About two weeks ago, EA Sports announced their plans to release a new version of EA Sports Active in the Fall. It looks like it’ll be a complete “reboot” of the highly successful franchise. Ironically, it also looks like they won’t be using Sony’s Move. Rather, they’ll be developing their own proprietary controllers.

The controllers consist of a heart rate monitor which will wirelessly transmit data to the Wii, as well as what looks to be leg and arm straps with motion sensors, a decidedly more “high tech” system than their giant rubber band and Nunchuk leg strap. Great news for those of us who constantly got tangled up with the nunchuk wires and the resistance band.

It’s good to see EA Sports really pushing the bar forward. It’s also interesting to see the platforms they’ve chosen: the Wii and the Playstation 3, but not the Xbox. One of the things I’m hoping beyond hope for is that they’ll put the same graphics quality and performance into their Active product as they do into games like Fight Night, Madden Football, and NBA Live. The biggest drawback to the Wii was that it had to stick to cartoony graphics. But to do actual sports simulations that look real would be a dream come true. And dare I say…some day to be able to do them in 3D? 🙂

As with all the other announcements, EA Sports Active 2.0 (working title) will be released in the Fall, in time for the Christmas shopping season.