Nintendojo askes the question: :So what is next after the Nintendo Wii?”ÂÂ
We all know that Nintendo is bringing us a magical and groundbreaking way of controlling video games with Wii’s freehand remote, and that it will forever change the way we interact with entertainment software. In fact, it’ll probably radically shift the market in ways that even I’ve never considered before.
You’re Absolutely Right
So, here’s the big stumper: Where do we go from here?
Uuuah?
What I’m trying to get at is, assuming that the people at Nintendo are as absolutely and totally correct as we know that they’re going to be, then what is the next step in the evolution of video games? Are we going to continue down the path of motion sensing, or is something else going to come along?
Looking at the differences between the past few hardware generations, it’s obvious that there hasn’t been much of a shift. The largest change was likely the shift from primarily digital to primarily analog-based control. While analog offers a 360-degree radius and varying levels of sensitivity, the truth is that it’s still a two-dimensional method of control.
“But, wait,” you say. “We play 3D games with analog sticks. How can you say it’s a 2D way of controlling games?”
That’s easy. How do you jump in Super Mario 64? With a button. If you have to use a button to perform a jump or similar action, then the control isn’t in full 3D. With the freehand remote, though, control is in true 3D, thanks to the sensor bar. It senses height, depth, and breadth, and can constantly track the relative position of the remote wherever it may be.
So, how does the next generation, meaning, the one after this one, start? I think the sensor bar itself is the key. Sure, we could start wearing gear and using Power Gloves to play everything, but, on a personal note, wearing a wired body suit or using a VR helmet doesn’t really appeal to me. Not to mention the fact that it would be prohibitively expensive.
But expanding the sensor bar’s function might not be. Sure, you’d probably need an extensive setup, but in the end, it would be less of a hassle than suiting up every single time you wanted to play Zelda. Plus, in theory, it could offer a full range of sensation for you entire body, without the need for a peripheral such as the Wii remote.
And, yes, we’d still be using TVs. You already know I’m not in favor of the visor, if for no other reason than it would make me look stupid, and fully-formed 3D holograms are probably still a little bit out of the price range for most American CEOs, let alone normal poor people who write columns for food.
This One Rates A Cheeseburger
Of course, I could be completely wrong on this one. How the future is shaped is in some way determined by how the general public responds to Wii.
—Hold on. I realize the way that was worded sounds like I’m not 100 percent sure that Nintendo will in every way dominate the next generation. What I meant was that it depends on whether the public loves Wii and wants to see even more new ways to control games, or whether the public loves Wii so much that it wants more of the same in the generation-after-next. Did that clear things up for you?
http://www.nintendojo.com/editorials/view_item.php?1157059977
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