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GC 2008: EA looking to start up tennis franchise on Wii
For those of you who're fans of tennis, rejoice. EA is poised to present their own tennis title. And, as if that wasn't enough, it will take advantage of Nintendo's new MotionPlus peripheral, joining Ubisoft in proclaiming it's totally awesome. EA also mentions that this will be the first tennis game to include the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which is where Wimbledon is played.So, how many of you are looking forward to seeing this one? A tennis game that takes advantage of MotionPlus? We're excited![Via Joystiq]
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%
LucasArts mad about MotionPlus?
Despite it being arguably the best thing to come from Nintendo's E3 line-up, everyone isn't happy about MotionPlus. At the top of the list of disgruntled folk is none other than LucasArts. Why? Well, according to a blurb from the latest issue of Game Informer, which was transcribed by a GAFfer (the one with the Arkham Asylum reveal), third parties weren't privy to the info before Nintendo's press conference (if they read us, they would have learned about it a day beforehand). That's old hat to us all, though.The problem is that LucasArts specifically took the time to craft The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels specifically for the Wii. See, everyone wants a 1:1 lightsaber game and it would've been a fantastic way to market the game. We guess that ship has sailed ...%Gallery-27972%[Via CVG]
MotionPlus maker: Relationship with Nintendo 'not exclusive'
The boffins at InvenSense who developed the MotionPlus accessory have insisted that their relationship with Nintendo is "not an exclusive one," and haven't ruled out the possibility of the MotionPlus technology seeing other companies on the side. The cads!There's certainly not a lack of interest, with company head Joe Virginia telling Eurogamer "I can't get into details about other folks that are interested in this technology, but as you might imagine of course there is more interest out there." Whether Sony or Microsoft will pounce at this opportunity remains to be seen. The whole internet decided that Microsoft would reveal a motion-sensing controller at E3, only for the Redmond firm to unveil a big, fat nothing.On a more positive note, Virginia talked up the possibilities of MotionPlus, discussing adding spin to tennis shots, curve to a bowling ball, ultra-precise golf swings, and sword motions with forward thrusts. You already knew all that was possible, but reading it this morning made us excited for MotionPlus all over again.
Nintendo doesn't have exclusive rights to MotionPlus
We're criminally forgetful around these parts, so usually refer to the Wiimote MotionPlus accessory as "that thing that makes the Wiimote work the way it should have in the first place." But as it turns out it may also someday be "that thing that makes the 360 controller or DualShock 3 work the way the Wiimote should have in the first place." InvenSense, the company behind the tech, says that Nintendo doesn't have the exclusive rights to it, and that other companies have expressed an interest. To be fair though, they don't name anyone specifically.So, Nintendo, out of curiosity: You invest in an addition to your console's primary feature and you don't even lock up the rights? How about you dig through Miyamoto's office cushions and buy the exclusivity, the company and a gold-plated hover-castle for them to work in? What are you saving for?
Wii Warm Up: What's 'very affordable' for you?
Iwata's interview yesterday definitely sparked some debate within our little community here, but it would seem a lot of you didn't exactly chime in with your own thoughts on 'very affordable.' So, what price point would you like to see Wii MotionPlus set at? Is $20 a sweet spot? Would you mind paying as much as $30? Weigh in!
MotionPlus co-developer shows off with LiveMove 2 video
Nintendo may not have been totally forthcoming with third-party devs about its MotionPlus add-on, but no secrets (okay, maybe a few) were withheld from AiLive. As it turns out, said outfit actually collaborated with Nintendo in order to create the MotionPlus hardware, and it's extra kindly offering up LiveMove 2 "to help game developers take full advantage of its capabilities." According to the company, LiveMove 2 can slash up to half a year off of the time required to tie basic functionality of the device into a game, though we're obviously in no position to confirm / deny. For the small minority that cares more about how MotionPlus works rather than just accepting the fact that it does, check out the read link for a few geektastic vids.[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]
Wii MotionPlus co-dev demonstrates the tech
Ever since Wii MotionPlus was revealed, we've all been hopeful about what it can do for games. Sure, it's been revealed to be utilized in Red Steel 2 and is already used pretty effectively in Wii Sports Resort, but what about other things? Well, above, you can see the tech's co-developer, AiLive, demonstrate it through a "laser sword" game. Looks pretty sweet, if we may say so.[Via Joystiq]
Wii Warm Up: MotionPlus or minus?
