VR: Wiimote Control Gets You Physically in Charge
GET PHYSICAL. For those couch potatoes who have loved smashing videogame monsters with no more than a thumb twitch, a word of warning: Videogames are getting very, very physical. Three years ago, Nintendo introduced its Wii, built around a simple motion sensor, the Wiimote control, which did away with complicated buttons and simplified game playing. The Wii not only saved the company, it started a chain reaction in the gaming business that is now playing out. Just what videogames are all about--and who wants to play them--is changing. By next year, all three of the game console manufacturers--Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo--will have motion-sensor controllers on the market. The potential upswing for the entire industry is huge. In Pictures: 10 Games That Put You In Control. When people actually experience it, they'll be amazed.
Nowhere has this trend been more pronounced than at E3. Nintendo continues to make more precise motion controls a focal point of development. Its MotionPlus device connects to the tip of the Wiimote controller is currently playable on Electronic Arts' "Tiger Woods PGA TOUR Golf 10" and "Grand Slam Tennis." The new controls are designed to make games more accessible to a wider audience: EA's Hasbro division has had numerous hits on the Wii-like Nerf N-Strike. Sony was actually the first game company to introduce motion-sensor controls to gamers as a separate peripheral with its EyeToy for PlayStation 2. Sony subsequently released the PlayStation Eye for PlayStation 3. In keeping with that tradition, Sony unveiled a motion controller at E3, slated for release in spring 2010 as a peripheral. (Nintendo will remain the only console maker to pack in its motion-sensor controllers with the hardware.) The same team behind the evolving EyeToy devices has created this next step in interactivity for Sony.
Insomniac Games: First, the controller's ability to sense depth and not just planar motion opens up a lot of design possibilities that aren't possible with other controllers. Second, the controller's apparent accuracy is extremely impressive. Responding to very slight controller movements is crucial for games where you're interacting with objects on the screen. The better and more accurate the response, the more designers can do. Demonstrations of Microsoft's Project Natal, which is due out next year, have managed to wow even the most the jaded videogame savants. Unlike Nintendo and Sony, Microsoft's new technology completely does away with the gizmo controller. In essence, your body becomes the controller and uses a collection of detectors--facial recognition, voice recognition and motion detection--to sense what you're doing. To achieve the effect, Microsoft fused together its own research with efforts that had been going on at independent companies including Israeli start-ups, 3DV Systems and Prime Sense.
Project Natal could open the Xbox 360 up to new styles of games similar--or even more involved-- than what gamers have experienced on the Wii. Your hand is the ultimate controller. The Wii knocked down the barrier to entry with its control scheme. But this is a two-way street as well: The games must be designed to take advantage of the controls. Regardless of the game, developers can find ways to incorporate [Project Natal], even in games that also use the standard controller. The new generation of highly interactive gaming makes the sci-fi world depicted in Steven Spielberg's Minority Report seem a lot closer to reality. It was fitting, then, that Spielberg is already working on games for Project Natal. The film director has had success with his Wii franchise for Electronic Arts, Boom Blox and Boom Blox Bash Party. So technologies like Project Natal are opening new creative outlets for him, along with the rest of the game industry.
Project Natal could open the Xbox 360 up to new styles of games similar--or even more involved-- than what gamers have experienced on the Wii. Your hand is the ultimate controller. The Wii knocked down the barrier to entry with its control scheme. But this is a two-way street as well: The games must be designed to take advantage of the controls. Regardless of the game, developers can find ways to incorporate [Project Natal], even in games that also use the standard controller. The new generation of highly interactive gaming makes the sci-fi world depicted in Steven Spielberg's Minority Report seem a lot closer to reality. It was fitting, then, that Spielberg is already working on games for Project Natal. The film director has had success with his Wii franchise for Electronic Arts, Boom Blox and Boom Blox Bash Party. So technologies like Project Natal are opening new creative outlets for him, along with the rest of the game industry.
