Move vs Kinect

In the battle for console domination, it can often be the first to step up that wins the fight, so with Sony releasing it’s Move controllers over two months before Microsoft are ready to launch their Kinect control system, you may be wondering if Sony have what it takes to land a knock out punch, or will Microsoft’s Kinect be the victor come Christmas? If you don’t know what I’m talking about when I mention words like Move and connect, I’ll give you the two official blurbs for Sony and Microsoft’s next gen control systems:  Kinect brings games and entertainment to life in extraordinary new ways – no controller required. Easy to use and instantly fun, Kinect gets everyone off the couch moving, laughing and cheering. See a ball? Kick it. Control an HD movie with a wave of the hand. Want to join a friend in the fun? Simply jump in. With Kinect technology evaporates, letting the natural magic in all of us shine. And the best part is Kinect works with every Xbox 360. PlayStation Move offers a new and innovative gaming experience for the PlayStation 3 system by fusing realistic, high-definition gaming along with accurate, intuitive control. Consisting of PlayStation Move motion controller, PlayStation Move sub-controller and PlayStation Eye camera, PlayStation Move enables sophisticated motion control and immersive gameplay only possible on the PS3 system. Both companies are obviously touting their technology to be superior, and some of you might be wondering if it all sounds like the big boys are just trying to play catch up with Nintendo. In a way, they might be, but both Microsoft and Sony are offering something a little different to the Wii. On the surface, the Playstation Move looks exactly like a Wii set up, with two motion sensitive, hand held devices. But look closer and you’ll notice that you also need the Playstation 3 Eye Camera. This along with the raw processing power and hi-def graphics places Move about a million miles ahead of the Wii. It not only looks better than the Wii, but the move also seems to work better than the Wii. You could say that Move is what happens when the Wii smokes crack. Urbankiwi Comments : Yeah the precision on the Move is quite extraordinary. You can really feel connected to the action, like a puppet master. Kinect on the other hand does away with controllers altogether and uses two 3D depth sensors and a camera in one compact unit that scans your body so that you become the controller. Urbankiwi Comments : Look lets be honest. When Project Natal was previewed at E3 2009 we all thought it was cool. When Ballmer declared it would be available in 2010 we all thought wow.. awesome.. Meanwhile a few Microsoft employees had minor heart attacks and the serious work got underway – And my thought was that it will be a half arsed offering that makes it to version 1.0. However after the demos at Microsoft’s Open Home in Auckland and various other hands on trials I have to say we are poised on the edge of a new generation of gaming and interaction. The Kinect works exceptionally well. It was always easy to imaging that Move would work, because the Wii worked so well, but when Microsoft announced Kinect I was a little dubious, adopting a wait and see approach. I mean this was a totally different ball game. Fortunately I was able to give both Move and Kinect a bit of a try out about a month back. I’ve already mentioned how good Move was, but Kinect totally blew me away. It’s not just being able to move your body from side to side, it also recognises when you’re pointing at something on the screen. It follows your every move in 3D. It’s amazing. However, sometimes it doesn’t matter how good something is, it just comes down to price and the availability of good games, so with that in mind, lets look first at how much you’re going to have to spend.

Kinect Kinect: $229.99 PlayStation Move PlayStation Move Motion Controller: $79.99 PlayStation Move Motion Controller: $79.99 PlayStation Move Navigation Controller $59.99 Playstation 3 Eye Camera $69.99 Total cost: $289.96 Optional extra: PlayStation Move Charging Station $59.99

So on price, Kinect wins, and when you factor in that Kinect Adventures game comes bundled for free, Microsoft seem to be way ahead. But hold on a second I hear you say, why have you listed two Move Motion Controllers, and do you really need all that stuff for Move to work. Well, essentially, you could get away with just one Move Motion Controller and The Eye Camera, as you can use the standard PS3 controller instead of the Move Navigation Controller, but it’s not as good. Some games however will require two Move Motion Controllers, and you’ll certainly need two if you want to play with a friend. That will increase to four if you want to play a two player game that requires both people having two controllers. Ouch. Urbankiwi Comments : You know he is right. Both the Kinect and Move lean heavily on “Social / Group” gaming. Most people I’ve talked to regarding the move will be buying two controllers. So Playstation Move could become quite expensive in the long run. So what games will be available on release? According to Mighty Ape, Kinect will have over twice the games on launch than Move does, and these will include a couple of serious game, where as Move only has four Wii style family games.

Move: Racket Sports Kung Fu Rider Sports Champions Start the Party Kinect: MotionSports Kinectimals Kinect Sports Kinect Joy Ride Kinect Adventures Fighters Uncaged Sonic Free Riders Game Party: In Motion Your Shape: Fitness Evolved

So far it’s looking pretty good for Kinect, but before I wrap up, there’s just one more question that need to be asked: How much of an idiot am I gonna look like if someone sees me playing with Move or Kinect? With Move you’re not going to look any sillier than if you were playing the Wii, with the noticeable exception that the Move Motion Controller looks like something out of an 80’s Pop Music Video. Kinect is similar, but because you’re not holding a neon controller, you’re more than likely just look like you’re participating in an aerobic work out – or having an epileptic fit, depending on your ability to grasp the reality of a controller free gaming experience. Of course, the overriding factor may come down to one simple factor: what console you currently own. Final Comment from Urbankiwi: I like both of these controllers. Microsoft always seem to throw the kitchen sink at launches and come prepared with alot of day 1 product. There will be two factors that will move the market though. 1) Price.. post recession the cheapest will win the battle for the new console purchasers, only the committed gamer will weigh up the options. And if you already own a console the decision will be made for you. What Sony and Microsoft have done is project their market spaces with compelling offers for the fan base. 2) To quote Steve Ballmer… Developers .. developers.. developers.. Sony and Microsoft will rise and fall on the backs of the game developers. To be honest Sony should be pasting XBox’s butt’s all over the ball park in this area. The PS3 is a much more powerful machine, which makes me wonder why motion capture has not be better perfected here. However there seems to be much more risk taking from Microsoft’s side of the fence and the Kinect is what we are rewarded with. As for day one launch titles, well clearly Microsoft engaged with the developers a whole heap earlier than what Sony has. Look if i could i would buy both… They offer a very exciting new edge to gaming… But more to that they offer a new way to interact with a virtual world, be it gaming, social or even business.