Why is everyone releasing motion controllers?

[Atarifever]

they will have at least refined their technology and will be able to implement it as an integrated part of their next-gen platforms (even if they aren't due until 2015).

We will be playing Xbox 720 games in 2 and a half years. Neither company is waiting until 2015 to relase their next system. No way, no how. The Wii will really, really be showing its age by then, so Nintendo cannot wait that long. The 360 will actually be inferior to the PS3 by then (for the first time), so MS isn't going to wait that long. No serious console contender has ever waited 9-10 years between releases. None ever will.

[Atarifever]

I think the Wikipedia article on the 32X sums up my feelings on the matter:

 

For many years prior to the 32X, console makers promised devices like the 32X (for consoles such as the ColecoVision, Intellivision II, and some Atari systems) that would extend and enhance the original system. Sega's 32X effort lacked the software titles and 3D capabilities the gaming community demanded; the add-on technology represented a dead end, ultimately punishing early adopters. Ignorant of the idea that console systems' primary strength is in standardization, Sega had created three different platforms (the Sega Mega Drive, and the Mega-CD/Sega CD and the 32X add-ons) all under the same banner, stealing valuable shelf space from itself and confusing both vendors and consumers in the process. The entire episode demonstrated that producing such add-ons is likely to have detrimental effects on a system's brand marketing strategy.

 

Unlike the Wii, these companies will end up with more than one system each to support.

Natal + 360, 360 (and they already have the arcade vs. HDD division)

Dildo + PS3, PS3

 

They will have to interest developers in making games for each system. They will have to explain to consumers the difference between each. They will have to share shelf space with themselves. It just doesn't make sense.

[Austin]

I'm pretty sure it was announced sometime this past year that each company plans on waiting much longer than the typical four to five year cycle, and it was speculated to be around 2015. I may double check that though, I'm curious now.

 

As far as comparing these to prior add-ons in the past, I think a better comparison would be putting these in the same league as items like the NES Power Pad, the Power Glove, the Super Scope and Sega Menacer, the Sega Activator, the Eye Toy, etc., etc. The motion sensing add-ons for the PS3 and 360 are control expansions--not full-blown hardware add-ons that will improve the system's processing capabilities.

[Mendon]

What's sort of strange is that the PS3 launched with motion control but it has hardly even been incorporated. Lair used it with very, very limited success and Flower used it with great, great success. In fact, I was playing Killzone 2 a couple weeks ago and was surprised as hell when at one point in the game, I was instructed as to how to hold the controller and rotate it so that I turned a valve onscreen.

 

Speaking only for myself, I am not interested in any shape, manner, or form to have my entire gaming experience being done via motion control. I think the Project Natal commercials.... pretending to change a tire or kick an enemy.... look completely stupid and uninteresting.

 

The Wii can be fun when a game.... such as the Raving Rabbids series or Wii Sports... is designed and built entirely on motion control. But I do not want EVERY game to be motion controlled based. In Halo, for example, I do not want to bend my legs and then jump in the air to launch my backpack; I do not want to pretend to hold a steering wheel in order to drive a Warthog; I do not want to make a baseball-throwing-motion in order to fling a grenade; and on and on.

 

The day I have to flap my arms, kick my legs, and pretend to shovel shit in order to play every current generation game is the day I turn all my gaming attention to my Dreamcast, Saturn, PS2, and SNES.

 

 

Mendon

[Atarifever]

I'm pretty sure it was announced sometime this past year that each company plans on waiting much longer than the typical four to five year cycle, and it was speculated to be around 2015. I may double check that though, I'm curious now.

 

Companies always say that, and there are two big problems with it, which is why it has never happened, despite companies wishing they could do it since 1977.

 

1) A generation is not "typically" five years. The Atari 2600 lasted 14. The NES lasted something like 9. The Intellivion got new games for 10, despite the crash. The PS1 got new games for about 9. The PS2 is going on 10 now. The Genesis got about 8 or so. Only failed systems don't get supported with new games for close to 10 years by default. However, despite support lasting for 10 years, companies still put a new system out in six or so every time. Why? Because stuff gets old and your competitor isn't just going to wait it out because you both pinky swore on it.

