Wiimote vs. Sixaxis, Round 1: Downhill Jam vs. Project 8
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Oct 23rd 2006 at 3:55PM }
While Downhill Jam and Project 8 are two very different takes on the Tony Hawk license, they share enough commonalities (ollies, grinds, rotations, grabs, etc.) to warrant a Wiimote vs. Sixaxis comparison.Downhill Jam (Wii) and Project 8 (PS3) both feature motion-controlled skating, providing the gaming public with an ideal opportunity to judge the Wiimote and Sixaxis against each other. We'll have to wait until after November 19th to conduct hands-on trials, but a handy clip (see embedded video) has been spliced together giving us a preview of the showdown to come.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
John @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:01PM
Wow, the sixaxis looks awkward to use.
Eric Hikade @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:01PM
So Downhaill Jam is basicaly SSX? Looks sort of silly. Project 8 with its slo-mo looks prety cool. I'll prob buy neither.
Mike @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:02PM
The wii DEFINATLY seems a bit better. Project 8 was origanly consived fto use the regular controls
Ethan @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:03PM
PS3 FTW!!!
Chris @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:03PM
Since Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam does not use much more than the Wii-remote's accelerometer the gameplay could be pulled off on a PS3 SIXAXIS without much of a problem. The real differences between THDJ and THP8 for the PS3 lie in the fact that Downhill Jam was designed with the Wii Remote's tilting in mind while the tilting in Project 8 was thrown in at the last minute with Sony's hashed together announcement. Think of it as a third analog stick for the PS3 controller.
Designerbradr @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:04PM
Three things here:
1.) I think the Wii-mote is used in a far better manner. The tilt-sensors definitely seem more beneficial as a racing tool rather than a seesaw for doing tricks. That doesn't mean the Sixaxis is inferior, just perhaps not used for the right application.
2.) I saw some perceivable, though small, lag when it came to Sony's THP8.
3.) Downhill Jam just seems like more of a hoot, grabbing all that air, racing against friends, and hitting down innocent people along the way.
Round 1: Wii
Vinsum @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:07PM
My Nintendo bias aside, is it just me or do some of the ways the 6axis has that persons hands/wrists twisting/turning look kind or uncomfortable?
Jouten @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:06PM
There is no comparison. WiiMote = Force Feedback, Sixaxis = nothing. Wii FTW!
potato @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:06PM
Can you turn that type of control mode or whatever off on the PS3?
I don't like this whole motion sensing thing.
Vinsum @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:07PM
uhm, meant "of" not "or".
Wulkar @ Oct 23rd 2006 7:28PM
the wii looks like so much more fun.
Antipilor @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:10PM
I'm a bit of a tony hawk whore... but I want to play both, perhaps Downhill Jam more as t seems faster paced.
Kamal007 @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:10PM
Wow, no force feedback and just for that wii takes it, some fanboys here (well this is joystiq, the nintendo fanboys). As for the games, The wii version seems to be just a snowboarding game, but with the tony hawk lincense. It seems really odd to hold the controller that way, as one side has a bulge, where as the other side is slim. Where as the ps3 controller is nice all the way around. I would give this one to ps3, but wii seems to be a bit more responsive, it still seems that the six axis works better for the games.
rockintom99 @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:13PM
I dunno. I did grow tired of the standard Tony Hawk formula after 3, and havent played it since. It might be fun to get back in project 8. Downhill jam is a whole new game, really, and the wii motion control seems to work well with it. However, it probably wont have the massive replay value that the standard Tony Hawk formula has.
For now, until I have played both, my bet is on project 8.
CJC @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:19PM
I think the motion sensing would feel more than a little awkward in a traditional Tony Hawk styled game, but i'll try anything once. And I actually (assume that I will) like the SSX styled Downhill Jam. It looks like a pretty good use of the controller but, again, it's something to try for myself.
