By Yoon Ja-young
A nerd sitting in a smoke-filled Internet cafe staring at a computer monitor through bloodshot eyes with fingers moving vehemently. Korea boasts a number of powerhouse game companies but their products are typically viewed negatively. Motion sensing games are looking to alter the stereotype, bringing games into the family room and making them healthier.
To play games, traditionally one has had to use a joystick, keyboard or mouse. In motion sensing games the player makes motions themselves to control the gameplay. These games find their origin in arcade classics such as racing or shooting games, or those where the player performs dance steps or plays instruments. These enticed players as they had to move their body and maximized immersion as people felt as if they are really part of the game. However these were only available at arcades as they required specialized equipment and huge sets.
Motion sensing games became widely available at home after firms turned to the new genre.
The market reacted wildly to Nintendo’s Wii, a console game with motion sensing control in 2006 November. It sold 74.5 million globally as of October 2010, and it hurt the arcades. “People came to enjoy the motion sensing games such as shooting or rhythm games at home. It forced video arcades to close in Japan where the arcade industry was huge,” Korea Creative Content Agency said in a report.
The core technology in these games is about sensing and tracking of motion, plus short-distance wireless communication technology which sends signals to the main console. The transmission should be fast and accurate to make the game run smoothly.
The sensor tracks the current location of the terminal, or the controller that often looks like a wand, its speed and vibration, to calculate the pattern of the movement. Microsoft developed a motion sensing game which tracks the player’s articulation points instead of that of the controller.
Motion sensing games are often equipped with cameras tracking the movement of the controller to support the sensor.
The world’s three major console game companies, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, have been competing in the industry, but each of them has slightly different focus.
Nintendo Wii, the first comer, concentrated on developing light and intuitive games. It succeeded in attracting people not familiar with games. It released Wii Fit, where player can enjoy various sports with a ‘balance board’ controller. “The introduction of these games motivated people with negative views on games to give them a try. It helped expand the game consumer base,” Korea Creative Content Agency said in a report.
Sony Computer Entertainment launched the PlayStation Move in 2010 September, boasting precision. “Sony had developed a robot puppy, which chases a pink ball. The robot puppy did it as it senses color in a three dimensional sphere. PlayStation Move is based on this technology,” a representative for Sony in Korea explained.
The player holds a motion controller with a sphere at the end of it while playing the game, which allows the eye camera to pinpoint the movement and position of the player within the room. It also has a gyro sensor, a triaxial acceleration sensor and a geomagnetic sensor which capture hand movements in a detailed manner. It also tracks upper body movement and translates that into the game. The representative for Sony explained that precision and lack of delay enables PlayStation Move users to enjoy various genres from shooting to action role playing titles, while motion sensing products typically provide only simple games for family.
This allows the character on screen to move exactly like the gamer. Even when the color ball goes out of the camera lens or is blocked by the body, it continues tracking the ball.
Microsoft is the latest arrival, releasing the Xbox 360 Kinect in 2010 November, but with an innovative approach. The Kinect doesn’t need a controller. The two lens camera senses body motion and the user becomes the controller itself. As the player can freely move their hands the experience is that much greater.
Over 10 million Kinects sold in the four months since release. It sold 8 million in the first 60 days, and was registered in Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest selling consumer electronics device.