EyeToy and EyeToy Groove

$40, PlayStation 2

Teaches: movement, lower body coordination, socialization

CTR Review

See the PlayStation Eye. This is a small camera that captures your image and places you inside various PS2 games and activities, making you a part of the action. The camera, which comes with an activity CD (required in order to use it) plugs into one of the PS2's USB slots and sits on your TV screen while you stand in front of the TV. You'll see yourself onscreen then, and can play the games. Twelve games are included; tester's favorites were Boogie Down (match an on-screen dancer's moves), Mirrors (the screen flips, and you must pop the green balloon in the corner; requiring some fast, complex spatial thinking!) , Boxing Champ (fight in a virtual boxing match), and Wishi Washi (wash windows in a race against the clock). The camera can also capture video for up to 60 seconds at 320x240 resolution or jpgs at 640x480 -- that's pretty grainy, but looks OK on a TV screen. The video can then be played back as short video IMs -- the implications are obvious when PS2s are online, and millions of others have this camera. That must be why Sony is pricing it so low --comparable to the typical game. A second software title, EyeToy Groove, is also available with 25 popular tunes. So should you buy it? Kids like it, and considering the price, this is a good way to turn the PS2 into a more active experience. Also see the ION (Hasbro).