Ethan @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:20PM
well, the ps3 version obviously has 10 times better graphics, the controller is more stable, and it looks like it has better control (in the wii version the guy can hardly go down the hillswithout slamming into walls). Plus, when the slightest bit of sunshine gets in front of the wiimote, the game will be rendered unplayable. I say PS3.
BklynKid @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:21PM
Man that PS3 controller does look awkward. So the Wii version aside (as it's just a downhill racer for little kids), would rather want motion-sensing controls (PS3) or rumble (360) for THP8?
I'll take rumble and just because I'm a 360 fanboy.
AG @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:20PM
Being that the remote is the main selling point for the wii, I don't see much difference in either and I personally think the PS3 remote looks like it plays better.
nintendo fan @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:21PM
DJ looks a lot more fun.
protoman.exe @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:21PM
They both look noticeably delayed. They both look equally as boring.
Round 1: PS3, becuase I hate you Nintendo fanboys here.
AirIntake @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:21PM
They both look like my Dad playing Mario 20 years ago. The difference being back then his motion didn't translate into Mario making the jump.
Conbus @ Oct 24th 2006 1:34AM
Project 8 seems like more of the same. You know, like Madden has become- a new one every year with a new feature and a different coat of paint on it.
But Downhill Jam looks like SSX on wheels minus the snow.
I'd would think the motion aspects of DJ would work better, since it was made with the Wiimote in mind, as compared to the the PS3 controller's motion parts being thrown in at the last minute.
One of them will be a good rental.
Darren Tilley @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:23PM
I'm gonna try to remain completely unbiased and focus on gameplay mechanics and controls, rather than graphics here.
If you watch the Wii video carefully, there are many times where the skater showed no response to the exaggerated movements of the player. Sometimes to the point of skating right into a wall where you can clearly see that the player was attempting to turn. This doesn't look revolutionary. It doesn't make me want to play that game one bit. To be honest, it really doesn't even look like the video of Downhill Jam is even synced up to the controller in the video. I really hope this is the case.
I've been skeptical over the whole motion control scheme for both systems, but wheras the PS3 has alternate controls to fall back on, the Wii is pretty much "Pot Committed" to the motion controller.
I have to ask myself. Which system is gonna come out better if the mainstream rejects motion control? The answer is pretty clear to me.
MetaHuman @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:25PM
Here's a great comment from an old IGN article that talks about Downhill Jam:
"As a great side-note, people from Activision were actually excited to share an awesome story with us. It turns out that like us, a few of them at the studio are serious skate fanatics. As an experiment, they fastened a Wii-mote to an actual board, having it rest across the width of the deck. Standing on top of the board, they then used actual movements to manipulate the controller. Amazingly enough, with the sensitivity turned up high enough on the Wii-mote, this actually worked! The game programmers implemented use of the nunchuck attachment so they could use buttons while standing so far from the actual controller, and while that option won't necessarily be included for the final version we would seriously love for them to make it an unlockable extra. The idea of using an actual skateboard to thrash down the hills is an awesome proposition, and you better believe we'll be posting pics in our blogs once we get a preview version in our office. Talk about innovation!"
http://wii.ign.com/articles/706/706149p1.html
Anyways, I'd think it would be cool to actually be able to do that.
Project 8 will probably have the most lasting value for primarily single-players and more established players (I myself own THPS3 and T.H.U.G.). Downhill Jam is what I want to try out most though. I don't know if I'll get either (Project 8 is out for me by default because I won't have any other console than Wii by then).
Johnny B @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:24PM
Sixaxis looks like a wrist-wrecking mess.
Unit @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:27PM
I think as much as people hate the whole motion sensing with these controllers, it's some what the next step we need to go with in gaming. We've already seen the sickest most realistic gfx's yet, but were still playing them with old controllers. The games themselves are advancing technically but not the way we control them. By us actually having to tilt the controller or move it forward and back in relation to whats happening on screen immerse's gamers more into the game. and although it'll be ruff at first(like with all things new), developers will learn to get it right and it'll be like when we first used anologs: there was a learning curve, but know we can't imagine controlling a 3d console game without one.
