Weight Loss with Wii Fitness Games and Nutrisystem

By now, you’ve probably heard the news that President Obama stopped by his local Best Buy to do a little Christmas shopping. Okay, we all know it was a photo op, because quite frankly, all the President of the United States needs to do is snap his fingers and he can have every video game in the world delivered to his front door, as well as have two Secret Service agents play them and get high scores for him.

Anyway, in case you were curious as to what he bought, the answer is…Just Dance 3! (in addition to a $100 iTunes gift card and The Sims 3: Pets for PC) As good as the deals from Best Buy have been this year, someone should have told the president that he could have gotten it $10 cheaper at Amazon. But maybe he was willing to shell out the extra $10 for the Best Buy Katy Perry bonus tracks.

Addressing  the crowd of Christmas shoppers, he said “In case you all are wondering, Just Dance for the Wii,”which must have sent a tingle up the collective legs of Ubisoft and Nintendo and cause a lot of folks at Microsoft to consider voting Republican.

He went on to comment to reporters about his skills. ”The girls beat me every time on these various dance games,” Obama told the crowd of Christmas shoppers. “You guys will never get a picture of me doing it. Because I get graded ‘F’ every time.”

But oh, what I would give to see the President dancing to “California Gurls” or “Land of 1000 Dances”.

Just in case you haven’t noticed, there are a LOT of video dance games that have come out lately vying for your hard-earned cash for Christmas 2011.  Here are the titles that have been or are pending release since October 2011. (I’ve linked each title if there’s a review on XboxFitness.Org, Nutwiisystem.Com, or PS3Fitness.Com).

• Dance Central 2 for Xbox
• Everybody Dance for PS3
• Just Dance 3 for Wii
• Just Dance 3 for Xbox
• Dance Dance Revolution II for Wii
• Just Dance 3 for PS3
• Get Up and Dance for PS3
• Get Up and Dance for Wii
• Country Dance 2 for Wii
• Black Eyed Peas Experience for Xbox
• Black Eyed Peas Experience for Wii
• Grease Dance for PS3
• Grease Dance for Xbox
• ABBA: You Can Dance for Wii

Big list, right? Let’s add in the “dance games for kids”

• Nickelodeon Dance for Wii
• Just Dance Kids 2 for Wii
• Just Dance Kids 2 for Xbox
• Nickelodeon Dance for Xbox
• Just Dance Kids 2 for PS3

And I’m not even counting other new games that incorporate dancing like Happy Feet 2, Victorious Time to Shine, and Zumba Fitness 2.

It’s enough to make you want to shake these game companies by the throat and say “WE GET IT. DANCING GAMES MAKE YOU A LOT OF MONEY”.

Now, if  you had all the money in the world, you could certainly shell out $40-50 each game and all three consoles. But of course, these days none of us have that luxury. So this post is intended to help you figure out which dance game reigns supreme, so you know which dance game to spend your money on.

And in the process, we’ll talk about platforms as well. Since I have all three platforms (Wii, Xbox, PS3) and I love all of them, you can rest assured that everything I say here will be completely unbiased (go onto other message boards and you’ll see fans of each platform defending theirs with near-religious ferocity).

So what’s the verdict? Which Dance Game reigns supreme? I’ll do this in the form of an awards show.

Best Motion Tracking
Dance Central 2 for Xbox Kinect

Hands down (and arms, legs, and torso all over the place) the best platform for dance games in general is the Kinect, and the best dance game as far as accuracy of full-body motion tracking is Dance Central 2. Now I should say that I have (and love) my Wii and PS3. I love the Wii for its fun graphics and I contend that it’s still by far the best system for families and groups of people. I love the PS3 for its superior graphics and the amazing accuracy of the Move controller, which makes it the perfect title for any game which requires you to hold an object like a sword, a tennis racquet, or a baseball bat in your hand.

But at the end of the day, dance games for those platforms require you to hold a controller in your hand, while the Kinect just lets you dance freely, and the system knows not just when your right hand is or isn’t in the right place, but evaluates your whole body.


