Friday, December 28, 2007

Microsoft planning motion sensitivity for Xbox360?



Microsoft is planning to introduce motion sensitivity to the Xbox360 "by the end of next year", XboxFamily has learnt.


The details are still sketchy, but it appears a first-party add-on to existing controllers may be the delivery method of the technology. (...) It appears Microsoft has contracted the Saratoga, California firm, Gyration to handle the peripheral.


Gyration developed the original Wii controller prototypes, as the company claims on their site:


Gyration developed the first motion sensing Nintendo game controller prototype in 2001 and developed much of the interaction concepts between motion controllers and game play.


Now, you may not have heard of the news site at the source of this rumour since they are fairly new. Registered to an address in Cincinnati, Ohio, they are "comprised of several original members of SEGAone.com which originally launched in the fall of 2000", according to their own history.

The new site was founded this year and initially off to a shaky start. But they seemed to have turned a corner within the last few months.

What lends them some credibility in my books is the fact that they dispel some myths about the rumour they started. In a second article, they claim that a number of prototype designs "going around the net" are unrelated to the Xbox360. Unfortunately, they do not name any source. Here they are:






We’re positive the images going around the net are not of the new hardware. (...) [They] are images of the original motion-sensing prototypes that Gyration had designed for the Wii in 2001.



I would not rule out that the people over at XboxFamily are trustworthy. If they have indeed worked as game editors for more than seven years, it is possible that they may have good enough sources to break a story like this one.

But please bear in mind that motion sensitivity for the Xbox360 can only ever come in the form of an optional peripheral. And the rumour claims no more. So such a peripheral can achieve no more than the ´Eye Toy´ camera achieved for the PlayStation2. Sure, that peripheral was a small revolution in gaming. But since it was a peripheral, only a dozen games or so actually made use of it, although ´Eye Toy´ sold very well.

Also, bear in mind that Microsoft, at least until recently, appeared highly sceptical of motion sensitivity. At the E3 2006, Robbie Bach snubbed at the idea of motion sensitive controls, in an interview with me.


There are two things to know. One: we did gyroscopic controls in a controller six years ago. We know exactly how interesting it is. And it is useful for a very narrow segment of the games. So it is interesting as an add-on. It's not at all interesting as the main controller for your game console and we know that from experience.

We also know that Sony took out of their controller the ability to get rumble feedback and tactile feedback. And that is the number one requested feature for people as an add-on to their controller. So we think their controller actually went down in capability, not up.


EDIT Respected Xbox news site TeamXbox has thrown their weight behind this rumour. It appears that XboxFamily really were onto something.

Source: XboxFamily
Thanks to: Game-Spectrum

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nintendo really had the right idea on motion sensitivity, didn't they?

Anonymous said...

It seems like Nintendo had the right idea about a lot of other things as well...

d-pad
shoulder buttons
analog stick
rumble
wireless controllers
motion sensing
IR pointer

Anonymous said...

dnt forget buttons. im pretty sure nintendo came up with buttons..

these days sony and microsoft get there ideas from nintendo mags :P

Anonymous said...

As usual, Nintendo innovates, everyone else makes money off of it. If they came out proper pointing system which could be used for FPS's, I'd likely finally buy a 360. I don't think most companies are ever going to take the Wii very seriously in that genre unfortunately. Not as long as Wii owners only want "casual" games. *sarcasm*

Anonymous said...

nintendo makes money. I think thats enough for people to start taking em seriously.
sadly it seems to attract lame games that just wanna live off the wii brand.

Anonymous said...

bill gates on motion sencing last since wii lournch

1 mainstream consumers dont want motion controls

2 only hardcore nintendo fans want it

3 what if you want to put down the controller and as you put controller on table your charictor falls of a cliff
(yes bill accually said that)


4 wii carnt keep up this momentum in sales

5 motion i9s a fad


now microsoft are copying it

WHAT THE FUK EVER X360 FANS YOU AS BAD AS SONY LOVERS YOU EXIST IN A BRAND BUBBLE

IF YOU WANTED MOTION WHY DIDNT YOU BACK WII

"""""""DUH""""""""

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Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

In other news:

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Link

Anonymous said...

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-IALS

order apcalis oral jelly said...

nice plan from Microsoft.. its really cool.. thanks for the update.. keep blogging..

Anonymous said...

Gyration producedguild wars 2 key the first motion realizing Manufacturers sport game controller prototype with 2001 along with designed a lot of the actual relationship methods in between activity RS goldgame controllers and hands per hour.

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