Motion Controls Alienate "Core" Gamers

Nintendo originally expanded the video game audience with the Nintendo Wii, but now the motion-controlled console may have provoked significant changes for the entire industry.

At the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Calif, both Microsoft and Sony unveiled new motion control technology for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 consoles. Now Xbox 360 and PS3 owners will enjoy gaming in the same way Nintendo Wii owners have since the console’s launch in 2006.

However, are these the right moves for Microsoft’s and Sony’s core audience?

Microsoft’s “Project Natal” is a camera attachment to existing Xbox 360 consoles which senses three-dimensional movement. This allows players to control the movement of characters and manipulate various gameplay mechanics by tracking body movements.

Despite rumors that “Natal” may rebrand the Xbox franchise, director of product management for Xbox Aaron Greenberg reiterated that “Natal” will be functional with all Xbox 360 consoles and no new console investments will be needed: except for the potentially costly price tag of the peripheral itself.

On the Sony front, its bout into the motion control area was unveiled at its E3 press conference as well.

Sony’s “motion controller” may lack creatively in its name, but was extensively demonstrated on stage.

In what appears to be a cross between Nintendo’s motion controller and Microsoft’s camera technology, the Sony motion control scheme utilizes a Playstation 3 update of the “Eye Toy” in conjunction with an awkward looking controller/wand which includes a color changing sphere at the top.

At this point it appears as if Sony rushed to piece together a demonstration of the technology after the announcement of “Natal” although it is possible Sony has been working on the technology since the original Playstation 2 “Eye Toy.”

What’s most upsetting is that we haven’t heard anything more from what looks to be a less polished venture into the motion controller market.

It is now clear that Nintendo’s success with motion control has attracted the attention of the other two console giants. However it is not simply motion control which marks Nintendo’s success it is its marketing and nonabrasive approach to expanding video game player demographics which has attracted so much attention.

Microsoft and Sony are both powerhouses in maintaining the “hardcore” gamer demographic with high-profile video game releases that Nintendo cannot match due to not only the philosophy of porting games which attract a wide consumer base, but due to the Wii’s graphical limitations.

If you noticed at Nintendo’s E3 press conference you saw announcements about games which are supposed to attract “hardcore” audiences such as “Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles” and “Dead Space Extraction.” These are not true games within the series, but watered-down ports of popular franchises in an attempt to appease the “hardcore” demographic.

You will not see “Resident Evil 5” or “Dead Space 2” on the Wii.

Microsoft and Sony need to be careful as to not fall into the trap of trying to attract a wider demographic – which Nintendo now has a stranglehold on – and disappoint hardcore gamers in the process.

For example, my question is how will a first-person shooter going to work on “Natal?”

Will you have to make a gun with your index finger and thumb and pretend like your shooting something?

FPS is likely the most popular video game genre and Microsoft may likely leave fans of the genre feeling jilted if the focus of the “Natal” does not accommodate FPS gameplay.

Nevertheless, Microsoft seems eager to introduce their view on the “future of gaming” and even showcased “Natal’s” potential on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” a week after its announcement at E3. Jimmy Fallon asked an interesting question during the demonstration when he asked “could you put this in your dorm room?” Xbox creative director Kudo Tsunosa carefully dodged the question by saying that it will fit into all types of living spaces.

This is another potentially troubling point since Xbox 360’s core audience is college-aged males with limited living space and is a common complaint with the Wii.

Sony’s motion controller features a must needed controller for such games, but feels slightly tacked-on and looks to be falling too closely in-step with Microsoft and Nintendo. The combination of purchasing an “Eye Toy” and new controller is likely to be pricey as well.

Also, these differences in mechanics may discourage developers who may choose to create games for traditional controllers anyway.