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The Wii MotionPlus, the soon to be released Wii Remote accessory that promises almost 1:1 motion detection, could convince hardcore gamers who have previously overlooked Nintendo’s console to take the plunge, according to EA.
Speaking to VideoGamer.com at a press event for the upcoming EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis (a hands-on preview of which you’ll find here) and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, both of which will be compatible with the Wii MotionPlus, EA Sports senior product manager Oliver Hughes said that playing Wii MotionPlus-compatible sports games will appeal to people who know how to play the sport they’re based on as well as hardcore gamers.
“It will probably appeal to two people,” he said. “One) people who know about how to play the sport, and two) probably the more core gamer that maybe wasn’t playing so much on the Wii. It could bring a whole new audience of people to the Wii where they’ll get the level of experience they expect.”
The general perception is that Nintendo has left hardcore gamers out in the cold with its family-friendly, party game-focused Wii. Many third-party Wii action games suffer from control issues because developers are asking the motion sensing technology to do too much.
When asked if the Wii MotionPlus might convince core gamers who have overlooked the Wii to take the plunge, Hughes replied: “It might do. It certainly adds an extra level of depth to the control mechanism. Certain action games may have struggled before because there’s too much going on. Maybe now it’ll be able to handle that. I can see a whole host of people coming to the Wii who haven’t played the Wii before.”
The Wii MotionPlus, according to Hughes, will improve the Wii’s level of control to the degree that it will help budding sportsmen learn the sport the game they’re playing is based on, like some people believe Rock Band and Guitar Hero can help you learn the drums.
He said: “Although it’s not 100 per cent authentic to the real thing it certainly would help you, where Rock Band has helped you build up your rhythm. There’s no way that playing that game could possibly make your swing worse than it may have already been. So if you’re always hitting the ball to the right maybe you now know, well that’s why! My wrists are crossing too much. You’ll get that feedback from the game.”
What do you think readers? Will the Wii MotionPlus convince you to buy a Wii? Let us know in the comments section below.