We've already discussed MotionPlus a bit, but now it's time to talk logistics. While we think MotionPlus will add a lot of depth to many games (even something as simple as Sword Play), we're not sure if third parties incorporating it into their games is a good thing. Will people still be able to play MotionPlus games without actually owning the peripheral, or must there be multiple control schemes? And, how should reviewers base their reviews of games, since it's likely that many people will be left MotionPlus-less?At any rate, do you think third parties and Wii owners are ready for these games to take advantage of the add-on?
Wii MotionPlus co-developer demos tech in new video
Now that E3 is over and the secret's out, middleware maker and Wii MotionPlus co-developer AiLive is openly touting what its LiveMove 2 toolset is capable of when paired with Nintendo's upcoming add-on. The above video is meant to encourage developers to adopt LiveMove 2 for creating their MotionPlus-enabled games (they can use all the help they can get, considering they didn't find out about the Wii remote upgrade until we did) but, more than anything, it's encouraging us to dream of a 1:1 lightsaber fighting game.We bring that up because a good chunk of the video is devoted to showing one of AiLive's staff playing around with a "laser sword," demonstrating how it captures every subtle movement of the remote – the footage even shows how an on-screen "dummy" can be clocked with the sword's hilt. Impressive stuff, and we desperately hope LucasArts is taking notice.
Ubisoft director: Red Steel 2 to support Wii MotionPlus
Ubisoft Executive Director Alain Corre has revealed in an interview with Gamesindustry that Red Steel 2, at one time Ubisoft's worst-kept secret, will support the new Wii MotionPlus attachment (which is exactly what we speculated in our Wii Sports Resort hands-on). "It's true that on Red Steel it's the typical product that will appreciate the new device," said Corre, who also indicated that he found out about the peripheral during Nintendo's press conference, like every other developer. The first Red Steel launched with the Wii console and met with tepid reviews, and while Corre admits the game was "a bit rushed," he also said the game is still selling well – "at a lower pricer, of course." While the thoughts of precise swordfighting has intrigued, we don't want to get our hopes up.
MotionPlus accessory adds hope to Red Steel 2
The Wii MotionPlus accessory is probably the best thing that could happen to Red Steel, and, luckily, Ubisoft has figured out this staggeringly obvious fact. The company has announced that they'll be using the new motion-tracking device in Red Steel 2, which is still yet to be officially announced itself. Although now that the game's producer is giving interviews about it, we can be pretty sure it's coming.Adding the new technology will no doubt add to the already lengthy development cycle of the sequel, and accordingly no release window is given for Red Steel 2. This is the first game other than Wii Sports Resort that has been revealed to use the MotionPlus peripheral, so it's at least ahead of the curve in aspects not related to actually being available in a store.
Nintendo failed to notify third-party devs of MotionPlus prior to E3
We weren't terribly impressed with Nintendo's recently unveiled MotionPlus add-on, but we're even more disappointed by this. Reportedly, scads of third-party developers revealed at E3 that the Big N's latest Wiimote accessory was just as much a surprise to them as it was to any of us. In other words, Nintendo didn't bother giving its external devs any advance notice in order to get the ball rolling on compatible titles, or so it seems. Unfortunately, this also means that we probably won't see any MotionPlus-ready games hitting shelves from anyone not named Nintendo for months to come, but it's not like Wii Sports Resort can't hold our attention for a solid year, right?[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Riccitiello upbeat about MotionPlus
Of course, EA CEO John Riccitiello's job is to make every decision his company makes sound both well-considered and awesome, even when he's backhandedly saying that some things didn't work out. In an interview with VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi, he managed to both dismiss their past games and sound optimistic, thanks to the enhanced spin tracking found in the Wii MotionPlus device."The Wii MotionPlus is going to be good. If I had to pick one thing we suffered from, it was imprecise control on the Wii. That meant certain genres were never going to perform as well on the Wii." The MotionPlus, according to Riccitiello, is "an opportunity for third parties to be more successful." The new peripheral, along with Nintendo's now-famously "weak" E3 lineup, means that this is a good year for companies like EA to put out Wii software. "Frankly, if you look at Nintendo, it's obvious there is a chance for third-party success. They didn't show a lot of content from Nintendo's first-party group. They got a lot of that out last year. So third-party games will likely do better."
