It’s time for another series from Duff, where I put two topics/games/pieces of hardware/etc. against one another in the most objective way possible. Okay, maybe not so much the objective part, but know that I will do my best to keep bias out of it, alright? I’m only human after all. So, let’s get this started, shall we? In this first edition, I’m going to take a look into the fall’s upcoming battle of motion hardware between Microsoft’s Kinect and Playstation’s Move. Which one deserves your money, if any? Well, that is not for me to answer — just look at the facts for yourselves and make your own decision accordingly.

Versus: Microsoft Kinect vs. Playstation Move

Kinect and Move...the two newest entries into the gaming market. One might be best, but can either take share from the Wii?

Background

Let’s be honest, there are a lot of fads in gaming production these days. Just like the newest generation of consoles that tends to come out every 5-7 years, there always seems to be a new interest in the gaming culture that developers jump into just to go with the crowd. In the middle part of the last decade, Multiplayer in games began to take on more importance than it ever had. Today, it seems that most gamers put just as much importance on their online experience than they do on their single player experience, if not more. In recent months, everyone has become engrossed in 3D everything. Gaming has not been different in this regard, as 3D Gaming is looking to become the next big thing in the next couple of years.

Of course, one of the more intriguing fads in gaming these past couple of years has been using motion control. It all began when Nintendo came out with their Wii console in November of 2006. The Wii sported a new motion controller the likes of which had never been seen before, and it came out to immense success. Even to this day almost 4 years after its original launch, the Wii constantly comes out on top in monthly sales through its success with families and seniors. To battle the Wii’s motion controller, Sony came out with Sixaxis controls in its Playstation 3 System that launched the same month as its competitor. However, that motion play did not come out quite as strong as the Wii, and it has taken a few years for Sony to finally gain momentum on its newest console.

Now, the motion control battle has hit another gear, as both Microsoft and Sony are looking to once again capitalize on the popularity of motion control with their newest hardware showings. The Kinect and Move are both set for fall releases, which will ultimately lead to a battle of motion this holiday season between all 3 major gaming hardware companies. But can anything really take down the Wii’s majority market share this late in this console generation? I guess we shall find out when the battle starts with Move’s release next month.

Microsoft Kinect

Most of you will remember Microsoft’s Kinect as “Project Natal”, which was the original name for the hardware as it was making headlines at last year’s E3 conference. The one thing that Kinect really brings home is the idea of having no controller, making it very clear that YOU are the controller. Advertised as a “controller-free gaming and entertainment” experience, the Kinect hardware is based on using a webcam like accessory to make commands through the use of movement and voice cues. For example, if you wanted to turn your Xbox 360 on, it would be as simple as activating the Kinect and saying quite clearly, “Xbox, on”. Or if you wanted to watch a movie through Netflix, you would simply move your hand onto the Netflix application and later say, “Xbox, play movie”. Through this simple command system and the use of only your hands to have control over your console, Microsoft is looking to broaden its audience from simply the hardcore gamers such as Halo and Gears of War fans to a more family friendly audience.

View Here: Microsoft Kinect Demo From E3 2010

Kinect will launch on November 4th here in the states, at the somewhat expensive price of $150. This is one of Kinect’s biggest problems, as the Move will come in considerably lower in price as well as have a two month headstart as its rival. Will anyone be willing to drop $150 on a console accessory? After all, you can pick up a Wii for $250 new and have the accessories thrown in there with the console. To counteract that concern, Kinect is looking to bring in a solid gaming library at launch with 16 different games planned to be available on day 1. With games like Dance Central, Kinectimals, and the Wii Sports clone Kinect Sports, Microsoft is hoping to draw in a family audience similar to the one the Wii has enjoyed for years. Of course, Microsoft is forgetting about the hardcore gamer either, as games like Fable III and Forza Motorsport will also be added to the Kinect library in its first year. It should be also noted that you do not need to buy a new console to be able to use Kinect, but it is strongly encouraged to do so, as the newest model of Xbox 360 consoles has a port specifically for the Kinect.

Playstation Move

Most of you probably know the Playstation 3 tagline by now — “It only does everything”. Well, for quite some time now, it hasn’t really been able to do much in the way of motion control. It is true that Sony launched the console with Sixaxis controls on its Dualshock controller, but it really had no impact on the games specifically. With the Playstation Move, Sony is hoping to change that, this time bringing in new controllers that will function in a similar way to Nintendo’s Wiimote. The one major difference between the Move and Kinect is the controller itself. As Kinect makes you the controller, leaving you with no actual piece of hardware in your hands, Move gives you two controllers to work with. The Move hardware will be largely based around the Playstation Eye that was released back in October of 2007, which will serve as the webcam for Move’s controllers. Sensors in the controller will detect the actual motion, just as sensors on the Kinect will detect motion of a person’s body.

View Here: Playstation Move Demo by IGN

Sony is going in a much different direction from Microsoft in terms of where they are advertising their newest accessory. While Microsoft is without question putting their money on a more family friendly experience, Sony is taking the Move in the direction of their more hardcore audience. Sony has spoken plenty on the idea that the Move will be for the hardcore gaming crew that is already put of there install base, and the gaming titles they are bringing forth speak to that idea. Popular series games such as LittleBigPlanet and Killzone will have Move support on their upcoming releases, along with new IPs such as Sorcery, Sony’s crossover game Heroes on the Move, and their own Wii Sports clone Sports Champions.

The biggest plus for the Move is the fact that many of the accessory’s future owners already own one piece of the puzzle: the Playstation Eye. If you already have the Eye, it will only take another $80 to have full Move support with use of the controller ($49) and the navigation attachment ($29), which is half the price of the Kinect. Even PS3 owners who don’t already have a Playstation Eye will be paying a cheaper price for the Move experience over Kinect’s experience, as the entire Move bundle will cost $99 when it releases on September 19th.

Wrap Up

Whether or not you are interested in the entire motion control fad that has taken over the gaming world, it’ll be hard to not at least follow this as both the Move and Kinect find their way to the general public in September and November respectfully. While they will be fighting each other for the “hardcore” market, there is still some doubt on whether or not any of this will matter in the grand scheme of things considering the strong array of titles that are due out on the Wii these next 8-12 months.

Will any of you be picking up the Playstation Move or the Microsoft Kinect? Do you feel like one is better than the other? Feel free to speak your mind in the comments. Also, if you have any suggestions on how I can improve this, or if you have suggestions on what I should discuss in future series posts, feel free to post those up as well! Thanks once again for reading, MvG viewers!