Best Multiplayer Game
Just Dance 3 for Wii

Dance Games are fun to play alone if you’re exercising or learning how to dance, but there is nothing better than being in a group of people and competing against each other; the players get to see who the better dancer is, and bystanders can enjoy a “dance-off”.

As much hype as the Kinect and the Move are getting (deservedly so) for their groundbreaking progress in motion control, the old trusty Wii still is by far the best platform for multiple people to play. Why? Because the Wii remote control uses radio signals to transmit the user’s motions,while the Xbox and the Playstation both rely on a camera. Granted, the Wii will probably never approach the sheer accuracy of the other two systems. On the other hand, unlike the other two systems, the Wii doesn’t require two people (or four) to squeeze within a small 8-10 foot space. So while two people can play the same game at opposite sides of a room on the Wii, the same two people will have to squeeze together on the Xbox and Playstation and try to figure out how not to hit each other.

Just Dance 3 for the Wii has songs that are choreographed for two, four, and even eight independent players. It makes for a ton of fun at parties.

Best Choreography
Dance Central 2 for Xbox Kinect

This is a subjective call, of course, but overall I found the choreography in Dance Central 2 to be the best of the lot. When I look at the individual dance moves (as depicted on the “cue cards” that appear on all the games), I find that Dance Central 2 is the only one which really depicts real “dance moves” that I see performed by professionals and in clubs.

If you spend enough time to learn them (and there’s are great training sessions which will break down the moves for you very well), not only will you excel at the game, you’ll wow people the next time you’re on the dance floor.

Best Choreograph-Your-Own-Dance Feature
Everybody Dance for Playstation Move

For aspiring choreographers and people who have played dance games and said “I could design a dance better than these people”, the new trend in these games of being about to choreograph your own routines will be a welcome new feature. This was a toss-up between Just Dance 3 for Kinect and Everybody Dance for Playstation, but at the end of the day the winner is Sony. It’s a seamless process to record your own video and share it with friends (or the world). The fact that the Move controller is used is actually a bonus in this case, as it makes motion detection for people who play your routine seamless, something that is a bit more complex to do on the Kinect especially in different lighting levels, camera angles, and body positions.

Best Workout
Dance Dance Revolution II for Wii

This winner is going to surprise a lot of people, but I found that the best dance game for just working out is Dance Dance Revolution II. This is not to say you can’t get a great workout with the “real dance move” games, especially if you put a lot of effort into learning the precise moves and do them over and over again. But DDR has been and continues to be a game where you’re constantly in motion, stepping and stomping faster than any aerobics or step class. It’s not a surprise that schools around the country have begun to use DDR in their phys ed classes. Dance Dance Revolution II brings some long-awaited new features to the franchise, including the ability for one player to use two dance mats, and an upgraded workout mode. Yes, the concept is dated, it’s no longer as “fun” as a real dance game, and you won’t “wow” anyone on the dance floor with any moves you learn in DDR. But it’s still the best sweat-inducing dance title out there.

Funnest Game
Just Dance 3 (all platforms)

For this award I did a little experiment. I brought all three major dance games to different gatherings and sat back and watched how easy it was for them to pick up the game and start playing, how much the players enjoyed it, and how much the spectators enjoyed it. The winner was no contest. Just Dance 3 had the most people wanting to jump up and take their turn, and had the most people on the floor doubled over with laughter, especially during the multiplayer routines.

I really admire how Ubisoft has kept the franchise “true” to itself even amid other games encroaching on the “turf” which it invented. It could have tried to be like Dance Central and focus on precise dance moves (even on “Easy” level, Dance Central 2 is not easy and will take several repetitions for you to start matching the moves, something people at parties will not have much patience for). But instead, it kept true to what it was–a game that did a passable job at motion control but focused on bright and happy graphics, whimsical and fun choreography, and just plain fun. In many ways, Dance Central 2 and Everybody Dance sometimes feel that they’re games which take themselves a bit too seriously, but Just Dance 3 is content to just be fun.

