It’s an exciting movement where motion technology in gaming is affordable to the masses. Motion sensing gaming got so popular over the years since Nintendo first introduced it in 2006 with the Nintendo Wii. We’ve come a long way and the competition in technology is “on like Donkey Kong.”

Motion gaming is a gesture to tell concerned obesity skeptics that playing video games does not necessarily mean you have to remain stationary anymore. You can get a great work out from it and even learn how to dance.

Three major dance titles presented at this year’s E3 are:

All three games are developed differently to support their respective console controls. So here’s the dance off in technology:

The revolutionary Wii wireless controller includes a three-axis motion sensor. As well as having motion sensing hardware in the controller, the Wii remote looks for two dots of infrared light coming from the sensor bar (this is actually a light emitter, not a sensor) placed on top of your TV. This allows it to work out exactly which part of the screen at which you’re pointing. It has built-in speakers and vibration feedback.

Just Dance 3: The E3 demonstration had performers exaggerate movements. You can exaggerate your dance as much as you want to, but as long as you move the remote to where it needs to be, you can pass with an A+.

PlayStation Move is a wireless motion controller that works similar as the Nintendo’s Wii Remote. Instead of a sensor bar, it uses a camera (EyeToy) to determine the controller’s position and uses internal sensors to track the movement. It does not have built-in speakers but does have vibration feedback.

Where Move departs from the Wii is that while the Wii detects movement with its built-in accelerometers, pointing (with the sensor bar) or even detecting exact orientation, Move can be tracked precisely within real 3-D space instead of just inferring relative movement based on your previous position. Most motions require a full and complete movement on Move than you would in the Wii. In fact, the cute light balls on the controller helps the console know the distance you are form the television.

Everybody Dance: Move requires more precise movements, but you can also pass with an A+ without moving the rest of your body. Since you’re already moving your arm, you might as well move the other one, too.

Xbox Kinect takes motion technology to the top of its class right now. It has skeletal recognition, as well as color and depth-sensing lenses. It has voice command as well as a tilt motor to automatically adjust the sensors. It’s almost scary since you can turn off “voice data collection” in your Xbox settings. The technology is so advance it can tell if you’re a male or a female.

Dance Central 2: Because Kinect has skeletal recognition, your entire body needs to match the screen in order to earn that A+.

These are all great titles and provide great entertainment solo or even better, in a drunken group setting. Now if we break it down to the details of technology, Kinect takes the trophy home and would be worth your investment. Sometimes it is a little scary because you feel like you’re being watched. Hopefully, Kinect is not the government’s umbrella to peek into our homes.

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