Accelerometers are all the rage these days, between the Wiimote, the Six-Axis Controller, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is falling behind. But apparently, not for long.
News outlets are reporting that Microsoft has been working on their own product for the market since last summer. The development is not without problems, apparently developer Rare has been the studio designing the interface of the controller. However, the group has been having trouble meeting its deadlines. MTV News has an exclusive sketch of the proposed device, which resembles the Wiimote closely.
It’s clear the motion control fad is catching on, however, I’d hold back from saying that a killer app for the controller is out yet. There are definitely some great games out already for motion control devices, but, there is the fine line of gimmick and actual application. Moving my controller back and forth during a mellee minigame in a war game wasn’t that convincing for me on the PS3. Although, the control system worked very well in the the new Metroid, but it did take some getting used to.
Is motion control the future of gaming? I’ll abstain on that answer for now, but what do you guys think?
Would GTA IV or Rainbow Six Vegas be a much better experience with a motion control input device, or are they fine as is? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below.
I think they have a ways to go before it’s really down, but it could be the future of gaming. Having a Wii I have to say that the motion controls aren’t that great. You don’t get the same precision you get with a controller or a mouse. If that sketch is real then Microsoft needs to come up with a new design. It needs to be built into the current controller like Sony did with the SixAxis. I don’t think motion control would do much for a game like R6:V2, but for GTA IV I could see it being used for flying a helicopter or driving a car. I think motion control would be a nice feature in games, but not for full control just yet.
I agree, it should be built into the existing controllers, building a Wiimote clone for the 360 is just silly!