Best Song Selection
You Make the Call

Ultimately, I can’t choose which game has the best song list because musical tastes are very subjective. You can view the complete song lists on my review of Just Dance 3,  my review of Dance Central 2, and my review of Everybody Dance, and make your own call!

And if you’re the fan of a particular niche, say the music of the musical Grease, ABBA, The Black Eyed Peas, Michael Jackson, Broadway showtunes or country music, you’re going to be better off buying the specialized dance games for those. (Although be forewarned, all of those standalone dance games are definitely far less polished than Dance Central 2, Just Dance 3, and Everybody Dance–the developer obviously felt they could make more money selling standalone games rather than as downloadable content for one of the top dance games).

Overall Best Dance Game
You Make the Call

Again, I’m going to weasel out of making a call here. The choice for which dance game is best for you really depends on your goals. If your goal is to learn real dance moves that you can take to a dance floor, Dance Central 2 is the way to go. If your goal is to have a lot of fun, Just Dance 3 is the winner. If your goal is exercise, DDR still provides the most exhausting workout. For the best social networking features, Everybody Dance has set the bar that hopefully others can meet in the future.

Bottom line, if you’re planning on using a video game for fitness, the rules are and have always been the same. Can you get your heart rate elevated for a sustained 20 minutes a day? If so, you will lose weight. But like any other workout, you need to be committed to doing it. IMO, the challenge of perfecting dance moves helps a lot more in the commitment than repetitive actions like walking on a treadmill or an elliptical machine. But it’s up to you to keep it up and not sit down after every 4-minute song

One year ago today I published my comparison between the Xbox Kinect, the Playstation Move, and the Wii based on my early experiences with the systems. I thought it might be a good time to give an update, especially with Christmas approaching.

I’ll use the same grading system I used a year ago.

Technology:
Wii: C
Playstation Move: A
Kinect: A

I had to dock the Wii a letter grade for technology. In a world where the PS3 and Xbox are both doing cool things with video and motion detection, the Wii seems almost passe nowadays. Nintendo is not sitting still, and they’ll be releasing the Nintendo Wii U in 2012, which will greatly boost the processing power but still remain backwards-compatible with the Wii.

Graphics:
Wii: C
Playstation Move: A
Kinect: B

In terms of the sheer beauty of the graphics, the PS3 still reigns supreme in its crisp and clear 1080p output. As the only console with Blu-Ray disc support and 3D game play, it’s still the one to beat.

Games:
Wii: C
Playstation Move: D
Kinect: A

This was the biggest shift in ratings from last year. In 2011, it seems that innovative game designs for the Wii simply disappeared. And the number of “active” games designed for the PS3 remains woefully low (most developers are incorporating the Move controls within existing games rather than developing whole new games around it). On the other hand, the Xbox has simply exploded. Whether you want to wield a light saber, visit Disneyland, or dance with the Muppets, there’s an app for that.

Precision and Response of Controller:
Wii: C
Playstation Move: A
Kinect: B

I’ve had a year to try each system out, and it’s very clear to me where each system shines from a controller perspective.

The Xbox Kinect is best for games that benefit from “full body tracking”, such as dance games and workout games. On the other hand, it’s almost ridiculously inadequate for games that involve holding a virtual piece of equipment, such as a sword, a gun, a baseball bat or a pool cue. Also, while full motion tracking is a cool thing, for many games, the overall graphics seem a little sluggish when compared to the instant response of the PS3 or the Wii.

The PS3 Move, on the other hand, excels at those things. One year later I still find it amazing that I can hold a ping pong paddle in my hand and control the angle and rotation precisely. And unlike the Kinect, even if my room is pitch dark it still reads my movements perfectly.

