Another wacky football peripheral

Peripheral manufacturer Radica has announced its latest product, Connect TV Excite Striker, which will allow football fans to test their skills without leaving the house, and operates indepedently of any established console. Unlike Thrustmaster's competing product, the 2002 FIFA World Cup Football Stadium, Radica will provide its own Excite Striker software, allowing you to take part in ball juggling activities, penalty shootouts, and even an actual game of football. The graphics don't look too hot, but admittedly we haven't seen them move, yet. The degree of interaction afforded to players by the Excite setup is a bit difficult to gauge from the design alone, but we hope to get hold of one in the near future and put it through, er, our paces. Although hopefully not in front of a camera. The package consists of two shin straps, which are attached to each player's leg and a main console unit that connects directly to the TV, and the whole thing uses Infrared to communicate between devices. The connection to the TV is made via composite with left and right audio channels, as shown in the accompanying pic. Radica promises "Japanese style characters and full UK commentary" and describes the game as "the perfect World Cup purchase, providing the ideal way to make the football last all day." Related Feature - World's "first interactive football pitch" unveiled

Source - press release