This is a surprisingly entertaining demonstration of Sony’s new motion sensing technology using an EyeToy camera. I particularly like the bow and arrow demonstration. Nice. Oooh, yeah and the flail axe, that looked good.

By the looks of this demo we might finally get to see a proper lightsaber game in the near future. It will be interesting to see how this stacks up against Microsoft’s Project Natal technology when we finally get to play the games.

The Wii really is getting people to work out.

Bob Casswell at computers.net has posted an extract from a Wall Street Online that requires subscription:

“It’s harder than playing basketball,” says Kaitlin Franke, a 12-year-old from Louisville, Kentucky. She’s mostly into the bowling and boxing games, which require some practice of specific motions and fancy footwork.

In Rochester, Minnesota, Jeremy Scherer and his wife spent three hours playing tennis and bowling Wii games. Jeremy mentions his score improvements at the expense of his shoulders and back that were still aching the next day. “I was using muscles I hadn’t used in a while.” Jeremy is a computer programmer who calls himself as “not very active,” but is now on the nightly “Wii workout” plan to get in better shape.

A Wii Workout: When Videogames Hurt

All good to hear but how long will it last before people revert to the Toolbox method? I remember getting completely knackered the first few times I played EyeToy’s Boxing Chump. That lasted about a day until I realised that it was much funnier to just flick that robot-mouse-thing in the head.

Still, it’s a good motivator. The only reason I don’t work out regularly is that I find it unbelievably dull. A few games should help. By this time next year I’ll probably have incredibly well-toned arms and the same weak, feeble legs.

Bugger.

[via Digg]

Edit: Updated links as she article has moved to TechConsumer.com. There was also a poll but that seems to be no longer available.

Those of you who like your madly-coloured noisy Macromedia Flash websites, can head over to EyeToy.com which was just launched to help promote Eye Toy 3 for the Christmas season. You can download free EyeToy-styled PC screensavers, messenger icons and all the other typical gamey download stuff. You can also join Club EyeToy for access to the Club Eyetoy Lounge. I did and now I’m “officially cooler than a penguin on an iceberg.” No, it’s true! Okay, the site is a bit pants and there’s waaaaay to much animation and sound going on but I liked the comic strips – hilarious! In a naff sort of way.

A very nicely explained (though a bit geeky) article over at LostGarden that is a good attempt at explaining the lack of innovation in many new games – A five step program to move beyond the game geek culture:

“The publishers look at the limited set of existing options, cut out the least profitable ones and start building efficiencies of scale into the creative and marketing operations… Continue Reading