This year, China is releasing a new controller-free gaming console. New for China, that is, as the world already played this when it was called Kinect.
Dubbed a "Kinect clone" by the West, the eBox will come with 30 games built in and a set-top camera that can detect a player's movements, according to the article. According to Eedoo Technology, the company behind the product, this is only the second controller-free console.
"Our product is designed for family entertainment. EBox may not have exquisite game graphics, or extensive violence, but it can inspire family members to get off the couch and get some exercise," Eedoo Technology honcho Jack Luo is quotes as saying last year. Luo believes that since Eedoo is a Chinese company, it better understands the needs of local gamers.
While eBox tested the console in China last year, a look a the first eBox game hit YouTube this week. The title is Flyimal, and it's a flying game with...a animals. Kinect also has an animal game, which is called Kinectimals, but that's probably just a kwinky-dink. The eBox graphics don't look eye-popping, but perhaps it plays better than it looks. The gameplay, however, doesn't exactly look revolutionary. Still, it's hard to say without actually playing the game.
Video games are largely banned in China, expect for plug-and-play devices. That seems to be changing as Sony is dead set on entering the Mainland.
A First look at Flyimal! [Unity]