01
.Introduction
Nintendo Wii
The Nintendo Wii quickly became the biggest selling gaming console on the planet, outselling both the Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Microsoft Xbox 360. The Wii appealed to the casual gamer - the controller works with a wave of a hand and detects motion in three dimensions. Gamers can:
- Hold the controller and wave your hands around to use a virtual sword.
- Make a bowling motion while holding the controller and knock down virtual pins in the bowling alley.
- Go a few rounds shadow boxing with Wii.
Sony and Microsoft, zeroing in on gaming enthusiasts, took a while to realise that a lot of people want to play but aren’t interested in complex controls. Now they also have a motion detection controller and a range of software titles that utilise them.
The test
We asked 17 people to use these three consoles with motion sensor controllers:
- Kinect for Microsoft Xbox 360
- The Move for Sony Playstation 3
- Nintendo Wii
We gave them the following selection of fitness games:
- Wii Fit Plus
- Sony’s Get Fit with Mel B
- The Kinect Your Shape Fitness Evolved
And these multi-player games:
- The Wii Party
- Sony’s Start the Party
- The Kinect Game Party
The testers had to assess each of the gaming consoles for ease of use as well as suitability for playing and training. The trial users spanned various age groups of 13-18 years, 20-35 years and 50-70 years.