I just recently discovered this gem, and figured I would share it with others.

There’s a fitness oriented “video game” for the Playstation 2 that’s made as a joint venture between Nike and Sony. It’s called “Eye Toy Kinetic.”

It’s sold as a package....for $49 you get the “video game” disc, along with a small camera (like a webcam of sorts) that plugs into the Playstation 2.

Your image is displayed on your TV screen, and when you start up the disc, you can choose to either have a Personal Trainer guide you through various workouts, or you can build your own routine.

Either way, the heart of this “game” is a series of challenging sessions where various objects appear on the screen. You have to use your body to avoid certain objects while punching, kicking, hitting, pushing other objects.

Each game is designed based on fundamental principles based on either martial arts, tai chi, dance, choreography, and/or aerobics routines.

The system tracks your progress, automatically makes the game more difficult as you progress, and counts the calories you burn along the way.

I didn’t own a Playstation 2 weeks ago.

I came across an ad for this game online...did some research on it by looking for various reviews and customer responses to this product...and the next morning I went out and bought it, along with the Playstation system itself. Right now, that’s the only thing I use the Playstation for. ...Even better...my kids LOVE the game, too...and they take turns playing it as soon as they come in from school. Heck...it’s alot better than having them be sedentary in front of the TV...especially in the cold winter months in the northeast, where we can’t exactly tell them to go ride their bikes outdoors.

Anyway - if you’re interested, here are a couple of links related to this product.

Enjoy.

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http://www.us.playstation.com/Content/OGS/SCUS-97478/Site/
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/sports/eyetoykinetic/preview_6122925.html
http://www.games-digest.com/2005/08/eye_toy_kinetic.html
http://www.futuregamez.net/ps2games/kinetic/review.html
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Oh - I bet that is fun! I don’t have a playstation but I have read some great reviews and always thought it would be neat to try.

I use something similiar for cycling called Netathlon. My spinning bike is hooked up to a computer and I watch “myself” cycle through many miles and trails. If I move, my character moves. If I am racing, I can watch my opponets. I can even race myself with a saved routine from before. There is web racing on the Internet (more popular during the winter months), dozens of courses (Tour de France!), networking for training and racing and I can check my performance with an UltraCoach. It is highly customizable.

More than anything - it’s kick butt motivation.

http://www.efitnessdirect.com/product.php3?id=372

I just checked out the website you provided for Netathlon. It looks VERY cool.

I used to go to a Ballys that had some recumbent bikes hooked up to monitors that had similar games on them. You were biking against other virtual competitors, sometimes on dirt roads (making the intensity higher) and sometimes underwater (which, as you could imagine - is brutally difficult).

Fantastic experience, tilting the bike to the sides to avoid things while steering through a virtual world.

Gotta love the technology!

Another good way to get active in front of video games is with Dance Dance Revolution - If you haven’t seen it before it is a dance game where you have to step on arrows choreographed to the music.  It is quite a workout on some of the harder songs, but best of all it is very fun.  It is available for all systems (even computers) and there are all levels of dance pads you can purchase (from cheap plastic mats to arcade worthy metal platforms).  Most of the home versions have a workout mode to track how many calories you have burned.

I have also heard good things about Yourself Fitness for the Xbox which is a personalized workout complete with a virtual instructor.

Yes I am a certifiable nerd and I have the home built metal DDR pads to prove it

I have never considered exercising with my computer apart from my nimble fingers geting a good work out
I like to be in the great outdoors really.

A virtual personal trainer?!
wow

As I mentioned before I have an actual one living with me and its just about time for his daily walkies, the most technical I get during workouts is changing the songs on my Gym/Walking I pod playlists!

Ooh… Chris (Zathras) beat me to recommending Dance Dance Revolution.  So I’ll just second him: it’s a really fun game and has more interaction with it than simply “walk… walk… walk...” on the treadmill.  AND it’s a great workout, especially when you start getting into songs that are ranked 5-6 feet.

Yourself Fitness for the Xbox...hmmmm...I might just have to try that. I have an xbox but if I’m playing any games they are the small little boxes you plug into the AV input jacks. I play a mean Pac-man lol

Here is a positive review of YourselfFitness.

And Carrie If we ever happen upon each other somplace I hereby challenge you to a round of Pac-Man

I actually have a custom ukulele in the works with Pac-Man eating the fretboard dots.

I LOVE DDR!! I’m 58 yrs. old and do DDR almost every day for an hour.  My grandsons brag to their friends about Grammy beating them at DDR!  I recently purchased an eye toy so my upper body gets exercise too.  I also have YourselfFitness.  (Yes, I’m a geek!) I like it but not as much as DDR.  Anything to move and lose!!

I heard on the radio the other day that some elementary schools are getting DDR’s to help get kids motivated

We bought DDR for Christmas—2 YEARS AGO, and my kids play with that thing every single day. THUMP_THUMP_THUMP_THUMP… It has to be the best value we’ve ever received out of a toy. This year we bought the new disc - so all new songs, routines, etc. My kids (9,10&15;) adore this game - and so will you (as long as you don’t have a headache)… BTW - all my kids are still skinny little buggers and good dancers too (obviously the result of their addiction to this game). Make SURE you get the dance pad with the game - it’s worthless without it.

That actually sounds like a lot of fun!  I think I’m going to try that out.  I’ve been using DDR which has kept me going through the “I really don’t want to be sliding to the gym” days.

I *love* DDR. Started out playing the 3rd mix Japanese import—trying to figure out what Japanese means “save” and which means “continue without saving” is a fun time.

I can hold my own, but man. I go to anime conventions (yep, chalk me up as a geek, too), and people are doing some crazy stuff on those DDR machines. I can’t even *think* as fast as they’re stepping.

I haven’t played in a while… maybe I should dig out the dance pad and play a while for tomorrow’s cardio workout. Yeah, that sounds good.

I too have got the Eyetoy: Kinetics.  IT ROCKS!  It is even better once you figure out the lighting or the camera doesn’t see you or goes off on it’s own.