kinect

What was the state of the Sony and Microsoft motion controller platforms? How about yet another Nintendo DS, this one with 3-D capabilities? Would there be any price reductions for consoles this year?

With what we have heard (and didn’t hear), I think it’s safe to say we should all start putting some cash aside.

Microsoft’s news conference was probably the most highly anticipated event of the Expo since MS had much to explain moving into the fall.

The big hype was for what last week was called Project Natal. Xbox 360′s venture into motion controls is now called Kinect. Unlike Nintendo’s Wii controls or the new Move controller for Sony’s PS3, Kinect doesn’t use input hardware but senses body movements, making a player’s entire body the controlling mechanism.

While some of the demos looked interesting, including a Star Wars hack-n-slash title, a compilation of Wii Sports-ish games, and Kinectimals, which has the player interacting with animals by jumping and dodging, most of the online presentation reminded me of the same questions I had when seeing the Wii, including the big one: How much contorting of my body will I actually do in my living room? Looks great for kids and the occasional party, but I still think I am more apt to get on my bike than flop around my living room on a regular basis.

While you can also navigate Xbox Live with your hands and voice using Kinect, and that is definitely cool, I wasn’t floored with what I saw.

There was also no information on how much the body mapping and voice-activated peripheral would cost or exactly when it would launch this fall. Rumors peg the price at $150. That could keep some gamers on the fence unless there is a “must have” game on the horizon somewhere.

To me, the huge news was the new Xbox Slim (250 gig hard drive, internal WiFi, and finally, quiet), launching by the end of the week for $299. Also newsworthy, MS’ partnership with ESPN, allowing Xbox Live Gold Members to access all kinds of live and recorded sports, as well as participate in trivia games and polls. The combination of Netflix, Zune HD movies, the pretty much confirmed relationship with the online entertainment programming service Hulu, and now ESPN, could require some hard decisions for consumers about the cable and satellite TV services they currently have.

Sony also has a motion controller called Move debuting on Sept. 19. Sony has chosen to take a much more familiar approach to the genre, using input device hardware, similar to the Wii controls. Move is much better, however, as Sony has the most impressive mapping of player movements, with little to no lag (the time it takes from movement of the Move stick to the movement onscreen).

Games like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 and a Move-specific title named Sorcery, where the controller turns into a magic wand, looked great.

One thing that may deter gamers is, again, the price. The controller itself is $50 but it needs the Eye Toy ($40) to work. Also, if you want the full experience, you must also purchase the Move peripheral, the navigation controller ($30), for your other hand. Sony will be offering a pack including all of the separate items for $100, however.

Another big announcement from Sony was the new PlayStation Plus Membership launching this week. The first paid membership of any kind on the PS3, $50 a year, will get you free games, game beta invites, and exclusive gear for your online avatars. Online gaming will still be free. Seems like something for the hard-core, and I am not really sure if this will turn big profits, but we’ll see.

Nintendo, I think it can be said, did what it does best – show new editions of games from its massive catalog of hits and keep the technical wizardry to a minimum, although there was some of that, too.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii), in which the Wii controls represent Zelda’s sword and shield, seemed to have everything Zelda fans had been waiting for, except a release date in 2010. Should be worth waiting for, though.