The Future of Motion Control

There is a good article on GamesIndustry.biz about motion control.  Here’s a quote:

As joypads became ever more involved and complex, Nintendo pared its own controller back, reducing the principle form of interface to a remote – and everyone knows how to use a remote, right? The add-on nunchuck controller added the requisite analogue controller required to make core games feasible and the rest, as they say, is history. Wii succeeded because it was immediate, original, enjoyable – and everyone could understand it and join in. Pack-in title Wii Sports fails as a comprehensive game with lots of depth, but as a sampler for motion control, it is a work of genius.

I agree with the jist of the article. The wii control was a major game-changer (lol) in terms of opening up gaming. Imagine 2 scenarios of showing a newbie how to play a golf game. With a controller it might go something like, “Press X to start the aim bar then X again to stop it once it hits the center, then press X to start the power bar and X once it reaches the red zone.” For a wii game, “Just swing the controller like a golf club.” Those of us who’ve been gaming a long time often forget there is a body-language and culture to playing that we’ve acquired over the years. For people who are new to games, it can be a lot to try and pick-up. Motion control games short-cut that process.