Sony and Microsoft begin their attempt to catch up to Nintendo’s dominance in the consoles market this generation. The introduction of motion control technology has helped Nintendo lead the way in consoles sales, but now Sony and Microsoft have attempted to join in the competition with their own different styles of technology.

Nintendo Wii
It seems as though the Nintendo Wii set a benchmark in the style of games current players seem to be interested in this generation. When Nintendo released their next generation console, previously duped ‘Revolution,’ it started the craze of getting off your seat and becoming more interactive with the game. It seemed quite enjoyable at first, but now it seems there could be unused Wii consoles lying about in many living rooms or children’s bedrooms. It seems like a perfect Christmas or birthday present for most people, this ‘amazing’ piece of technology that has got most of the country fantasised in playing videogames by swinging their hands about whilst holding a control towards the television, but the fun can wear off and it gets the point that people just aren’t interested in ‘sweating it out’ to a game. Simply, hardcore gamers who tend to spend a fair bit of time crafting hours into a game are usually happy enough to sit down at their seat holding their controller instead of swinging it. The novelty could have worn off for Nintendo but that hasn’t stopped Microsoft or Sony from challenging a very competitive Nintendo Wii dominated motion control crown.

Playstation EyeToy
Nintendo isn’t the first to offer such a large technological gap in gameplay experience; Sony released the EyeToy for its Playstation 2 console back in 2003. The game, which came bundled with EyeToy: Play, offered a large variety of games. The EyeToy worked by detecting any motion that was seen through the camera and reacted to the games EyeToy: Play offered. One game where the player would have to keep as many ball in the air as soon as possible meant the player would have to adjust their full body movement using their head and shoulders to keep their ball in the air. The product was aimed at a younger audience and with of supporting games following it released the EyeToy may have sold well but pushed in the background of Sony’s plans, which seemed to be concentrating on keeping up the demand for online gaming at the time.