China’s homegrown Android game console gets cool Kinect-style tech

Israeli motion control startup Extreme Reality announced today that its technology will be put to use in the Android game console Warchief (pictured), which has been developed by Qihoo 360 and Xiaocong for the Chinese market. Using just a simple 2D webcam, gamers will be able to control a variety of games using their bodies. And because Extreme Reality’s system doesn’t require fancier hardware than a simple webcam, the company can keep the console’s cost down for users.

The RMB 999 (US$160) console is powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra K1 processor, and it features a variety of alternative input methods. In addition to Extreme Reality’s motion input and traditional controller input, it also accepts speech input and motion input from controller movement using gyros.

In a press release on the tie-up, Xiaocong CEO Zhang Weiming said:

With our partnership with Extreme Reality, we’ll deliver staggering interactive motion experiences to the owners of Warchief. Using a single 2D webcam enabled us to keep a competitive price while not having to settle on quality and content.

According to the same release, Xiaocong and Qihoo’s Warchief console launched in China last month. An Extreme Reality rep told Tech in Asia that the Warcheif console is currently sold out, and it can’t currently be purchased via the console’s official site, though more units will be available “shortly”. The console is still available on JD.com and Taobao, but it appears to have sold just a few units across both those platforms.

It’s clear that the Warchief hasn’t made much of an impression on the country’s small console gaming market yet, so Xiaocong and Qihoo may be hoping that the addition of Extreme Reality’s tech will help set it apart from other domestic Android consoles.

UPDATE 2/18: This post was updated to clarify information about the Warchief’s current availability and pricing.