motion control
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Ubisoft totally hearts MotionPlus
Nintendo kept the Wii MotionPlus a secret from everybody for as long as possible, a move that resulted in grumbling from certain third-party developers.That hasn't diminshed enthusiasm for the tiny add-on, however. During an interview with Gamasutra, Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat couldn't praise the MotionPlus enough (even though he admitted having some doubts at first), enthusing about how the peripheral would make gaming feel "seamless," and arguing that it could only lead to a more immersive experience. "It's one thing to have your brain interpolating what you're doing," gushed Mallat, "[but ] it's another thing to not need that interpolation work."Elsewhere in the interview, Mallat expressed his view that Shaun White Snowboarding was a "must-try" and described developing Dogz as "psychologically very exciting." Hmm.%Gallery-29887%
Wii Warm Up: About a button
We've talked a little before about the placement of buttons on the Wii Remote, but what about the number of buttons? Do you think there should be a few more? What about fewer? That would probably mean more actions performed with gestures. Does it seem like buttons are still essential for most games? Waggling through menus doesn't really seem too appealing, after all.
MotionPlus totally ambushes third-party developers
We mucky commoners have known about the Wii MotionPlus add-on for just over a week now, but don't go thinking it's any different for third-party developers. At E3, Game Informer approached several third-parties about the peripheral, and were repeatedly told that the accessory was news to them -- as they understood it, Nintendo simply hadn't told anybody about the MotionPlus, prior to it being revealed last Monday.In other words, we can safely not expect a flood of third-party releases supporting the peripheral. On top of that, the developers doubt they'll be able to implement Wii MotionPlus into upcoming projects, such was the secrecy that surrounded the project. Not clever, Nintendo.
E308: Wii MotionPlus puts better control in your motion control
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Nintendo_unveils_Wii_MotionPlus_for_unmatched_precision'; Concerned that motion controls aren't quite precise enough to get the job done? No worries -- Nintendo's on it. While we expect more details at tomorrow's E3 press briefing, a press release has surfaced for the Wii MotionPlus, an add-on for the Wii remote that "allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player's arm position and orientation." That opens up nearly as many questions as it answers, so we'll be watching tomorrow's conference even more excitedly. If things get more any more intense around here, well, we just might explode.See also: Ding ding! Another E3 prediction resolved.[Thanks, Erie!]
Wiimote inspired motion controls hit PCs in August
Microsoft and Sony might -- might being the keyword -- have Wiimote-esque plans in the works, but there's another platform that we failed to consider tapping into the motion control scheme: PCs. GoLive2 has created a controller that looks eerily similar to Nintendo's, called Stix. Although these bad boys (the 200 model is for 2D games while the 400 model is for 3D) were announced last week, they won't hit retail until August.We're not sure if PCs need motion controls, but it's an intersting concept. After trying out the controllers, though, MTV Multiplayer's Patrick Klepek described the experience as "touchy," which sounds ... not good. They also don't come cheap, as the 200 retails for $39.99 and the 400 for $49.99. Are any of you Wiimote lovers excited to try this out on your computers, or do you think it's just a silly idea?[Via MTV Multiplayer]
*Sigh* More Newton motion control rumors ...
Sure Microsoft may have gone back on their "we do not comment on rumors and speculation" policy to debunk the Banjo -> Newton connection, but they didn't go so far as to declare that there isn't a motion controller at all. Over at xbox360oz, they claim that the latest copy of Xbox360World magazine has an inside source that then claims that not only is the project real, but that it also uses tech from a company that already makes motion controllers.This is all quite tenuous and feels like grasping at straws, but it's some interesting food for thought. The Motus "Darwin" controller does make sense as a starting point for a company looking to match the Wii. In fact, the company website mentions the Wii in comparison to its product quite often, and has several news stories running along its bottom that deal with the ol' 360 Newton rumors. Evidence? Of course not. Curious? Definitely.Get here already E3! We need all these speculations and rumors to end, interesting as they all may be.[Via N4G, xbox360oz]
ASUS Eee Stick hits the FCC, our minds race in wonder
Ah, so ASUS' totally familiar looking Eee Stick wasn't just some one-off prototype. Today, said controller has just surfaced in the depths of the FCC, complete with internal / external photographs, a user's manual and a few reports certifying that no one grew a third leg during testing. Apparently the GMC-1 package will include a pair of joysticks (one with a D-pad, one with an analog stick), a USB dongle and the obligatory Quick Start guide and Support CD. Heck, these critters even come with bundled wrist straps, eliminating any lingering doubt that the inspiration for these didn't come from The Big N. Still, we can't help but be slightly excited about the possibilities here, but whether or not they actually prove useful remains to be seen.
