GDC09: GameTrak Freedom motion controller detailed

Because the Wii actually exists, and has great games. Not to mention, it's the cheapest console on the market, which matters a heckuva lot more to many people than processing power.

The Wii also has great promise in its upcoming lineup. The idea that a peripheral coming out in a year kills it is hilarious. Especially when you compare it to the most similar one, EyeToy, which had first party support, and was still almost completely useless. Or hell, for that matter, PlayStation Eye has what, Eye of Judgement? It's become basically a webcam, not a gameplay tool.

A motion controller with a minigame collection and a console that has the motion controller out of the box, built into a great many quality and hardcore title are very different things. Especially, as you mention, M+ coming out in a few months along with Wii Sports 2 (which will likely be very big, with any marketing) and developers picking up support for it.

All this controller really has on its side is the potential for higher quality graphics, and overwhelmingly people who are so anal about them that they can't enjoy the Wii have shown themselves to hate motion control; it'd be a bad move for a developer to go there. It might also allow developers to more easily port games off of Wii and onto other consoles, but that controller looks like it would be poorly suited to many Wii games that would receive such a treatment. Heck, does it even support attachments, like the nunchuk?

That's another important thing; there's a big difference between a wand that detects motion and something which can functionally serve as a gaming controller. %99 of quality games on the Wii would be impossible to play without the Nunchuk, you simply need more control than motion for anything beyond minigames.

I should qualify that statement; the Wii is the cheapest non-portable console this generation, in terms of total cost of ownership (what the average person will spend on the console in order to play the games they want to play on it)

@Feba

The arcade version of the 360 retails for $199.

The Wii also has a reputation as being a family friendly console. People buy it because of that.

Neither the 360 not the PS3 has that. Casual gamers will never choose them over the Wii.

Saying 99% of quality games on the Wii use the nunchuk implies there are at least 100 quality games on the system. There are maybe 10-20 tops.

Yeah, I remember when You're In The Movies was going to kill the Wii and steal the casual audience, too.

Fact of the matter is, this is going to do NOTHING to hurt the Wii because:
A) It's a peripheral, which have probably a 90% failure rate when it comes to being widely used. Rumble pack is pretty much the only notable exception.
B) It's a THIRD PARTY peripheral. Microsoft aren't even supporting it in any sort of official capacity, by all accounts. By the time this generation is over, you'll be able to count on one hand the number of games that use this thing.
C) No one is going to think the 360 (or PS3) is something it isn't. Contrary to popular belief, consumers AREN'T as dumb as people like to make them out to be. This and You're in the Movies isn't going to persuade anyone to buy he 360 over the Wii.

Crazy, crazy fanboys.

Samfish,

A) Tell that to Logitech. Their 3rd party peripherals are fantastic. Also RB & GH instruments fall into this category. These are even worse because they have isolated uses.
B) It all depends on if this device uses Microsofto's proprietary wireless frequency. If so, then I can see microsoft throwing support behind this. If that happens, Microsoft itself will promulgate software titles.
C) Consumers AREN'T as dumb as people like to make them out to be BUT they ARE more fickle than they themselves realize. The Wii is an experience that, until fall 09 can't be found anywhere else. Unless Ninty finds another way to differentiate it's product, it will find its marketshare slipping away.

Anticrawl: Like I said, cheapest in terms of average amount people will spend on hardware and accessories before games. I'm not going to say there's some bare minimum of features a console should have, like HDD or Wifi, given that the Wii doesn't have a lot of what people consider 'basic features'; but simply ask a group of Wii owners how much they spent on the console and accessories for it (Controllers, cables, SD card, etc.) and a group of 360 owners. Especially when you take the 360's failure rate into account, and the cost of repairs or replacement-- it's gotten better recently, but it's still an issue. And given that most casual gamers are going to get their information from friends and marketing, and not from technical research, the Red Ring problem is going to come up.

