One of the questions that pops up on a regular basis in my head when I’m sitting around popping up questions in my head (usually Tuesdays and bank holidays) is why Wii MotionPlus is only an optional add-on instead of a new Wii Remote with the technology built in. Maybe that’s coming eventually, but for now the reasoning is that Motion Plus is simply a peripheral evolution for the Wii Remote, and not a new Wii Remote. This is according to the godfather of gaming, Shigeru Miyamoto, in a recent interview where he discussed why Motion Plus wasn’t around at the launch of the Wii and why it wasn’t coming as a controller on its own.
“It’s a continuous evolution. Not all the Wii software requires MotionPlus, so it is appropriate for us to position it as a peripheral. Also, it was not technically feasible for the technology to be realized with such a compact size. The fact we are now being able to sell MotionPlus at this price, at this size, is the result of technological advancements in the field of microelectro-mechanical systems, which took place after Wii launched,” the legend said.
Part of me is excited about the possibility of constantly new and evolving controls, and I think the Wii has shown that this approach can be viable, especially since Wii Motion Plus is damn awesome. It would indeed go along with Nintendo’s view that interaction is more important than advancing graphics. However, the other part of me doesn’t want to be buying a new attachment to my Wii Remote every year until the thing looks like one of those poles highwire acts use except with a nunchuk dangling off the end.