Sony secretly working on a PS3 motion controlling remote?
Considering how little attention the PS3's motion-sensing functionality currently receives, we're not inclined to think that Sony's making an even deeper push into the Wii's territory, but a site called Playstation Lifestyle says that Sony conducted focus-group testing on a controller similar to the Wiimote earlier this year. Apparently the device was mounted on a foot-tall mini-tripod, and was demoed with tennis, fencing, and paintball mini-games, as well as used to play Quake on a laptop. That's not to say that Sony's ever going to bring this stuff to market, but it would certainly be interesting if it did -- and coupled with those persistent Xbox 360 remote rumors, the gaming landscape could suddenly be overrun with people miming tennis.[Via Wii Fanboy]
ASUS Eee Stick motion controller brings Wii to the Eee
ASUS seems to be bringing a lot of new toys out to play at Computex, but we're suddenly most intrigued by the Eee Stick, a pair of motion-sensing game controllers that looks like nothing more than a pair of Wii nunchuks. We're hearing that the left nunchuck can also work as a 3D mouse, but it'll be interesting to see if ASUS plans to actually pitch the $70 set to game developers, or if it's just another gimmicky controller that'll inevitably get dumped for the comforts of WASD. Gameplay video after the break.[Via Engadget Chinese, thanks Anonymouse]
Shane Kim talks motion control rumors and more
At Microsoft's Spring Showcase, Eurogamer got some face time with Microsoft Game Studios VP (and PR jedi) Shane Kim. As one might expect, they took the opportunity to ask Kim about Microsoft's upcoming lineup, Sony's claimed victory in Europe, and, of course, Grand Theft Auto IV. Regarding the lineup, Kim said that 2008 will be "another landmark year" for Microsoft thanks to a range of exclusive titles like Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, and others. Perhaps the most interesting part of the interview, Kim spoke to the rumors about Microsoft's secret motion controller development. When asked directly about the rumors, Kim gave the typical no comment response, but also noted, "I do think that would be a mistake, if we just tried to come out and copy what Nintendo has done. What Nintendo has done has worked well for them, but we have to think about what our innovation aspect is going to be." Let's focus on the word "just" and the phrase "is going to be" for a moment. "Just" implies that Microsoft plans to do more than Nintendo has done with control methods, while "is going to be" implies that Microsoft is definitely up to something. Just what that is remains a mystery. Is it Lips, Newton, or something else?Check out Eurogamer for the full interview.
