New Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 Fitness Games for Christmas

New Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 Fitness Games for Christmas will reveal that you do have other options if you don’t have or can’t purchase the X-Box 360 to play the hottest Kinect games this year. Everyone knows the buzz this year is for the Kinect X-Box 360, however what if you made a big investment in the Nintendo Wii last year and don’t want to give your box away. Many people that felt their X-Box 360 was obsolete last year and gave it away now are finding the Kinect makes it the hot item for this year. And who knows PS3 maybe the hottest item to have for 2011 when the new PS4 arrives on the scene.

So if you were like me last Christmas and invested into the Wii because of the great fitness games offered; you might be feeling a little obsolete when you compare the new wireless fitness games of the Kinect to the ones you just purchased this year. Well my thoughts are to hold on to you Wii and PS3 because the manufacturers of fitness games are getting wise as to how to produce a product with everyone in mind. EA Sports Active to me has found the most unique way to meet the needs of the X-box 360, Wii, and PS3 by creating interactive gear that works on all three game consoles.

New Fitness Games that Works on All 3

EA Sports Active 2

While I was impressed with the EA Sports Active this past Christmas it was not on my list of 'must have' fitness games. However, the new EA Sports Active 2 with its wireless accessories does make this a more attractive game of choice for this Christmas.

While the PS3 and Wii do not offer the free motion characteristics of the Kinect Xbox 360 there are still ways to use your consoles through the assistance of gear accessories that come with the EA Sports Active 2.

You can create and customize your workouts like with the EA Sports Active; but, with this year’s version you can track your heart rate on screen in real time with the EA Sports Active heart rate monitor and other interactive features. Watch your body’s actual movement, chart your progress on screen, and actually join groups of people with similar goals as yours. Again, this can be accomplished with the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, or PlayStation 3.

Kinect for The Xbox 360

O.k. if you are only here to check out the new product and are willing to count your losses with the PS3 and or Wii then this section is just for you. I’m sure you seen the cute commercials and read the hype about this new technology and like many cannot wait to get your hands on this equipment if you haven’t already.

The Kinect for the Xbox 360 equals the new excitement for this year like the Nintendo Wii games did last year except there is no Nunchuk to hold or Balance Board to stand on. Check out the below video that show how the Kinect sensory equipment was created...

New Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 Fitness Games for Christmas

As one can see from the moves of the participants of the video to the right, there will be plenty of exercise, dance moves, and even kickboxing with the Kinect. You can navigate through the Xbox menus by using your hands, body, or voice to change from games to movies to music and back to games again, whenever or however you choose.

Sounds like a perfect set up, however, some of the reviews that I’ve read have found a few problems with the overall system. One being the camera’s viewing angle should be wider; and two there is an ongoing debate of whether some problems exist with facial recognition of dark skinned individuals. Of course, one will have to wait until more purchases and reviews have been made prior to making any concrete conclusions. So check out some of the fitness games...

Unless someone gives me the Kinect and the Xbox 360 for Christmas, I will have to remain content with my Nintendo Wii for another year. Needless to say, I'm glad there are additional fitness games that are coming out for this console as well.

Here's a new game that should be interesting and offer a different exercise challenge. The EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp uses motion sensors on the leg and arm straps along with the Wii remote to register movement and it allow you to pick your favorite team and step into the stadium with your favorite players to workout.

Of course if you are a fan of Jillian’s then you will want to get the Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2011 that promises to work multiple body parts simultaneously. The new video is high intensity including jumping jacks, running crunches, hip twists and more. Hhmmm, with Jillian’s high energy you might forget that you’re not in the football training camp.

Update:

Another game that works well with the Wii is Just Dance 2 which was recently reported hitting the 5 million in sales milestone since October. My family and friends had awesome fun and a great workout after Christmas dinner interacting with this game. It was great that 4 to 5 people at one time could easily see themselves dance and compete against each other while seeing scores from internet dancers as well. You must hold the Wii Remote for your moves to be tracked however, since hands are usually waving while dancing this was not an obstacle. The wide range of music, from today’s Rock and Rap for the youngsters to the Oldies but Goodies for the baby boomers made it fun to keep moving while calories got burned and score points got higher from improved dancing skills.

The Zumba Fitness will take you through more than 30 routines and promises to have high calorie-burning fitness classes that is invigorating and has helped to melt pounds and inches off five million of Zumba dancers in more than 75 countries. I have to mention that Zumba Fitness is offered for the Xbox 360 and the Wii also.

As a matter of fact it seems that the game manufacturers are getting smart enough to know how to build their games to operate on all three consoles rather than catering to just one. Again the EA Actice Sports 2 will work on all three boxes, and so will the Biggest Losers.

If you are looking for the newest and hippest item for this year then that would most likely be the Kinect for Xbox 360. However, if you just want a new game that will get your family moving on the Wii or PS3 console that you already have; as you can see there are some fun, hip games for your entertainment and fitness as well. You might enjoy reading my hub, Wii Games: Fitness Guru for 2010 if your plan to keep you Nintendo Wii.

I hope you have found the New Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 Fitness Games for Christmas useful in making a decision on your fitness entertainment games that you will be purchasing as gifts this year. In closing, as usual comments are always welcome.

Namaste’