Peter Molyneux: Xbox Live More Impactful than Wiimote
Spanish language game site Canaljuegos spoke to famed developer Peter Molyneux about several topics, focusing mostly on Fable 2, but an interesting tidbit came from his assessment of the 360.
Quote:
Canaljuegos: Xbox 360 and PC. Those are your machines. Seeing how the new generation of hardware is evolving, do you think that you are in the right side? There have been some interesting changes in the consoles and peripherals market, like motion sensing. What do you think about the technology of this new generation? Are your ambitious concepts limited by the current technology?
Peter Moluneux: All I can say is that Microsoft is an incredibly smart company and I never fail to be impressed by just how clever they are. Don’t forget this is the company which pioneered LIVE which I believe will ultimately be far more impactful on video games in the long term than something like the Wii controller.
Interesting, especially since Molyneux is one of the developers that had some particularly glowing assessments of the Wii's control scheme in the past.
Sure it will be impactful, and certainly they are clever over there at Microsoft. The problem is that Live's impact (as well as Microsoft's, overall) is probably not going to be good for most of us. We're looking at a future where we'll all need money-hats to be able to afford the hobby, a hobby where we'll be assaulted by ads at every turn, and will likely find entire rooms within our games themed around doing the Dew. Might as well move over to the hardcore anime niche, we're going to be getting just as raped as they are.
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I have to agree with Molyneux on this one, as much as I hate to say it. Live will be more impactful to the industry in the long term over the Wii's gimmick. That's mostly due to the fact that MS has been very active in promoting Live as a service for gaming that everyone needs. They've done a great job making everyone buy into the idea that other services are inferior even if they're free. Nintendo, on the other hand, has been very active in promoting how great the Wii's motion sensing is for the Wii.
Heres an odd thought, maybe he really believes that Xbox Live is more innovative than the gimmicky wii mote and that he went to Microsoft to make better games that support his ambitious vision. Especially after watching the behind the scenes video (Dl'd from XBL) about the development of Fable, his studio looks quite creative and content. I also happen to agree with him.
I have to agree with Molyneux on this one, as much as I hate to say it. Live will be more impactful to the industry in the long term over the Wii's gimmick. That's mostly due to the fact that MS has been very active in promoting Live as a service for gaming that everyone needs. They've done a great job making everyone buy into the idea that other services are inferior even if they're free. Nintendo, on the other hand, has been very active in promoting how great the Wii's motion sensing is for the Wii.
By the way, Peter Molyneux is an ass.
Anyone who still refers to the Wii as a gimmick automatically loses all credibility whatsoever. The Wiimote struck true with the non-gamers, and has secured a foothold on a far larger demographic (And market-share) than Live could ever even HOPE to dream about.
It's not even a matter of personal taste, there are certainly a lot more games that interest me today on the 360 than on the Wii, but I'm able to recognize the strength of the Wii's siren call.
That question was basically a trap. The site was fishing for a big controversial quote they could relate to the Wii/360/PS3 hardware dick-waving contest. That Molyneux redirected it back to released, stable software that works really well and has no analogue on either of the other platforms, was quite clever.
Anyone who still refers to the Wii as a gimmick automatically loses all credibility whatsoever. The Wiimote struck true with the non-gamers, and has secured a foothold on a far larger demographic (And market-share) than Live could ever even HOPE to dream about.
It's not even a matter of personal taste, there are certainly a lot more games that interest me today on the 360 than on the Wii, but I'm able to recognize the strength of the Wii's siren call.
1. Peter Molyneux was talking about which had a greater impact to video games. Not humanity. Here's the quote: "Don’t forget this is the company which pioneered LIVE which I believe will ultimately be far more impactful on video games in the long term than something like the Wii controller."
2. Outside of the Wii, the Wii's motion sensing gameplay is nonexistent. No one is trying to match it. No one is trying to compete. As sales numbers have shown, most people that buy the Wii never buy any other games for it. Wii Sports is the extent of the impact it's having on mainstream consumers. I don't dispute that the Wii has touched a chord amongst the populace, but to say that it's going to have a lasting impact outside of it's own sachet is being blind to past trends.
Online connectivity IS more influential than a Rube Goldberg control scheme. I have yet to really see a game on the Wii that does anything that I have not done before. If the Wii's true impact, and it seems that all signs point to this. The Wii is really great at making experiences that are good with a case of beer, and for a half hour. The internet had given birth to entire new types and genres of games. What is the most influential game of the last 5 years, probably longer? World of Warcraft, without a doubt.
Heres an odd thought, maybe he really believes that Xbox Live is more innovative than the gimmicky wii mote and that he went to Microsoft to make better games that support his ambitious vision. Especially after watching the behind the scenes video (Dl'd from XBL) about the development of Fable, his studio looks quite creative and content. I also happen to agree with him.
I agree with him aswell. Live has changed the way I game and helps me stay in touch with real life friends that are far away, aswell as form attachments with people I don't even know.
Wii on the other hand, is kinda fun.
No contest to me which has a greater impact. This is completely ignoring things like voice messages, live arcade and demo downloads, which are all huge aswell.
He's trying to equate digital content delivery or all the impact of Live’s features with the Wiimote, in that case, yea, it will have more impact. Of course, every company ‘pioneers’ it’s own product, no matter how commonplace the features that define that product may be (Hyundai pioneers the Tiburon, I suppose). Considering the uniqueness of the Wiimote and it’s success, it’s a safe bet it’ll have more impact as a product than the online service of any of the three console makers.