Qmotions skateboard controller coming to Xbox 360
Late last week Actiga Coporation revealed a partnership with Microsoft to develop a new version of the company's Qmotions X-Board (shown above) for the Xbox 360 called the Qmotions Big Air controller. Coming Fall 2008, the deck allows gamers to control their favorite skateboarding games with a motion-based controller you stand on. "Our aim with the Xbox 360 system is to broaden the consumer videogame experience and ensure a perfect match between the console, the peripherals and the game," says Scott Loomis, Xbox Third Party Peripheral Program Manager. "We will work closely with Qmotions to ensure the best experience for our Xbox 360 players."According to the press release, the Qmotions Big Air controller is the first of "a full-range of products that will be officially endorsed by Microsoft." We expect to hear more on the partnership leading into this years E3 event.[via Joystiq]
Johnny Lee: We may see head tracking from Sony or Microsoft first
NWF: Speaking of what the companies are doing and/or not doing, there was some discussion that EA was going to include your head tracking in BOOM BLOX, and then suddenly it was announced that head tracking was no longer going to be available as the discussed easter egg. We're pretty interested in what happened there, if you can discuss it at all. JL: I was a little disappointed to hear about that. I have been in touch with Louis Castle, who was involved in that decision, and it's actually a pretty complicated decision, and I don't know if I'm at liberty to explain exactly why, but I understand why they decided to take it out. Rest assured that I know EA is still interested in including it, and so are several other companies, so even if it doesn't come out next month, it will probably be integrated into games within the next year. NWF: So you do think we'll see it in this generation? JL: I think so. If Nintendo doesn't do it, I'm fairly sure that Sony and Microsoft may be interested in doing something similar. It's simply ... the kind of visual experience that head tracking provides is simply an evolutionary step in display technology and interactive displays, and it would be foolish not to embrace that progress in technology. It's not so much a feature, it's just a technological step forward, similar to 3D TV, that will eventually come. Nintendo may or may not decide that this is an okay idea, but even if they don't, it will come in some other form from some other provider. [NWF note: Sony, in fact, has a head tracking demo of their own] NWF: You know, that's interesting, because there's a lot of discussion any time we see another of your projects. Nintendo fans just blow up with excitement, because what you're doing with the Wii remote is so much more interesting than what a lot of actual Wii games have done with the motion controls. Why do you think that is? JL: Well, I don't have any rules to conform to. In truth, when choosing to make something for a game console, a developer has to sign a lot of agreements and play within a very well-defined space that determines what they can and cannot do. I have been talking to some Wii game developers and they've said that ... if a game requires too much motion or requires ... they had some word for it, but essentially, if it requires too much movement on the player's part, Nintendo asks them to pull it. There are all these internal guidelines they have to conform to that prevent them from doing anything too -- I hate using the term "outside the box," but this is a box that has been defined by Nintendo and they literally can't step out of it. The video game industry is also extremely market data driven, which is unfortunate. The investment levels keep going up and up, and the certainty of return keeps going down, and as a result, marketing has more control over development. And if marketing says something isn't going to sell, or if marketing has no data on it, so if something is too radical or if it's a new IP with a new story or new characters, and it's untested, marketing tags it as high risk. If there are safer, but more boring [laughs], the decision tends to be to make the more boring title, which is unfortunate. That's actually why I decided not to work at any game companies specifically, like Electronic Arts or Ubisoft, because my ideas would have likely been squashed quickly by marketing. NWF: Do you think those same marketing people, or maybe anyone at these companies, is really paying attention to the reaction your projects are getting? Obviously somebody is listening, because they're contacting you, but do you think the reaction is enough to change some of those things you were just talking about? JL: I think so, or at least, that's my impression. The wonderful thing about my videos is that they're widely available, and they've given marketing departments some data that they can work with. It's put something out into the world for very low cost -- because all I did was make a video in my house, so I didn't have to invest much money -- but marketing can now look at the numbers associated with the video, like the number of views, or they can send out a survey or poll games about these particular features, and then marketing can make an assessment about the risk of the feature. So, I think the main contribution these videos have had, at least to the gaming industry, is that they've given marketing some data that indicates this is a worthwhile feature. Getting it integrated into near-term titles is a little difficult, though, because