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Study reveals how gamers expect the Wiimote to perform |
Listed in: Wii Tags: motion-sensing, Wiimote
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We have heard (or read) varied gamer comments about the Wiimote's performance, and its certainly good to know that some people cared to check out how gamers actually expect Nintendo's Wiimote to perform.A consultant from Serco Usability Services conducted an in-depth study of the Wiimote, and reveals something quite interesting: despite the novelty and innovation granted by the motion-sensing controller, gamers unconsciously expect it to function like the more conventional controllers.
The study revealed that gamers had a tendency to use the Wiimote and the Nunchuck more or less the same way they used other controllers, just chopped in half. The Nunchuck, held in the left hand, acted as the left part of the chopped analog controller, while the Wiimote acted as the right half. The study explained that gamers already had controller expectations ingrained into their brains, after having gone through various controller incarnations sporting more or less the same button layout.
For instance, the study noted that gamers expect the Nunchuck stick to be used as a replacement to the analog stick of more conventional controllers, the means of navigation through the game. On the other hand, the Wiimote's cross - the button that looks and acts like a D-pad - is positioned to be used in the right hand, making it a good trigger for attack mechanisms or to access inventory. The Wiimote cross' positioning makes it a bit awkward to be used as a D-pad, unless the Wiimote is used horizontally.
The study showed that unconventional use of the controller oftentimes disorients the gamer. In Red Steel, for instance, the game requires the Wiimote to be "wiggled" to open doors, instead of an easier (and normal) push of a button. The study asserts that such controller functions are not as intuitive as Nintendo may claim the Wiimote to be, and game designers should focus on making the controls natural and simple to further enhance gaming experience.
Game designers opting to create Wii games should pause and take a look at Serco's research. The study does make for an interesting read; do check it out when you have the time.
Check out the entire results of Serco's study at the Read Link!
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I've never seen a game that utilized the controller in truly ingenius way. Mostly developers tack on crappy uses to say they've added "Wiimote functionality". Like in the Wii Tomb Raider games, when you have to hold the Wiimote horizontally and pull down switches etc.. that's so lame.
On top of that, the motion sensing technology is far too new and was not ready for the market. Nintendo jumped the gun. Watching the Wiimote cursors on the screen, aside from being occlusive and distracting, jiggle and quiver all over the screen as though the player has Parkinsons Disease.
Its 100% lame.
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Simple sports games are the easy argument here, as bowling and Tennis can be horribly addictive with friends. Sure, Wii Sports is too simplified and gets old by yourself quickly, but once we see some really good 3rd part games master the same motions for those types of games...wow. The unfortunate part is that many 3rd parties have yet to really figure out how the motions should work or make them too quickly to just try and get a game out there.
Sure, some of the stuff like what you mentioned in Tomb Raider seems sort of ridiculous, I'll admit. But just hitting a button is lame, too. Might as well try and make it more "interactive," as long as it works the way it should.
I don't understand what you mean by the cursors being distracting. Most of the time I don't even notice them except when I need to. Not to mention that in most games, you don't have to have the cursor on screen the majority of the time anyway.
Regardless of the problems it does suffer from, I don't think anyone can say that it's 100% lame. You can think it's lame all you want, but it works on many levels and opens up plenty of doors for the future of gaming.
If it were truly 100% lame, I don't think it'd be outselling all other consoles. I also think that each Wii would spend more than a only a few hours on store shelves if it were truly lame.
But hey, if you really don't like it, then don't like it. But the masses speak volumes. All consoles have crappy games with crappy controls and tacked on features - not just the Wii. And some people just don't like change, but that is their fault, not anyone else's.
No matter how you look at it, the system is selling well, people enjoy it, and has plenty of good games, with more to come. Must be something there that makes people want it.
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But it gets neglected in places where it could actually come in handy like some of the puzzles in resident evil 4.
Warioware shows that this controller can be used in many different situations using its motion sensor its just not being utilized properly
i think the best its got is you can wiggle it to attack... and thats it.
if nintendo pulled their finger out and released actual games worth motion sensor (like condemned, hint hint) then maybe we'd see it in a different light
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For RPG games, this could translate into a very interesting spell casting system: when you learn a new spell, you take a minute to "learn" the spell by performing the desired action several times as seen in AI-Live! This would be quite neat because imagine a Potter game in which the casual gamers only have to point at an object, and lift both the wiimote and nunchuck to perform wingardium leviosa , but the hardcore gamers could perfom the "swish and flick" moation!
That's what I see hapenening in the future. It would be way more realistic!
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playing madden on the wii is better then just pushing bottons on a controller the wii wins
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Just because they can do something dosn't mean they should. They shouldn't just "throw" things in to look innovative, if the Wii becomes the best selling console by far, more dev's will make games on it and can make "normal" games without putting cheap Wiimote controls as a gimmick.
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Nothing new would ever be created if manufacturers were worried about making the new product work the same way as the old one.
So the study says Wii Sports tennis for example would use the nunchuck to move the player and buttons to hit the ball. Again, what's the point? We've had games like that for decades now, and the Wii version is the simplest, yet by far the most entertaining of all.
If someone is expecting controles that they are used to, they shouldn't even bother with the Wii. There are other options, what makes the Wii unique are the controls, that are different.
And you know what? My brain didn't have to adapt to it. I play tennis and bowling in real life. So my brain is prepared to act same way as the real sport. I compare the Wii Sports to the real sports, not to other videogames.
The study was probably made based on current videogame players. That is just plain wrong. I hadn't played videogames regularly for at least 7 years before the Wii came out. The reason why it's so good is that it doesn't feel like a videogame at all.
Now why don't they make another study? Get 2 groups of people who have never played a videogame on their lives. Now give one group a Wii and the other group a PS3 or X360. Then after that ask them what feels more natural.
Here everyone plays my Wii. My parents, my boss, my sister-in-law, and neither had any "hardcore" experience with previous consoles. And they went to the game, without needing several minutes to understand and get used to a complicated button layout.
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