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Taking a Ride on Tony Hawk's New Wireless Skateboard

by Tim Stevens on June 3, 2009 at 04:24 PM

Getting Our Feet On the New Tony Hawk Ride
The 'Tony Hawk' franchise of skateboard games is one of the most popular and longest-running series of games in history. Lately, though, after ten iterations, it's become one of the most stale. That all changes with 'Tony Hawk Ride,' the upcoming release due this October that replaces all those fiddly button combos with a wireless skateboard that looks -- and more importantly -- acts like the real thing. We got a chance to try it out.

The controller is a black plastic wedge shaped like a skateboard, but it's thicker to accommodate some motion-sensors, AA batteries, and four infra-red cameras. The device lets you lean left and right to turn in the game and perform classic skate tricks like ollies, grinds, and kick flips just by moving the board. No, you never actually jump with it or flip it around, so living room injuries should be few, but it does simulate the feel of skateboarding. And yes, it requires some of the skill.

We were surprised to find it was a pretty good workout, and it's a lot of fun. But, we're not entirely sure that serious fans of the franchise are going to like this change. It's far, far harder to play and obviously a lot more exhausting. And, at $120, it's twice as expensive. It ships for the Wii, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 this October.

For some further impressions and some more pictures, head on over to the writeup at Engadget.

Tags: e32009, ps3, tony hawk, tony hawk ride, TonyHawk, TonyHawkRide, top, wii, xbox 360, Xbox360

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