MotionPlus - Too expensive for initial launch, too confusing for current market?
One of the most significant announcements to come out of Nintendo’s otherwise abysmal E3 press conference (and even this was announced before the conference) was the Wii MotionPlus. With this adapter, which attaches to the bottom end of the Wiimote, the controller will be capable of a 1:1 response to the user’s movement. Great, right? But there’s one nagging question about MotionPlus that was raised immediately after it was first announced: Why wasn’t this technology in the Wiimote from the beginning?As we’ve now learned, it all comes down to cost. Chatting with VentureBeat about the MotionPlus, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime explained that Nintendo was aware of the technology while designing the Wii but implementing it would have proven too costly for the business model Nintendo was looking to employ. “By waiting about three years, the costs come down substantially and it becomes a viable product,” he offered.
While it excites us to know the Wii will be capable of more precise controls, it’s difficult to avoid wondering if it was the right move to make. The MotionPlus will segment the Wii’s market and potentially cause confusion among the casual crowd — the same audience that Nintendo has to thank for returning it to the position of top dog in the videogame hardware biz.
