Qmotions controllers turn sports games into exercise

While I didn't get up before dawn every morning and hit the hotel gym like some of the guys from The Escapist and Themis (crazy, all of them, but very healthy), I did manage to squeeze in a bit of an E3 workout over at the Qmotions booth.

Qmotions, based in Riverside, Calif., is the maker of full-motion game controllers, posing the question, "Why use your keyboard, mouse or game controller to play video sports games when you can have the actual feel of playing using your own sports equipment?" Of course, being the mostly sedentary gaming writer I am, I had a ready answer, but the ex-athlete in me was intrigued.

So David Greene, Nick Mancuso and I trekked over and introduced ourselves, taking turns at the various stations featuring the full range of Qmotions controllers - the stationary bike, the batting cage, the golf game, and the ubiquitously named Xboard. By far the best of the bunch was the Xboard, used for games like Tony Hawk's American Wasteland or SSX3. The board translates body movements to help control a player's skater or snowboarder, in conjunction with the handheld controller - at least, once you get the hang of it.

As for the stationary bike add-on, called the Qmotions Fun Fitness, it turns that expensive clothes rack in your bedroom into a controller for racing games like EA Sports' NASCAR Chase for the Cup 2005. Players use the bike to control their speed on the track, while steering and such with the standard controller. It's no easy task Flintstoning your way around a track, but it's pretty easy to get a good workout without realizing it.

The Qmotions baseball controller had a definite learning curve. The wireless "Batter-Up" sleeve is attached to the included 27" foam-covered baseball bat (or your own, if you like) and sensors in the home plate record when and how you swing. There are foot-activated controls for swing types, stealing bases, controlling base runner slides as well as advancing and retreating runners and setting for both left- and right-handed players.

There's a definite lag between when you swing and when your player swings, so getting your timing down is everything. I managed to finish a home run short of the cycle in my time at the plate, despite the paranoid visions of smashed monitors if I lost control of the bat. All that said, I did have to fight the urge to take off for first base when I made contact.

The Qmotions golf controller consists of a plastic ball mounted on a free-swinging arm and allows a player to make use of his full range of clubs while playing games like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 and the like. Not being a great golfer, but the only one really interested, I stepped into the tee box to take a shot at a relatively easy par 4. Interestingly enough, the controller has no way of knowing what club a player uses unless he's putting, so I teed off with a 6-iron from the handy bag. Two shots, a chip and a short putt left me with a par, far better than I deserved and at least two strokes better than I would have managed if it recorded the whiff I made on my second shot or the terrible hook on my third. Let's call it a 6 and head to the clubhouse. I've seen better full-motion golf controllers, but this one actually lets you hit a ball, which is always more satisfying than swinging at empty air.

Qmotions' products deliver what they promise, the feel of actually playing the game in question, even if there is a bit of adjustment. Only the baseball and golf controllers are available currently, and cost in the neighborhood of $130 and $200, respectively.

Pretty pricey for controllers, especially when you can hit the cages or the driving range for a lot less.