‘Michael Jackson: The Experience’ has already sold three million copies worldwide since it was released in November on the Nintendo Wii, DS and Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP). On Tuesday, Ubisoft releases versions of the game compatible with Microsoft’s Kinect hands-free control system and Sony’s PlayStation Move motion controllers.
Ubisoft’s Michael Beadle states, “As a company, Ubisoft looked at what each of the three platforms would be able to do from a tech standpoint. We obviously wanted to highlight each with something cool and exclusive while using the hardware the best way it could be used, working closely with the (Michael Jackson) estate.”
Kinect Version
Taking advantage of the camera, voice and gesture tracking abilities of the Kinect, ‘Michael Jackson: The Experience’, tracks how well players are imitating the late King of Pop’s dance moves.
Featuring Ubisoft technology, the projects players into on-screen scenes inspired by Jackson’s live performances and music videos including iconic scenes from “Thriller”, . Kinect users are represented as animated characters that mirror their likeness and movements.
Ubisoft senior vice president of sales and marketing Tony Key tells AFP, “You actually see yourself moving and your goal is to follow along with the backup dancers. You can see your hair flitting, what you are wearing — all of that.”
Move Version
The Move version of the game records video and photos that can be saved on the PS3’s hard drive or uploaded to the users Facebook account. “The accuracy of the Move with the camera makes it very precise and the HD graphics and high quality sound in both of these platforms is really high-end,” Beadle explains.
Ubisoft has long been perfecting motion controls for videogames and the potential for 3D cameras to enhance the universe that games allow you to enjoy. Ubisoft finished 2010 as the top third-party developer for Kinect.
Price and Availability
‘Michael Jackson: The Experience’ will be priced at $49.99 when it becomes available in the United States on Tuesday with a European release expected two days later.
