Nintendo may have pioneered the world of motion controlled 
gaming, but its days as the only player in the field are long over.
Microsoft and Sony, tired of seeing the Kyoto, Japan-based company steal the thunder of their souped-up videogame systems, have started to compete with the Wii on its own turf — and they’re seeing some notable success.
A by-the numbers look at the video game motion control market, breaking down Kinect, Move and Wii by price, availability, current catalog and additional benefits.
As Microsoft gets people used to the idea of controlling 
their Xbox 360 with Kinect, its hot selling motion sensor peripheral, the company behind that technology is aiming at a bigger market.
PrimeSense Ltd, which built the technology behind Kinect, says it expects at least one U.S. cable company to release a product this year allowing subscribers to change channels, access video on demand and more through hand gestures.
After a turbulent and revolutionary 
year, the video game industry is bracing itself for 2010’s holiday and total-year retail sales figures.
Buoyed by continued strong sales of titles like “Call of Duty: Black Ops” and Microsoft’s Kinect, many analysts expect December sales to show more positive momentum when the numbers are released after the market closes this afternoon.
Kinect, Microsoft’s recently launched motion capture device for the Xbox 360, has lived up to its reputation as one of the holiday’s must-have gifts.
The software giant says there were 8 million Kinects sold through the end of the year. That’s far beyond the company’s 5 million estimate (which was raised from an initial estimate of 3 million right before the system’s launch).
After the busy holiday-season dust 
settled, a though occurred to us: we really don’t have a fleshed-out feel for what Microsoft has in store for us next year. Thing is, most gamers probably don’t care too much right now. And that’s just the way Microsoft wants it.
Core gamers have their hands full with “Halo: Reach” and “Call of Duty: Black Ops”. This frees up the marketing wizards at Microsoft to keep as much focus possible on Kinect, building demand and momentum for the motion-sensing peripheral.
Read more in the January 2011 issue of Official Xbox Magazine
With backings by Oprah Winfrey, Ellen 
DeGeneres and just about every gift guide the media has written, Kinect for the Xbox 360 has become the “must have” gift of the 2010 holiday season.
The motion capture device has sold more than 2.5 million units since its Nov. 4 launch and Microsoft seems well on pace to meet its sales target of 5 million before the end of the calendar year. But do those sales mean it’s time to buy Microsoft shares?
Family fun titles are the heart and soul 
of Kinect’s early lineup. Game Party in Motion, on the surface, seems to have the right elements to fit in with this, gathering some arcade and boardwalk favorites — but once you start playing, you’ll realize exactly how lousy it is. It has some of the worst controls of any Kinect title, making it impossible to fully enjoy the games. And rather than consistantly relying on people’s natural movements (such as with billiards, where virtually everyone knows how to mimic a shot), it requires an elaborate series of motions that don’t make sense. The menus give you no sense of where your hand is on screen, which can make it hard to navigate. This is one Kinect title you’ll want to avoid.
Read more at Common Sense Media
“Black Ops” brought some black ink 
for the video game industry in November.
Retail software sales posted impressive growth over 2009 numbers, marking the first time the industry has posted back-to-back gains this year.
Activision has done something no 
other publisher has been able to do this year – pull the video game industry out of its retail sales slump for the second consecutive month.
“Call of Duty: Black Ops” led the industry to an impressive 9 percent gain over the 2009 retail sales numbers. Add in hardware, Kinect and the rest of the assorted offerings and the gaming industry made $2.95 billion last month, according to The NPD Group. That’s the best November on record.
Chris Morris: Journalist 