When it comes to automation, motion control is a sub-part of it. It encompasses the subsystems or systems involved in the machine’s moving parts in a controlled manner.
This system is used in a variety of fields for automation, like nanotechnology, micromanufacturing, biotechnology, and precision engineering.
The console makers followed suit by making their motion controllers. Kinect is the version of Microsoft.
But Wii is the first user-friendly implementation and marketable but not the first try at motion controllers. In this article, the main focus is on differentiating Kinect and Wii.
Key Takeaways
- Kinect is a motion-sensing technology for Xbox gaming consoles that tracks body movements and voice commands.
- Wii is a gaming console with a wireless controller to detect motion and simulate gameplay.
- Kinect has more advanced motion tracking technology than Wii.
Kinect vs Wii
The difference between Kinect and Wii is that Kinect is straightforwardly an add-on to the Xbox 360. On the other hand, Wii is a platform that is completely based on gaming. Without Kinect, games can still be played on Xbox 360, but it is good for people who do not want to buy all new consoles and still own Xbox 360.
Kinect is a motion sensor of Microsoft, an add-on for the gaming console Xbox 360.
This device provides NUI or a natural user interface that allows user interaction intuitively and without an intermediary device like a controller. The system identifies individual players by voice and face recognition.
Wii is one of the popular consoles for a video game that was introduced in 2006 by Nintendo. It features a controller of wireless motion-sensing that looks like a TV remote rather than a game controller.
When hitting the ball, other devices’ speakers sound as “thwack.”
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Kinect | Wii |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft | Nintendo IRD |
| Type | Motion controller | Home video game console |
| Generation | Seventh and eighth-generation eras | Seventh generation |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 | Bluetooth, LAN Adapter, 2 x USB 2.0, and Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g |
| Dimensions | Length: 24.9cm Width: 6.6cm Height: 6.7cm | Width: 15.7cm Height: 6cm Depth: 19.7cm |
What is Kinect?
Kinect is a line of motion-sensing input devices that was first released in 2010 and produced by Microsoft.
The devices mainly consist of infrared projectors, RGB cameras, and map depth detectors through either time of flight or structured light calculations.
These calculations can, in turn, perform recognition of real-time gestures and detection of the skeletal body, among other capabilities. It also consists of microphones to be used for voice control and speech recognition.
This device was initially developed as a peripheral motion controller for Xbox video game consoles.
Depth sensors and a camera are used in Kinect to figure out how movement takes place by the user.
Kinect’s first generation was based on Israeli company PrimeSense’s technology and as a peripheral for Xbox 360 known as Project Nata, unveiled at E3 2009.
With its first release on November 4, 2010, its sales reached 8 million in its first 60 days.
For Kinect, the majority of the games developed were family-oriented titles, and casual, which attracted new audiences to Xbox 360 and did not lead to its wide adoption of the peripheral in between the overall user bases of the console.
What is Wii?
The Wii is the console of a home video game that is marketed and developed by Nintendo. In North America, it was first launched on November 19, 2006, and for most of the other regions, it was launched in 2006.
It is a major fifth home game console, Nintendo.
The Nintendo president, namely Satoru Iwata, while developing the Wii, directed the company to avoid competition with Sony and Microsoft on computational power and graphics
and instead to target a player’s broader demographic through novel gameplay.
Game designers like Genyo Takeda and Shigeru Miyamoto led the development of the console under the code name, namely, revolution.
For the Wii, the primary controller is the Wii Remote which is a wireless controller with both traditional controls and motion sensing and can be used as a device for pointing.
The first Nintendo console was the Wii which directly supports Internet connectivity and supports both digital games distribution and online games and media applications with the help of the Wii shop channel.
For selected games, it also supports wireless connectivity with the console of the Nintendo DS handheld.
Main Differences Between Kinect and Wii
- For the Xbox 360, Kinect works as an accessory. On the other hand, Wii is a system that is completely based on gaming.
- When it comes to multiplayer gaming, there is a requirement for only one Kinect. On the flip side, multiple Wii remotes are required for multiplayer gaming with Wii.
- Voice and facial recognition have benefits that give the ability to track up to at least six players. This feature is added to the Kinect, while Wii fails to support it.
- The part of the control system is speech recognition in which specific voice commands can be issued, and Kinect can execute as well as understand it. Conversely, Wii is deaf and does not support this feature.
- Depth sensors and cameras are used in Kinect to figure out how movement takes place by the user. In contrast, a controller is used in Wii to sense motion with infrared light and accelerometers.
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6190806/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096663620900664X
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Sandeep Bhandari holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Thapar University (2006). He has 20 years of experience in the technology field. He has a keen interest in various technical fields, including database systems, computer networks, and programming. You can read more about him on his bio page.
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