Jackie Chan is supporting XaviX !!!!

[esteban]

UPDATE 12.24.05: SPECIAL Xmas EVE update for you, loyal readers . Things do not bode well for the XaviX XmaS I had planned. Read all about it at the end of the thread...

UPDATE 12.20.05: Read about the most recent developments in my quest for Xavix further on in the thread! I promise it will be worth it

---------------- Original Post ---------------------------
I read about XaviX nearly a year ago:
Xavix Homepage

But I never bothered to check out their site. Well, imagine how excited I got when I noticed that Jackie Chan will be supporting XaviX with a line of software!
Jackie Chan Studio
J-MAT
Powerboxing


The insanity! I love the props you use (baseball bat, bowling ball!, tennis raquet, etc.), the FAQ on the site refers to them as "reality accessories" !!! Priceless.

I mentioned this elsewhere, but I've played inexpensive motion games of this sort at the shopping mall. They were of questionable quality, but they were only $35-$45 apiece (for Ping Pong and/or Baseball) ...

Has anyone seen XaviX? Or heard anything about it from folks with first-hand experience? I honestly can't see a big market for this product.

Unfortunately, the Xavix promotional tour (ummmm, I mean a van full of bored kids) isn't going to be visitiing southern california -- I would have loved to see those kids dancing. Dancing in praise of XaviX. Priceless.
Click on the blue "XaviX: You Power" button in the left-hand column to see the totally random bumpkins enjoying the XaviX VaN of FuN. And did you notice the Xavix kids, oh my god, they're spelling out the letters "X - A - V - I - X" in that photo, aren't they!

My vote is for Jackie Chan Powerboxing

[GUTS]

Damn that actually looks kind of fun, that baseball game especially (did you hear the awesome CRACK the bat makes when it hits the ball?  swee!).  If they were cheap hell I'd pick one up just for the Jackie Chan boxing game.

[Keranu]

Looks pretty interesting, but I probably won't ever buy one, especially since DS will be a little similar and will focus more on imaginative gameplay rather than realistic play, which is what would interests me more. Anyways, I'll be voting for Power Boxing ;) .

[esteban]

Damn that actually looks kind of fun, that baseball game especially (did you hear the awesome CRACK the bat makes when it hits the ball?  swee!).  If they were cheap hell I'd pick one up just for the Jackie Chan boxing game.

Dude, I made that post because I was *this close* to ordering the goddam thing! My wife loves Dance Dance Revolution, so I thought this would be a similar thing she and I could get into.

I have yet to find a decent review of the games.... everything I've read is rather vague. I want the nitty gritty details. I don't care if they are "Genesis graphics" (as one reviewer critiqued) if the games are actually fun. The Amazon reviews are written by nitwits, the major gaming media reviews are written by dumbasses who didn't even take the time to explain specific details of the games.

[Keranu]

I never trust Amazon reviews because they are always one sided.

[GUTS]

Yeah the only hardware descriptin on the page is "advanced processor" which could mean anything.  From the videos I watched it's obvious it has no 3D capabilities and looks very 16bit to me.  The golf game is especially telling since the camera just sits there after you hit the ball, and the baseball game uses all pre-rendered animations for fielding like a Sega CD game or something.

[PCEngineHell]

Maybe its a scrapped down sega cdx then refitted for its new casing.Wouldnt that be sad?
Im not a sports fan.This thing just doesnt offer me anything I couldnt just get up and go do outside if I cared to,and it just happens to be that I dont.
Maybe they could get real imaginitve and do one where your at a NIN or Ministry concert stomping some jackasses brains out in a mosh.But with the limited Genesis/Pippin like graphics,I gues sit wouldnt look very good,they would have to make it like Supreme Warrior,all fmv with a hand and foot prerenderd.
Ehh screw it,nothing would make me touch this thing.
The bumpkin fitness promotion tour took care of that.

[Keranu]

Can I change my vote to bowling? Realistic bowling in your own home would be nice, probably the best interactive sport to have indoors, or maybe golf, but I prefer bowling anyways.

[esteban]

Can I change my vote to bowling? Realistic bowling in your own home would be nice, probably the best interactive sport to have indoors, or maybe golf, but I prefer bowling anyways.

