Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
players a new mode of play, but it had a host of problems. A primary issue
was that there were only two games released that were designed for it.
Other games were promised and the glove could be used with games for
which it was not designed, but those games generally worked much better
with a standard control pad. Further plaguing the device was the fact that it
was stripped down from a more sophisticated initial design to function on
the NES. To work with the relatively limited computing power of a home
game console many design features had to be removed, which meant that
the Power Glove suf ered from far less than perfect play control. However,
years later, motion control helped defi ne Nintendo.
With a variety of tweaks for ergonomics, the addition of buttons and
the inclusion of analog sticks, controllers changed in the two decades fol-
lowing the NES, but the next big leap in the mode of play was made with
the Nintendo Wii. Nintendo's Wii was striking for a number of reasons.
First, the default controller featured a paucity of buttons in comparison to
its contemporaries. When held horizontally it resembles the stripped down,
retro-chic controller that accompanied the original NES. Second, the con-
troller looked more like a remote control than a contemporary video game
controller. Instead of being molded to be held in two hands, like almost
every controller in the wake of the PlayStation, the Wii
controller is shaped
like a baton, with buttons and a control pad on the top for the thumb and
a trigger underneath. Finally, and most importantly, the Wii
introduced
a mode of motion control that far outstripped the poor execution of the
Power Glove. Adding to the innovation marked by motion control, Nin-
tendo subsequently released
Wii Fit
, which combined a device that looks
like a piece of step aerobics equipment with a game that promises to help
players get in shape. Although originally derided by competing companies,
game industry commentators, and the types of players who comment on
internet stories, the Wii
became the early breakout hit of its console gen-
eration. It outpaced the initial sales of Microsoft's Xbox
360
and Sony's
PlayStation
3,
largely by drawing a broader group of consumers into buying
a game console that rewrote the mode of play for video games.
The Wii's motion control was so popular that, after ridiculing Nintendo
for trying something dif erent than what was expected, both Sony and
Microsoft developed their own versions. Sony ended up releasing the Play-
Station
Move that was promoted with the tagline “This Changes Every-
thing,” while Microsoft of ered the Kinect, promising that “You Are the
Controller.” Sony's accessory featured a baton not unlike that of the Wii,
but included the trademark PlayStation button combination and a glowing
orb lit by LED diodes that were tracked through the PlayStation
Eye cam-
era. The Kinect ditched the external controller altogether, instead using a
system of sophisticated cameras to allow players to control the console and
gaming experience through the use of gestures and vocal commands.
This major leap in the mode of interaction, away from button pressing
and toward motion, is fascinating, as it enables a dif erent sort of play.