TOKYO — Battling its Japanese gaming rivals on their home turf hasn’t been easy for Microsoft. Its Xbox 360 game console runs a distant third in sales here behind Sony’s PlayStation 3 console and Nintendo’s Wii.
But the Redmond, Wash.-based company is armed with a new weapon — its new controller-free Kinect game technology — that it hopes will persuade Japanese consumers to embrace the Xbox 360. The company introduced the highly anticipated Kinect on Wednesday, touting its ability to broaden the Xbox’s appeal to the entire family.
Once known as Project Natal, Kinect stretches the concept of motion capture that propelled the Wii’s global success. But Micro soft eliminated the controller completely. Kinect relies instead on a camera system that recognizes gestures and voices, enabling players to control on-screen avatars in action and sports games simply by moving their own bodies. The Associated Press; AP photo