Of course you can change your vote

Did you see the cool mini bowling ball that comes with the game?! Friggin' awesome. Now, I'd want to let go of the ball (otherwise it would feel awkward).... but I'd have to stack up a pile of cushions or something to protecet the TV.

[TR0N]

Jackie Chan power boxing just so i can see him say"bad day! bad day"!

[Keranu]

Can I change my vote to bowling? Realistic bowling in your own home would be nice, probably the best interactive sport to have indoors, or maybe golf, but I prefer bowling anyways.

Of course you can change your vote

Did you see the cool mini bowling ball that comes with the game?! Friggin' awesome. Now, I'd want to let go of the ball (otherwise it would feel awkward).... but I'd have to stack up a pile of cushions or something to protecet the TV.

Haha, I've never even thought about that! But yeah, I would try to make some kind of protective cushion as well so I could actually let go and not break anything... hopefully ;) .

[esteban]

Time is running out for me. If I don't get this soon, I won't have XaviX in time for Xmas. Ahhhhhhhh!!!!! I'm serious!

[esteban]

THE DEED IS DONE: You folks are gonna laugh, but yesterday I ordered Xavix and Jackie Chan's J-Mat !!!!!!!!!!!! I wanted to get Jackie's Power Boxing, but the damn title was out of stock !!!!!!!! It's a new game, too, how can it be out of stock already? Did they sell out of all 30 copies they made? I tell you, I couldn't help but feel like a big idiot for paying $200 for 1 console ($80) + 1 game ($90) + tax/shipping ($30). I bet Xavix will be in the bargain bins in 4 months.

Oh well, it's an xmas gift for my wife, who will certainly laugh when she gets it. But will she use it? Only if it is fun... and what are the chances that Jackie Chan Studios will let her down? Hmmmm.... at least Xavix seems like a better investment than an N-Gage. Yeah, I know that isn't saying much.

I promise to video tape myself using J-mat and post a full-review / video for you folks. Not that you want to see me, but I know you are curious about silly things like J-Mat. For now, though, you can savor these photos of Jackie Chan hawking Xavix products at a press conference in Japan (here are a handful of additional photos from the same event).

That reminds me, I still have to play those DVD FMV games I ordered months  ago (Dracula Unleashed and Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective from Infinite Ventures). I tell you, there will be nothing but top quality entertainment at my household this holiday. Who needs an Xbox 360? Not me. (My apologies to the Xbox 360 community).

BIG IN JAPAN*: OK, so it seems that Jackie Chan's J-Mat is known as the Aerostep in Japan. This is a more common-sensical name for the product, but I like the wonderfully obtuse J-Mat moniker that it was marketed under here in the States. "Aerostep" is certainly descriptive, but it's also kind of boring. "J-Mat" instantly piques my interest (in a "what the h*** is a J-Mat?" kind-of-way).

Believe it or not, the official Japanese website even features  a sports doctor touting the "health benefits" of Aerostep. Supposedly, Dr. Kimura has an acutal degree (see the bottom of the page... unfortunately, he loses a lot of credibility due to his ridiculous mustache. Thin, vaudvill-ian mustachios cancel out medical degrees, as far as I am concerned). Dr. Kimura also mentions that tests were performed that measured the increased respiration experienced by folks using the J-Mat (this information is not too useful -- there are folks who experience "increased respiration" when they pick up the remote control to change television channels). Suffice it to say, the good doctor makes  general statements about how "physical activity", in general, can be beneficial for everyone, from toddlers to curmudgeons.

PROCRASTINATION IS NOT YOUR FRIEND: Since I was an idiot and bought this item at the last minute, it is very unlikely that this will arrive before christmas  Why did I wait? I should have ordered the damn thing when I started this thread. This is an example of how the "need for an xmas gift" will trump reason, street smarts and better judgement on any day of the week.  

Now, I might be an idiot for buying Xavix in the first place, but I'm an even bigger idiot for buying it too late. The website said "1 week to ship" due to the "increased demand for Xavix" around the holidays! I sincerely doubt that the demand for Xavix is that high, but what can I do? Ahhhhhhhhh.... idiot. And buying it off of eBay wasn't really an option, since the sellers are INSANE (the markup on "Buy it Now" items is 40-50%, on average).

