Kinetic movement ; Video game consoles are changing the way humans interact with digital devices.

So you bought yourself that fancy high-definition LED flat paneldisplay this Diwali. Sales were so good that direct-to-homesatellite TV providers ran short of high-definition set-top boxes.Now that you have your fancy new TV, how about buying a video gameconsole to go with it?

You might worry that your children might spend far too much timein front of a console and become digital zombies. We do not have asolution, other than to say that a game console is not just forchildren - most of the better game titles today are aimed at anolder audience.

The second worry you might have is that by spending time prettymuch motionless in front of a television, your physical well-beingwill suffer. But this is an unwarranted worry with the latestgeneration of consoles. The Nintendo Wii console has brought about amassive change in the way gamers interact with consoles. While someof the most extreme gamers may still prefer the old joypad or playgames on a computer using a keyboard and mouse, casual gamers haveflocked to the Wii in droves thanks to the ease of playing games onthat console. Instead of pressing buttons and triggers, gamers haveto wave the Wii's controller (the "Wiimote") around.

The spectacular success of Wii has forced the other two gameconsoles in the market to copy the Wii's strategy. Sony has modifiedits PlayStation3 with the 'Eye' camera and 'Move' controller, whichcome as an add-on pack for the console at Rs 3,650 though standalonecontrollers are not yet available. However, while Sony hasreplicated the Wii, Microsoft has taken the concept a lot furtherwith the Kinect.

Why so? Simply because Kinect does away with the controllercompletely, you wave your hands or jump around, the camera capturesthat motion and translates it into action on-screen. While Microsofthas commercialised it, the underlying technology was developed bythe Israeli military-industrial complex and further developed byIsraeli company PrimeSense. The Kinect will be available in Indiasoon at around Rs 8,000 as an add-on to any Xbox 360 console.

The rapid advances in interface technology over the past three-four years have transformed the way we use devices. The adaptationof the touch interface has changed the way we use mobile phones andmade Steve Jobs an icon for technology acolytes. The Wii has helpedNintendo, which has far less money than both Microsoft and Sony, winthe first part of the current-generation console war.

More importantly, Apple's success is making a variety ofmanufacturers adopt its touch technology as the primary interfacefor mobile devices and tablets. Microsoft, which is now rarelyspoken about in the same breath as Apple as a technology innovator,could lead the transformation of how we interact with larger screensin the future.