Earlier this month I demo’d Microsoft’s new Kinect sensor for the Xbox 360 and the Sony PS3 Move Controllers on ABC’s World News Now. We also played some music game and Vinita Nair could be seen rockin’ out on Paper Jamz. You can watch the segment here:
[You can find this video on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-97DxksSJG8.]
The PlayStation Move is a combination of the PlayStation3 gaming system, the PlayStation Eye camera and the PlayStation Move motion controller. It’s designed to be an add-on to the PS3 system that allows gamers to experience a new type of gaming. The technology is in the pairing of the motion controller and the eye camera. The glowing ball at the end of the motion controller allows the eye camera to pinpoint your every movement and position within the room. This tracking is translated, with absolute precision, into gameplay.
** PlayStation Move Bundle $99 (PlayStation®Move motion controller, PlayStation Eye camera Sports Champions, game Bonus game demo disc)
** Controllers $50 separately
** Sports Champions sells for $40 (includes mini-games like table tennis, archery, beach volleyball, and bocce)
Microsoft’s Kinect literally puts you in the game by making you the controller. It’s an add-on for your existing xbox 360 console. It uses a gesture-tracking 3D camera to track your movements, and knows you each time you come back to play. Players activate it with a wave of a hand, navigate menus with an arm swoosh, or a tap in mid-air, and then jump, squat, lunge, swing or dance as their on-screen avatars do the same. Kinect also scopes out the room and all the other people in it. As you twist and turn and lunge and jump, the system takes photos and videos that it shows you at the end of the game. Prime targets for Facebook fodder.
** The Kinect sensor is $150 and comes with a copy of Kinect Adventures
** Kinect Bundle: If you don’t already own an Xbox 360: bundle consisting of the new 4GB 360 hardware, the Kinect hardware and a copy of Kinect Adventures is available for $300.
** Also shown: “Your Shape: Fitness Evolved” (Ubisoft), $49.99
Rock Band 3: Xbox 360/PS3 $60 MTV Games and Harmonix
**added in a 25-key keyboard controller expanded catalog of songs;
**The Doors, Billy Joel, John Lennon New Pro mode with new controllers
**trainer videos that demo basics, notes and then moves onto chords.
Paper Jamz: Affordable play instruments that you don’t need a video game console to play. For $65, you can have a band! Active Graphics technology allows for circuit-embedded paper that lets you play like a pro, just by touching the paper surface. Three modes of play: perfect play; rhythm: control the rhythm for each song; and freestyle: lets you play real sounds and create your own songs, karaoke has you singing and playing along to the three included songs. The Amp also works with anything that has a headphone jack, like an iPod or MP3 player.
** Guitar: $25 5 to choose from each with 3 different songs. 30 chords to learn.
** Drums: $25
** Amp: $15
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