With two new motion controllers out this fall, video game companies are giving even the most hand-eye-coordination challenged of us a chance to find our inner gamer. And for those who already have, lower-priced console bundles and an experimental game streaming platform can be reason enough to get a second — or third — gaming system this holiday season.
Here’s a handy rundown of what’s out there, how much it costs and who might want it:
Kinect for the Xbox 360 from Microsoft Corp.
This is the futuristic motion controller from Microsoft Corp. It removes remotes entirely from the gaming experience. Kinect is basically a fancy camera that tracks your movements, hand gestures and voice. It can also recognize faces and scan in objects so you can use them in certain games. For now, two people can play simultaneously, though that will likely change as more games are developed. This holiday season, retailers are also bundling Kinect with a low-end version of the Xbox 360 at a discount.
Good for: Families with young kids, anyone averse to games with lots of buttons and complex controls. Wii graduates or anyone who’s been meaning to get a Wii all this time and just never got around to it.
Not so good for: Dorm-bound college students and city dwellers in tiny apartments, as Kinect needs at least 6 feet — though more is better — between it and the players to work. Hardcore gamers could go either way, so best to check first.
Cost: $150 for the standalone Kinect camera system, or $300 for the Kinect with a 4 gigabyte Xbox 360. Both come with a game, “Kinect Adventures.”
Must-have game: “Dance Central” ($50)
PlayStation Move from Sony Corp.
Sony says it had considered selling a controller-free controller a la Kinect but then thought better of it. Many games, it turns out,…