When the Nintendo Wii hit store shelves back in 2006, it revolutionized the way we play video games. Its motion-sensing controllers allowed for a player to physically involve himself in a game, with the player’s movements captured by the game. The Wii succeeded with casual family-friendly games like Wii Sports, which featured bowling, baseball, golf, tennis and boxing, and Wii Fit, an exercise game that is one of the bestselling video games of all time.
While Sony had gimmicky games that dealt with some motion-sensing technology and cameras for its Playstation 2, Nintendo based its entire game system off the technology. Now Sony is stepping up its efforts in the motion-sensing gaming world with the Playstation Move, only available for Playstation 3.
The Playstation Move utilizes the Playstation Eye (its predecessor, the EyeToy, was made for Playstation 2), a motion controller and a
navigation controller. The technology behind the system is definitely
superior to the Wii’s. The Playstation Eye and motion controller work in
concert to track the movements of the player by using the lights and
colors emitted from the motion controller’s bulb. It’s a lot more
accurate, precise and detailed than Wii’s system.
But
even though the technology may be superior, Wii’s success was in large
part because of the games offered. The Playstation Move has answered
back with its lineup of sports and action games not only targeting the
family, but also the hardcore gamer.
One of the current games available now for the Playstation Move is The Fight: Lights Out, targeting the teenage crowd who may need a little exercise with their gaming. The Fight takes you into the street-fighting world where you compete in tournament-style matches in different virtual neighborhoods. You
put a Move controller in each hand and the game tracks your fists while
you throw punches, jabs, uppercuts, body shots and hooks. The game also has
a head-tracking system that will track your head movements when trying
to dodge or block punches from your virtual opponent. When you’re
finished with a match, the game calculates how many calories you’ve lost
to go along with your sore muscles and increased heart rate. It’s truly
a fun way to get some exercise and sweat off some weight.
If that game seems too aggressive for you, SingStar Dance is another option for you to stay active while playing video games. SingStar is the popular Sony karaoke series that allows players to sing along with recent pop hits. In SingStar Dance, as
the title suggests, there’s a dance component where you dance to the
songs, matching the moves of the dancer on the screen. At the same time,
other players sing to the tracks, which feature recent pop hits from
Lady Gaga, Outkast, Gwen Stefani, Black Eyed Peas and Kid Cudi, among
others.
Even if you don’t want to “move” with Playstation Move, there are fun shooting games like The Shoot, where you’re making old-timey Hollywood movies, shooting it out with cowboys and aliens, and Time Crisis: Razing Storm, a spin-off of the classic Time Crisis shooter
series. There’s a plethora of cool gun accessories, like battle rifles,
sub-machine guns and pistols, which you can drop your Move controller
into to get players in the zone.
In 2011, Sony and third-party developers will be creating even more Playstation Move-compatible games, like Dead Space: Extraction, SOCOM 4, Little Big Planet 2, Killzone 3, Infamous 2 and the highly anticipated Playstation Move Heroes, a title that brings together video game character favorites Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank and Sly Cooper in one game.
Considering
the technology, titles, power of the Playstation 3 and full 1080p high
definition of every game, the Playstation Move is giving the Nintendo
Wii a run for its money.
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