Category: E3

E3 2012: Wii Fit U Announced

While not the first in the space, Nintendo was one of the pioneers to bring fitness to the video game platform with Wii Fit, and now at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this week Nintendo has announced Wii Fit U for its upcoming Wii U platform.

In addition to announcing the game, Nintendo revealed the Wii Fit U Pedometer, and announced that the device will work with Wii Fit U specifically. The Pedometer will be able to count your steps, track your altitude, and estimate your calories burned during your exercise sessions. You’ll also be able to generally track all of your physical activity while you’re not directly in front of your television as well. Trailer video after the jump

E3 2012: Nike+ Kinect Training Coming This Fall

This week Microsoft and Nike announced that Nike+ Kinect Training would be coming this holiday season. Rather than just another fitness game, this would offer new connectivity between the Nike+ software system for fitness tracking and the Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360.

“This experience gives you access to the same assessment, training methods and real time feed that we provide our elite athletes,” said Stefan Olander, head of digital spots at Nike. Video after the jump

E3 2012: Fitness Game Preview

The annual video game industry trade show – the Electronic Entertainment Expo – kicks off today, and the rumor mill hasn’t exactly been working overtime, especially when it comes to fitness related titles.

What has been announced so far is that Majesco Entertainment is sticking with what it knows best and that means Zumba Fitness. According to the company: After selling more than 6 million copies worldwide, the Zumba Fitness video game franchise is breaking new ground in the fitness genre with an exhilarating new experience. Be there when Majesco reveals its next Zumba Fitness game that’s set to hit store shelves this fall. Continue reading E3 2012: Fitness Game Preview

Xbox Will Soon Offer Excercise Tracking with Kinect Play Fit and Joule Heart Rate Monitor

Microsoft’s Kinect was designed to bring a little exercise into the otherwise sedentary world of video games, and for the most part, it’s succeeded at doing just that. Now the Internet is buzzing about a potential new upgrade for the Xbox 360 and Kinect. As reported by The Verge, Microsoft will soon launch a new fitness-based service for the Xbox 360 dashboard called Kinect Play Fit. Accompanying the dashboard upgrade will be a heart rate monitor codenamed Joule. Combined, the service and heart rate monitor will let gamers track their physical activity across multiple Kinect games letting users store metrics, achievements, and badges all in the cloud.

A major component of this new dashboard upgrade will be the Joule heart rate monitor. It will function much like a traditional wireless heart rate monitor encouraging gamers to keep their heart rate within their target goal. The Joule monitor will be compatible with most Kinect games, although it won’t be mandatory for any of the games or services provided by Kinect Fit Play. Continue reading Xbox Will Soon Offer Excercise Tracking with Kinect Play Fit and Joule Heart Rate Monitor

E3 2011: UFC Personal Trainer – This Time Its Personal

Enter the Octagon, where two men enter – and eventually both men leave after a serious workout. That’s sort of the idea behind THQ’s UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System. We at KineticShift take a bit of offense at the idea that a video game would be the “Ultimate Fitness System,” but this upcoming game features more than 70 MMA and NASM-approved exercises, including moves from disciplines including wrestling, kickboxing and Muay Thai.

Basically this is a bit of shadow boxing, shadow kicking and the like. There are 51 routines, and users can focus on specific fitness objectives and even target specific muscle groups. While we also don’t think this game alone will get you in ultimate shape, we could see that this could be part of a well round workout that is anything but routine.

Video after the jump:

Continue reading E3 2011: UFC Personal Trainer – This Time Its Personal

E3 2011: Your Shape Evolves From Ubisoft

This week in Los Angeles Ubisoft offered a peek at its upcoming Kinect fitness title for the Xbox 360. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012, the sequel to the original Your Shape game, promises to provide more user feedback along with more than 90 hours of new content. The game will track a user’s movements, and provides more detailed feedback to help you work out.

The game will include a variety of workout routines including the ability jump rope and do basic aerobic exercises. But the really cool part of this one promises to be the “Run the World” mode, which allows players to virtually run through the streets of New York, Paris or London – given that this reporter has actually run in those cities I can’t wait to see this in action when the game is released this November, exclusively on Kinetic for the Xbox 360.

Video after the jump: Continue reading E3 2011: Your Shape Evolves From Ubisoft

E3 2011: Michael Phelps: Push the Limit Let’s You Swim in the Living Room

There are some games that just make instant sense, and then there are the games like Michael Phelps: Push the Limit. In this one players get to try to go for the gold and beyond in a swimming game – pool not required, not included and not compatible.

A swimming game for the living room? That’s right. The idea behind this motion control game is that players simulate swimming, moving their arms to simulate the motion of swimming in the water. The upcoming game utilizes Kinect for the Xbox 360 and from the scenes on the show floor it could get gamers’ hearts pumping. It features a variety of unique settings – but it isn’t exactly the career path that Phelps took. We figured he swam in school pools, city pools and Olympic pools, not in outdoor pools on icy mountain ranges. But that’s artistic license.

This is one that could be hit or miss, or dare we say sink or swim. Michael Phelps: Push the Limit is out now exclusively on Kinect for Xbox 360 from 505 Games.

Video after the jump: Continue reading E3 2011: Michael Phelps: Push the Limit Let’s You Swim in the Living Room

E3 2011: adidas Teams With THQ

Trade shows such as the Electronic Entertainment Expo are known to get gamers up and running – that is running to see games and to get to appointments. The rest of the time gamers need some urging to get that much activity, but now adidas is set to team up with THQ to bring the popular miCoach interactive athletic training system to video game consoles.

