EyeToy Kinetic: High-impact gaming

By on 11 October 2005, 11:37am

Despite their hobby going mainstream, videogamers are still often seen as fat, slothful and unhealthy members of society. But if there's anyone working hard to remedy this, it's Sony, which has been releasing a whole host of innovative concepts that include EyeToy and SingStar. We're sure there's loads of women out there who whip a controller out on a regular basis for Metal Gear Solid and Tekken, but the only time we've seen girls really getting into a videogame was at a party with SingStar.

EyeToy Kinetic is another game from Sony with near-universal appeal, though. It's basically an interactive workout video, but rather than being presented by the latest reality-TV star or Z-list celebrity, it has some level of merit behind it thanks to its development with Nike's Motion Works labs. Taking into account your weight, height and fitness level, a virtual trainer will devise a 12-week fitness regime that combines warm-up routines, high-impact exercises and yoga-style relaxation. But is it any fun?

Shipping with a new version of the EyeToy Camera and an appropriately named 'Full Vision' lens that gives you more room to manoeuvre, our first play on the Kinetic workout made for a strenuous morning. We'd heard that the female trainer was more forgiving than the military-style male beefcake, but we were reprimanded for skipping the warm-up and then ending the main workout early. So much for easing us in gently.

While many gamers will cringe at the idea, we were mightily impressed with EyeToy: Kinetic thanks to Sony's impressively slick presentation. If only Sony hadn't chosen highly-toned virtual fitness trainers (pictured) -- it would have been far more effective to see someone with your own body size, who dropped a few pounds over the 12-week course. Still, the software sitting behind the virtual facade is comprehensive, offering fitness reports, personalised workouts, calorie counts and even motivation from the trainers as you go along. If, like us, your gym card comes out about as often as a solar eclipse, then at least you can still do an intensive workout when you get home. -GC