Group Play:
Wii: A
Playstation Move: B
Kinect: C

Seems that the poor Wii isn’t doing so well this year, but here is where the Wii still shines brightly. With both the Playstation and the Xbox, you’re physically limited to the number of people that can fit within the camera’s range. There have been various attempts to expand the playing space, such as the Nyko Zoom for Kinect, but these have been lacking, meaning that for both the PS3 and the Xbox you still have to move furniture out of the way and stay confined in a small area. With the Wii, on the other hand, you can have players sitting on sofas, sitting on the floor, and you can just toss the controller to them when it’s their turn.

Fun:
Wii: A
Playstation Move: B
Kinect: B+

To me, this is the most important criteria. Once the “wow” factor is done with, how much fun is each system to play? This, of course, is a subjective thing which varies from game to game. But having all three systems, I find that the games I still play over and over again are strangely enough on the Wii, especially when I’m in a group, from Super Mario Kart to Just Dance 3 to the newly released Zelda. For all the advances that the PS3 and Xbox have made in graphics and technology, this is proof that good storytelling and crisp, quick gameplay will always reign supreme.

Affordability:
Wii: A
Playstation Move: C
Kinect: C

The Wii is still anywhere from 30% to 50% cheaper than what the Playstation 3 with Move and Xbox with Kinect cost out of the gate. Factor in that Xbox and PS3 games tend to cost anywhere from $40-60 each (compared to $20-50 for Wii games), and you’ll find that the Wii is still much, much more affordable over time.

And so when tallying up the grades, here are the results:

Wii: B (87/100)
PlayStation 3 with PlayStation Move Bundle: B+ (89/100)
Xbox 360 with Kinect: B+ (90/100)

So the very slight edge goes to the Xbox, mostly due to the huge influx of games that are being released for the Kinect. But overall, I’d say it’s still a three-way tie, with each system excelling in its own very specific way.

As I did last year, I’ll close with a word of advice. When choosing a system for yourself, decide for yourself which of the attributes above are most relevant to your needs, and weigh and judge them accordingly. I’ve seen people defend their choice of video game systems with near-religious ferocity and for good reason–after calculating the cost of the console and all the accessories and games you’ll buy, it can easily turn into an investment in the thousands of dollars.

But at the end of the day, it really comes down to what your preferences are. Do you want to play games with all members of your family at once? The Wii is the perfect choice for you. Do you like first-person shooter games or games where you’re holding a piece of virtual equipment such as a baseball bat or a sword? Go with the PS3. Do you want the “coolness” factor of having your whole body detected in dance games and exercise games? The Xbox is perfect for you.

So which system configurations to buy?

A question I hear a lot for each of these systems is which configurations to buy. It gets confusing, because most of the game companies sell different configurations, with or without motion controllers. Here are the ones to get:

For the Xbox Kinect, I would recommend the Xbox 360 250GB with Kinect. It comes with the Xbox 360 console, a handheld controller, the Kinect camera, a headset, the awful Kinect Adventures game, AC cable, AV cable, and a built-in 250 GB hard drive (you can save some money by buying the 4 GB version).

For the Playstation, I would recommend the PlayStation 3 320GB Move Bundle. It comes with the Playstation 3 console, a handheld controller, a Move controller, the Playstation Eye camera, the excellent Sports Champion game, an AC power cord, an AV cable, and a USB cable.

For the Wii, I’d just get the Wii Console with Mario Kart Wii Bundle, which comes with the console, a MotionPlus-enabled Wii remote, a nunchuk, Mario Kart and a wheel, sensor bar, AC cable, and AV cable.

This year’s big news at the 2001 E3 conference was the development of the sequel to the Wii, the Wii U. But there were a number of Wii Fitness games announced for release later this year.

• Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey & Gallop Racer
• Dance Dance Revolution II
• Just Dance 3
• My Body Coach 2
• Nickelodeon Dance
• Rhythm Heaven
• UFC Personal Trainer
• Zumba Fitness 2

You’ll notice there are a lot of “2s” and “3s” (in fact, since the last version of Dance Dance Revolution was a “reboot”, this version is really Dance Dance Revolution 6–and probably won’t be too much different from 2!). It’s a shame that game developers are getting more and more skittish about developing brand new innovative titles; on the other hand, hopefully in the re-releases of popular titles like Just Dance and Zumba Fitness the publishers are working hard on correcting a lot of the inaccuracies and flaws of those games, rather than just rushing out another version to try to cash in on us users.

I’ll, of course, post details and links to purchase as they become available on the list of upcoming Wii Fitness Games.  And if you hear of other upcoming games not on the list, please leave a comment, and I’ll be sure to add it to my list of games to review!

At the E3 Expo yesterday, Nintendo finally made the biggest announcement since they announced six years ago that they were releasing a new sequel to the Nintendo Gamecube called the Wii. The new Wii is called the Wii U, and it’s going to look like this:

It looks a lot like the Wii, right? Happily, a lot will stay the same. The new Wii will be fully backwards compatible with all your current Wii games, as well as all your peripherals, from your Balance Board to your MotionPlus controllers.

There are differences of course. One is that the Wii will finally have HD output, meaning you will be able to play high definition games that are on par with the graphics on the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360.

The biggest innovation is going to be the introduction of a brand new kind of controller.

The new controller is 16.2″ x 6.2″. Aside from being a controller with buttons you can use to play games, the new controller contains a microphone, gyroscope, accelerometer, rumble, camera, and stylus. It also has a touch-screen LCD display you can use to play games if the TV is taken, or which in some games will serve as a second display.

The burning question for us on Nutwiisystem, of course, is whether Nintendo will continue to improve its motion controls. Microsoft now has a number of impressive Xbox Fitness games, and even Sony has a few games which can be used for PS3 Fitness.  Question is, as the Wii U  innovate new things like the tablet controller, will it continue to innovate the Wii Remote to make it more precise and accurate? Hopefully we’ll know in the coming months.

To be alerted when the Nintendo Wii U is ready for ordering, visit Amazon.com. 

I have no idea what improvements Nintendo is making to the Wii to compete with the Kinect and the Move, but it’s clear they’ve been working hard on the handheld gaming front. On March 27, they’ll be releasing a new 3D version of their popular handheld game, the Nintendo 3DS.

This is one I’m really excited about, because it will showcase 3D images–without the use of 3D glasses. As for how they’ll do this, if you’ve ever played with a “magic eye” book, you’ll have an idea. You basically need to focus your eyes at a certain point, and the picture will appear to “pop out” at you. There’s also the option to turn off 3D and play in old fashioned 2D.

So what does this have to do with Wii Fitness? Well, a few things:

1) Nintendo has brilliantly figured out how to make the DS relevant to fitness. Nintendo is including a built-in pedometer which measures how many steps you take through the day and tracks it in the Activity Log application. A feature will let you earn “coins” based on how many steps you take, which can be used to unlock features in games. Tell your kids about this feature, and they’ll be running around and getting great exercise just to earn coins!

2) If you’re doing your Wii workouts and you have kids constantly getting in the way, this is a great way to occupy their time for 20 minutes (although early reports from doctors say it’s best to leave the unit in 2D mode for young kids).

3) If you’re exercising on a boring treadmill or exercise bike, this is going to be one of the great time-wasters in the world to occupy your time (and earn coins yourself!)

4) There are some other cool features which will encourage more “social” gaming. A feature called Street Pass will allow 3DS consoles the option to communicate with each other when you pass another 3DS owner in the street. A feature called Spot Pass will allow the DS to receive information from a stationary display (such as in a store or a trade show).

5) Maybe now that this is out, Nintendo will refocus its energy back to the Wii. There have been rumors since 2008 (completely unsubstantiated) that the Wii 2 is due to be released in 2011, and may feature things like HD and Blu-Ray. I’ll believe it when I see it.

