CBC: Review: Microsoft Kinect and Playstation Move

Four year ago, Nintendo launched the Wii, a strangely named video game console that didn’t focus on cutting-edge graphics, top-level processing power or high-definition disc playback. Instead, the Wii went in a different direction: motion control.

The console’s controller, the Wiimote, largely freed games from button pushing, allowing players with little skill in such things to jump right in. Nintendo’s plan worked – the company has sold 76 million consoles so far, nearly the combined total of its two competitors, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Motion gaming clearly spoke to a much larger market than the hard-core gamers Sony and Microsoft were catering to.

Not surprisingly, it’s a market the two companies want a piece of. Microsoft is coming after Nintendo with Kinect, an Xbox 360 add-on that launches Thursday, while Sony has its PS3 Move controller, which was released in September. So, how do the two new entries compare?

[Cloudberry]

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From the article:

"These are the sorts of games that older Wii owners have been wanting more of, and ironically, it’s Sony that is promising them.

The company clearly wants some of the expanded market developed by Nintendo — but of the three players, it looks like Sony is the one that is most looking to satisfy core gamers."

[Pennywise]

Anyone with a brain saw this months ago.

Sony was going after what Nin built.

MS was going after pseye game fans.

@vega - EXACTLY.

[Sez]

What fans do pseye have honestly. Show me people that actually was a fan of pseye

[Shadow Flare]

I think microsoft are going after the nintendo fans, and so is Sony. It's just Sony is also going after it's core fans as well, where as Microsoft *looks at launch titles* isn't

[Blaster_Master]

Penny, you obviously dont know what your talking about. Sony has been working on psmove tech has been around since 2002.

[corneliuscrust]

And Nintendo swindled them out of TONS of marketshare. Nintendo was the one that took the big risk with motion gaming and an respectively underpowered console.

Sony sat on their move R&D until the dust settled.

[Montrealien]

Well Penny, I have run a videogame store and been on the sale end of videogames for quite a few years now and I must say, I never saw 24 people lined up for a PSeye in the morning as I opened my store.

So either Sony marketed the PSeye wrong, or the market is now actually ready for these kinds of games.

[nveenio]

I don't know if I would say that Sony is going after core gamers...after all, where's a core game with Move at the center? It doesn't exist. Tacking it into KZ3 and Socom 4 is nice, but it's hardly what core gamers are looking for. All that really does is convince us to give it a shot. Personally, I love Move for its casual applications. But I'll have to wait for a core, Move-centric title to make a determination on Sony's respect for the core gamer when it comes to motion.

[THILLREBORN]

wow, you are really uninformed. PS Move to seems to be at the forefront of all the Killzone 3 footage. I've been covering the title since it's unvail and that is the number one feature that's at every event being demonstrated for the game...tacked on do some more research before you post please.

[nveenio]

I've seen everything there is to see about KZ3. You're generalizing my use of "tacked on". I don't mean tacked on like I would describe the single-player element of UT3. I mean "tacked on" like, "Let's add Move support." If you really listen...if you really pay attention...you'll also hear the people demoing Move on KZ3 say that DS3 is still the bread and butter of the game. So, when I say "tacked on" I mean that it's not a part of the core experience...it's an option. It's like tacking a sunroof onto your sports car.

I hope that clears it up.

[BillOreilly]

Microsoft is going after ALL people. Sony is going after core gamers, ironicly the ones who already own a ps3. Kinect will expand the 360 user base, while move will sell to existing ps3 owners. Which is better(or they both suck) is subjective. The fact is kinect will sell consoles, the more sold the more money, power, and bigger fanbase it has. To me kinect is cooler but move is more precise although i dont see move sellin consoles.

[badz149]

"where's a core game with Move at the center?" It doesn't exist"

RE5, HR, MAG and RUSE are already there available at MOVE launch! these games are using MOVE! last time I check, these games aren't casual at all! on the other hands, let see is there any core games on Kinect launch....NADA!

[nveenio]

You've misread. First, I'm not protecting Kinect. I think it's stupid. I've never bought a 360, and I never will. As far as I'm concerned, Microsoft doesn't have games I enjoy.

You quoted me, and then provided games that don't meet the standards of my quote. Yes...all of the games you mentioned have Move. But Move is only an option. There are no hardcore games for which Move is the ONLY method of control. Until Sorcery (which is, arguably, NOT a core game), we're still waiting on a core title with Move as the only method of control.