it takes a few years to build a game. If they're going to retrofit an existing title with these features, it adds risk to the title. If they're going to build a new title around this feature, it's not going to hit the shelves for at least two years or so, or a year if they do a really simple title. It's sort of interesting ... I've gotten exposed to the business of video games recently. It's unfortunate that the business of the video game industry almost seems designed to squash innovation, or at least discourage it, because it's risky. NWF: Well, that explains a lot of our Wii games! JL: The Wii also has another complicated issue. Actually, I would say there are two. One is that the input control system is so radically different from the other two consoles that the only way to make a good game is to start from the ground up for the Wii. If you port an existing game, it's usually not going to be very good, because the control schemes don't map over very well. Cross-console game publishing has become a popular business model, simply because it's a more attractive return on investment for game developers. So, for the Wii, they have to take on the risk of making a game just for the Wii instead of doing that. Another problem ... accelerometer data is actually very hard to work with, so most of the games have very simple shake recognition, sort of an analog shaking recognition, sort of like the Rayman games, where you make the person run faster by pumping faster. But really complicated gesture recognition is actually very hard to do. Some dancing games, for example, are very difficult to make trigger reliably, because you want to make sure you're getting positive movement. You want to correctly register movement, but you don't want to be too generous or too critical. If you're too generous, the game is too easy, it's not compelling, you can cheat at it .... If you're too critical, the game doesn't trigger properly and then you get frustration on the part of game players. NWF: I'd also assume shaking speed and method is harder to translate in a game manual than something like "press A for action X." JL: Right. And game developers just don't know how to use it yet, because it's pretty new. It's pretty radical, and it has a lot of its own technical issues, not only in coming up with interesting game content, but also in dealing with the control scheme. It may take another year or two before game developers are used to working with an accelerometer. They had a decade to get used to the joypad. The technology in the Wii remote is still new to developers and they aren't necessarily using it in the best way yet, so there are a couple reasons why Wii games have at times been less than stellar, and maybe haven't lived up to the hopes and dreams of Wii owners. < 1 2 3 4 >
Rumor: Microsoft motion controller code-named 'Newton'
After one of us who shall remain nameless had to sing Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" on a certain podcast as the result of a lost bet, we've learned not to doubt Jacob Metcalf. You may remember him as the first to report the Bungie/Microsoft split. He says he's once again tapped his inside sources to get more information about a motion controller reportedly under development at Microsoft, which he claims is codenamed "Newton."Metcalf reports that the controller is fundamentally like the Wiimote in design, with a USB-powered sensor bar and "rumble motors, wireless two way data communication with the 360, a built in Microphone for Xbox Live and voice-activated games." It's sounds great, but, as Metcalf says, we hope it comes with a free USB hub. We're filling slots faster than our grandmother in Atlantic City.
Microsoft working on 360 Wiimote-killer?
Alright, take this one with a huge grain of salt, but MTV News is reporting that Microsoft is secretly developing a Wiimote-like motion controller for the Xbox 360. The source says that the new unit has been under development since August, and that a new unified interface is being developed by Rare, which has missed a few deadlines. The idea is to match and exceed the capabilities of the Wiimote, so the controller reportedly features four face buttons, an analog stick, a microphone, and possibly integration with the Xbox Live Vision Camera. However, it doesn't seem like things are going all that smoothly -- the source says the project is a "colossal clusterf***," and that Microsoft is scrambling to figure out how to get the thing out by the end of the year. Interesting -- but several other major 360 developers wouldn't confirm anything, so until we hear something for real, interesting is about as far as it goes.
Motus Darwin controller to bring that Wii feeling to the PC
We've seen plenty of Wiimote hacks that involve interfacing the controller with a PC, and a ton of Wii KIRFs, but an outfit called Motus is aiming to bring it all together with a new PC gaming controller called Darwin. Based on an existing Motus golf club controller called the iClub (very original, guys), the Darwin tracks motion using gyroscopes, accelerometers and a compass, which allows it to track absolute motion without the need for a sensor bar like the Wiimote. Motus also says that the Darwin is more accurate and faster to relay motion data than the Wiimote, which allows games to more accurately simulate real world activities. That's certainly interesting, but seeing as a Wiimote costs $40 and you can go buy one right now, we'd say the Darwin has quite an uphill battle in store when it hits next year.
