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, the Move and Kinect are great methods of doing so.
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