The new collaboration is set for release next year, and will allow gamers to train using the miCoach hardware, including heart rate monitor (or any ANT+ compatible monitor), which will connect to the THQ’s new video game title for the Kinetic for Xbox 360 or PlayStation Move via miCoach Pacer and miCoarch mobile app.

“We’re taking our successful miCoach line and broadening its reach to an even larger audience, who we hope will find motivation and inspiration from adidas and our roster of star athletes,” said Simon Drabble, Director of miCoach BU for adidas. “In simple words, this combination of console technology and training for sports supports everybody to become better athletes, regardless of their fitness level.”

Players will get an onscreen trainer to guide them through hours of on-screen training and motivating game experience. The system will get gamers toned up beginning next year.

miCoach Official Website
THQ Official Website

E3 2011: Nintendo Says Wii U

Nintendo announced its Wii U at this week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. While the game console won’t actually arrive until 2012, Nintendo did provide a look at the innovative console system, which could be as much of a gamer changer as the Nintendo Wii was when it arrived in 2006.

The Wii U is built around a new tablet-esque controller that allows for users to switch gameplay from the TV screen to the tablet’s 6.2-inch touchscreen.

“It is infinitely complex, but simple at the same time,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, President of Nintendo America. “You want what you always wanted, but you wanted something new. You want comfortable and you want surprise. Contradictions, no problem? They come with the territory.”

The Wii U can be used as a controller or as a gaming device, offering both motion control while also having the promise to work with the current Wii-mote. We’ll be very interested in seeing how this could be utilized with Nintendo’s fitness related titles.

E3 Preview: 2011 Kinect Games (Announced and Expected)

This could be the year of the Kinect for the Xbox 360. 123KINECT has compiled a list of the games we hope to check out at this week’s Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

E3 2011 Kinect Games Announced:

Champion Jockey
Forza 4
Hulk Hogan’s Main Event (Over the Top Wrestling?)
Michael Phelps: Push the Limit
Mind ‘n Motion (Left Brain Right Brain?)
Rise of Nightmares
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster
Star Wars Kinect
Take Shape (Harley Pasternaks Hollywood Trainer?)
The Gunstringer (XBLA)
The Sims 3 Pets
UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System
DaVinci Kinect (Microsoft Surface application ported to Kinect) NEW

 

Continue reading E3 Preview: 2011 Kinect Games (Announced and Expected)

E3 Preview: Majesco Entertainment Looks to Add Fitness to Line-Up

While we know that Majesco will have new action games at this week’s E3 including BloodRayne Betrayal (PSN, XBLA) and The Hidden (3DS), the company will also have a few titles to get you off the couch and get your heart pumping. This week the company will be unveiled Zumba Fitness 2 for the Nintendo Wii.

We’re also hearing that Majesco’s E3 lineup will include:

Hulk Hogan’s Main Event (Kinect for Xbox 360): It’s all about the show in the first motion-based wrestling game on Kinect for Xbox 360 that lets players train with mentor Hulk Hogan as they build their own wrestling personalities and learn the art of showmanship to win over the crowd.

Take Shape (Kinect for Xbox 360): Turn game night into a hilarious interactive party with the fast-paced Take Shape for Kinect! Twist, stretch and shrink your body into hundreds of different shapes, animals and symbols. “Shape yourself” solo to beat the fastest time or team up in multiplayer mode to unite your on-screen silhouettes in fun new ways. Fit through forms, bend into shapes and animals, match a mirrored image… even clear stacked shapes lightning fast in this fun-for-all-ages experience. Be flexible; be quick; be the life of the house party in Take Shape!

Mind ‘n Motion (Kinect for Xbox 360): Think fast and stay coordinated in Mind ‘n Motion! This fun, family-friendly experience puts your motor skills to the test with activities that keep your entire body moving as fast as your mind can trigger your next move. From juggling to dodging shapes to jumping hopscotch, Mind ‘n Motion packs in ten levels per activity and mixes it up throughout with additional gameplay elements like inverse controls, faster pace and new tricks to make you think quick on your feet!

Check back all week for the latest in active video game titles from the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

KineticShift Heads to E3

This week KineticShift will be reporting from the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011 (June 7-9) in sunny Los Angeles. We expect big news on the video game front from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony – and we hear this will include more fitness games and activities that will help encourage gamers to get off the couch.

Check back all week for the latest from E3. This is one show we’d hate to miss.

E3 Official Website

Nintendo to Wii 2

Sony and Microsoft have reaffirmed their commitment to their current generation consoles, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 respectfully, and made it clear that it will be 2014 before either company brings out a next generation console. Both Sony and Microsoft gave their current hardware significant makeovers, notably the PlayStation Move and Xbox 360 Kinetic respectively; both of which came out last fall.

Nintendo’s Wii, which was released in 2007 – just days after the Sony PlayStation 3 arrived at retail – hasn’t seen the similar upgrade. While it dominated the gaming arena thanks to its innovative motion controller system, the hardware was far less cutting edge than either the Sony or Microsoft consoles. The Wii doesn’t support HD and doesn’t provide the same streaming opportunities as the PS3 or 360. Likewise, Nintendo has been hit on the handheld front too, as Apple’s iPhone and more recently the iPad have stolen some of the Nintendo GameBoy’s thunder. Continue reading Nintendo to Wii 2