14 DAY TRIAL // All sales numbers released for last year and the first months of this year show that the Nintendo Wii gaming console is massively outselling both the Xbox 360 from Microsoft and the PlayStation 3 coming from Sony. The success of the console from Nintendo might be attributed to a host of different reasons. It has a very interesting game line-up, with stars like Mario headlining releases. It has innovative games, like the Wii Fit. It has social value because of the way it accommodates multiple players. And it has motion tracking which offers a whole new way of playing that's more accessible than the controller schemes that the other consoles offer.
Earlier, there were rumors that Microsoft was looking into building a motion tracking device for the Xbox 360. It might or might not be called Newton, and it might be or might not be real, but as all rumors are somehow well grounded in reality, this might mean that Microsoft is trying to push for something to close the innovation gap with Nintendo.
Now there are also rumors that, earlier in the year, Sony ran a couple of focus groups in the United States, in which it tested the viability of a wireless remote with motion tracking capabilities. The motion sensing device was apparently judged by PlayStation 3 users and found to be very responsive and accurate. Tennis, fencing and paintball were some of the games used to showcase the device.
Some sort of motion control is already implemented in the Sixaxis pads that launched with the PlayStation 3. But creating something like the Wiimote for the PlayStation 3 is a whole different matter, with most games controls being able to benefit from control simplification.
I am currently playing Super Mario Galaxy with the Wiimote and the Nunchuk on the Nintendo Wii, and I must tell you that, after the somewhat clunky responsiveness of the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV, it all feels like a breath of fresh air. Of course, I'm guilty of comparing a shooter on a console with a platformer on a console here, but using the motion tracking in games, be they shooter, platformers or real time strategies, seems like a big step forward in my mind. We'll see if Microsoft and Sony really create something like the Wiimote, or whether Nintendo will hold on to its advantage in this category.