I really like how Nintendo continues to defy the notion that gaming, even portable gaming, must be sedentary. Hopefully there will be more games that make use of the built-in pedometer!

Read the updated EA Sports Active 2 for the Wii Review.

EA Sports Active 2 came out last week for the Wii, Xbox, and Playstation 3 (I’m still waiting for my copy to come in; when it does, of course you can expect a full in-depth review).

One of the great things about EA Sports Active 2 is its support for two players through the use of extra motion sensor controllers. This is all well and good, but as of this writing, extra controllers are nowhere to be found, not on Amazon, not on Toys R Us, nor on any other retailer site.

Lo and behold, today on the EA Store they popped up. Here’s how you can find it:

1. Go to the EA Store Homepage.
2. In the search box on the top of the page, type “EA SPORTS Active 2 Accessory Pack”.
   
3. You’ll see a list of EA Sports Active-related items. Choose EA SPORTS Active 2 Accessory Pack for the Wii (make sure you don’t select the Xbox one nor the version for the first EA Sports Active), and click the “Preorder” button.

Voila! You’ll be able to order it for $59.99. The package comes with another heart rate monitor that you strap onto your arm, another leg motion controller you strap onto your leg, and another resistance band. If you have two players, it’ll track your movements and heart rates separately.

EA Sports doesn’t indicate on the site how long it’ll take for you to get these extra motion sensors, but if you really need them I would recommend putting in the pre-order sooner rather than later. Something tells me these are going to be difficult to come by in the holiday season, especially since Xbox, Wii, and PS3 all share the same controllers.

The alternative way to get an extra set of accessories is to purchase EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp. But if you don’t need that game, you can save a cool $40 by ordering your extra controllers through EA directly. 

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I got the chance to two different parties, and it happened that one had the Xbox Kinect, and the other the Wii. And of course, I already have the Playstation Move and have been posting game reviews on Nutwiisystem’s sister site PS3Fitness.com (where you can read full accounts of my early impressions and the setup process for the PlayStation Move).

My friend Sandy had purchased Kinect Sensor with Kinect Adventures! for her Xbox. I helped her set it up. It was pretty easy to set up; like the Wii you just take a long camera device and put it in front of the TV facing the group. The Xbox will automatically detect the camera, and one thing that’s really cool is that the camera will move to track your progress. On-screen prompts will walk you through configuring the system, which basically consists of waving your hands. A tiny image of you will appear in the lower right-hand of the screen.

The technology had a definite “coolness” factor about it. Within minutes, I was navigating the Xbox menus like Tom Cruise in “Minority Report”, just waving my hands. We spent the better part of the night playing it, to the point where I feel pretty comfortable telling you my impressions of each.

I should preface this by saying that comparing the Wii, Playstation, and Xbox can be a dangerous undertaking, as many owners of each system tend to be fanatical and will defend their system with near-religious tenacity. And for good reason: once you choose a system, chances are you’ll be investing hundreds of dollars in hardware and thousands in software within a few years. The last thing anyone wants to do is admit they didn’t make the best choice.

The manufacturers of these products don’t make it much easier. You’ll see news reports about how such-and-such has sold such-and-such number of units, and somehow that’s supposed to mean that it’s better. You’ll also read reviews online and on Amazon which you’ll quickly find are dubious: half are written by fanatics who will stick to their system no matter what, while the other half are written by shills paid for by the companies’ PR agencies.

Anyway, I felt I owed it to you to give you my take, as unbiased as I can make it. So take these impressions with a grain of salt, and do your own comparisons of the three systems when you’re at various holiday parties this year.

Technology:
Wii: B
Playstation Move: B+
Kinect: A

I have to admit that the technology for both the Playstation Move and the Xbox Kinect are impressive. Both system track movements with incredible precision. There’s a definite “ooh” factor the first time you rotate a Sports Champions ping-pong paddle in your hand, or contort your body to plug holes in an underwater tank for the Kinect. The Wii remote still gets the job done, of course, but as developers for the Xbox and Playstation start to tap the potential of the more precise motion controls, the Wii will start aging.

