Gamefest: Xbox 360 (And Windows) Accessories Future Plans

[JCalCGM]

At Gamefest earlier today, Microsoft held a panel on their current and upcoming plans for accessories for their Xbox 360 console (http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=11691). Rob Walker, the hardware unit product manager for the company, spoke to the panel and gave some very interesting tidbits and hints about their future plans (and also threw some digs at Nintendo and Sony's controller plans). Here is a snip:
Walker was open about the fact that Microsoft has done testing and prototypes with similar features for the Xbox 360. Indeed. Microsoft made a PC controller with motion sensing features in the mid-1990s and while Walker said it sold better than expected, he admitted that Microsoft could have done a better job promoting the use of the controller to game developers. Walker said that for games like racing and first person shooters, their own tests with Xbox 360 motion-sensing controller prototypes indicated that the users were at first split 50-50 on whether or not they liked the motion-sensing versus the standard analog stick movement. What's more interesting is Walker said that people who played with the motion-sensing prototypes for an extended period of time complained of physical fatigue.

[Limech]

What's more interesting is Walker said that people who played with the motion-sensing prototypes for an extended period of time complained of physical fatigue.
I'm not surprised. Talk about bringing some hurt to your wrists!
I'll save my wrist for you know what. ;)

[Kamalot]

What's more interesting is Walker said that people who played with the motion-sensing prototypes for an extended period of time complained of physical fatigue. How does this bode for the PS3 and Wii?

[Watership]

How does this bode for the PS3 and Wii?

When you hold something like the WII remote, your hand is relaxed, and your wrist is straight. The PS3 controller can be held in this way, until you move it. You're probably going to move your arms in sync. You're going to move your wrists. Together. Then you'll move your arms side to side, and then tiltling up and down. I tried to demo this to a friend, and we're REALLY not sure about how it's going to feel. I remember hearing that the PS3 controller is going to be VERY light. Pehaps that is the saving grace.

But what if you sneeze? Well, that's when you die.

[MasterEvilAce]

I have that PC controller they talk about... it came with a free copy of some Motocross game (which sucked horribly!).. The controller was really annoying to use. That is-- i don't even use it these days. It also defaults into motion-sensing mode, which is retarded.

Controller wise.. I don't know if it was the controller that sucked, or the game that sucked at using the controller.. But it was not fun. The thing was so big as well that I would limp-wrist the controller (heavy part on the front down at the front).. but you couldn't do that or it would detect a movement (a forward motion).. ugh.

Whatever, it's not really worth the time IMO.

[ldi222]

I have to disagree about motocross maddness. I had that tilt controller back in the day too and happened to have a LAN and for some reason we ran the motocross game for a while and it was pretty damn fun. Having said that, the tilt tech was cool for that particular game as you would lean back on the controller to pull a wheelie or push forward to do an endo almost as if the gamepad was a set of handlebars. Im still not very excited about tilt tech in the 360 controller but if its an additional feature without sacrificing anything else and optional Im ok with it.

[UnderHero5]

Motocross Madness was an awesome game.

I never bought one of their controllers though.

[JazGalaxy]

I'm not surprised. Talk about bringing some hurt to your wrists!
I'll save my wrist for you know what. ;)

That's just stupid scare mongering.


I used to have a flight stick that I used for playing Mech Warrior 2. It had a throttle control on the side htat you used for controling forward motion in your mech. Between throttling that up and down with my left hand, and moving it across all the keyboard buttons you need to play the game and using my right hand to move the stick in all directions, I was easily using just as much if not more movement than the Wii will require. You know what? It was great.

I bought a steering wheel for Fortza motorsport and set up a mach car interior using my coffee table. It was the most awkward thing on the planet and it hurt after a few races to sit in that position. You know what? It was awesome.

Any uncomfortablillity experianced by Wii users will be minimal, I'm sure, and what littel uncomfortability there is will be quickly surmounte dand forgotten about.

I still remember people complaining that the six button SNES controller was too many buttons...

[Kamalot]

But what if you sneeze? Well, that's when you die.DAMN!

Here I am, terrified I may sneeze! :eek:

[Morratut]

I need a decent joystick for fighting games on the 360 SF2 HF has highlighted that to me. The Xbox had a good 3rd party joystick. I cannot find that DOA4 one anywhere.

[GunnyMo]

That's just stupid scare mongering.

Any uncomfortablillity experianced by Wii users will be minimal, I'm sure, and what littel uncomfortability there is will be quickly surmounte dand forgotten about.


It might be to a point.

My question on the Wii is: do you have to continually keep the wiimote pointed at the tv? Sure, it might depend on the type of game but for something like Red Steel I don't see how you can put your arms down to rest. I'm still not sold on the idea of a traditional game marathon with something like Zelda or Mario with the wiimote. It still comes across as a novelty.

It's one thing to have fun motion sensing; it's another to make gaming a physical chore.

[ChiHawk]

I don't think this has any meaning for the Wii. To do motion sensing control, you need to throw out the old control schemes and do something completely different. Nintendo seems to have come up with a good solution that is well thought out. Trying to tack motion sensing onto a legacy control scheme is half-assed and, imo, worthless. Actually, it seems that the two methods - legacy controller and Wii controls - are pretty much mutually exclusive. The Wii solution for a gamepad - tethering a pad to the remote - is just as bad as the Sony solution for motion detection.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

Hmm, hopefully MS plans on bringing the price of 360 accessories out of the stratosphere!

MS - I won't buy the console until you do this, so hurry up! ;)