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.
Rumor: Nintendo exec hints at MotionPlus-infused Wiimotes
Though little is known about the Wii's recently unveiled peripheral, the MotionPlus attachment, other than the fact that it will allow you to throw virtual frisbees to virtual puppies with unparalleled accuracy, Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development director Katsuya Eguchi alluded to a new Wiimote model that would include the MotionPlus technology during an E3 developer roundtable.In Eguchi's own words, Nintendo is "looking at whether or not it will be an attachment or built in," so a MotionPlus Wiimote is far from confirmed. Still, we certainly hope Nintendo never ceases production of the attachment altogether -- forcing a populous that scrambled to acquire the Wii's elusive controller last year to chase after a new Wiimote SKU could lead to an unforeseen, if not slightly ironic, revolution against the prosperous company.
E308: Nintendo exec alludes to Wiimote refresh with built-in MotionPlus
Your Wiimotes might be outdated pretty soon, that is if Nintendo's Katsuya Eguchi is to be trusted. During a developer roundtable, he alluded to the possibility of a hardware refresh on the Wii's motion-sensitive controller, one that would include the new MotionPlus functionality, commenting "as to looking at whether or not it will be an attachment or built in - we're always looking at how hardware should evolve and where we should take it." He also added that "it's something we'll be looking at."Of course, there are several things to consider. For one, how much would it drive up the cost of the Wiimote? Secondly, how crappy would it be to have to (eventually) buy all new Wiimotes? Thirdly, until Nintendo shows off a killer app for the thing (as okay as Wii Sports Resort looks, it's definitely not a killer app), does anyone even care?[Via Engadget]
Friday Video: Wii Sports Resort Sword Play at E3
Well, so much for Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Really, as much as we love the thought of using our Wiimotes as Lightsabers, we don't think such duels will be able to compare to the Sword Play in Wii Sports Resort. That's right, we went there.Seeing the 1:1 motion controls in action (via the Wii MotionPlus) just puts us in awe. Are we just too easily amazed, or are you guys excited, too? Maybe we can just pretend our swords are Lightsabers. Of course, we'll have to wait until spring to try any of it out, anyway. Too bad, so sad.
Nintendo says it's considering Wiimote with built-in MotionPlus
It's pretty far down on the surprise-o-meter, but it looks like Nintendo is at least considering the possibility of a Wiimote with built-in MotionPlus for further on down the road. That word comes straight from Nintendo's Katsuya Eguchi, who told a developer round table that, "as to looking at whether or not it will be an attachment or built in - we're always looking at how hardware should evolve and where we should take it," and that, "it's something we'll be looking at." Katsuya also insisted that MotionPlus wasn't an acknowledgment that the original Wiimote was somehow lacking, saying that Nintendo is "very happy" with what it did, but that, "of course, you always want more."[Via Yahoo! News / PC Magazine]
E308: Wii Fanboy hands-on with Wii Sports Resort
Going into our play session yesterday, we didn't have high hopes for the fun factor of NIntendo's expected sequel. In watching it at Nintendo's E3 keynote, we thought that cutting wood on the beach didn't really look that fun and a sort of dumbed down Wave Race experience seemed like a bad addition. Good thing we were wrong about one of those things.%Gallery-27709%
