If we flash back to 2006, when Nintendo was launching the Wii as the successor to the Gamecube , it changed the notion of gaming as we know it. The Wii was a success from the very beginning and became virtually impossible to find in stores. Then in 2010, Microsoft launched the Kinect add-on for the Xbox 360 and Sony launched the PS Move for the PS3.
The Kinect on the Xbox 360 was a success allowing us more freedom using our own bodies unlike the Wii-mote and the Move controller for the PS3. When the Xbox One launched in November of 2013, Kinect 2.0 was bundled and the entire package was $100 more than the PS4. Some months later, Microsoft would release the Xbox One without Kinect priced the same as the PS4. Considering all this, is the era of motion gaming gone for good?
Looking back to the time of the Nintendo Wii, the PS3 and Xbox 360 were left in the dust by the awesome motion-controlled technology. At a time when both Sony and Microsoft were competing for graphical superiority and processor muscle, Nintendo kept it simple. The Wii, in terms of power, was not even close to its rivals. It featured standard-definition graphics unlike the PS3 and Xbox 360 that were specifically designed to look best on high-def televisions. The Wii harkened back to the time when gaming was all about family entertainment. It would remind many of us of the fun we had with the original Nintendo Entertainment System playing classic titles like ‘Duck Hunt’ and ‘Hogan’s Alley’.
Today, the tables have turned. The Nintendo Wii U competes for second place against the Xbox One while the PS4 reigns supreme. In terms of retro-appeal, the PS4 sticks to the age-old x86 architecture to be more developer-friendly. It also provides ‘the ultimate gaming experience’ in video-gaming. Today, its more about what’s under the hood rather than the experiences delivered by motion peripherals like the Wii-mote, PS Move or Xbox Kinect.
Today, is a new day…