Technology and Gadgets Online

A year ago at the annual E3 show, Microsoft presented for the first time a developmental device for Xbox 360 which could sense motion. Until that point Nintendo’s Wii game console entirely owned the motion detecting segment of the video game market. But this new system from Microsoft signaled that the Wii stood to face some true competition in the field of motion-sensing virtual reality games. Even with the Wii’s clear lead in this field, all indicators show Xbox 360 Kinect to have some serious advantages and offer a powerful alternative.

Microsoft, the mega-billion dollar brainchild of Bill Gates, has jumped into a whole new world. Although, the Xbox 360 offers myriads of great games, most aim at more traditional game players, twitch gamers, and serious role-playing types of video gamers. This is typically the 11 – 25 year old male gamer market. Kinect games introduce a new class of gamers to the world of Xbox. Microsoft has not blushed about imitating the Wii. In fact they have virtually rewritten and renamed most of the really successful game on the Wii platform. But Microsoft hopes that by offering a more comprehensive product, with better graphics and a much more powerful console core and skipping any need for controllers of any kind, Kinect has side-stepped the add-ons issue the Wii games depend on.  With just a brief perusal of the games to be available on the Kinect, one can see how Microsoft has followed the successes of Nintendo developments.

For example, Wii “Fit” finds its clone in the Kinect “Fitness Evolved” game. Breaking from Wii tradition, however, no peripherals are needed to start working out right away. Already third party vendors are showcasing Kinect compatibles of Wii classics like “Biggest Loser” and “Zumba Fitness.” Kinect’s new Joy Ride obviously duplicates the Wii “Mark Kart,” with all too similar features. Want to care for your own virtual pet?  No need to play Nintendogs any longer as Xbox has cloned “Kinectimals” to mark their territory in the virtual animal world.

Maybe the slogan “first to market” won’t prove true this time as Microsoft may quickly catch and surpass the Wii world. Unfortunately for the Wii, the Nintendo library has become overstocked with buggy games and duds that no one plays. Perhaps Wii was the opening act and the Kinect will steal the show. Then again, surely Nintendo won’t drop their controls and say “game over.” Only time will tell, and the XBox 360 Kinect has many hurdles of its own in its march to overtake the ubiquitous Nintendo Wii.