Adidas miCoach is looking to follow The Biggest Loser and Zumba Fitness into the video game arena. This week 505 Games announced that it would publish the upcoming Adidas miCoach for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3. the Xbox Kinect motion camera peripheral and the PlayStation Move controller accessory will be not only supported , but will be integral parts of the game. Continue reading Adidas miCoach Gets in the Game
Tag: Sony
Sony Gets Rugged
Rugged is the name of the game this season with point-and-shoot digital cameras and Sony isn’t going to be left behind. The company announced last week a new line of Cyber-shot cameras, including the rugged DSC-TX20. It can get wet and wild and be submerged up to five meters in water and dropped from 1.5 meters, while also being dustproof and freeze proof. Continue reading Sony Gets Rugged
Sony Gives Pocket Cams Rugged Abilities with Bloggie Sport
Cisco may think the pocket camcorder is dead, but that isn’t stopping Sony from updating its Bloggie line of dedicated video shooters. The company’s latest model, the Bloggie Sport, is a ruggedized shooter that’s shock proof, dirt resistant, and waterproof down to 16 feet.
It features a 2.7″ touchscreen (which is still functional when the Bloggie is submerged 16 feet under) and can capture 1080p video as well as 5-megapixel stills, all of which is stored on the Bloggie’s 4GB of onboard memory. For those with clumsy hands, the camcorder can also survive drops of up to 5 feet. A hidden flip-out USB arm lets you connect directly to a computer or you can bypass your PC and connect directly to an HDTV using the Bloggie’s built-in HDMI port.
Can’t wait to upload your videos? Sony also offers the more advanced Bloggie Live HD which has a 3″ touchscreen, 8GB of storage, 12-megapixel still capability, and built-in Wi-Fi, which lets you stream straight to Qik Video. However, the Live model loses all the ruggedness of the Bloggie Sport. Both the Live and Sport are currently available for $249 and $179 respectively.
Sony Bloggie Sport Official Product Page
Sony Bloggie Live Official Product Page
Sony Move Bundle for $99.99
If you don’t have a PlayStation Move now you should move on over to the store and pick one up. Sony has announced that beginning this week it will be offering a Move bundle. For about $100 you can get the PlayStation Move controller, PlayStation Eye camera and two Move-compatible titles, Sports Champions and Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest.
Sports Champions remains a classic fan-favorite Move title and includes six challenging events including Disc Golf, Gladiator Duel, Beach Volleyball, Archery, Table Tennis and Bocce; while Medieval Moves is an action-adventure game that has been designed specifically for PlayStation Move. Gamers must help Prince Edmund protect his kingdom against the evil sorcerer Morgrimm and his army of skeletons. And instead of mere button mashing, gamers will use the PS Move motion controller to sword fight, shoot arrows, and fling throwing stars in your epic battles. This one also offers full 3D support, so break out the glasses if got ‘em!
All you’ll need is a TV and the PlayStation 3 of course, but for $99.99 MSPR this is a good way to get your inner gamer off the couch and moving!
Hit the Stage and Dance (But Without Any Stars)
The latest trend in video game fitness seems to revolve around strutting your stuff on the dance floor – or basically in front of your TV. This week sees the release of Dance! It’s Your Stage from dtp young entertainment for the Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and PC. It’s your Stage features 20 brand new tracks, recorded exclusively for the game, each with dynamic and exciting choreography from world renowned professional dance guru ‘Detlef D! Soost’.
Everybody dance now with this game, which offers full support for the PlayStation Move, Wii Balance Board and PC via the Xbox 360 controller and dance mat. The game takes place across 8 detailed locations (all of which are expandable through unlockable content) where you can select from a choice of 6 avatars with over 300 unique styling options. With Dance! It’s Your Stage you won’t be dancing with any stars, but at least you’ll be off the couch!
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.
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.
Lenovo Brings Motion Controlled Game System to China
Strange as it may seem some video game technology is actually not available in China. This is because of a combination of technology that is banned for export to China, as well as a ban on the importation of the systems by the Chinese government. And let’s not forget that there are no doubt fears that it will result in mass pirating.