Lasersanchez: I wasn't talking about the games so much as what you can do without the nunchuk. There are games that use the nunchuk most of the time, but have a part where you don't need the nunchuk, normally minigames. The table tilt minigame in Twilight Princess and Pure White Giant Glastonbury in N.M.H. come to mind.

Bluemanrule: A- There's also Steel Batallion. The point isn't that games based on peripherals don't work; of course they do. Most of them have at least cult-hit status to boot. However, peripherals designed to be sold AND REQUIRED for multiple games overwhelmingly do not work. Look at the Dualshock (speaking in terms of PS1 only), Expansion Pak (N64 RAM upgrade), EyeToy, etc. They enjoy a limited success, and sometimes make good optional content, but they overwhelmingly do not manage to carve out a significant portion of the market. The only game I can think of that required the Dualshock was Ape Escape; the other two were a bit more widespread, but EyeToy games were always just that. There was never a big EyeToy Hit.

C- Nintendo has already done tons to differentiate themselves. A game console for everyone, fun and easy to pick up games, and so on. It's the upstart that has to prove they're more than a poor attempt to try to copy the Wii's success. I wish them luck on that, but if simply having better technology was sufficient to displace the leader, the iPod would've been forgotten long ago.

I'm pretty sure everyone despises shovelware, regardless of console.

True amongst gamers, but what about amongst fanboys/girls? I feel like more people insult the Wii for shovelware than they insult the X360 or PS3 for shovelware. If minigames like this get released on other consoles it'll bring that insult to it's knees and kill it with a swift MSRP blow to the stomach.

Basically, less people saying "Wii is shovelware" and more people saying "shovelware is bad".

Can I play SF IV with it? Is that D-pad any better?

All I see here is "Rayman: Raving Balls"

The trailer made me squeeballs.

With a name like sqeezeballs and motion control availability, i expected a game that was very... different, if i may... form what the trailer portrayed.

So in your professional opinion how much longer do you think the Wii fad will last? Two, Three months?

Because the Wii has a reputation. The 360/PS3 doesn't. Causal gamers arn't interested in those systems.

Don't even START with the "The Wii can't play DVDs." bullshit. You know how many things in my house can already play DVD's? Nine. If someone GAVE me a free DVD player, I wouldn't even want it.

Pelican's still around?

Wonders never cease

I also thought that was cruel. We should start a petition and call PETA!

My third party Logitech PS2 and Xbox controllers are the shit and the PS2 ones are still being sold today.

Tell that to all the plastic guitars sitting in households around the world.

Wait, you use a GC controller for Mario Kart?! The Wiimote and nunchuck layout is actually much better for that...flicking your wrist to do tricks is waayyy easier than pressing the D-pad. Use the 'mote.

I can't see how they'd implement it on most 360 games anyway since most stuff utilizes camera and what nots.



I really don't like to see motion control stuff spread too far through consoles anyway. It's all good for the wii, but when I get on 360 i just want to use a controller to play.

I never understood not using the Whiil myself. Everything just feels so, artificial after that

In reference to the Wii Wheel:

I felt the exact opposite. I tried with the wheel and dear god do I wish I hadn't. Perhaps I just needed more time to get used to it, but for me I couldn't figure out whether to hold it parallel to the floor or parallel to the TV. This might be the reason why every time I turned I either turned too far or not far enough and went flying off the mountain. It was a bad experience either way, but that may be more my experience with controllers to blame.

You're in the movies sold poorly because it looked like crap. I love my 360 but that game looked horrible from the get go. I'm not even sure You're in the movies would have sold well had it been released by Nintendo for the Wii.

So, so true.

Yes, because there were no motion based controllers or gyroscopic mouse/pointers before the wii remote.

@easo

right now you're getting mad about how people think ninty invended motion control... wait till you get to the apple fanboys. multi touch touchpads on laptops? NOBODY, not even asus, could even dream of that before mr. jobs had an idea of the same.

*sniff*

My cats chewed that cable too. But after some wire strippers and electrical tape ("black tape" if you're from some rural regions, I recently hilariously learned), it's good as new.