Video games used to be solitary experiences spent sitting on the sofa. No more. This holiday season’s hottest video game gifts involve getting physical while playing with others.
It was four years ago that the Nintendo Wii took the now-$20 billion industry by storm and transformed people of all ages into gamers, with parlor pursuits such as bowling and tennis played by making arm motions with Wii’s wireless remote.
Nintendo’s competition is no longer sitting — or standing — still. Microsoft and Sony are finding success with their own gesture-based devices for controlling the companies’ respective video game consoles, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Both of the new systems appear to be hits this holiday season. Online retailers and stores across the nation are reporting shortages. Nintendo’s Wii continues to be a hot seller, so the season has come to represent a renewed battle among video game companies for space in your living room.
Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony each are positioning themselves to grab a greater share of your entertainment dollars.
“Much like the iPhone really kind of reinvented cellphones, I think these motion-gaming platforms are reinventing how you interact with your television set,” says Geoff Keighley, host and executive producer of GameTrailers TV on cable channel Spike.
Technologically superior to the Wii, if a bit more pricey, the new motion controllers each have its own lineup of all-in-the-family activities aimed at turning living rooms into high-definition activity centers. Microsoft’s Kinect ($150 for Kinect Sensor and Kinect Adventures game) has amusement-park-like water rides and workout programs with fitness trainers who never blink. Sony’s Move ($100 for Move controller, PlayStation Eye camera and Sports Champions game) offers gladiator fighting, beach volleyball and party games.
Each system has virtual pets and realistic sports simulations, too. And, yes, each has a bowling game.
Sony has sold more than 4.1 million…