 

2) No one wants them to wait that long. We only want support for that long for the systems we have, if we choose to stick with them. No gamer actually cares if the 720 comes out in October 2012, a "scant" 7 years after launch. If they were 8 when the 360 launched, they'll be 15 by then. Many people will be ready to move on, and those who aren't are not going to complain that there is a shiny new toy to drool over while it builds up a library you'll enjoy when you can afford it. Support your previous system for a couple years after launch of the new one, and no one cares when the new one launches.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Atarifever

[homerwannabee]

Sony, and Microsoft will bomb horribly on this. This definitely is "A day late, and a dollar short" root that they are taking. Joe gamer will get that the Xbox 360, and PS3 are better systems, and that the games will look graphically better. But of course there is one thing the Xbox 360, and PS3 do not have with the new motion controller. That is selection. Why would someone pay a ton of money on something that will get limited support by gaming companies, and will have a limited amount of games. See when the choice is 10 or so motion controlled games versus hundreds of motion controlled games on the Wii, guess which one Joe Gamer is going to go after. If Xbox 360, and PS3 think the motion control will prolong their systems this late in the game, they are in for a very rude awakening.

 

Edit: OK, I may have put my foot in my mouth too soon. I was presuming Natal was a controller, but if it truly is a body sensor, and you truly are the controller than I think Xbox 360 will do very well. Now I checked out the Ps3 device as well. I see that they are using a controller, and I was not impressed with this device at all. I am starting to think Sony is ran by a bunch of monkeys. I didn't think a company could screw up a system as much as they have.

[Eltigro]

I think something like this might be the future of computing and gaming, too. Natal has nothing on this...

 

watch the video, it's really pretty cool...

 

[Shawn]

All the rumors and unverified jawing I've read have all pointed to a spring-summer 2011 release of the Wii2 and it's been over a span of time that different musings have said this so I think it must have some merit. If you look into the public reportings Nintendo has been dumping a bucket load of money into developing the Wii2 for a long time now. Last I checked was sometime in 2008 and that year alone was something like $60 million in new hardware development.

[Pixelboy]

I think something like this might be the future of computing and gaming, too. Natal has nothing on this...

 

watch the video, it's really pretty cool...

 

Wow! It's just a work-in-progress and it's already amazing! I believe we just got a glimse of what future video game controllers will be like!

[Video]

So Microsoft's Eyetoy is coming this Christmas, and apparently Sony's vibrator is now dropping even before that. I have just one question: Who is asking for this stuff? Soccer moms already have Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus, and EA Sports Active. Nintendo fans already have the Wii. People buying a Wii for Wii sports already have the Wii. Most gamers already have the Wii as a second (or in some cases primary) system. 360 and PS3 owners have already had years and years to not buy the Wii if it didn't interest them. Who is the target demographic here that is so big that both Microsoft and Sony feel they have to launch these items this late in their product lifecycles? Both of them are racing to see who can get it out first. And for who? Anyone know who the potential market is that is so big these two companies are already fighting this one out rather than just waiting a generation and launching with it?

I think it's more of a case of "Look, there are almost three times as manyh Wii's out there as our consoles, must be the controller" than anything.

 

Nobody is asking for it, I'll look into it, but I don't expect it to topple the Wii, what got them ahead as much as anything was price, had the PS3 or 360 been $200 (or $250 with a game thrown it) at the same time, I guarantee you'd see different sales numbers.

 

I always love the "poor mans wii" comments when someone brings up Natal, especially considering how much you'll have to put down for it (compared to the wii)

 

Now, if Sony and Microsoft would look at game sales (instead of console sales) they would realise, the Wii isn't selling all that well. Don't get me wrong, it's not selling like absolute shit or anything (well, a lot fo the shovelware crap is, but that's a different story) but for a console that has three times as many consoles as you, you'd expect each (multiplatform) game to have three times the sales too, but that sales number is for the most part, switched.

[Lord Helmet]

You can bet your booties that Xbox720, PS4, and Wii2 all have accurate Wii MotionPlus level accelerometers built-in.

 

Actually MS has already announced there is no Xbox720 coming any time soon.

Natal is the Xbox 720 basically. They are banking on it to pro-long the life of the 360 for years and years.