Montana @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:25PM
I'm prety much impartial to either at the moment (I want to play both but buy neither system since I have a 360 :P) but honostly the Wiimote looks alot more responsive than the half-assed sixaxis. The person using the wiimote was just casually moving where as the person playing Project 8 was basically throwing the controller from side to side. That may just be because P8 isn't well desinged for it, but I do remember warhawk's demo being similar.
I think it's a dumb move to throw in a gimmick like sixaxis instead of paying out the money the ow to immersion.
Feanor @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:31PM
Rumble and force feedback are two different things. Do your homework, fanbois.
Fish @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:27PM
@ Rockintom,
I'm in the same jaded Tony Hawk boat as you. And you definitely have a point with regards to replayability. However, I think the focus of the article was how it controls, not overall rating.
That said, while this definitely isn't the last of Sixaxis vs Wiimote articles, the whole comparison seems kind of pointless. With regards to motion-sensitive controls, wouldn't Wii instantly win due to the 2 sets of accelerometers and pointer functionality? Though, the PS3 does have more buttons.. *ponder ponder*
My vote goes to the Virtual Boy, or perhaps the Philips CDi
Vercin @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:29PM
Not sure how there can be a real comparison. Dowhhill Jam was made to be played with motion sensing. That was part of it from the beginning of development. I've play the Project 8 demo on XBL, and it's basically a regular Tony Hawk game, so any motion-controlled action the PS3 would offer would have to be done just for the sake of incorporating that feature, not because it was mandated by the actual design of the game. I had never played a TH game before and wished for motion-sensitivity, and imagine it would make things a little awkward, especially to someone who knows and loves the TH control scheme as it is. And to be honest, the beautifully ergonomic 360 controller beats the Sixaxis anyway, in my humble opinion. After making sweet love to my 360 controller for a while, the PS2 (and 3) controller just doesn't feel as nice.
Phat @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:31PM
They both look like something I would not use.
That aside, the PS3 version looks uncomfortable tilting, what with your wrists locked like that. As for the Wii version, there's a reason our controllers aren't shaped like rectangles anymore.
Vercin @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:31PM
To clarify, I mean that I had never played a Tony Hawk game that made me wish for motion sensince, not that I had never played a TH game. I've finished every goal I could in TH3 - AW.
Knoxximus @ Oct 23rd 2006 7:19PM
360 THP8 FTW!!!
Vercin @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:33PM
Sensince = sensing, obviously. Gotta stop drinking so much in the morning.
Bryan @ Oct 23rd 2006 7:08PM
I have to agree with some of the previous comments, the SIXAXIS looks somewhat awkward to handle, especially given that it's designed to be held exactly the same way today's DualShock is. You can already get an image of how it'll feel just by picking up a DualShock: try to envision doing the same movements you can do with the Wiimote with even just a light grip on the DualShock. It's very different.
Besides movement, there's also the button count. Ignoring D-pad/analog, the Wiimote has 4 buttons. The SIXAXIS has 8. Throw in the d-pad and analog sticks and the controls get messy. This ties back to Nintendo's strategy of making games more accessible to the casual/first-time gamer, by lowering the skill requirement just to push the necessary button combos.
In the end though, I really wonder about the usefulness of this comparison. They're two fairly different games, Project 8 being the more technically-oriented and Downjill Jam being more experience-oriented. Downhill Jam wins on the pick-up-and-play-party-game factor, but Project 8 wins on the bust-out-tons-of-crazy-shit factor.
troc 59 @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:40PM
The best test of these controllers would be to let a team of NASA astronauts try them out for awhile. Now these folks are experts at control input/mushy controls,etc. I wonder how they would visualize trying to put the flapjack on the skillet at 18,000 miles an hour with these controls? lol!
Michael @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:42PM
Both of those look incredibly unresponsive and imprecise.
ill trooper @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:46PM
Tony Halk? Project 8?
