Why Kinect is better than PlayStation Move

If you have been watching internet gaming news over the last 24 hours, you will have noticed a surge in debates about whether Kinect is actually cheaper than PlayStation Move or not. Heck, we even joined in the fray.

The fact of the matter is, it’s not as simple as putting the two systems side by side and trying to compare costs between the physical components, because they are pretty damn different. Rather than just listing the prices for both systems, lets take a step back and look at what each system offers and decide whether that plus the price aspect makes it a ‘better’ system. This article focuses on Kinect.

This article is written to give people who love the PlayStation Move a bit of the Kinect perspective. There is also an articles where you can see the benefits of PlayStation Move.

Kinect > Move

Kinect is being touted by Microsoft as ‘the next big thing’, they are even using quotes from the likes of Spielberg, “This is a pivotal moment”, to prove the point. They are emphasising the controller-less aspect to try and bring in the casual crowd who presumably have all bought, and are bored of, their Wiis by now.

One of the big plus points about Kinect is you get everything from the word ‘go’. Once you have bought the Kinect camera itself, you shouldn’t* have to buy any additional components in the future. This means whether you are buying it for yourself, the family or just to play with friends, you have everything you need for a guaranteed maximum price of £129.99/$150 or £249.99/$299 if you don’t already own an Xbox 360. When you start adding these numbers up for the PlayStation Move, getting the full package starts to look like a real wallet-drainer. Plus, where do you keep the  4 PlayStation Move controllers and 2 navigational controllers, in addition to your 2-4 existing DualShocks/SixAxis’?

Old and brittle? Young and naïve? Not to worry, Kinect has a wealth of casual titles coming that anyone can manage. From Kinect Adventures (comes bundled free with Kinect)  to Dance Central there’s a game in every genre, and Microsoft is promising games to appeal to hardcore gamers within 18 months. Sure, the PlayStation Move has got sports games and fitness titles, but they are glorified HD remakes of Wii games aren’t they?

Minority Report. We’ve all seen the movie and the geeks in us loved the motion-controlled computer interface featured on it. Well, Kinect owners will be able to bring this vision to life with the 360 Dashboard update that adds a Kinect-friendly dashboard, with gesture and voice recognition included. You will even be able to control the playback of music and films with voice commands with Zune. Rumours have it that a Move-compatible XMB is being developed, but let’s face it, it’s so much cooler when you aren’t holding anything.

The PlayStation move looks like the result of mating a Wiimote with a sex toy. Sure, you may look a bit foolish prancing around your living room with Kinect, but at least you aren’t holding a throbbing pink-tipped rod (ahem) when a passer-by looks in.

With full body movements, voice recognition and a camera for video chat rolled up into one device, you can’t really go wrong. It supports up to four-players from the get-go and players can drop-in and drop-out with ease. It is even smart enough to track selected players when they go behind objects or other people (briefly/to an extent).

* We all know you will

Didn’t agree with this article? Maybe you’d prefer this one: Why PlayStation Move is better than Kinect