Graphics (Quality):
Wii: C
Playstation Move: A
Kinect: B+

I split graphics into two pieces: quality and gameplay. This is because as beautiful as the graphics are, if a software developer places form over function, that ruins the game. For this category, the Wii is definitely showing its age. When I look at the photo-realistic vistas in Sports Champions, it makes attempts at photo-realistic scenes in Wii games look very old. I noticed that the graphics on the Xbox are excellent, but the Playstation just had an edge, probably due to its use of Blu-ray discs.

Graphics (Gameplay):
Wii: A
Playstation Move: B
Kinect: B

The game we played at the Wii Party was, well, Wii Party. Overall, games that are produced by Nintendo (as my niece says, ones that “start with the word Wii, like Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit) are phenomenal. Even though the Wii lacks in graphics processing horsepower, Nintendo’s developers do the most with it. Their use of graphics is imaginative, creative, and downright hilarious (there’s a tree-swinging game where everyone in entire room was literally doubling over with laughter). This is a personal bias (which didn’t factor into my grade), but I much prefer the “cute” approach of Wii’s characters and the “realistic” approach of Playstation’s characters versus the “smart-alecky”, “impish” look of the characters on the Kinect. Put another way, I want to hug the characters on the Wii, shake hands with the characters on the PS3, and punch the living daylights out of the characters on the Xbox.

Games:
Wii: A
Playstation Move: D
Kinect: C

This is another place where the Wii shines and for good reason–the Wii has had a four-year head start. The number of quality games for the Playstation’s games is nothing short of disappointing: games like “Start the Party” and “Kung Fu Rider” are terrible. The only “showcase” games I’ve seen so far areSports Champions and The Fight: Lights Out. The Xbox fares a little better, with positive reviews coming in for games like Kinect Sports and Dance Central (although unfortunately, the game we played was Game Party: In Motion which evidently isn’t the best to showcase the Kinect). As time goes by, no doubt these grades will change–I do hope that the increased competition will start to put an end to awful “shovelware” games for the Wii, and force all developers to start producing quality stuff.

Precision and Response of Controller:
Wii: C
Playstation Move: A
Kinect: B+

This will probably come as no surprise, but the Move and the Kinect both get stellar scores on this one–as long as the conditions are perfect (see the next section for how things can go horribly wrong). As long as you’re one player standing exactly 6-8 feet behind the camera, the controls are phenomenal. With the Wii, on the other hand, we’ve all gotten used to games where controls are not as precise as they should be (on that note, Nintendo should seriously consider either improving the nunchuk as a motion detection controller or putting it out of its misery).

Group Play:
Wii: A
Playstation Move: B
Kinect: C

Here is where the Wii shines brightly and will probably continue to do so for some time. With both the Playstation and the Xbox, you’re physically limited to the number of people that can fit within the camera’s range. This is why the vast majority of early titles for these games are for a maximum of two players; in fact, for the Xbox games we even had to move furniture out of the way and tell people not to stand in certain places. For both the PS3 and the Xbox, players had to physically get up and stand in a confined area to play–and when they got too excited and moved out of the camera shot, their scores would suffer. With the Wii, on the other hand, we had players sitting on sofas, sitting on the floor, and we just had to toss the controller to them when it was their turn.

Fun:
Wii: A
Playstation Move: B
Kinect: B+

To me, this is the most important criteria. Once the “wow” factor is done with, how much fun is each system to play? For this, the Wii still stands apart–for now. A game is most successful when you DON’T notice “coolness” factors like the graphics or the controller. If game manufacturers for the PS3 and Xbox are smart, they’ll focus more on immersing the players  into game play and less so on making their games the slickest or “coolest” games out there.

Affordability:
Wii: A
Playstation Move: C
Kinect: C

The Wii is anywhere from 30% to 50% cheaper than what the Playstation 3 with Move and Xbox with Kinect cost out of the gate. Factor in that Xbox and PS3 games tend to cost anywhere from $40-60 each (compared to $20-50 for Wii games), and you’ll find that the Wii is much, much more affordable over time.

