Nintendo was the first console maker to bring motion controls to gamers with the Wii. The idea is simple: players wave an IR-equipped controller to act out movements in the game new wii controller . This feature is included into every game released on the Wii.
Pros:
+ Motion control comes standard with console
+ Large selection of games
+ Plenty of exclusives
Cons:
– Confusing button layout
– Very few Mature-rated games
– No HD graphics
Kinect for Xbox 360
Kinect is essentially an add on controller that gamers can buy for the Xbox 360. It’s basically a camera that tracks you’re movements to control in-game characters and/or objects. It also allows Xbox owners to control their consoles using either hand gestures (Minority Report-style) or with voice commands thanks to the embedded microphone array.
Pros:
+ Most advanced motion controller system available
+ Tons of exclusive titles available
+ Can be used for multiple forms of entertainment
Cons:
– Expensive (for an add-on)
– Limited number of games available now
– Requires 6-8 Ft of space to use properly
So, which one is better? It depends on what you’re looking for and which games you want to play. The Wii is a good choice for Nintendo fans and anyone who doesn’t gawk at complicated button layouts. The Kinect is great for those who want serious, mature, HD games in which they can get fully immersed.
When it comes to technology alone, the Kinect wins by a significant margin. It may be expensive as an add-on, but the motion controller is worth every penny due to the number of other functions it provides. And if you don’t already have an Xbox you can get the full bundle for around $300, which isn’t that much for a console these days.
What’s Better – PlayStation 3 Or a Nintendo Wii?
Like the Xbox, the PS3 and the Wii bear little resemblance to the toylike game consoles of the 1980s and 1990s. They are powerful computers that have been optimized for graphics and sound. And, like the Xbox, the two new contenders can handle multimedia and can connect to the Internet.
These two new game machines couldn’t be more different. The PlayStation 3 is a bulky, shiny black box that costs between £300, and £400 retail (wholesale £250-£300) for the more expensive 80GB version. The PS3 includes a hard disk, a networking port, Wi-Fi wireless networking, and playback of DVDs and CDs. It produces high-definition video. In fact, the PS3 can also play a next-generation, high-definition disk, called Blu-ray.
The Wii is a small, thin white box that costs just £190 retail (wholesale £150) and has much wimpier specs than the Sony. It does have Wi-Fi, but it lacks a hard disk, a networking port, and the ability to play DVDs or CDs, let alone Blu-ray disks. It cannot produce high-definition video. It has fewer ports and connectors.
Yet, the modest Wii seems to be the more exciting, fun and satisfying of the two machines with but the PS3 has more rich, realistic graphics and intricate game play in some of the half-dozen PS3 games I have tried.
But the Wii wins hearts for one reason: It uses a wireless controller that can detect your arm and hand motions and transfer them to the screen, so that you can physically Wii Controller control the action. This opens up huge possibilities. In sports games, you can actually swing a baseball bat or tennis racket or golf club. In adventure games, you can slash a sword through the air or throw a punch. You make pretty much the same motions, using your full arm and hand, that you’d make with the real objects.
With the Wii, you don’t sit on the couch and just press buttons. You typically stand. You get a workout. In fact the Wii controller, a slim rectangular gadget that looks like a TV remote control, has a wrist strap to prevent it from being hurled across the room while you are, say, serving in tennis. The controller also has a small built-in speaker and it transmits vibrations to make the play more realistic.
To show off these capabilities, every Wii comes with a free disk called Wii Sports that includes simple, basic sports games – tennis, baseball, golf, bowling, and boxing. These aren’t fully realized games; they are more like demonstrations. The graphics are crude and the games lack multiple levels of difficulty. But they are terrific fun.
We assume some clever game developer can produce more sophisticated versions of these sports games, and of other types of games that make full use of the Wii controller. There are also likely to be specialized controllers that can take advantage of the Wii’s motion sensitivity.
The PS3’s controller, which resembles the one on the previous-generation PlayStation 2, also has some motion sensitivity. But it seems much more limited, and the controller doesn’t vibrate.