Nintendo revolutionized the gaming world when it introduced the Wii in 2006.
The little white box wasn’t revolutionary for its top-notch graphics or immersive game worlds. It was revolutionary because it drove many non-gamers to buy their first home consoles with one huge draw — motion control.
Buyers were becoming disenchanted with increasingly complicated video games. Controllers had too many buttons, and screen graphics moved too fast.
But with Wii, anyone could pick up a remote and wildly flail their arms to victory in a range of sports.
Housewives and soccer moms flooded retail stores in droves, making the Nintendo Wii the must-have gift for the past four Christmases.
After years of domination, Nintendo’s competition — Sony and Microsoft — did the only thing they could do: develop and release their own motion control add-on and hopefully capitalize on Nintendo’s fortune.
Sony took the safe route by releasing PlayStation Move this past September.
Using peripherals similar to Nintendo’s Wiimote and Nunchuk, Move has players flailing their arms in much the same way as Wii fanatics.
However, Move’s PlayStation Eye camera makes for more accurate motion sensing than Wii and higher-definition sports graphics.
These two improvements would logically make Move the superior choice. But its similarities to Nintendo likely won’t convince Wii owners to make the switch.
And those who don’t already own a Wii will likely be turned off by the $400 price tag for the PS3/Move — double the price of the Wii console.
Microsoft decided to take motion gaming in a completely different direction from Nintendo and Sony with the credo “you are the controller.”
Last week, Microsoft released Kinect, a dual-camera sensor that tracks players in a three-dimensional space.
Microsoft Kinect doesn’t require controllers, remotes or wands. Simply step in front of the sensor, and Kinect starts tracking body movements in a one-to-one ratio — sort of.
Players navigate menus simply by gesturing their arms, “Minority Report” style. And the sensor can recognize the user’s voice while ignoring any sound produced by the television.
Want to make a command? Simply say “Xbox,” then proceed to boss your console around like your little sister.
Using facial recognition, Kinect can also distinguish different players as they step in front of the sensor — assuming they’ve setup their Kinect ID.
Microsoft’s technology is highly impressive.
I took the $150 plunge and tested Kinect over the weekend, and though the games for Kinect are somewhat lacking, I’ll admit my view on Microsoft’s newest toy has changed.
After watching videos and reading various reviews for months, Kinect didn’t seem like something I would be interested in.
The sensor requires 6 to 8 feet of unobstructed space between the player and the sensor, 3 feet on each side and no abnormal lighting.
Not the ideal setup for a college student living in a small apartment or dorm.
But I was able to squeeze within its view in my cramped living room and had a blast playing the included “Kinect Adventures” and even embarrassed myself with Guitar Hero-Rock Band creator Harmonix’s “Dance Central.”
Microsoft spent nearly half a billion dollars in advertising for Kinect, and it seems it is a serious contender this holiday season to possibly dethrone the Wii.
Another interesting fact — pre-orders on Amazon increased 42 percent for the Kinect sensor and 67 percent for the Xbox/Kinect bundle after the peripheral was on Oprah.
Kinect has also recently been featured on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show.
With all the money Microsoft is throwing around, Kinect could easily become the must-have item this holiday season.
If there’s anything my “hands-on” with Kinect taught me this weekend, it’s motion gaming can be fun again. I just hope the novelty doesn’t wear off as quickly as that of my dust-collecting Wii.
Adam Arinder is a 21-year-old communication studies senior in Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_aarinder.
 
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Contact Adam Arinder at [email protected]