Trends

Innovation was a consistent trend among all video game manufacturers this year. Whether it was Sony and Microsoft releasing the Move and Kinect respectively to loosen Nintendo's hold on the casual gaming market or 3D gaming finally becoming an in-home reality on consoles. Nintendo showed nearly no support for summer 2009’s Wii Motion Plus with only a handful of games for the tech and near the end of the year support for Wii Speak was officially dropped. Move proved to be nothing more than a hyper sensitive version of the Wiimote, but the ease at which controls can be integrated into new and existing titles ensured that both hardcore and casual titles feature support. Move support for PS3 titles has shadowed support for Kinect and Wii Motion Plus, especially with big titles like Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition and Heavy Rain. Kinect proved to be the most innovative motion control option, ditching any form of controller interface and presenting a near lag-free way to enjoy its titles. The biggest weaknesses for Kinect in its current state are the sparse dashboard interactivity and lack of voice support for Netflix.