Nintendo reveals Wii MotionPlus -- 1:1 motion control add-on

[Aladuf]

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.

http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/eMMuRj_N6vntHPDycCJAKWhEO9zBvyPH

http://media.nintendo.com/nintendo/bin/p1TcSFcuTcwFGHV5K2I9M_jPGQq0eO6M/c502KBfbSeXO2_Ji8pzZHo3gSH9SkICI.jpg

[birdman]

Megaton

[Aladuf]

Ok that's what n-gaf is saying too but I don't get it really. Is it because of my apathy towards Nintendo or is it because honestly it doesn't seem like a big deal at all?

To me it just seems like something that should have been a part of the Wiimote since the beginning.

[BreakABone]

Damn you Aladuf!

As fun as this news is, it makes me more excited for what they have for it. nintendo usually doesn't do these things without reason.

[Aladuf]

Yeah, my hopes for this 1.1 business is that it'll all just lead to a Zelda debut come time for Nintendo's conference.

[BreakABone]

Ok that's what n-gaf is saying too but I don't get it really. Is it because of my apathy towards Nintendo or is it because honestly it doesn't seem like a big deal at all?

To me it just seems like something that should have been a part of the Wiimote since the beginning.

It is no different than 2.40 to piss you and Flunkie off.
It is something that should have been there out of the gate, but now it advances motion controls of the Wii even more.

If the right games take advantage.

[Bond]

Brian Crecente from Kotaku has it right - the Wii's sales are driven more by accessories than games. So, the best way to make more money is to release more accessories.

[Aladuf]

It is no different than 2.40 to piss you and Flunkie off.
It is something that should have been there out of the gate, but now it advances motion controls of the Wii even more.

If the right games take advantage.

I suppose you're totally right. Well played Mr. Penguin, well played.

[Vampyr]

It makes the remote too long. I think the motion sensing is fine as it is. I also don't think this will go over very well with the general public. "Oh, we have our Wii. If we want to play this game, we need a device that makes the motion sensing better?"

Kind of ridiculous.

[Dyne]

Hunh. Interesting. Well, they better re-release We Love Golf. :(

[Angrist]

Who else thinks they will announce a new controller that includes the new technology, no add-on needed??

Also, in combination with a new Zelda, this could be awesome.

Any idea on how it works?

[Dyne]

Who else thinks they will announce a new controller that includes the new technology, no add-on needed??

Also, in combination with a new Zelda, this could be awesome.

Any idea on how it works?

Yeah but.. then you'd hear the screams of a million diehard fanboys, frustrated with the fact they'll have to buy 4 more controllers.

I think the add-on is perfect, AND it's really small.

[Angrist]

Uhu, it's a good solution for existing controllers. But implementing it into a new one (possibly dropping the older model) would make a lot of sense.

Can't wait for the conference!

[Vampyr]

Yeah but.. then you'd hear the screams of a million diehard fanboys, frustrated with the fact they'll have to buy 4 more controllers.

I think the add-on is perfect, AND it's really small.

Unless it's like $5, there's no way in heck I'm buying it.

[BreakABone]

Brian Crecente from Kotaku has it right - the Wii's sales are driven more by accessories than games. So, the best way to make more money is to release more accessories.

Gonna disagree with you on this.

As the only game(s) that have been shown to be sold by peripheral are Wii Fit and Wii Play.

Now in the case of Wii Play, I think it was more of the success of the console and its image than the need for the game. An extra controller with a cheap game is a better arrangement.

Wii Fit needed the board to sell.

Mario Kart did not need the wheel. And almost certain it would have done just as well.

Then there are games like Galaxy and Brawl which sold really really well without the add of an add-on. And helpe spur (if you can really tell) the sales of the Wii.

And this isn't much of an accessory. We shall see what they do with it. Maybe they will bundle with Wiis from now on.

[Jason1]

I really want to see how this enhances the controller before I make any final judgements.

