Okay Geek Farm
World Loves Motion Controls - Playstation Move and Xbox Kinect ship Millions
Ricardo Trejo
When Nintendo decided to forego fancy polygons for motion controlled gaming they went against the grain, fought against core consumer’s pleas, and by all means started a revolution. Now 4 years later since the release of the Wii, its competitors have joined in the multi-million dollar market with their own motion-variations, dubbed the Move and the Kinect. And the people have spoken: Motion controls sell… Big Time!
In press releases issued by both Microsoft and Sony, each of the companies have reported huge sales figures with their respective products. Interestingly enough, both brands are selling better and faster than even the Wii did back in 2006. The Kinect camera has shipped 2.5 million units in only 25 days on store shelves. And the Playstation Move, which consists of the Move controller and the Eyetoy, has shipped over 4 million units — Though it should be noted that these aren’t actually products “sold”, just items “shipped” to retailers.
While the Move hasn’t really brought anything new to the table, its cheaper price point may be what’s enticing consumers. But that doesn’t mean the Kinect doesn’t have its fair share of the pie? The Microsoft camera that first set the industry on fire back during 2010’s E3 event has a bigger price tag, yes, but it’s something original that’s never been accomplished on this grand of a stage.
The only question is, where does gaming go from here? From the looks of Nintendo, who know is the industry leader in terms of trends, they’re turning their attention to 3D gaming with their upcoming 3DS handheld, soon to be released in Q1 of 2011 in all markets across the globe. And that’s not even considering what Nintendo has up their secretive sleeve when it comes to the home console platform. Could we soon see holograms in our living rooms? Who knows, but whatever it is it’ll be sure to give everyone a run for their money.
