The Wii MotionPlus

First, here is a picture, and second here is what Nintendo says about it on its web page.

" Nintendo's upcoming Wii MotionPlus accessory for the revolutionary Wii Remote controller again redefines game control, by more quickly and accurately reflecting motions in a 3-D space. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion. Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo’s commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone. Nintendo will reveal more details about the Wii MotionPlus accessory and other topics Tuesday morning at its E3 media briefing."

And third, here is what you can imagine doing with such a controller. 

1) An entire class of new games, called 1st person one on one combat, can be finally enabled.  Imagine playing Mortal Kombat from the point of view of Scorpion.  Nintendo can now sell swords, lightsabers, nunchuks and spears as well as games.  You swing the sword in reality and it swings it exactly the same way in the game.  This is big.

2) An entire new class of puzzle games is enabled where 3D manipulation (not 2D) of objects is possible.  Think 3D boulder dash or 3D tetris. This could be a real breakthrough in casual games played by ages 5-75  (read five to seventy five, this is amazing).  What if you added 3D viewing glasses to the game.  Oh boy.

I've written over and over again that the next wave of innovation in technology and gaming will be in user interface design.  I've written about it here, here and here , When will other game console makers realize this?

What other kinds of games will this controller enable?  What do you guys think?

Comments

[jj]

Can't wait to play the first games Baris!

[Sudoku]

I've just got the Nintendo Wii for Christmas and I love it !