Poll: Where do you stand on Motion Controls in Games?

[Helmutye]

I just can't understand the hatred that motion controllers inspire in people. If you don't like them, you don't have to use them

Really? I don't have to use them?

So I can play MadWorld or Red Steel 2 with a Classic Controller instead of the WiiMote?

Fun fact: The Wii is the only console on the market right now with motion control, and 99.9% of it's games require it, so I'm really confused as to where you got that "you don't have to use them" idea.

I think we have a misunderstanding here. I understand that almost all of the Wii games require the Wii-mote. What I'm saying is that there are tons of games on the market for other systems that use normal controllers. If you don't like motion controllers, then get one of those other systems and play with a normal controller. Considering that motion control is kind of the Wii's thing, if you don't like motion controls then you probably won't like the Wii. But what I'm trying to say is that it's pretty weird to be making sweeping statements about the objective inferiority of something that is really a matter of personal preference. I really enjoy the Wii's motion controls. If you don't, then you probably shouldn't play Wii.

At present, I have 88 Wii games, and there is only ONE that even remotely begins to come close to that "works wonderfully for" notion - Wii Sports Resort. And even that game still botches it here and there. Red Steel 2, the game that was really supposed to show off the new WM+ motion control is a mess and just leaves me screaming "why the hell can't I just use a regular f'in controller". But damn near every Wii game leaves me screaming that.

You have 88 Wii games? I didn't realize that there WERE 88 Wii games. I have 9. I enjoy some of them, and others I'm not so hot on, but I don't think it's the controls that turn me off to the games I don't like. They're just not very good games. But why the heck would you spend the money to buy 88 games when you seem to hate the system so much?

Regardless, the big fundamental problem of motion control has yet to be resolved and never will be. 1-to-1 Feedback. Bowling requires one to have a mass the weight of a bowling ball in their hand to know how hard to throw the f'in thing. Tennis requires the impact of the ball against the racket to know how hard to hit the f'in thing. Cannoeing requires you to feel the resistance of the water against the paddles so you know what angle to twist the f'in thing. Etc., etc., etc..

I guess I'm just not expecting a game system to be a substitute for actually doing those activities. I don't think the Wii is setting out to fool people into thinking they're actually doing those things. It's just a fun way to simulate it. Bowling and Tennis and Canoeing are pretty gimmicky, I admit, but do you really hold those games to that kind of standard? The point of those games is to look at the cartoony graphics, do something that makes you look silly, and have a good laugh! It just sounds pretty grouchy to be seriously marking it down because you can't feel realistic tennis ball impact or because the controller can't simulate the way a real canoe paddle feels. Do you complain about the Modern Warfare games if they don't realistically distinguish between the firing climb of the AK-47 and the AKM in automatic fire mode? If you want that kind of realism, then you should actually go play tennis or go canoeing. I'm pretty sure that if you can afford 88 Wii games you can manage a tennis racket or a canoe rental.

For other, less gimmicky games, it simply becomes a matter of ease. You seem to have a strong negative opinion of Resident Evil 4, but it serves as a good example for. When I played the original version it never really clicked for me, at least partially because I couldn't get very good accuracy with a normal control and the analog sticks. But when I played the Wii version I was actually able to aim the gun intuitively, and before I knew it I was managing really good accuracy. I would say that for the over the shoulder shooter style of game the Wii motion control is a very elegant and efficient control scheme. Even the quick time events were easier. I can never keep the button symbols and colors straight, and so on Xbox and Playstation controllers I am always slow reacting even if I perceive what is going on. But with the Wii the distinction is much more intuitive to me--right hand, left hand, and direction.

A lot of people seem to think that motion controls must be immersive and more realistic to be worth it. In many cases I simply find them to be more efficient and straight forward.

Motion Control is just gimicky BS that only moderatly works for a very isolated set of game types. It is not appropriate and does not/will not work for everything. The Wii has only been proving that fact for nearly 4 years now.

I don't think motion control will work for everything or everybody. But I think it works well for some things, and a lot of people seem to enjoy it, myself included. You don't need to be so dismissive or sneering.

 

[illas]

Really? You cant think of any way to create feedback? Now I know this sounds unreasonable but how about using magnetic fields to at least create resistance if it cant stop movement. If you strategically place magnets on a persons body and then use some strategically placed electromagnets to create a magnetic field in the right place you could possibly use it to create a feedback.

I just came up with that off the top of my head I'm sure there could be better ways. At least try to think of something before claiming its impossible.

I think if motion controls would have some kinetic feedback and were accurate enough they could be great.

Solenoids of the potency that you are talking about would provide a sufficiently dense electro-magnetic field to render any non-LCD televisions near-inoperative, and make it all but impossible to save any data to a hard-drive.
Oh, and magnets of the required potency attached to the user would be quite likely to engender massive headaches and fatigue.
I apologize for the pedantry, but I'm trying to convey the lengths that developers would have to go to in order to make kinetic feedback work.

With that said, I also apologize for using the word "impossible". Furthermore, I agree with your final point: were motion controls perfectly implemented they would be a positive thing: the problem is that games developers seem to be using them as a gimmick, and not a means of player integration.