The video game industry has become fascinated – nay, obsessed – with motion-sensing controls. Much like a baby that can't take its eye off a shiny new toy dangling above its face, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all seem to be laser focused on motion technology. This, of course, is largely due to Nintendo and the massive impact its Wii console has had on the marketplace. The typical pattern has always been that Nintendo innovates and then the competitors follow suit with their own, similar solutions (d-pad, analog stick, vibration... to name a few).
What if you don't feel like being the controller?
With E3 2009 now fading quickly in the rear-view mirror, it's clear that motion technology was the trend du jour, but its impact will be felt for many years to come. Motion controls are undeniably fun to play around with, and the Wii's waggle has certainly broadened the audience, enabling new gamers to embrace this hobby we hold so dear. Already more than 50 million people have purchased a Wii around the world. As Stephen Colbert would say, “The market has spoken.” But here's the thing: not everyone wants to play with motion controls all the time.
Playing Wii Sports Resort is a blast with Wii MotionPlus, and Microsoft's Project Natal and Sony's technology look equally compelling, but we really hope that these motion technologies don't ultimately replace traditional controllers altogether, becoming the de facto standard for gaming. If Natal is the standard for the next Xbox, it would seem that Microsoft may be leaning in that direction, and perhaps Sony would then as well.
Frankly, pushing a button or moving an analog stick is often far more efficient than waving a controller around in the air. As reviewers of Punch-Out!! on Wii would tell you, playing the game with traditional NES-style controls is generally a better experience. Certain games simply need “complex” controls. Imagine playing Gears of War with nothing but motion controls... how effective would that be, and would it actually be fun?
Furthermore, there are already a couple generations of gamers on the market who have grown up with traditional controls. Are they suddenly becoming the minority? And there's something immensely satisfying about being able to sit back comfortably and control a video game with some button presses. Isn't that what this hobby is about? Not only fun, but relaxation?
Yes, we acknowledge that another wonderful benefit of these motion controls is that they're getting some gamers to be more active, and the fitness gaming craze has certainly taken off between Wii Fit and EA Sports Active. Flailing around in front of a television isn't exactly our idea of a workout, however. This editor regularly jogs and goes biking, and video games (as aerobic as they might be with motion controls) are no substitute for that. And besides, if people are going to start relying on video games to provide them with workouts, what does that say about our society today?
So as this industry pushes forward with cameras that track your every movement, IndustryGamers would like to remind Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony that sometimes gamers just want to sit back and relax with controller in hand. There's nothing wrong with taking down baddies with a few button presses. Remember, despite exponential advancements in technology every year, just because something's new doesn't automatically mean it's “better.”
7 Comments
June 15, 2009
I'm agreed on almost all points. The idea of any motion-controlled game being an actual substitute for a real workout is laughable. EA Sports Active is one exception - it gets the heart pumping. But it's an actual piece of fitness software - not a *videogame* that is controlled via body movement. When I want to work out, I'll work out. When I want to be lazy, I'll lay on my couch and play a game. I WON'T stand in my living room to dance around with Natal. Some gamers already are reporting that they can't "unwind" with motion games in the same way they can with traditional games, so they end up watching a movie instead of turning on their console. Game-makers beware.
June 15, 2009
well i agree with story as well, but m$ did say they are not ditching the controllers at all they just adding more thingsfor us to enjoy .......so i welcome the natal and all its glory besides who wouldn't wanna talk to their game system lol u already do it u just don't know it yet lol...........
June 15, 2009
The example that comes to mind is Devil May Cry 4. Firstly, I'd like someone to actually show me how DMC 4 is playable using motion sensitive controls. Assuming they do that, I'd like for them to demonstrate how the use of motion controls makes DMC 4 better that with just buttons and analog sticks. Novelty eventually runs out, and at the end of the day, not every game needs motion controls.
June 16, 2009
First, it's thinking like this that actually buys into the hype of epic vaporware like Microsoft's project Natal. (I'm sure a few years ago, some people were running around in a panic over the fact that the Phantom was going to replace regular PC gaming or consoles or /something/).
Second, it's ridiculous to assume that pure motion controls are going to replace everything else /as long as there are people who want something else/. In recent years, take a look at the so-called "retro" revival that revolves around so-called classic games being re-released, remade, re-marketed, etc, etc. People still play Pac-man and remixed versions of Space Invaders. Joysticks and D-Pads aren't going to vanish, guys. Nintendo, whom self-styled hardcore gamers have derided for the last 3 years as destroying true gaming, have realized that people still want freakin' 2-D Super Mario.
Relax. It's not the end of the gaming world. Again. For the nth time.
Though on the side: I think it betrays an overly defensive hardcore attitude in trying - for the billionth time, it's not like this is /original/ - to debunk stuff like Wii Fit as being part of a misguided mindset. The counter to "Why should people get workouts from videogames?" is "Why shouldn't they?" Ironically, hardcore gamers who argue that video games should be for couch potatoes are supporting the stereotypical mentality and framework that mainstream culture has used to defame PC and console games for decades. There's nothing wrong with stuff like Wii Fit - it's just a sign of /maturation/, not of the industry going off the rails. The technology behind interactive games is merely, and finally, evolving out of the teen-to-20s male niche that it's been constrained to service for the last 30 years - which was inevitable.
To quote, "Since the beginning of the universe, nothing unusual has happened."
June 16, 2009
There you have it. We should never try and cover anything because it's all been discussed before. So says squeakthedragon. Speaking of "ridiculous," Natal is most certainly not vaporware. Phantom was being produced by a company that never demonstrated their ideas in action, they only had a business model. Natal was playable to a select few at E3 and is being made by Microsoft (a real company) and it will launch in the next couple of years. What its impact will be is still unknown.
June 16, 2009
I definitely think there is room for many types of controllers. Without a doubt there will be all kinds of shovelware churned out for any new controller. We Ski comes to mind, and no that's not a spelling mistake. I think Natal will need a "killer app" to move units and attract the Wii-mote brandishing masses. For all those people who jumped on board the Wii but have it sitting in their closet, they may not be as inclined to drop several hundred dollars for an additional console, plus whatever Natal will cost, plus games. The marketing will have to be VERY good for this, as I really don't think it's going to sell itself.
Incidentally, between a PS3 controller, Wii-mote, and computer mouse, my 2.5 and 5.5 year old kids find the mouse to be the most intuitive controller. The PS3 is just waaay too busy, and they accidentally hit buttons on the wii-mote or have trouble pointing it accurately at the screen. I really do wonder how they would do with Natal. Somehow I think with my kids, having something physical in hand is more intituitive.
April 1, 2010
I'd like someone to actually show me how DMC 4 is playable using motion sensitive controls. Assuming they do that, I'd like for them to demonstrate how the use of motion controls makes DMC 4 better that with just buttons and analog sticks.
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