25 November, 2016
I do love new gadgets to play with. I tend to be a bit of a slave to new technology.. so who am I to fight the temptations of Microsoft’s latest offering?
In years gone by, the concept and method of getting fit in your living room was left to watching morning aerobics on TV and if you were that motivated – buying dodgy exercise equipment and Videos to assist in shedding the kilos. I personally would never consider buying anything from someone who has that much fake tan on and let’s be honest – the fitness models they hire to demonstrate the equipment? You can be guaranteed that they didn’t use it to get the body they have now. The Big three Video game empires of today (Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo) have recognised the niche market for health and fitness in videogames and have all released their versions of movement based gaming products.
The product that has garnered the most attention most recently has been the Microsoft Kinect. It was confirmed that the Microsoft Kinect is the fastest selling electronic consumer device by the Guinness Book of World Records. In a time where consumer electronics are big business, this is no easy feat but what easily topples that achievement in terms of difficulty is the challenge Microsoft has set developers in making valid forms of entertainment that are based around getting the player to get up and get active in order to play.
There are a number of games out for the Kinect and I will be quick to point out that most of these games are flat out rubbish. Unresponsive controls and completely gimmicky in that they rely on some poor dill just blindly buying it rather than put in a worthwhile gaming experience. There are some games that have been released that do make the grade in relation to being fun, engaging and also a workout to boot.
Kinect Sports, Fitness Evolved and Dance Central are 3 titles that could be seen as legitimate forms of exercise. All three get the player moving by requiring them to compete in sporting events, Exercise and dance routines. While rough around the edges, they do manage to get your heart rate up and in some sections parts of these games, you will raise a sweat. This is an excellent way to assist with burning off energy which can assist in weight loss. Dance Central in particular is a LOT of fun and you will find yourself replaying songs to improve on your last attempt and BAM – before you know it 40 minutes have ticked by.
These games are not without their faults however. All three do have issues here and there with regards to correct tracking of movement. I recall a few dance moves that the Xbox 360 insisted I was not completing correctly even though I knew I was (I mean how hard is step bump step to do anyway?). While this is more frustrating than anything else, the issue of the Kinect not correctly tracking your movements becomes a bit more serious when it comes to Fitness Evolved and any other fitness specific Kinect game. Doing lunges is not as simple as just doing lunges. Correct technique is required to ensure there is a reduced risk of injury to the knees. Fitness Evolved just didn’t quite get that right which leaves the player open to injury. This comes down to an accuracy issue with the game as there were times it was correcting me on lunges and I can tell you know – my form with lunges is bang on. Bang ON I tells you. This is fine for me as I am a PT however for your Joe Bloggs who is using this is an introduction to getting fit, this is a concern. Accurate correction of form is one of the main reasons for having PT. Further to this, there did not seem to be any sort of progression in relation to the exercise intensities that are programmed into the game.
I think it is great that there are games now being released that encourage people to be active but the technology still is in the early stages and has a fair way to go before becoming a replacement for the gym or seeing a Personal Trainer.
Would I recommend getting a Kinect? At the present time? No. There are more terrible games than good ones. Granted Dance Central is a fun and stealthily cardio laden game but a sequel is on the way which will hopefully improve on the tracking issues of the original. The Fitness specific games like Fitness Evolved are good in the theory but again, they have a way to go before they become a worthwhile purchase when considering your fitness.
Jon 😉
Jon is a Metabolic Precision Transformation Specialist working from his Studio EPIC WIN PT in Newmarket, Brisbane. Follow all the fun and adventures by liking the Facebook page here