GIMMICKY EXERCISE / DANCE MAT + NINJAS = UNBEATABLE FORMULA. Did I mention that you face ninjas in the J-mat game? I didn't? This is the only reason why I wasn't too upset when I wasn't able to order Power Boxing yesterday: the fact that there is a veritable  army of ninjas out to get you in the J-Mat game (check out the full article here -- it has lots of good photos of what the actual product looks like and tons of screenshots that aren't available on any other site I've yet to encounter). Jackie Chan Studios can not fail to satisfy!

*I was simply plugging the song by Alphaville. I would never honestly suggest that Xavix, by any measure, was popular in Japan (excepting the handful of folks pictured in their promotional material, of course).

[GUTS]

Man that's hilarious, I'm looking forward to reading what the thing is like when you actually get it.  Hopefully it turns out to be cool, despite my gut telling me you'll play it for a day or two then throw it in the closet, haha.

[OldRover]

I believe this was the machine being demonstrated at a Radio Shack down here a number of months ago...the employee was playing some baseball game on it with this dorky little bat that barely worked at all. The whole thing just looked like a complete joke.

[Keranu]

Steve, I'm popping a bucket of popcorn already for when your video is ready for my viewing pleasure   . I cannot wait!

[esteban]

Xmas Eve Update: It's nearly 4pm (PST) and sadly it seems that Xavix will not arrive before Xmas. I checked the tracking at UPS the last few days and it was supposed to have arrived yesterday (23rd), but then, last night it said it was "Rescheduled." I was hoping that it would arrive today, but the status at UPS doesn't list a date for "Expected Delivery."

Ahhhhhhhhhhh... I was ***this*** close to pulling off the perfect Xavix XmaS.

I'm gonna call UPS because I live only 15 miles from the sorting facility that last scanned the shipment. Maybe I can pick it up in person, though I doubt it is very likely.

Man that's hilarious, I'm looking forward to reading what the thing is like when you actually get it.  Hopefully it turns out to be cool, despite my gut telling me you'll play it for a day or two then throw it in the closet, haha.

Your gut and my gut alike. Yeah, I decided it was worth it to take a chance. Even if it's just for laughs (my wife is gonna think this thing is ridiculous!)... the other day we were reading  about a stationary bicycle that has a large monitor mounted in front of it with a virtual "tour de france" simulation (or something like that)... it was PC-based, but it looked like such a monstrous, silly contraption that she said, "Who is gonna buy something stupid like that?" and I was thinking "Ha! You're gonna get something even sillier for Xmas!"

We'll see...

Steve, I'm popping a bucket of popcorn already for when your video is ready for my viewing pleasure Cool . I cannot wait!

Oh yeah! You know I'm doing it, definitely . Just make sure you have the "Movie Theatre Butter Flavor" popcorn, because it will be an epic cinematic experience.

I believe this was the machine being demonstrated at a Radio Shack down here a number of months ago...the employee was playing some baseball game on it with this dorky little bat that barely worked at all. The whole thing just looked like a complete joke.

Ha! Well, Xavix is one expensive novelty product, that's for sure. At minimum, I hope it will bring some laughs (even if they are expensive laughts).

I don't know if you necessarily saw Xavix at RS though -- I've seen cheaper items ($30-40) being sold. For the last 3-4 years, at Xmas time, I've seen a bunch of folks (usually at carts / kiosks at the local malls) selling:
1) Ping Pong
2) Baseball
3) Boxing (new this year!)
4) Famicom emulator with tons of pirated ROMS built in (looks like a Nintendo 64 controller).
5) Cheap knock-off of DDR (with very flimsy dance mat)... (new this year!)

1-3 are stand-alone items, unlike Xavix, which uses cartridges. Anyway, my wife and I have played 1 & 2 & 5 when we're at the mall and they're somewhat fun to play (short term appeal, but after 20 minutes it's time to move onto something else). Then again, the games were totally lacking ninjas, so that's to be expected.

We haven't had a chance to play # 3 because there were too many people waiting ahead of us. Boxing is popular!

Anyway, I'm very skeptical about the quality of Xavix (both hardware and software). We'll have to wait and see what its like. With my luck, the cheaper items at the mall will turn out to be more fun and better made.