[badz149]

"There are no hardcore games for which Move is the ONLY method of control. Until Sorcery (which is, arguably, NOT a core game), we're still waiting on a core title with Move as the only method of control." - why do you even want THAT? and if Sorcery is not a core game, then I don't know what else is! even the best games on Wii which maybe SMG2 is not built solely for Wiimote.

dude you really lost me there! there are game specifically for MOVE and there are games where both MOVE and DS3 can be used! I think these core games I mentioned qualified enough because you can used MOVE from get go to finish. what else do you want?

[gigaware]

As if patching Move support for Killzone and Socom etc is going to sell massive amounts to casual gamers. All Microsoft has to do is release these so called hardcore games in the 2nd wave of titles after they got the attention from the casuals hence why Kinect will outsell Move 4 to 1.

[Pennywise]

Are we looking to play our games with casuals now? gigaware, how old are you? 5?

[FriedGoat]

Kinect cant do hardcore.

[gigaware]

Just don't get haters and gaming media. They complain the 360 is too hardcore and now they complain about things being too casual.

[perfectCarbonara]

Show me where someone EVER said 360 was TOO hardcore. Just hardcore, sure, but TOO hardcore...?

However, 360 IS too casual now.

MS seems to only know how to deal in absolutes, if it's not black, its white. Not big then it must be small.

They say we're hardcore ? then lets go 100 percent casual...

They should learn some subtlety, like Sony who have always had plenty for the hardcore and plenty for the casuals.

[rrw]

they problem is they to hardcore for casual.

[n4gno]

Why always talking about sells ?

games and accuracy, is all gamers want !

[joydestroy]

yep those are my thoughts as well. i'm hopeful that M$ will release some games for core gamers but i just don't know if it's going to happen. time to play the waiting game

[Anon1974]

You know that if Microsoft had something for the core gamers, anything at any stage of development, they'd be shouting it from the rooftops in an effort to expand the appeal of Kinect as part of their marketing push. They aren't. We saw that on-rails Star Wars game that's nowhere to be seen for the most part. We've seen a couple of Japanese, on rails games which may or may not get released outside of japan.

If you're a Core gamer interested in what Kinect has to offer, it certainly looks like it might be a good idea to play that waiting game and see if anything comes your way before shelling out $150 for Kinect.

Things I took away from this article.

"Sony is the one that is most looking to satisfy core gamers"

"some of the Move games actually felt more natural than reality"

"Kinect doesn’t handle precise controls very well"

This is what people have been saying since E3, now it's confirmed. Core gamers - Sony's the pony to bet on.

[Montrealien]

You may be right Cloudberry, however the main problem is that core gamers are not the largest part of the gamer market as a whole. So catering to the core gamer is not exactly the most profitable strategy and the Wii proved that. I also hope Kinect/Move have good core focussed games, but then again, that`s why I have my controllers.

[ALFAxD_CENTAURO]

''The company clearly wants some of the expanded market developed by Nintendo — but of the three players, it looks like Sony is the one that is most looking to satisfy core gamers." ''

That's not an opinion, that is a fact.

[Shazz]

im a core gamer so i want my motion controller to support the games i like and playstation move does that for me .

[gigaware]

Oh stop.... Kinect isn't going to be the end of the world for Sony. No need to sit up waiting for Kinect news to attack. Upset the Kinect game averages and the kinect unit average score is starting to climb?

[Shazz]

thats very rich coming from you gigaware lmfao

[soren]

a person who say wii sucks aye?

[brstmp]

So it sucks?
MARIA NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!1ol

get move,..or wii, at least you can play something other than eyetoy games,.. damn

what were they thinking,.. at that price,.. and it's gaming applicability is almost the same as 11 year old 5 usd eyetoy,..
and you need a lot of damn space!

[brstmp]

disagrees are;
''Shut your mouth,..'' pedo natzi spying tool and remote '' is awesome,.. ''

[alb1899]

l think that the first games are just like demos to start but after 5millions kinect are out we will see more promising games the same with move.

[getem]

Here are some people posting videos playing kinect. It is not pretty

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[brstmp]

it is pretty sad,..

[Boody-Bandit]

I wish I could disagree with you being a 360 fan and all but I can't. This really is sad. This is the reality of Kinect but nothing like I was expecting Natal to be.

[uisce]

The article doesn't even get basic facts about the technologies right, not worth the read.

If that article is a demonstration about what it takes to be a writer / journalist - everyone on N4G can get a new job right now.

