Head-tracking feature pulled from Boom Blox

36 Comments by Zack Stern Apr 15th 2008 6:00AM
Filed under: Culture, Hacks, Nintendo Wii, Online, Puzzle, Casual

At the Nintendo Media Summit, Boom Blox senior producer Amir Rahimi confirmed that the final version of the game will lack the head-tracking mode. We understand that it was always an Easter egg, requiring gamers to set up Wii Remotes as cameras, and hacking together their own IR LED glasses. But you didn't have to go to TED to see the promise, and we're disappointed to see it removed.

EA wouldn't go on-record to say exactly why the mode was cut, only just confirming it again through public-relations channels. An email statement noted, "Head-tracking was something we considered including as an Easter egg in BOOM BLOX however, we did not end up including it in the final version of the game. ..."

Perhaps EA feared that we'd hack together a candelabra helmet as an IR emitter. They should have; we totally would.

Tags: boom-blox, breaking-news, breakingnews, ea, electronic-arts, hack, head-tracking, nintendo-media-summit-08

(Page 1) Reader Comments

Ian Boyle: Apr 15th 2008; 6:28AM

The whole Johnny Lee head tracking concept would be pretty cool especially if it took the form of a less tacky and more sleek retail option. I bet that if they made it a little easier for people to have access to this technology it would catch like fire being it was supported by games. You've gotta love the 3D illusion too.

elmer: Apr 15th 2008; 6:50AM

That's a lost sale for me. In fact there seem to have been a lot of EA lost sales on Wii for me recently.

Everyone: Tell them you won't buy it now and maybe they'll be inclined to reconsider.

Brucie B: Apr 15th 2008; 7:13AM

EA SUCKS 'We All Know'

Kewlrats: Apr 15th 2008; 7:30AM

I was strongly considering buying this game after seeing the Johnny Lee videos.

Now, nope. Lost sale.

Blaine: Apr 15th 2008; 7:51AM

I was thinking the same thing. Any idea who we should email? I actually already bought IR leds and was planning on camping out.

Now I probably won't get it at all.

borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring): Apr 15th 2008; 7:53AM

Maybe some lawyer saw potential liability. I tried this simple Haxoring trick and I broke my wiimote into a million pieces!

e.g. The cracked plasma/lcd blame game.

nxtiak: Apr 15th 2008; 9:21AM

Uhh you don't need to do anything with your Wiimote other than to put it near the TV and have it POINT at you. No modification of any kind is needed for anything related to the Wii system/accessories.

It's up to you to make your own IR glasses/pointers/whatever.

borland502 (SDF - Macross Ring): Apr 15th 2008; 9:28AM

"Uhh you don't need to do anything with your Wiimote other than to put it near the TV and have it POINT at you."

Perhaps, but what if it whacks the end table on the way down or hits tile? Dangerous my friend, dangerous. Legal liability sees danger in every circumstance.

samfish: Apr 15th 2008; 8:56AM

Boooo!

I was really looking forward to that, too.

rDr4g0n: Apr 15th 2008; 9:00AM

I wanted to see it happen just so that the novelty of it would become widespread. After that it seemed inevitable that it become part of actual gameplay in other games. Wonder why they pulled it? Maybe nintendo secretly hates Johnny Lee...

obo: Apr 15th 2008; 9:52AM

EA must've seen the good-will comments gamers were posting and decided they must've done something wrong.

I mean, we do nothing but bitch about EA's franchises, and they sell thousands, if not millions, of copies. So if WE like something, it's obviously not going to sell, so it gets the axe.

Chris: Apr 15th 2008; 10:08AM

Lost sale here, too. I was salivating when I heard about the promise, and now all the more disappointed that it's gone.

If it's not a final feature, don't publicize it!

SillyShiggy WSN (if it had one): lovsatan: Apr 15th 2008; 10:23AM

It's a crazy, crazy world when people refuse to purchase software because a bonus, hidden, secret, in-no-way-directly-connected-to-the-main-campaign Easter egg is no longer available.

