Nintendo Wii Compared to PS3 Move, and Microsoft Kinect

Over the past few years, the Nintendo Wii has held pride of place in living rooms around the world as a games console for the whole family. Due in part to the ground breaking interface and being the first to market with a motion capture control system, millions of people who would never have considered the Wii in the past have chosen to buy one of these consoles, and it has become the hub of entertainment.

Sales of the Nintendo Wii have far surpassed the expectations of Nintendo and also all of the other console manufacturers, and over the past three years, they have been hard at work to develop their own similar systems in order to engage with casual gamers. With the release of Microsoft Kinect, and PS3 Play, there are finally alternatives to the Wii, but which one should you choose?

Ninendo Wii

First to market can often mean first to fail, but in the case of the Wii this was not the case. With four years of development behind it, and numerous upgrades to both the software and the Wiimotes themselves, Nintendo's console is still great fun. The Motion Plus system added a great deal of extra accuracy, and really helped break the device to more dedicated gamers.

The drawback for many gamers is the fact that so many of the Wii Games are a bit cutesy, Mario is seen as a kids icon, and the lack of really first class FPS games is seen as a hindrance.

PS3 Move

While the original PS3 controllers did have an internal accelerometer that allowed them to control games through user gesture, the Sixaxis feature was rarely implelemented as part of the gaming system, and as such it was the release of the Move that has made the difference.

Broadly similar in concept to the Wiimote, the Move features a wand that can be tracked via a camera, and has accelerometers to measure direction and position in 3D. Early games indicate that the level of accuracy within the controller is at least the equal of the Wiimote, however the biggest question is whether the serious gamers will want to make the shift to the new system, and whether a serious gaming console that retails for around twice the price of the Nintendo Wii can capture a significant market share.

Microsoft Kinect

The Kinect is a completely different means of interacting with the Xbox 360. Eschewing the need for a controller, the 3d cameras of the device simply capture user movement and translate this into the game. Users around the world have also spotted the potential to connect Kinect to their PCs in order to develop a Minority Report style interface for less than alternative products.

The strength in the market that Xbox already has, coupled with the fact that more players can interact, and the fact that it is a totally different paradigm to Move or Wiimote means that developers are able to be much more innovative with their games, and provide a more immersive experience. The Kinect also allows more people to play a game without needing expensive extra equipment.

Summary

All 3 systems have their place. With Wii it is about the range of software that is already in place, and the fact that the motion capture was a central part of the consoles concept. Move could essentially be seen as a grown up version of the Wii, with more mature games - although a relatively small market, and inertia may hamper growth. Kinect is so innovative and different that it is likely to steal a march on the competing systems. Microsoft have already committed to keeping Xbox 360 for at least 3 more years, and cementing its place at the heart of the living room, and this might be the most significant aspect of the launch.

Alexander Lehman is a long term gamer who loves the latest technology, and spends as much time as possible playing console games. He is proud to have owned almost every single video games console made since 1985 including every Nintendo system from the NES to the Wii. His current favourite game is Rock Band for Wii.

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