Xbox 360 Kinect vs PlayStation Move

Nintendo introduced us to the world of motion-based gaming with its Wii and Wii U consoles. They opened an array of new possibilities to the traditional console gaming space. They took the lead in educating and showing the consumers why motion control deserved the spot in their living room. Following Nintendo into motion based gaming, Microsoft and Sony made an entry with Xbox 360 Kinect and Play Station Move respectively. Both of these new controllers use altogether different technologies for the motion-based gaming experience. Let’s go ahead and compare these revolutionary products in terms of the hardware, precision, games quality, ease of use, cost, and the overall user experience.

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Xbox 360 Kinect vs PlayStation Move[/caption]

1. Hardware
Xbox 360 Kinect allows the users to interact with the console without the need of a game controller. It enables the user to control and interact through a natural user interface using gestures and spoken commands. The first generation Kinect consists of a camera, microphone and a depth sensor. The Kinect 2 can now track 25 joints of about 6 different people at a time and comes with a full 1080p RBG camera for HD detection that help with facial recognition.

The PlayStation Move, however, makes the use of a motion controller and relies on the combination of internal sensors and the Eye camera to track the controller stick through its glowing orb located at the top of the stick and makes the use of a secondary navigation camera. The internal sensor of PlayStation Move consist of a three-axis linear accelerometer and a three-axis angular rate sensor, these are used to track rotation as well as overall motion. It also includes a temperature sensor and a magnetometer. These internal sensors prove to be quite useful in cases where camera tracking is insufficient when the controller is obstructed behind the player’s back

While the Move controller stick is similar on the lines of a Wii console, Kinect with the whole controller-free setup brings an entirely new and exciting approach to motion gaming.

2. Precision
The PlayStation Eye camera and the controller stick make a deadly combination for highly responsive and accurate motion based gameplay. The combination of the internal sensors and the Eye camera gives an added reliable precise control. The internal magnetometer is also used for calibrating the controller’s orientation against the Earth’s magnetic field to help correct the cumulative errors by the internal sensors and the temperature sensors help to minimize any offset caused in the readings of the internal sensors due to temperature effects. All of these together enhance the precision and accuracy of the PlayStation Move.

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PlayStation Move[/caption]

While Kinect thrives on its controller-free setup, it falls short on the front of responsiveness. Kinect uses an IR blaster that sends out photons ( minute particles of light) that refract off the user’s skin and the background and then it determines depth using ‘time of flight’ technology. There are 4 microphones that Xbox 360 Kinect uses to listen and understand the voice commands simultaneously. In terms of precision, the latest version of Kinect can account for any facial reaction changes or small movements like rotating the wrist or clenching of a fist. However, this can also be recorded in the PlayStation Move with the use of its internal sensors. Although all of these features sound really awesome but Kinect has approximately 60ms latency with processing which results in slightly slower reaction with a noticeable lag and requires users to adapt to its timing-based learning curve.

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Xbox 360 Kinect[/caption]

3. Ease of Use
Both the setups require a considerable amount of space for them to operate correctly. A distance of 5 to 9 feet is recommended for PlayStation Move so that the Eye camera can monitor the full range of motions. The spatial requirement for Kinect slightly greater.

The user is always kept in the frame with Kinect’s tracking functionality that allows the device to pivot itself through motors. This adds to the user experience since they can actually focus on what’s happening on the screen and not their position. Kinect 2 tracks about 6 users simultaneously. That being said, PlayStation Move is actually known for is 1 to 1 killer tracking.

The Eye camera of the Move also allows the users to play in dark conditions while sitting on a couch.

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Xbox 360 Kinect — Motion-based gaming with multiple users[/caption]

4. The Cost
A Xbox 360 Kinect will cost about Rs 9000 to Rs 10,000 whereas the cost of PlayStation Move starter pack will cost about Rs 5,000 to 5,500. One thing to note is that the starter pack of PS Move will include one controller hence it can detect only one user at the time, but Kinect takes a lead when it comes to families where multiple users play simultaneously. Also, when it comes to buying the whole bundle, cost of Play Station 3 500 GB system along with PlayStation Move will be Rs 28,000 while Xbox 360 500 GB console with Kinect will be around Rs 29,000.

So it is fair to say that in terms of costs, there isn’t much difference between the two motion based gaming consoles. However when it comes to sharing the experience with friends and family, Xbox Kinect seems to be a better choice.

Please note: These are not the absolute prices and they vary according to different sources.

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PlayStation Move — Motion and Navigation Controllers[/caption]

5. Games Quality and User Experience
PlayStation Move includes two controllers, a motion controller and a navigation controller. The navigation controller which replicates the functionality of the left side of PS controller left analog stick ( L3 button function), left gamepad, L1 and L2 buttons and buttons like X and O. It is because of this controller, certain gameplays are possible on PlayStation Move which cannot be replicated with the controller-free experience of Xbox 360 Kinect. Content depth and gameplay wise certain games that can be played on Move are remarkable and better than Kinect. However, the speech, facial and gesture recognition combined with high-tech controller-free tracking of Xbox Kinect gives an extraordinary user experience. Games that include multiple users playing simultaneously have much more impact on Kinect.

In the end, it all boils down to the type of gamer you are. Move is a natural choice for more mature single-player games while Kinect is a terrific entertainer for family fun games.