Nintendo / How does it work? There’s very little mystery here, MotionPlus adds a gyro to the Wii Remote, allowing it to be accurately tracked 1:1. The lengths to which Nintendo went to achieve the level of accuracy and sensitivity they wanted can be read about in an Iwata interview with his engineers. It explains that the gyro outputs data in two modes, one that is very sensitive to small changes, and one that can measure very large changes in rotation. This means in theory that the controller should be able to replicate a paint brush that uses small, delicate strokes as well as act as a sword that uses hard fast swings.
Sony’s demonstration of its controller’s sub mm accuracy was very effective – technically those same things should be achievable with MotionPlus; the lack of a webcam is not a hindrance in this respect. The fact that Nintendo’s solution lacks a webcam though means there’s no way for the player to be captured and placed inside a game. Even if Nintendo were to use the DSi’s camera in this fashion, the Wii Remote contains a camera at the front and not a distinctive light source, therefore tracking the Wii Remote and placing a virtual object in the gamer’s hand would be almost impossible. MotionPlus can make use of the existing IR pointer and Nunchuk.
Pros
+ Much like Sony’s technology, MotionPlus provides data directly about the position of the gamer’s hand. There’s no fancy recognition and detection going on here of 2D and 3D data like in Microsoft’s solution, so the potential for errors is far less. It’s proven and reliable.
+ Ironically, because MotionPlus can make use of the Nunchuk’s analogue stick and the IR pointer, it makes it more suited to traditional games than either of its two competitors. Despite its sensitivity to lights and distance, the IR pointer has become a very strong feature in many traditional games. Additionally the Nunchuk provides players with direct control over their character that would be very hard to mimic with just a motion controller. The design is typical Nintendo, in that it has the capability to satisfy all types of gamers, whereas Sony and Microsoft seem to have conceived of their devices primarily for the expanded audience.
+ Software support already looks strong from both Nintendo and 3rd parties.
Cons
- The biggest flaw with MotionPlus is the lack of a webcam. Being able to see yourself inside a game holding different virtual objects has huge potential for both Sony and Microsoft. For the expanded audience in particular it would seem to have enormous appeal. Due to the design of the Wii Remote, simply adding a webcam to the Wii Sensor Bar would not be enough to implement this feature either. Miyamoto must be particularly envious.
- Having seen Microsoft’s Natal, MotionPlus begins to look rather unambitious in comparison. The addition of a gyro, no matter how well implemented, seems like a fix to the original Wii Remote design rather than a real jump in technology after E3. Nintendo are in danger of becoming the laggards in the space where they were once the innovators, and it’s tough to see how a Vitality Sensor can overcome this.
