After Microsoft premiered the Xbox Kinect in 2009, gamers realized that the Wii would face major competition.  Before it had dominated the realm of motion-controlled video games, as it was the only console offering this type of experience. Now its fate is uncertain, since the Xbox Kinect possesses many more advantages.

For example, most XBox Kinect games will offer better graphics than those available for the Wii.  Indeed, the Wii cannot compete with the Xbox Kinect’s processing power, as many of its games look fifth-generation.  The only reason the Wii even has cornered the market is because of its appeal to partygoers, who enjoy the numerous multiplayer games the Wii has to offer.

However, the Xbox Kinect is still unexplored territory for Microsoft.  Before, the company targeted hardcore gamers with their Xbox 360 titles.  Kinect games are poised to attract a different type of audience… something that Microsoft wants to achieve.  But it will go a step further than the Wii, since the Xbox Kinect is an all-inclusive device.  You will not have to buy an extra controller to play Kinect games.  If you have arms, legs and a torso, you have everything you need to play the Xbox Kinect.  With the Wii, you have to buy a different set of devices.

Wii Fit is a very good example.  In order to play, you must purchase a separate Balance Board.  The Xbox Kinect’s equivalent, (Fitness Evolved), requires no such peripherals.  You can start exercising as soon as you turn the console on.  This will also be the case with other Wii-to-Kinect titles, such as The Biggest Loser and Zumba Fitness.

Of course, fitness games will not be the only type of entertainment that the Wii will have to compete against.  The Xbox Kinect’s equivalent to Mario Kart will be Kinect Joy Ride.  No wheels are required to play.  There will also be Kinectimals, a Kinect game where you control a virtual pet.  Ultimately, Microsoft seeks to capitalize on the type of innovation that formally defined Nintendo during the modern-era of video gaming.

Now, Nintendo is faced with a very serious problem.  Innovation alone may not be enough to keep sales going.  It is very likely that the Wii will become extinct once the Xbox Kinect reaches the market.  The only exception is if the Kinect games offer inferior or unusual gameplay.  This is particularly the case for games where people are used to using a remote.  Take into consideration a racing game.  It is natural to expect to control a virtual car with a wheel.  Not using one will seem strange, even if everything else seems okay.  So, in that aspect, Nintendo may have a slight advantage.

In conclusion, only time will tell if the Xbox Kinect surpasses the success of the Nintendo Wii.  If it does, Nintendo will have to respond with more creative innovation.

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