Mike Sylvester: Apr 15th 2008; 10:44AM

It may not have been intended as a key selling point, but a lot of people were only interested in it for that feature. Removing the head-tracking will mean lost sales.

It seems like a trivial thing to spend any amount of money on, but the sensation of 3D immersion is highly marketable. Despite negative perceptions of VR headgear and goggles, the devices still sell for several times the cost of Boom Blox to people who just want to try it out for themselves.

If Ninja Bread Man was to be re-coded and re-packaged with head tracking, it would sell to these tech junkies (like me).

SillyShiggy WSN (if it had one): lovsatan: Apr 15th 2008; 2:23PM

Or... you could buy the game based on its own merits. It would appear that all hands-on impressions have been overwhelmingly positive.

Godmil: Apr 18th 2008; 8:15AM

The difference is on one hand you have a possibly very good game, on the other you have a possibly very good game with an amazing new feature that nobody has done before (on a console).

New experiences are good for selling products.

Ryuukuro: Apr 19th 2008; 12:39AM

Thank you for having common sense! I'm disappointed too but the head tracking looks like an instant migraine machine. I'm sure they had good reason to remove it anyway. And EA's done so much worse than this and will do so much worse to the game industry (and I still buy their games because I heart Maxis.)

Alec: Apr 15th 2008; 10:44AM

Also a lost sale for me, as well.

Geoff Lou: Apr 15th 2008; 11:11AM

Don't blame EA.

This is Nintendo.

Trust me.

myspacebaritonenation: Apr 15th 2008; 11:43AM

what a disapointment. Ea's having a bit of a bad week pr wise.

Aaron: Apr 15th 2008; 11:59AM

This game just went from being near the top of my list to being off the radar. I was planning on buying the game for this feature along.

NOTE TO DEVELOPERS: I'll buy any game that uses head tracking no matter how much it sucks.

NOTE TO KONAMI: A home version of Police 911? The world is ready for at home head tracking. You already have the game. Bring it.

Lijik: Apr 18th 2008; 11:07PM

While we're at it-
To DataDesign:

Headtracking in Ninjabread Man 2, PLEASE.

mko: Apr 24th 2008; 2:59PM

haha, that would be rad, love Police 911

tactics: Apr 15th 2008; 12:01PM

lost sale here too. fuck you, EA.

-"superfan" tactics.

Tim The Enchanter: Apr 15th 2008; 12:08PM

Seems to me that either Nintendo intends to do something with this themselves first, or that they simply don't want people messin' with their stuff. But then, that's just an opinion. I was looking forward to trying this out :(

4cr JaXs: Apr 15th 2008; 2:12PM

BOYCOTT EA!
It is the only way to make them stop fucking us over.

Raginfox: Apr 15th 2008; 2:13PM

Not buying this anymore. Nuff said.

Lone Starr: Apr 15th 2008; 3:08PM

Johnny Lee will have his revenge.

Pointz: Apr 15th 2008; 4:12PM

Why are both Johnny Lee and Nintendo being brought into this post? EA cut the feature, not Nintendo so point the blame where it's supposed to go.

Brendon: Apr 15th 2008; 9:04PM

iIMm usiing myt gesd-traacing dwvise tio wqrite thia comnebt, amd i"VE mo ides qhy EA temovvd thss ffatuure.

iinigma7: Apr 16th 2008; 10:17AM

I smell a PETITION: http://www.petitiononline.com/boomblox/

tko: Apr 16th 2008; 1:42PM

That is upsetting. I was looking forward to seeing this actually applied. Sign the petition! There's already 11 signatures! They'll change their mind when they see that for sure.

Schmobu: Apr 16th 2008; 4:31PM

Looks like EA just fucked up cause it seems alot of people were really waiting for this head tracking.

Godmil: Apr 18th 2008; 8:18AM

This is sooo annoying, I've already bought my glasses and IR LEDs, was really hoping for a good game to show me what it can do :(

Lost sale.

jkjudgex: Apr 21st 2008; 11:11PM

Also will not purchase due to removal of head tracking.

richard: May 18th 2008; 11:50PM

Lost sale , probably was their legal department always f#@Kicn up good ideas.

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