It's a widely-held assumption that gamers as a whole are not in the best of shape. Of course, given that the commonly-used Body Mass Index scores believe that people from NFL linebackers to Hollywood celebrities are obese, that's easier to believe than might be thought. But Microsoft is looking at a new way to help gamers get in better shape, thanks to the upcoming Xbox Fitness program for the Xbox One.
The Xbox One's increased use of the Kinect, some believe, is tailor-made for fitness applications thanks to the improved resolution and the ability to better track muscle mapping, balance, and limb orientation. Thanks to the improvements in capability—not to mention the improvements in processing power offered by the Xbox One—there's now the necessary infrastructure for a much more complex and deliberate exercise system. While there were indeed exercise systems for the Xbox 360 and Kinect, those set to be offered under Xbox Fitness are likely to prove much more advanced.
The new resolution and processing power makes the system capable of detecting much finer movements, meaning that it's not just about big moves like squats and lunges any more. Thus, the Xbox One is set to launch with programs like P90X and Shaun T's “Insanity,” as well as workouts from Jillian Michaels and Tracy Anderson. The individual titles are set to be priced at about the same prices as the DVDs which spawned said titles, and Xbox Live Gold members will be able to get in through December 2014 for free, though after that the prices are still unclear.
The trainers in question all seem rather excited about these new developments, as the better resolution and processing power mean, as noted, a better ability to capture and account for smaller-scale movements. Tracy Anderson described the new effect as allowing her to “deal with rotations that cause the smaller muscles to wake up, too.” Microsoft even recently put on a demonstration in New York City's Flatiron District, where it showed how the system could catch a lunge done too far, and provide correction information that resulted in the next lunge being done perfectly. Anderson continued, describing how “poor coordination is a major hurdle for many people who want to get into shape. Our brains are not programmed to follow cartoony avatars well.”
It's not just about the avatars, though, as Anderson notes how using an Xbox for fitness could be the kind of boost people need. It's less expensive, there's no need to drive to a gym or the like, and it provides the kind of experience that a celebrity trainer might provide if same were there in person. Though by like token, it's easier to blow off an Xbox trainer, especially when that copy of “Dead Rising 3” or the like is waiting for another go-round.
Still, there could be something to this. A kind of top-notch trainer that can track effort, reinforce good behavior and provide instant feedback on points so small that many humans couldn't spot same is a worthwhile idea in its own right. Of course, it may not work out exactly as well as some would like, but it may well offer sufficient difference that it ends up working—at least for some—in the end.
Edited by
Alisen Downey
