Ad: Manage updates with the Download App
  • CNET
  • All move posts

move

Motion control shoot-out: Xbox 360 Kinect vs. PlayStation Move vs. Nintendo Wii Remote Plus

Clearly Nintendo did something right: years after incorporating motion controls into the Wii, the competition is finally following suit. With the Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect, Sony PlayStation Move, and even the Nintendo Wii Remote Plus controller all landing during the same holiday season, it's only natural to compare and contrast these three similar-yet-different systems.

Does evolution equal fun? Motion control might be the future, but the present three options all have their ups and downs. Check out our debate below and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.

Who is it for?

Dan: Breaking it down into cliches of which audience goes for each console, the PlayStation Move feels like it's aimed at self-identified gamers--those who are into shooting, racing, and, well, more shooting. You get that vibe through everything from the Kevin Butler TV commercials to the console's information design, which at times seems almost joyfully counterintuitive.

The Xbox 360 Kinect is courting in equal parts the home theater enthusiast and the novelty seeker. Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus, at the same time, has quietly caught up by incorporating its ill-conceived external dongle into a regular-size Wiimote, but will the casual Wii audience go back and buy new control sticks?

Scott: The Move is for "hard-core gamers," according to Sony, and the button-covered design may come off as a bit intimidating for the Wii crowd. The Kinect is controller-free, and the motion-heavy gaming is perfect for fitness nuts, families, and casual players with luxurious living rooms. The Wii is still for nearly anyone, but mainly kids, casual gamers, and those without HDTVs.

Setup and space requirements

Dan: Finding a place to stick a Wii sensor bar used to seem like such a hassle; if we only knew how good we had things back then. The simplicity of that nearly passive Wii sensor bar seems positively nostalgic now; not only do the Kinect and PlayStation Move require bulky external Webcams, but both cameras are hard-wired and sure to drive the cord-conscious crazy.

The PlayStation Move is actually fairly forgiving in its space requirements, at least compared with the Kinect. Maybe the tens of millions of people living in New York aren't Microsoft's target market, because we have yet to speak to an NYC apartment dweller who has not had to clamber over their sofa to set up the Kinect (and you can forget about playing many of the multiplayer games). Not to overemphasize this point, but the rigid space requirements for setting up and using the Kinect are incredibly annoying. … Read more

Does Kinect hate your small apartment?

In many ways, Microsoft's Kinect for the Xbox 360 is an innovative concept: ditch the controller and let your body interact directly. Sounds great on paper, but the Kinect is a bit more greedy with its space requirements than either the Nintendo Wii or PlayStation Move, and that could hurt folks with small apartments. Folks like me.

I've had a rough experience with the Kinect in New York City, mainly because my living room has only about 6 feet between my 32-inch TV and the edge of my sofa. The Kinect requires a good 6 to 10 feet of space between the user and it, according to documentation in the games we received. That's a huge amount of room in most urban apartments, especially as that space also needs to be open and unobstructed. The Kinect's setup process suggests you move furniture if necessary, a task that's impossible for me, and an unkind expectation for most people.… Read more

Microsoft expects 5 million Kinects sold in 2010

Microsoft expects to sell 5 million Kinect units by the end of 2010, the company confirmed to CNET today.

"The demand for Kinect for Xbox 360 is exceeding expectations," a Microsoft spokesperson wrote in an e-mail. "So we're increasing our forecast from 3 million sensors sold this holiday to 5 million. That's bigger than any launch in Xbox history."

Bloomberg reporter Dina Bass first made mention of the increase in projected Kinect sales on her Twitter account earlier today.

If Kinect can tally 5 million unit sales, it would be quite a feat.

During … Read more

IDC: Kinect to outsell Move this holiday season

Microsoft's Kinect could best the PlayStation Move in overall sales this holiday-shopping season, market researcher IDC predicts.

IDC, which conducted a survey in September with more than 750 "core" console gamers, expects that Microsoft will sell 2.5 million to 3 million Kinect units in the United States in the fourth quarter. It expects Sony to sell 2 million to 2.25 million Move units here in the same period.

"While it doesn't appear Kinect or Move will be this year's Tickle Me Elmo, millions of additional U.S. households will be enjoying motion-based … Read more

Sony makes a million 'Moves'

Sony has just announced that the company has shipped one million units of PlayStation Move in North and Latin America within the first 30 days availability. Though Nintendo has already proven that motion-controlled gaming has a place in the mainstream market, we were skeptical about how Sony would fare introducing a similar mechanism.

In our review, we found that the PlayStation Move provided some of the most accurate motion control we've ever seen, but we can't say we were thrilled with the Move's launch lineup. However, there does seem to be a few promising titles for the … Read more

Microsoft promotes three to division president

Microsoft has chosen to fill its executive vacancies from within, elevating three current business unit heads to president of their respective divisions.

In a statement this morning, the company said it is naming Kurt DelBene to head the Microsoft Office Division, Don Mattrick to head the Interactive Entertainment Business, and Andy Lees to head the Mobile Communications Business, effectively leaving things as they have been following the departure of Stephen Elop (who was named Nokia CEO last month) and the announced retirement of Robbie Bach.

"One key to Microsoft's success over the years has been our ability to … Read more

PlayStation Move arrives today for some, Sunday for others

Sony's PlayStation Move is officially launching to retail stores on Sunday, the company announced today. But there are some major exceptions to that rule.

According to Sony, retail stores in North America will start selling the PlayStation Move motion-gaming peripheral on Sunday. But those who have already pre-ordered the device will be able to get the Move today. In fact, some customers were able to pick up a PlayStation Move at game retailers as early as midnight last night.

Sony's fluid launch date becomes all the more confusing when one finds the device already on sale at Amazon. … Read more

Better file copier

TeraCopy from Code Sector is a free file-copying utility that offers more speed and security than Windows. It's a compact tool that can quickly copy or move single files or batches of files to any directory you select, but it does much more, such as automatically calculating CRC checksum values to speed up the validation process. It also skips bad files during the copying process, displaying them at the end of transfers so you can see just which ones need replacing or other attention.

TeraCopy's user interface is a pair of efficient dialogs, one an icon-based control panel … Read more

Sony mocks Microsoft's Kinect with new site

Sony has a problem with Microsoft's decision to control all on-screen action via player movement with its Kinect motion-gaming peripheral. And it wants to world to know.

The company has quietly launched its YayButtons site that details why Sony believes the use of buttons, which are found on the upcoming PlayStation Move controller, makes for a better gaming experience.

YayButtons includes an image of the PlayStation Move controller. People can click the buttons on the device to see why Sony believes they are necessary in motion gaming.

"It turns out that buttons are pretty important," one of … Read more