All in a flap: a debate about motion detect gaming.

[Vindekarr]

We've all seen it, we've all got opinions about it, and we all now have an oppertunity to shove those opinions down someone else's earhole.

 

Motion detect gameplay was a big topic at this year's E3, with microsoft and sony showcasing brand waggling new motion detection gear. but what do you think about this?

[ub3rman123]

Terrible idea. Problem is: Most people don't like getting sore and tired while gaming. The mouse and keyboard, or joystick, or controller, is just the best idea.

[Vagrant0]

There's also the whole business of looking like a damn fool when you play a game... I can understand the value in getting people off the couch and being active, but there's a difference between flailing your arms around with a 2 lb controller in your hands and an actual, real, workout.

 

The only good part of all of this is that it takes the console image away from being the lonely shutin playing <insert long running RPG series here> and makes it more of an in-the-open family oriented ordeal. All of this is is making consoles less about gaming, and making them a combined entertainment thingy. I imagine that one of these days it will all be blended seamlessly into a single service, much like cable, which offers shows, movies, on demand services, and recording for a low monthly payment of one of your non-vital organs.

Edited June 29, 2010 by Vagrant0

[Vindekarr]

aye...

 

I do a run every day to keep fit, and then a good daily dose of video gaming and writing to counteract the fitness gain, it strikes me as ridiculous that these are marketed as fitness increasing activity, Ive tried some of these... fitness devices and they dont do jack. But I guess half the reasoning behind this could well be political-with increasing child obesity, Microsoft probably wants to be seen as doing something that on face value looks to be helping provide fitness to children.

 

But really, if you want to lose a few pounds, run around the block once a day, that'll sort you out and make you look like a fool twice as well as wii fit ever could.

[XanAlderon]

Screw fitness, the only reason I'd buy one of these things is because I'm a sucker and I love gimmicks.

[Sinophile]

Whatever happened to Virtual Reality? I remember going to the Arcade, and paying 5 bucks to have some guy strap a helmet on my head, then handing me a controller, this was sometimes in the early 90s. I haven't seen anything similar since then. What I want is a game I control with my mind.

[ub3rman123]

I think the reason for there being no mind control games is because of fear of http://home.comcast.net/~othastar/explscan.gifs. Seriously, just one and there goes the market.

[Vindekarr]

Headsplosions arent something we really need to worry about.

 

Mind control has existed for many many years, and can be applied to video games with little enough work, the problem is operating it. Existing mind controllers use EEGs to monitor brainwaves, this has several key issues. One: if, like me, you have more hair on your head than chewbacca, you've got a problem, these usualy only work on the bald. Two: you look totaly absolutely one hundred ten percent ridiculous, its basicaly a wig made of plastic cables. Three: EEG arent invasive except to your hairdo, as they read brainwaves without needing to enter the skull itself or pierce the skin, however wearing one would be uncomfortable, as they are heavy and awekward, and would fit poorly inside a VR helmet.

 

But the biggest problem is controling something with your mind. The human brain didnt evolve for this, and while its incredibly flexible and able to adjust to new function, this is a stretch, Usualy people using EEG to control a virtual object have to imagine a ficticious scenario, or use some sort of euphamistic thought to control the object, they cant just think "blob move left" because that doesnt usualy work.

[strike105x]

Pretty much this is my opinion on the motion detection/controllers: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/1838-E3-2010

[JimboUK]

Pretty much this is my opinion on the motion detection/controllers: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/1838-E3-2010

 

I was going to post that link, I couldn't agree with him more. With any luck these will bomb. The install base for just the console is always going to be larger than the install base for the console+add on, as a developer where would you put your development money?