Kinect vs. Move vs. Wii, Which One is For You

The Gesture based gaming has already taken the gaming world by storm. The major players in this filed like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have already dived in to grab the market share that ought to grow many folds in the coming years. Dubbed often as the interface of tomorrow, gesture computing is still in its infancy though there are some really cool gadgets out there in market offering true value for money.
With Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all offering a different gesture based interface device, it is really hard to decide which one to go for. Here’s a comparison of these three major technologies that promise to take your gaming experience to next levels.

Microsoft Kinect

The Technology

Microsoft Kinect employs a very sophisticated depth-sensing camera to track your movements without the need of a physical controller. What that means is that you can navigate the game and menus without having the need to touch any of the hardware’s. But since the system is only camera based you would better make sure that you have enough space, (6 to 8 feet around is recommended).

The Cost Factor

Well Kinect alone will cost you around $149, it also includes a copy of the game Kinect Adventures, while you’ll need a Xbox to use it so you may prefer a bundled offer with Xbox(4GB) and Kinect that comes for $299 or go for an Xbox 250GB console plus Kinect for $449.

The Games

As I mentioned earlier this is a new gaming interface so you might not find all your games compatible with Kinect. There are currently over 20 Kinect Games, which include games like, Dance Central, Kinectimals etc.

PlayStation Move

The Technology

Sony PlayStation Move combines a video camera with a physical controller. PlayStation Move or the ‘Wand’ also has a gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetic sensors for tracking your movements in Three Dimensions, while the Glowing ball gives the PlayStation Eye camera a visual reference. Sony recommends around 6 to 9 feet of space between player and the PlayStation Eye, though it works from anywhere between 2 to 10 feet as well.

The Cost Factor

The starters’ kit which contains Move Motion Controller, PS eye Camera and a demo Disc will cost you around $99
For multiplayer games you’ll need an extra Move Motion Controller which will cost you around $30 for each extra controller.

The Games

There are several games that are Move-exclusive and the upcoming titles for the PlayStation 3 titles show a promise to support this platform.

Nintendo Wii

The Technology

Wii is more like a remote that houses an accelerometer that tracks your movements while an IR sensor on the console monitors the position of the lights being emitted by the sensor bar. In addition to all this Wii also has a gyroscope, an accelerometer.

The Cost Factor

Well Nintendo Wii is integral to its console so if you have the console you already have the motion controller, the whole package costs around $199.

The Games

Since Wii has been around since 2006 there are a plethora games available under its hood, the most notable ones are Mario cart Wii, Bloom Box etc.

So which one’s the Best

Well while Microsoft’s Kinect offers a totally hands-free experience it requires a lot of space for you to play. Sony’s Move comes in this category as the least expensive one with very accurate motion tracking features but it isn’t quite as feasible as Kinect where you can control the game menu with the gestures itself. While the Wii has the biggest library of Games it has the least accuracy in motion sensing when compared