3D camera aims to offer Wii-like gameplay [update]
Wii's success was bound to cause a few imitators to emerge from the deep, dark crevices below the earth and embrace the light of the surface. The most popular one that seems to keep coming up is the Vii, but now a new camera from a company called 3DV Systems out of Israel has become the latest. Called the ZCam, it's a 3D camera for your PC that will pick up motion much in the way the Wiimote senses your actions and translates them into in-game movements.During a recent demonstration of the device, 3DV Chief Executive Zvika Klier said "The Wii has shown us the way, but this device can take things so much farther." The camera isn't limited to two dimensions of movement, however, as it can also track depth. Klier demonstrated both an airplane game where movement of the aircraft was controlled by his arms, using his thumbs to activate machine games and drop bombs, and a boxing game. As you can imagine, the boxing game had him throwing punches and bobbing and weaving as he played. "The Wii has shown us the way, but this device can take things so much farther," he commented. "With this, we can really put you into the game," he said.So, do we have a Wii killer on our hand, folks? Would you like to know more?Update: Sorry folks, I didn't mean to use the same line twice in one paragraph (obviously) and the post has been fixed.
Namco considering motion control in Soul Calibur IV
While the chances of us getting platform-specific characters, like Spawn, aren't very likely in Soul Calibur IV, Namco is hard at work at offering other bonuses. In an interview with 1up, Katsutoshi Sasaki, the game's director, said his team at Project Soul is looking into the possibility of including Sixaxis motion control. He said it's "something that we're considering, but we'll have to come up with some good ideas for it first." But that's not all. In the same interview, lead programmer Masaaki Hoshino said they're also hoping to give gamers the ability to save their custom characters to the PS3's memory card and take it to a friend's house to do battle.Although it seems like it would be difficult for the developers to include any sort of motion control that would make sense, toting your custom characters on a memory card would be pretty handy. All we care about, though, are Ivy's friends and finally some Soul Calibur online action!
Dream-Racer lets disabled kids race RC cars
Racing RC cars was definitely one of our favorite things to do when we were mere gadget-obsessed tykes (at least until we turned 16), and soon disabled kids will be able to join in on the fun, thanks to English outfit Dream Technology. The two-person pit crew's Dream-Racer uses a baseball cap with four integrated motion sensors that controls a modified Nikko RC car. Instead of the conventional pistol-trigger controller, you simply tilt your head in the appropriate direction to operate the vehicle. The company developed the tech in response to a request from a charity group that later found the £159 ($315) toy helped disabled children improve their cognitive skills and play independently (gee, ya think?). That's terrific, but we don't see any reason to limit sales to just disabled kids when this thing is ready to ship later this summer -- what kid wouldn't want to pretend they have a mind-link with their car?[Via MedLaunches]
360 get another retail tilt mod: the BestTilt
Whether or not you think the Xbox 360 needs motion control is irrelevant, because somebody wants to sell it to you. First there was the DIY tiltBoard that was picked up by Talismoon for mass production. Now Xbox-Scene informs us that Team Xtender is jumping into the fray with its tilt mod, the XCM BestTilt. The video above shows the BestTilt in action. Team Xtender boasts that their tilt modification bests other offerings with its simple plug and play operation. We like the idea, but there appears to be some lag between tilt input and game output. We weren't thrilled with Team Xtender's XFPS keyboard and mouse adapter, so we suggest you wait on some reviews before you lay down your money for the BestTilt.There doesn't appear to be a product listing for the BestTilt at Team Xtender's website yet, so price and release date remain unknown.
BT trialing motion-powered computing
As if the influx of products like the Wiimote, SIXAXIS controller, and DoCoMo D904i series of handsets hadn't yet convinced you that motion control is the future of PC input (well, either that or knuckle rapping), BT is currently field testing a USB dongle that promises to bring the excitement of gaming to boring computing tasks. Like other implementations before it, the so-called Balance technology uses a small accelerometer to translate various tilts and movements of a connected laptop or UMPC into certain commands, letting you violently shake your expensive gear to do something as simple as empty the trash. Actually, the current trials aren't meant to enable an even lazier lifestyle for your average geek -- at least in the short term -- but rather to give disabled individuals a way to hop on the mobile computing bandwagon without having to deal with finicky trackpads, control nubbins, or onscreen thumbboards. While no specific plans for a commercial launch have been made, BT anticipates that a product stemming from this research will hit the market in two to three years, just in time to be replaced by the thought-controlled input devices that are once again being trailblazed by the cutting-edge gaming community. [Via Reg Hardware]