[soren]

sony is lieing lol they made a fake video for you to think they were true. Every one knows sony never inovates them selves they just jump on other compenys technolgy and advance it, and say its thair idia. if sony really came up with it why yhe hell did they come up with the crappy saxus? lol and say the wii mote is a gimmic? weird how nintend showed der remote " at this time sony had them boomerang" then the next e3 they suddenly have saxus? Yeah right they sooooo came out with the motion in 2002. Nintendo always trys 2 make something new thats a fact touch screen for gameing NEW! MOTION CONTROL GAMEING NEW Now 3d without glasses on a handheld NEW! watch sony copy atleast 1 thing this time lol its like they are forced to.

[ironmonkey]

do your research bud your wrong in everything you said, but at least you managed to make a paragraph out of it.

[Clarence]

I can't even understand what you are trying to say. You need spell check. Sony been changing the game for awhile. M$ waits yo see what's hot then jumps on it. The 360 is just now getting built in wifi, it still has a disc tray, AA batteries for your controller, facebook, myspace, you still can't surf the net. Oh and let's not forget obsolete DVDs. Innovative my a$$. Sony and google got together and created a tv you can watch and use the Internet at the same time.

[doG_beLIEfs]

"Video chatting is also neat. The call quality is good and the sensor follows you if you move around your living room. A number of technology companies have unsuccessfully tried to get video calling onto the television – Microsoft may just be the one to do it by sneaking it in tied to video games."

The PSeye has been able to do 6 at a time video chat since its launch. I have used it from time to time and it works very well. The PSeye also has four OMNIDIRECTIONAL* microphones that can pick up 4 different voices at the same time....it is also very sensitive as I can be over 20' away from it and talk normally and the other person that I am talking to can still hear me even if my kids are talking as well.

Look...it is clear that Kinect is a step up from the Eye...how far...who knows? What is also CLEAR is that Kinect keeps getting credit for something the eyetoy PS2 or PSeye PS3 has done is doing for years.

Why? Why bash Sony for copying the Wii (when in reality they worked on Move for 10 years) when at the same time give MS credit for so many things that Sony is doing or has done years ago?

What purpose does that double standard serve?

Voice recognition (Singstar)
Facial recognition (ctek 2009)
Augmented reality (ctek 2009 and NOW with Move)
4 OMNIDIRECTIONAL* microphones
http://www.wisegeek.com/wha...

Other than 3D depth perception and infrared....there is very little difference in capabilities between the 2 other than price.

FYI....it is SOFTWARE that makes these cameras do all they can do....not so much hardware.

End Rant

[doG_beLIEfs]

"Video chatting is also neat. The call quality is good and the sensor follows you if you move around your living room. A number of technology companies have unsuccessfully tried to get video calling onto the television – Microsoft may just be the one to do it by sneaking it in tied to video games."

The PSeye has been able to do 6 at a time video chat since its launch. I have used it from time to time and it works very well. The PSeye also has for microphones that can pick up 4 different voices at the same time....it is also very sensitive as I can be over 20' away from it and talk normally and the other person that I am talking to can still hear me even if my kids are talking as well.

Look...it is clear that Kinect is a step up from the Eye...how far...who knows? What is also CLEAR is that Kinect keeps getting credit for something the eyetoy PS2 or PSeye PS3 has done is doing for years.

Why? Why bash Sony for copying the Wii (when in reality they worked on Move for 10 years) when at the same time give MS credit for so many things that Sony is doing or has done years ago?

What purpose does that double standard serve?

Voice recognition (Singstar)
Facial recognition (ctek 2009)
Augmented reality (ctek 2009 and NOW with Move)
4 omnidirectional microphones
http://www.wisegeek.com/wha...

Other than 3D depth perception and infrared....there is very little difference in capabilities between the 2 other than price.

FYI....it is SOFTWARE that makes these cameras do all they can do....not so much hardware.

End Rant

Edit....here is the official page with official specs

notice the OMNIDIRECTIONAL microphones FOUR of them

As far as I know....Kinect just has four noise canceling microphones...so LOWER technology.

Notice the other features like VOICE RECOGNITION and so on.

http://www.videogamecountdo...

[soren]

sony been inovateing huh hmm i havent noticed :/ to me the move is a rip off of the wii i mean even sports champions is a freakn rip off come on lol oh yeah and sony been makeing that game for ten years 2 right? XD good one

[pinksteak09]

from someone who can't spell MAKING correctly?