Motion Controls for the masses

A recent facebook conversation sparked a bit of a chord with me over the soon to be released Kinect and Sony Motion.

Here's the scoop.

Microsoft had announced a while ago they were looking at getting into motion controls, but instead of using a controller, or wand, they wanted to use the whole body.

Instantly the world screamed "EYE TOY!"

And yes, that's basically what it was to be. A camera that recorded your moves and translated it into the video game. I have fond memories of smacking ninjas in the BestBuy using the "Eye toy" demo.

Here's the problem Microsoft, you're appealing to a small niche market. The Eye toy was basically a toy, an attachment that people bought... not so widely.

Ok ok, I get it, you want people to get up and move and crap like that. You like the idea of including a camera. Other than the Xbox live camera you already released.

Ok, let's step away from them for a bit and go to Sony.

They had the eye toy, so they announce they're going to come out with something along the same lines, and they release these controllers..... these wii looking controllers. Well dammit.

Basically, their angle is that they want the more hardcore adult audience to be able to play with motion controls, their demo game being a street fighting game sorta proved it in spades. So they have the little camera, but they also have the controllers, (with the funky light on top)

ok, now we step away from them.

Hey Nintendo, I'd like to say you've stayed away from the stupid attachments.... but.... Jenny McCarthy came out with a video game, and the Nintendo brilliance released a motion capture camera with it. Dammit.

Also, Wii Motion Plus. You like the motion controls, but you want to fix it after the things released? Awesome. Sorry, not fix, improve.

So, let's recap.

Nintendo's Wii has a camera, motion controls, and 2 motion controlling...controllers.

Microsoft's Xbox has a camera with motion controls and a controller.

Sony's Playstation has a camera, motion controls, and 2 motion controlling controllers.

But wait, Sony once had the sixaxis where your movement of the controller was...nevermind.

So everyone is ripping each other off, obviously, and making no bones about it. Nintendo didn't originate the idea though, that was way way way back in the arcade days, a boxing game used cameras to figure out where you were ducking and weaving.

No, you know what, the Nintendo light gun used the same logic, only backwards.

At any rate, that's where we all stand. So what's the problem?

Well, the video game companies are trying to appeal to a larger audience. They all saw how many families bought Wii's and said "we gotta get in on that"

like 4 years later.....

Fine. make your video games more mainstream. Enjoy the passing fad. Let me sum up the idea of motion controls in one sentence.

Motion Controls are Harry Potter.

or

Motion Controls are Titanic.

or

Motion Controls are Spice Girls.

All the rage now, but give it about a year or two. It'll die out. 3D crap isn't here to stay, that shit's laserdisc technology.

if you want to feel like you're really dancing, or playing baseball or riding a bike. Go out and do that. Real gamers want to pretend they're killing dragons, or shooting birds, or collecting Legos.

(Also, those are the next 3 reviews comin out)

DON'T BUY THE HYPE! haha