The “me too” peripherals aren’t even out on the market yet, but already the mud has been slung between Sony and Microsoft regarding Project Natal and the Sony Wiimote. Rob Dyer, the man who is putting my kid through college with his fanboy-bating statements, has claimed that Project Natal will not lead to much innovation, while the controller known right now as “Arc” will be the superior option.
“From Sony’s perspective, rather than go out and do a whole PR barrage to give everybody the ‘happy, happy, joy, joy’ news we’re going to show up and have a line-up of products to show people rather than having a lot of great statements to say, ‘This is what’s going to happen,'” said Dyer, mocking Microsoft’s marketing strategy. “So whether it’s at GDC or DPS (Destination PlayStation), and definitely at E3, you’re going to see – and I’ve seen it from both first- and third-parties – some really awesome products to support this. And rather than us go there and pat ourselves on the back, and send out press releases talking about this, we’re going to be Missouri; it’s going to be ’show me.’ And that’s the deal.
“From a third-party perspective it’s easier to develop for, you can use the same code base that you currently use for PS3 or 360 or even the Wii in order to get a motion controller game out. You can’t do that with Natal. You have to have a completely separate code base and my feeling is that we’re going to have a lot more games, a lot more innovation — particularly with the camera and the precision — versus what you’ll have with Natal or the Wii. We can all sit around here and debate that … but the fact is I’m not having any trouble getting third-party support.”
Dyer has a point. With the so-called Arc being little more than an evolved Wiimote, we at least have a precedent in place so we know that the system already works. Natal is totally new, and its chances at success right now are anybody’s guess. If it does fail, it will make all Microsoft’s bluster all the more embarrassing.
PS3’s Motion Control Approach: Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick [Industry Gamers via VG247]
