Meet the Wii-Alikes

Nintendo’s Wii is the Barak Obama of the video game world. Nintendo preached that if you give families a game that’s fun for the whole family, then they will come. Change will happen. And so, we came and enjoyed ourselves as the Wii transcended age and gender barriers.

But you never get to sit on your laurels very long in this business. So this fall you can look foward to body motion and family fun becoming a key ingredient in more games. I saw two little Wii-alikes today at an industry preview of toys for the holiday season. They are both aimed at families with young kids who don’t really need the expense and complications that a $400 Wii gaming system and $50 games would introduce.

The first is from Jakks Pacific and is called the Ulti-Motion. Ulti-Motion game systems were developed in conjunction with Disney Consumer Products. You plug the unit into the A/V jack on any standard TV. The games come with peripherals that let you role play. So, for example, a Disney Princess version of the game gives you the magic wand along with other props to control the action. The units are self-contained; they don’t require any additional cartridges. Disney Princess and Disney Fairies games will be introduced this fall along with a sports game: Jakks Ulti-Motion Swing Zone. Much like the Nintendo games included with purchase, there’s bowling, tennis, golf, baseball, and football. And you get a plastic racket, bowling ball, golf club, etc. to hold in your hand and control the game with your body movements.

The games don’t have the razzle-dazzle graphics of Nintendo or the precision control. That said, for $80, kids and their families can have a lovely experience with any one of these games.

VTech is introducing its V-Motion, the next generation of their popular V.Smile game, but this time adding body movements and a motion-sensing handheld remote unit also. Unlike Jakks, where the kids get various input devices to use as props while they play, the V-Motion system has a single controller that can sense its tilt. Various games and activities (like getting a coin to fit in a circle or racing around a track with Micky and his scooter). Like Ulti-Motion, the unit plugs into the TV and has a wireless controller. Each game, called a SmartRidge, has a variety of games and activities. Titles include games timed with the upcoming movies KungFu Panda (DreamWorks) and Wall*e (Disney). The game sells for $69. The motion controls on the V-Motion system are fairly rudimentary. You tilt the remote from side to side in order to play many of the games. Some of the games use a trigger button to grab or catch things. But, unlike Ulti-Motion, the V-Motion lets you buy new cartridges with different games to extend the life of the system.

Both of these little Wiis cost a fraction of what Nintendo's does and they are squarely in the camp of the youngest players and intergenerational families. For those looking to get their feet wet in this world where active minds and active bodies meet in front of the TV, the new Wii-alikes may be the ticket.