The latter is no doubt a concern, as has been seen in recent years just about any technology can be reversed in China, and we pretty much known that the Blackhawk helicopter that was destroyed in the raid to kill Osama Bin Laden will likely be studied very closely by the Chinese military. This could jump start China’s attempts to get stealth technology for rotor aircraft, and area where the country has so far lagged behind.
Another area where China is already looking to jump ahead is surprising enough in the aforementioned video game space, and now Lenovo, China’s largest PC maker, has introduced a console to rival the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360, complete with motion control.
Originally known as the eBox, the console has reportedly been renamed the iSec, which stands for “Sports Entertainment Center.” It will include motion sensing technology that works much like that in the Microsoft Kinect, suggesting that this could be used for a range of gaming styles – allowing players to take part in Chinese style martial arts action adventures and of course fitness games.
There is some irony in all this. The Chinese government had banned the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 as there were concerns it could harm the country’s youth – and of course there had been bans to export some hardware to China. But now the Chinese are looking to get in on the game, and the computer gaming market is on the rise Chinese seems to think if you can’t keep it out, embrace it. The final question will be whether China attempts a US invasion with the iSec.
[Via PC World: Lenovo-backed Video Game System Unveiled in China]
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
Microsoft Moves 10 million Kinects
Move over Sony PlayStation Move, the Xbox 360 Kinect motion control system is seriously moving. This week Microsoft announced that it has sold more than 10 million Kinect motion-sensing game system units worldwide in just the four months since it was released.
That makes it the fastest-selling consumer device on record. The infrared camera add-on for the Xbox 360 game console is priced at $150, and has steadily outpaced Sony’s competing Move device. But let’s not move too fast.
Sony had previously noted sales of 4.1 million units of the Move in its first two months, and still has not taken into account holiday sales. So what is clear is that consumers are looking to get moving with video games and for that we can’t complain.
Will ANT+ Give Bluetooth a Run for the Money in the Fitness Market
This week Sony Ericsson introduced a YouTube video that shows off the benefits of ANT+, a wireless communication standard used in a variety of fitness devices including heart rate monitors and pedometers. This wireless technology is software based, and it work with devices such as mobile phones. The question is now what ANT+ could mean for Bluetooth in the fitness space? We see a battle brewing between the blue and the ant!
Scary Spice Moves to Get Fit
Mel B, formerly Scary Spice of the Brit Pop group the Spice Girls, has been getting fit, and the latest title, Get Fit With Mel B has been released for the PlayStation Move for the PlayStation 3. This one offers you fitness expert Mel B, who offers positive feedback, encouragement and real-time guidance on your performance, while providing 25 different workout goals. The game features a custom workout program and a daily menu to help gamers stay on track (while getting off the couch).
“There’s never been a combination of technology and passion for fitness like this before,” says Deep Silver COO Geoff Mulligan, whose company developed the game. This is as close as you’re going to get to having a personal trainer in your own home. We’re incredibly proud that Get Fit with Mel B is the first fitness title available for the PlayStation Move platform and that critics are already hailing it as the best option for getting fit with an interactive program.”
In addition to programs the game also features social networking integration so users can share their workout results and accomplishments with friends via Facebook. It is almost as good as having Mel B as a close and personal friend.
Video Games Won’t Get You Fit, But Can They Get You in Shape to Get Fit?
We’ve long taken the opinion that video games are not an acceptable alternative to hitting the gym, but we also agree that fitness related games – including dance games, workout titles and anything that involves “moving” you off the couch is still a good thing. But now comes word from a few sources that the American Heart Association has found that Wii games such as Wii Sports and Wii Fit could be an actual “gateway” to the real deal.
According to Dr. Barry A. Franklin, who was quoted by My Fox Houston, games not a substitute for actual exercise, but do encourage people to get healthier. Franklin’s view:
“The fact of the matter is that 70 percent of Americans don’t exercise. Some of the reasons they don’t exercise s that it’s not enjoyable, it’s no fun, and it’s not readily accessible.
“Often times the boxing, the golfing, and other activities have an energy expenditure that is equivalent to slow, moderate walking. That’s a lot better than sitting on the couch.”
With the recent release of the PlayStation Move this past September, as well as this week’s release of the Xbox 360 Kinect we expect a lot of gaming to occur, but at least this could be a gateway to healthier gamers.