And so when tallying up the grades, here are the results:

Wii: B+
Xbox 360 with Kinect: B
PlayStation 3 with PlayStation Move Bundle: B

I suppose it’s somewhat fitting that the Kinect and the Move should end up in a tie. A lot of this is, of course, because game developers have not yet produced stellar titles for either of them. This should change over the coming year. In the meantime, hopefully Nintendo will do what it takes to keep its system on par, if not through their graphics and controller, then through accentuating the things that do give them an edge.

Bottom line, when choosing a system for yourself, see which of the components above are most relevant to your needs, and judge accordingly. I’d also love to hear your experiences with each of the systems. Bottom line, the fact that there are three strong motion gaming systems out there now competing against each other is a good sign that we’ll see much better quality in the future.

Which system configurations to buy?

A question I hear a lot for each of these systems is which configurations to buy. It gets confusing, because most of the game companies sell different configurations, with  or without motion controllers. Here are the ones to get:

For the Xbox Kinect, I would recommend the Xbox 360 250GB Console with Kinect. It comes with the Xbox 360 console, a handheld controller, the Kinect camera, a headset, the awful Kinect Adventures game, AC cable, AV cable, and a built-in 250 GB hard drive (you can save some money by buying the 4 GB version).

For the Playstation, I would recommend the PlayStation 3 320GB System with PlayStation Move Bundle. It comes with the Playstation 3 console, a handheld controller, a Move controller, the Playstation Eye camera, the excellent Sports Champion game, an AC power cord, an AV cable, and a USB cable.

For the Wii, I’d just get the Wii Hardware Bundle – White, which comes with the console, a MotionPlus-enabled Wii remote, a nunchuk, Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, sensor bar, AC cable, and AV cable. To maximize your workouts, I’d also add on the Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board.

We interrupt our Video Game reviews to let you know that Nintendo will be releasing a limited edition Red Wii, complete with Red Wii console, Red Wiimotes (with red MotionPlus and red plastic Wiimote holder), two games (Super Mario Brothers and Wii Sports), and a red nunchuk.

The release is to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Super Mario Bros, which was released for the NES in 1985. Of course, those of us who follow video game trivia know that Mario himself was born 29 years ago in a little game called “Donkey Kong”. He’s changed his looks over the years, but that red hat always remains the same.

If you’ve been holding off on buying a new Wii, now’s a great time to jump (no pun intended). This red edition of the Wii is not going to last long, and is sure to be a collector’s item.

Here’s some late breaking news about the Red Wii.

Kmart has announced that between November 7 and November 13, members of its Shop Your Way reward program will receive a whopping 50,000 bonus points if they purchase the Red Wii. That’s a $50 value.

Sign up for the rewards program here, and then visit Kmart’s Red Wii page to order. But hurry–these things will be flying off the shelves for this one week!

Now available: Review of EA Sports Active 2 for the Wii.

As those of you who follow the Top 10 Wii Fitness Games list know, EA Sports Active shot up to #1 on the list as the best Wii fitness game the day it was first released. It was bumped by Wii Fit for a short while, but quickly regained its position when the follow-up EA Sports Active More Workouts was released.

When you’re #1, it’s sometimes tough to improve. But I’m happy to say that from all early indications, EA Sports has done just that with its upcoming new titles EA Sports Active 2 (available for Wii, PS3, and Xbox) and EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp (available only on Wii).

I had the pleasure of getting a “sneak peek” look at both these titles yesterday. I’ll give you the skinny (that pun never gets old, does it? )

My thanks to Matt and Justin at EA for the sneak peek (I think that was their names–my Blackberry crashed, so I wrote this all from memory). I am definitely looking forward to both. Both EA Sports Active 2 and EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp ship in November. These are going to be hot, so order yours early!