PlayStation Move & XBox 360 Kinect: What the Competing Technologies Have to Offer

This Christmas, console gamers are sure to have some of the newest and most exciting games on their wish lists. For PlayStation and XBox gamers, the new Move and Kinect gaming controllers are sure to be in high demand and on every most wanted list. Both controllers will be hot new items for the upcoming holiday season and their feature sets may be influential to gamers looking to jump into the console gaming arena.

The arrival of the Move and the Kinect gaming technologies mark an exciting time for gamers, especially for those who have had an interest and envy in the type of control Wii users have had for some time. Now joining the Nintendo with gameplay that will be extended by a player's movement and motion, Sony and Microsoft's new controllers forgo traditional push button play, and offer control based on sense of location, movement, and motion. Although similar in purpose, each does, however, work differently from each other to get the job done and in terms of overall gameplay.

Much like the Nintendo Wii controller or Wiimote, Sony's latest gaming control technology consists of a handheld remote that detects movement and motion. Unlike Nintendo's system, however, the PlayStation Move is more of a multi-part system that also includes the PlayStation Eye. Relying on the PlayStation 3 camera (Eye), a player's movements, location, and more are read through the camera's tracking ability. Handheld controllers in the Move system feature a color changing orb which helps the system identify the location and movement of the controller. Also similar to the Wii's nunchuck, a second handheld held controller work in conjunction with the first remote for additional play, and contains buttons found on a typic PS3 wired remote.

Earlier this year, at the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3), Microsoft formally announced their upcoming wireless based motion based game control solution for the popular Xbox 360 console. Kinect will introduce a whole new way to play games. Microsoft's solution also works with the concept of motion based control like those featured on the Nintendo Wii or PS3. Kinect however, will not require a control to be held at all. Based on a motion sensitive camera that sits atop the Xbox unit or television, and faces the player, Kinect will detect body movements, such as from the head, arms, and legs. The Kinect comes ready as plug-and-play. The latest Xbox incarnation includes a dedicated Kinect port, however, the new controller technology will be supported on all existing models of the Xbox 360s, but reportedly with an additional power cord requirement.

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Microsoft Kinect
Sony PlayStation Move