Expect to see a Natal bundle in place of a new console.

It wouldn't suprise me if Sony tries the same thing.

My guess is, depending on how well that all works out will determine if the next console they do release includes it as well.

Too early to tell if you ask me. Could just as easily flop.

 

This generation of consoles might have the longest lifespan of any generation. Great for gamers...lots of cheap old games, and developers that are seasoned so the new games are great as well. IMHO the only thing that is missing in order to make this arguably the greatest gaming generation since the golden era is an HD version of the Wii.

[RevEng]

If Moore's law continues to march on, we're looking at die-shrinks and likely speed increases on the order of...

 

2 years=2x

4 years=4x

6 years=8x

8 years=16x

10 years=32x

 

...Somewhere around 8 years a competitor can release a console about 10x more powerful than the ps3/360 for a fair bit less costwise.

 

If "hardcore gamers" really care about speed and graphics, I can't see them passing up a new offering that makes their present platform look like an antique.

[xg4bx]

If Moore's law continues to march on, we're looking at die-shrinks and likely speed increases on the order of...

 

2 years=2x

4 years=4x

6 years=8x

8 years=16x

10 years=32x

 

...Somewhere around 8 years a competitor can release a console about 10x more powerful than the ps3/360 for a fair bit less costwise.

 

If "hardcore gamers" really care about speed and graphics, I can't see them passing up a new offering that makes their present platform look like an antique.

 

 

i consider myself a "hardcore" gamer but if all next gen offers is shooter after shooter, i sure as hell want no part of it. i used to be a HUGE fps fan but even i'm effing sick of them.

 

i'm tired of the same generic ass space marine, gruff army guy, elf boy, archetypes. i want to see some different shit. technology improves but we're stuck playing the same juvenile crap. a million different genres of movies, music and novels can exist but videogames cant advance past shooters, sports games and platformers? seriously?

[moycon]

i consider myself a "hardcore" gamer but if all next gen offers is shooter after shooter, i sure as hell want no part of it. i used to be a HUGE fps fan but even i'm effing sick of them.

 

Went over this in another thread a couple days ago....That you posted in!!

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/156819-i-guess-i-wont-be-buying-a-modern-gaming-system/page__view__findpost__p__1924416

 

You're effing sick of FPS?

How effing hard is it for someone to ignore 1 (one) FPS in a sea of other games being released? LOL

You want no part of them? That 1 (one) shouldn't be hard to avoid I wouldn't think. I'll give you the same advice I gave JayWi...focus.

[rpgfaker]

1)The Xbox 720 will be displayed by Christmas 2011, either as a picture from MS with a bunch of stats showing what they will deliver in mid to late 2012, games at E3 running on "720 equivalent hardware," or as a revealed (and played by the media) machine in reality.

 

2) Natal and the PS3 knob thing will both do really poorly overall. They will both have a couple games that sell well, and the systems will sell well, and both companies will point to those facts over and over again as the sales flatline and both fail miserably. They will, however, both be incorperated into next generation anyway.

 

I wouldn't be surprised on #1 and also the prediction of a re-released Wii with HD

 

#2 I thought about for a while and think if all 3 systems have a motion sensing controller then development companies will just port new motion titles to all 3 systems instead of just the Wii. So the Wii has the lead regardless in terms of number of motion titles, but I think exclusive titles may determine the winner of this new war in the long run but not the short term.

[Atarifever]

 

 

#2 I thought about for a while and think if all 3 systems have a motion sensing controller then development companies will just port new motion titles to all 3 systems instead of just the Wii. So the Wii has the lead regardless in terms of number of motion titles, but I think exclusive titles may determine the winner of this new war in the long run but not the short term.

Actually, I hadn't thought of this from the Wii's perspective. Now the Wii can get cross platform ports, so it might be worthwhile for more companies to risk making Wii games. Couldn't this actually work against MS and Sony? They're making it more enticing for developers to deveop for the Wii.

Edited January 25, 2010 by Atarifever

[+chriswhit]

I didn't like the Wii motion controllers. I tried Mario cart for the Wii at Walmart and had to much difficulty using it and decided not to buy a Wii. Maybe I'm just to old school or something.