JUDAS PRIEST FTW!
Drew @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:47PM
#15-Sunlight has no effect on the Wii, the people at Nintendo world were just being cautious. Wii controller is about...10X more stable, and I didn't see a difference in graphics. Sixaxis is just sony's last plea for help. They know they're going down.
Point:Wii
Vercin @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:53PM
"Rumble and force feedback are two different things. Do your homework, fanbois."
Squares and rectangles, my friend. Force feedback is
not necessarily rumble, but rumble is definitley low-end force feedback.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_feedback
And please don't spell fanboy with an "i."
Mat @ Oct 23rd 2006 5:14PM
Wouldnt want to play either, but the Wii version looked a lot harder to control, with a huge delay between person moving the controller and the character moving.
yay @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:55PM
I think it's funny how there are comments like : "OMG Wii has rumble, winner is Wii!!!"
How can people be so stupid and focus on something so trivial.
Well, PS3 has HD Support, a Hard drive, Blue Ray, PS1 and PS2 games playable.....need I go on?
Seriously, fan boys piss me off.
Nintendo_Fanboy @ Oct 23rd 2006 4:57PM
@Fish (a.k.a. post 25),
VB FTW!!!
Morder @ Oct 24th 2006 2:43AM
@Chris "Since Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam does not use much more than the Wii-remote's accelerometer the gameplay could be pulled off on a PS3 SIXAXIS without much of a problem."
not quite, the accelerometer is not contained in the wii-wand but in the nunchuck accessory.
Lysergio @ Oct 23rd 2006 5:05PM
Downhill Jam?? Whaat?? What an a$$-backwards and totally unoriginal slap to the Tony Hawk series. Tony Hawk has one-upped itself everytime, and now they're forced to make a incredibly inferior version of their vision because of the "last-gen" system's limitations. What a waste. Reminds me of that Dreamcast launch game with the horrid character design/gameplay with the hoverboards. What a gimmick! Its not a racing game! Notice how the character basically is in a "slightly" controlled ricochet from wall to wall all the way down the track. Looks, well...annoying. "DOWNHILL" is right!! As in the direction a turd rolls. The REAL Tony Hawk FTW!!
FSK405K @ Oct 23rd 2006 5:05PM
I don't care about skating games, but having the systems side by side is awesome. Here's to the thought of seeing more of these Wii-PS3 videos in the future. Higher-res, please.
...and maybe a 360 every once in awhile, because I hear they're a bit popular, too.
peristalsis @ Oct 23rd 2006 5:07PM
"Well, PS3 has HD Support, a Hard drive, Blue Ray, PS1 and PS2 games playable.....need I go on? "
OMGZZZ HD grafxx FTW!!!!111!!!! haha While Project 8 has much better graphics, that doesn't automatically make it a better game. Tony Hawk on PSone looked horrible and that didn't keep us from having fun and it becoming such a big franchise.
Anyways... DJ seems definitely better if only for the fact that it was actually designed with motion sensing in mind, not added later on.
FSK405K @ Oct 23rd 2006 5:08PM
Wow, the suxaxis looks like a real pain in the A to use! It doesn't have the "flick" factor the Wiimote does.
Parikshat @ Oct 23rd 2006 5:12PM
Honestly - neither of these games look very intriguing.
Even though I'm extremely fond of Nintendo, I have to ask (and answer) a question - if one were to play either game for a strech, which controller would you rather be holding?
My choice - the Sixaxis as it seems more comfy especially compared to holding the Wiimote in that particular position.
Shad Genki @ Oct 23rd 2006 5:20PM
Honestly, I was worried that this whole motion-sensing craze was going to turn me off from the Wii or PS3. But now that I'm seeing it, the Wii seems much less intense than the PS3. The Wiimote just needs a gentle tilt, which I do anyway when I play games, but the Sixaxis requires more of a jerky, rounded motion in order to work effectively. My choice is the Wiimote.