Welcome Squee and Move over Mii

In the first big exergaming news out of GDC 2009, Performance Designed Products (PDP) just released footage of their new gaming peripheral - Gametrak Freedom. It will first launch for Xbox 360 this fall then PS3 sometime after. I remember trying out Gametrak RealWorld Golf and thought it was fun but I really wanted to try Dark Wind. According to this source:

In 2008, In2Games, along with Squeeballs and the Gametrak and Gametrak Freedom technologies, was acquired by US peripherals group, PDP, owners of the Pelican range of gaming products

From IGN's initial reviews and footage from their website it looks like a mixture of Wii Sports and EyeToy Play. Instead of heavily customizing your Mii or Xbox profile, you can choose to be one of the 12 Squeeballs (Fangs, Aardi, Boris, Mow-Mow, Octo, Sushi, Fuzz, Stubby, Snood, Bully,Craboom, and El Toro).

There are 11 mini-games and a reported "150+ mini-game challenges" and you can hook up to 4 controllers up to a system. As in the Wii-mote there are accelerometers that determine the pitch, roll, and yaw of the device. But instead of using LED sensors (Wii) to determine distance, orientation, and speed - it uses proprietary 3D (3 pulses) ultrasonic sensors plus a fourth pulse for added accuracy.
Squee on my friends...squee on!

Here are the games that will ship Fall 2009:
Tenpin Bowling – See the Squeeballs cower as the ball approaches and hear them laugh if you miss them. Curve the
ball left or right after you’ve thrown it by circling your arm clockwise (curves right) or counter-clockwise (left).
Feeding Frenzy – Fire the correct Squeeballs at the hungry El Toro’s or they will eat you.
Cannon – Swing the racket at the Squeeballs as they are fired at you. Accuracy and distance are key.
Cooking – Dice, slice, grate, season, and stir Squeeballs in special dishes prepared for El Toro.
Crazy Lanes – Bowling down the wackiest, curvy lanes ever with lava and bombs to avoid.
Paint by Squeeballs – Catapult the correct Squeeballs to get the right colors on the right picture.
Creature Testing Belt – Follow the Squeeballs on the conveyor belt. Pop, slice and punch as you must.
Pumping – Inflate the Snoods with the right amount of air and fly them through the course.
Squeeball Golf – Aim, spin your arms and send Octo flying through the air, skimming the water and find dry land.
Shock – Steady as she goes along the electric wire or else.
Stampede – Fire the Crabooms at the approaching Squeeballs before they reach you.



And here is the rest of it.