When we visited Razer to check out their new Xbox 360 controller and headset, there was another little surprise waiting for us. Above is the Sixense TrueMotion device, a motion control system for PC users. Using a magnetic field with a diameter of twelve feet to track position, it offers precision within 1 mm.
The first use of the device we were shown was a simple 3D modeling environment. Using the two wands, a representative was able to move objects, cut them into pieces and scale their size. While that’s all well and good, I’m here to see games damn it.
Which is why, thanks to a partnership with Valve, Sixense also had a customized version of Left 4 Dead 2 running on another machine. In this example, the remotes performed actions based on the context of the equipped items. With melee weapons, it removed the ability to look up and down in favor of manipulating the weapon while firearms used a more point-and-click approach. Grenades were thrown by making a throwing motion over the head, etc.
The technology behind it is a lot more impressive than what we’ve seen on the Wii and, I dare say, even intrigues me more than the offerings from Sony and Microsoft. What I have a hard time imagining is the PC gaming crowd actually embracing the controller. With the way they tend to sneer at console gamers, trying to push a control method which comes from that market may be a serious uphill climb.
