EyeT oy: Kinetic
PS2
Score: 4 of 5 stars
Players: 1-4
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: SCEE London
Studio
Rating: Everyone
S
candalous. What’ s
next, a La-Z-Boy
bench press?
Actually, the merging of
video games with an exercise regime may seem like
a paradox but the folks at
PlayStation might just have
something here. What better way to lure
couch-potatoes into the crazy world of
health and fi tness.
At the same time, the door has swung
In fact, Kinetic was developed in association with Nike
Motionworks, a professional
sports research lab. It comes
with an EyeToy USB camera that puts your image on
TV and analyzes your every
move to provide immediate
feedback on your performance.
There are two on-screen
personal trainers who take
you through a 12-week customizable training program
that follows the internal
clock of the PS2 for a strict
regimen.
The workouts incorporate more than
20 exercises inspired by aerobics, martial arts, kick boxing, dance, yoga, and
pilates.
scolding from your personal trainer.
It’s quite evident Kinetic is more about
exertion than awe-inspiring graphics.
Certainly, some of the on-screen environments of the trainers are striking, like
the rooftop garden with a big city skyline
backdrop. But the icons that fl oat onto
the screen — brightly-coloured orbs,
discs and other objects — to direct your
movements are goofy, cartoony silliness.
Still, that shouldn’t detract from the
workouts, which are not so infantile.
The training is focused on four specifi c
fi tness zones. A cardio component offers
high-energy dance moves and requires
your on-screen image to reach for fl oating targets.
The combat zone provides an aerobic challenge with short, intense games
using quick reactions and fl exibility to
Video ‘game’ even nags you
into a strict fitness regimen
Darren
Bernhardt
The StarPhoenix
Saturday, January 7, 2006 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan The StarPhoenix G1
GAMING, GIZMOS & GADGETS
a weekly report on computer, electronic and video games
I
’ve tested a number
of Bluetooth wireless
cell phone headsets in
recent months, and the one
from Gennum Corporation,
a Canadian company, is the
best.
It’s called nXZEN, and
the headset is available at
Future Shop, Best Buy and
online at eCost.com for
$175.
The nXZEN is the only
headset on the market to
use two microphones.While
two microphones won’t
mean much to you as the
user, it will make a huge difference to an yone
you’re calling. The idea, according to the folks at
Gennum, is that the two microphones allow “the
chips to register the time and distance between
sounds and amplify the speaker’s v oice while
eliminating background and ambient noise.”
It works. I’ve made a bunch of calls from outside, where wind noise usually causes problems
for people I’m calling. Everyone has said how
well they can hear me. It also worked from the car
with the window open and the radio on — clearly
better than any other set I’ve tested.
The nXZEN doesn’t have an earbud like most
of the other headsets, rather it has an earbud that
goes into your ear like a good quality earphone
does. This makes a huge difference for the
wearer. You can hear a lot better because a lot of
the extraneous outside noise is fi ltered out. The
earbud takes a bit of getting used to because it’ s
pretty large.
One of the smallest Bluetoth headsets on the
market, it is one by 3.3 inches and weighs just
17 grams; you can hardly tell you’re wearing it.
The headset has a digital signal processor that can
perform 120 million instructions per second. The
closest competitor comes in at about 32 million.
This power produces up to four times more noise
reduction than anyone else’s headset. The nXZEN
offers seven hours of talk time and 100 hours of
standby time considerably more than any other
headset I’ve tested.
The nXZEN comes in two fl avours. I tested the
basic $179 model. The nXZEN PLUS is $199,
and comes with a connector and an external
earbud so users can hook up to their MP3 players
and use their Bluetooth headset to listen to music.
Answering an incoming phone call is as simple as
hitting a button.
Bluetooth technology is making cell phone use
a lot safer as more and more consumers decide
headsets are a much safer way to go than trying
to use a cell phone in the car. Because Bluetooth
offers very good quality reception over a short
distance and no wires to get tangled up in, it’s fast
becoming the preferred technology for cell users.
PROS: Bluetooth! NO WIRES! Great sound,
small size, easy setup and people at the other end
can actually hear you when you’re outside.
CONS: The earbud takes some getting used
to because it really sticks into your ear. At $179
MSRP for the nXZEN it’s fairly expensive.
You can e-mail Hill at: mhill@sp.canwest.
com, and fi nd past columns on the web at:
http://www.canada.com/topics/technology/columnists/hill.html
Listen-up! This is the best
Murray
Hill
The StarPhoenix
nXZEN
from Gennum
Corporation
Konami’ s Karaoke Rev olution P arty is av ailable
on PlayStation 2 and Xbox
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