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
Global popstar and former Spice Girl Mel B has teamed up with BLAZE and Fitness First to spice up the fitness video game market with a range of new products for the Nintendo Wii. The erstwhile Scary Spice began her relationship with Fitness First last year, when she became the not-so-scary face of National Fitness Week, and followed up with a workout DVD titled “Totally Fit.” Now she’s jumping into the video game arena with a range of products, with the first being released next month. Continue reading BLAZE Gets Scary With Fitness First for Wii Based Products
Smile you're on the Kinect camera for the Xbbox 360
Exercise games on the market still require you to grab or stand on a controller to get your workout in. Yourshape Fitness Evolved, just announced from Ubisoft for the Microsoft Xbox promises a much more casual yet engaging workout. Using the video and sound controls of the game console’s Kinect, you just have to make sure you have space to move. The camera picks up your image and presents it as a polarized image or heat map-like image of you and captures all of your movements. Select cardio, toning or other activities and get to work. Yourshape Fitness turns some workouts into a game where you can kick and punch boxes that come into range. End your workout with a calming cooldown by doing Tai Chi and other relaxing exercises.
Check back all week for the latest fitness related news from the Electronic Entertainment Expo
Ever since the Nintendo Wii debuted in December of 2006, there has been an increase in more “active” games, such as Nintendo’s own Wii-Fit. As the video game companies prepare to showcase the next generation of fitness games at next week’s E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) in Los Angeles, an interesting question was brought up this week by The Boston Globe: can you get hurt by playing the games?
As we’ve noted this week, there have been findings that games are being used more and more as a form of exercise, but this needs to be done as part of an “active” lifestyle. So in other words, just sitting on the couch doesn’t do it. But now the other half of the equation is being presented, and that is whether you can actually over do it by playing games.
There are obviously the repetitive stress disorder type injuries such as mashing away with too much Rock Band, or mouse wrist from shooting all those zombies in Left 4 Dead. But could this lead to other injuries. The Boston Globe reports that a pilot study is “being conducted at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston this summer,” and “may be the first to address the injury problem directly, by looking into the biomechanics of Wii gaming.”
This no doubt comes as bad news to anyone who thought that gaming alone would be the ticket to better fitness. So maybe its time to take the advice offered earlier this week from the University of Essex researchers, and use fitness games as a way to cross train instead.
Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel uses actual exercise to hone his gaming skills
Leave it to the Brits to come up with a study that compares top athletes to gamers. According to British academics, including University of Essex professor Dr. Dominic Micklewright, gamers share many characteristics with those engaging in sports. His findings were part of a BBC Radio 4 documentary, where he noted that games like sports, involve high degree of skill, and both are governed by strict rules.
However, as PC Pro reported, professional gamers tended to be less – well to put to bluntly – “physically able” than true athletes, and gamers often had health problems that athletes don’t have. This is notable as gamers can be a bit more sedentary and at times unhealthy life, as professional gamers can spend as much as 10 hours a day in front of the screen practicing.
What is also notable is that Dr. Micklewright further suggested that gamers actually get REAL exercise, which could in part help improve gaming performance. It was mentioned that top US player Johnathan Wendel (better known as “Fatal1ty”) regularly uses exercise as a type of “cross training” which makes him more physically fit, and possibly keeps him at the top of his game.
Remember that very early episode of The Flintstones where Barney invented the gyro-chopter that he had to pedal to get off the ground (and for those who care, Fred had to flap his arms)? Well that’s sort of what the iTech Fitness Flight Simulator brings to mind, except of course you can pedal without ever actually taking flight (and no one needs to flap his or her arms).
But if you’re looking to get a workout with your games, the company offers a line of products built around the concept of adding fitness to gaming. In the case of the iTech Fitness Flight Simulator players can dogfight against others, fly a variety of aircraft and even get a bit lighter in the process.
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.