But as a few others have said, this could be something amazing with Zelda. I guess we will find out tomorrow.

[Dyne]

Unless it's like $5, there's no way in heck I'm buying it.

It will probably be pretty cheap, since all the connectivity/battery power/everything else is already feeding from the remote. I assume it would be $15 - like a nunchuk, but with no moving parts.

I really want to see how this enhances the controller before I make any final judgements.

Yeah, I'm thinking this is something more for developers than players. They probably had a difficult time trying to figure out 3D-space stuff, so they just made something to do it for them. Now I hope that we'll see more involved stuff.

Also, PS3's at a dead end - Nintendo has the torch right now unless Microsoft has something up its sleeve. Which I doubt right now - but anything could happen.

[Yoda9864]

I really want to see how this enhances the controller before I make any final judgements.

I assume the way it works is that it adds another reference point to calculate 3d space. Another set of accelerometers 5 inches away would be able to to say, "Ok, the front of the Wiimote is moving left, and the back of it is moving right." Thus giving a more realistic 3D experience.

Totally a guess though.
I'll probably get 1 or 2 depending on what games utilize it.

[Bube]

When I first heard this, I was very excited. But then I thought "Wii Sports Baseball had 1:1 motion sensing". I don't know why we needed this? The remote is capable of this, is it not?

[Angrist]

Well, no, it isn't capable of 1:1 sensing. All Baseball did was register the tilt and then the shake. Same with Boxing.

It just happens to work out like 1:1 controls, because of the simple mechanics. Tennis is already a different story.

[Angrist]

So what are everyone's impressions with WM+?

A few days ago I finally got to try Wii Sports Resort. I was pleasantly surprised. All games seemed to work great, the swordfighting was most impressive.

[magus113]

I tried it out with Red Steel 2, which I can say was a relatively enjoyable experience. Very very accurate and fun with all the stabbing and slashing and whatnot.

[thatmariolover]

RS2 is amazing with WM+. It's everything that was promised to us the first time around. Aside from that, I haven't had a chance to try it much.

[Typhoid]

The only thing I've played with WM+ was Sports Resort, and it was really fun and controlled relatively realistically.

[Angrist]

I also played Grand Slam Tennis with it, but that was terrible. WM+ broke the game, so I ended up playing without it. And then returning it to the store.

[manasecret]

I have been very happy with Wii Sports Resort and Tiger Woods 10. The disc golf on TW10 is worth the price of admission for me, but that's because I like disc golf. I just wish they had fleshed it out better with courses that are better challenges for disc golf. But, as with all games these days, I hardly get the chance to play them.

I got Red Steel 2 in the other day, but I vowed not to start playing it until my Fundamentals of Engineering exam is done next Saturday.

So overall, I'm very happy with it. My only complaint I guess would be that it tends to get out of sync, after wild sword swinging, for example. I wonder if Nintendo has figured out a better solution to this for the next iteration of motion controls. I have a feeling they will.

[BreakABone]

I have been very happy with Wii Sports Resort and Tiger Woods 10. The disc golf on TW10 is worth the price of admission for me, but that's because I like disc golf. I just wish they had fleshed it out better with courses that are better challenges for disc golf. But, as with all games these days, I hardly get the chance to play them.

I got Red Steel 2 in the other day, but I vowed not to start playing it until my Fundamentals of Engineering exam is done next Saturday.

So overall, I'm very happy with it. My only complaint I guess would be that it tends to get out of sync, after wild sword swinging, for example. I wonder if Nintendo has figured out a better solution to this for the next iteration of motion controls. I have a feeling they will.

Actually, I'm curious about the last part.

As Red Steel 2 in my experience tends to never go out of sync. Even when the wide gestures and the likes. I wonder if its due to it being more gesture based 1:1 than Wii Sports Resort sword fighting, but the difference is so minor.

[Angrist]

I think I saw Tiger Woods 2010 for €15, but I didn't pick it up. I'm not into golf, or sport games in general.

Zelda can't come soon enough.