Xbox 360's Wii-Style Controller: Your Questions About Our Report Get Answered - No, it's not an April Fools' Day hoax

MTV news writes: "On Monday, MTV News broke the story that Microsoft has been working on an Xbox 360 answer to the Wii remote since the summer. This story has provoked a lot of discussion and raised a lot of questions. How did we get these details? Why would Microsoft do this? Is this a late April Fools' Day hoax?

We can break it down for you and include some of your comments along way:

Q: Is this an April Fools' Day joke? "April Fools was a few days ago, guy." - BlackAdvent, commenting on gaming blog Kotaku

MTV News: MTV News has been doing background reporting on this story for several months, but only recently felt the facts were solid enough to file a report.

Q: Isn't that just a sketch made in MS Paint? There's no way that's a real Microsoft development sketch. (See the sketch for yourself.) "That pic is a joke. Nobody, let alone Microsoft, would file a patent or trademark with a pic like that." - Ron Workman, commenting on the MTV Multiplayer blog

MTV News: Correct. Our primary development source (who isn't an artist) couldn't produce a photograph of Microsoft's controller prototype without potentially compromising his position and studio. MTV News instead asked him to produce a sketch, to give us an idea of what the prototype looked like, which he then produced in MS Paint."

[wow4u]

I think its a terrific idea for MS to release a motion control.

Each of the console makers copy from each other. Sony is copying Second Life with Home. Sony is copying MSFT's achievements.

MS copies the waggle controller.

Everyone improves on the ideas of the others, its called competition and progress. Its how it works in every industry, and there is nothign new about this in gaming consoles. 3D motion control was available on PCs for years before Nintendo put on a console.

The more the merrier I say. I think its great news. Bring it on.

[Cyrus365]

The problem is, you fragment the user group, you have 15 million people that own a 360 that doesn't have this "motion controller", lets assume 10 of those 15 million pick up a motion controller, that's still 5 million users that don't. Do game developers now code a game to have both motion controls and not...sort of like how they do for PS3.

Do they exclusively make it motion controlls, and say on the box requires a motion controller?

Personally motion is fun, but it's not 100% accurate atleast on the wii, which can be frustrating.

[Lord Vader]

" but it's not 100% accurate atleast on the wii..."

Nor on my PS3 my friend. I dont care for the motion contols, the only good use of said controls r on Wii sports. My sixaxis is history, dual shock & analog sticks for me on my 360 & my PS3.

[Cyrus365]

Neither is it accurate on PS3, I agree...so how is it going to work, halo 3 FPS with motion controls, will 360 gamers the mainly hardcore users enjoy that.

In turn if lets say 360 goes the opposite direction and decides it wants more casual, family type games, like cooking with mama, wii sports, wii play type games, will it alienate the 360 mainly hardcore gmaers?

[Ureval]

I highly doubt MS would give up on its heavy hitters (Halo, GOW). Having a peripheral like this would focus the games coming out on 360 into two groups: hardcore and casual.

So far there has been no reason to play casual games on the 360, and frankly Id be glad to play Nintendo style games on a system with a VASTLY superior online setup.

[JoelR]

Hmm the PS3 controller is more accurate then you are making out...
.25mm motion detection.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Exhaust]

It would be great to play a Wii style game in HD. Wii Sports HD type game with realistic avatars would be nice.

@Cyrus365

It will be a peripheral. Rock Band didn't break up the install base did it? Most likely the games that use it will be made exclusively for it. Normal games will still be the primary focus and wouldn't "have" to try and tack on motion controls. They could if they wanted to.

Figured they would do something when Sony announced the sixaxis. Looking at video game history soon as one platform gets something the next copies it. D-pad, Button layout, analog stick, shoulder buttons etc.

Could be cool. I like my Wii but the graphics suck once I got used to PS3 and 360.

[Cyrus365]

Guess in that sense I could see, but if it's just an extra and not something that's say packed in with the console itself. This isn't a huge thing, it's just another thing that could be cool and effective, but then you won't see 3rd party developers embrace it as much, cause if it's packed in with a said game, what do you think the % of people would pick it up.

[QuackPot]

You dont' need to be a genius to know that this is the future.

Only the ignorant won't accept this.

Motion control is ideal for shooters - ie fast aiming - so clearly MS would develop one for their shooter-centric xbox.

I'll buy day one.

But I also want one for my ps3.

The future of controllers.

[BLaZiN PRopHeT]

why cant Ms do both go after the casual and hardcore with this clone?

[Cyrus365]

Because it creates an identity crisis (Part of the problem that plagued PS3 at lanuch). Because generally Hardcore people like hardcore games not casual games, and more importantly casual gamers, like it casual.

It's right within the article...

Q: Didn't your quoted source contradict him- or herself by saying Microsoft wants to make "Halo"-style games for this controller and to convince publishers to port more casual Wii games to the 360? And didn't GameSpot call you out on that?

MTV News: We also recognized this apparent contradiction, and our development source said this stemmed from Microsoft's own confusion on what kinds of games the controller is targeted. "The whole thing is a colossal clusterf---," as our source put it. It's believed that Microsoft is toying with both possibilities to see what works and what doesn't.

That doesn't bode well when the "source" is claiming it's a colossal clusterf.... and that msoft is confused as to how to target which group.

[bootsielon]

Fight Night with next-gen graphics and motion controls

[jinn]

a bad idea

[QuackPot]

by Microsoft. If this is true that they are try to broaden their gaming base then Sony needs to beware. This could work as well as provide a better way of controlling games.

Copy, modify, adapt ..... FTW.