Is an Xbox 360 version of the Wii Remote being developed?
By Dave Parrack
The success of the Nintendo Wii has surprised everyone so far, including Nintendo and its console making rivals Sony and Microsoft. It seems that Microsoft are so jealous of the amount of consoles that Nintendo is shifting, it has decided to copy the Wii remote for use on the Xbox 360.
We all know that compared to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, the Wii is underpowered, and graphically inferior. What sets it apart from the competition however, and has helped it sell in such huge quantities, is the control method.
The Wii Remote is indeed a genius innovation, and means that the cartoony graphics, and lack of features on the Wii don’t actually matter. It appeals to a whole new set of consumers, those who have never picked up a games controller in their life.
So it’s not really any surprise to see that Microsoft are going to attempt to steal some of the ingenuity from the Wii, and use it for its own end on the under performing (in recent months at least) Xbox 360.
A source has reportedly told MTV News that a Wii style Remote controller is being developed for the Xbox 360, of which this is an artists impression:
The source claims that Rare, the Microsoft owned developer, has been busy working on the top secret project since last August, though it’s taking longer to get right than first expected.
As you can see from the sketch, it looks almost identical, both in design and functionality, to the current Wii Remote, although a microphone is thought to be meant for inclusion.
MTV’s source said:
“They want the usual assortment of ‘Halo’/ ‘Gears’/ ‘Forza’/ whatever, just in waggle form,”
“The whole thing is a colossal clusterfuck. [Microsoft] marketing just want it so they can match the Wii point for point. The biggest parts of their marketing materials outline how easy it would be for third parties to port their Wii games to the 360.”
This would certainly make sense, as the Xbox is currently losing sales month on month to the PS3. Giving it some broader appeal with the aid of a motion sensor detecting controller could well help reverse that trend.
We’ve already seen how Microsoft have tried to muscle their way on to Nintendo’s patch in terms of price with the Arcade pack, and this just adds further weight to that trend.
This is of course just a rumour at present, and Microsoft refused to comment on the speculation, but I wouldn’t bet against this being officially announced by the end of the year.
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April 8th, 2008
About now Microsoft will try anything to sell more Xbox 360 consoles by all means necessary even if is copying a rival wacky ugly boring geeky controller like Wiimote. How low can Microsoft get i guess real low they got no pride. PLAYSTATION 3 is gonna big the only big winner in the end.
April 8th, 2008
Oh no, lord help us all. Jeeze MS, chart your own course, stop following the wake of other more successful consoles.
No doubt the xbox zealots will eat this up and claim it to be innovation.
April 8th, 2008
Ivan_PSP, if memory serves, the PS3 controller received the ‘guide’ button in the middle of the controller after the 360 one was out. So PS3 aren’t exactly innocent in the copying of ideas area.
April 8th, 2008
I’m sick of Microsoft. The Elite console tried to match the PS3, and now I can see an arcade bundle with the new “360mote” trying to steal the Wii’s thunder… I don’t mind the Xbox 360, but Microsoft’s blatant attempt at copying the other consoles is just plain cheap.
@winner, if memory serves, the Xbox received its DVD drive, button layout (4 shoulder buttons, d-pad, 2 analog sticks, 4 face buttons and select & start), controller shape, and many other such things after the PS2 was out… I think out of all the “borrowed ideas” Xbox is the worst.
April 9th, 2008
@winner, If memory serves, the psp had the ‘guide’ button long before the 360 ever released, aka, ‘home’ button. Therefor, it’s hard to copy an idea you already implemented years ago is it not?
April 9th, 2008
btw, I wasn’t trying to be rude, you are right, All of the corporations steal/copy, I just thought I would bring to light what a poor example that was you mentioned. No offence.
April 9th, 2008
Microsoft still needs one more thing to steal the Wii’s glory–more casual games
April 10th, 2008
Microsoft is only taking lessons from Sony who is the king of copy. The only original ldea that exsist in the PS3 is the Bluray player and the Cell. Everything else is a copy. I’m looking forward to this as I think it will be great for shooters. When in Rome do as the Romans do. Congrats to Nintendo for being original but they should have had Hi-Def Games.
April 10th, 2008
CDA,
Blu-Ray functionality and the Cell processor are the crux of everything the Playstation 3 IS. So what exactly did Sony copy? A wildly different gyroscopic motion sensor that they patented in 2001? ANYTHING else?
Your claims are baseless. Imagine if someone accused of Microsoft of copying their controller design off of the DualShock controller. What would you think about that? I think you and I both know that Microsoft simply tried to make the most practical and ergonomic controller that they could, but the similarities between it and the DualShock are definitely there. Does that mean the copied the idea? And if not, why do you accuse Sony of copying ideas that are not nearly as similar?
Rock on, and keep gaming alive.
-Arvis
April 11th, 2008
seems silly, but the gamers seem to love the wii controller. maybe ms is on to something. altho, i have to admit, i see the wii’s success more in the software than the hardware. bah..i’m sure someone will buy it. it sure is funny watchin you younger gamers twist history. Sorry ben, but “the duke” on the xbox was released after many, many designs on feedback from focus groups. the design had NOTHING to do with the ps2. If the console was to be like the ps2, they would have removed the harddrive and two controller ports. if the controller was the same, the triggers wouldn’t be there and the sticks would not be offset. either way, count me out. I’m not waving my arms around for 10 hours during a halo marathon. bleh…
April 13th, 2008
@ Arvis
So what did Sony copy?
1. Hard Drive (Microsoft)
2. 4 Control ports (Microsoft or Nindendo)
3. Online (Microsoft Continued from Sega)
4. Music palyback (Microsoft)
5. Online store (Microsoft)
6. Arcade Titles (Microsoft)
7. Demos (Microsoft)
8. Online Donwloadable Movies/TV (Microsoft)
9. Stream content from your computer (Microsoft)
10. Achievements (Microsoft)
11. Motion Control (Nindendo)
12. USB Ports on consoles (Microsoft)
13. Home is a upgraded knock off of Nintendo’s Mii system (Nintendo)
14. DIVEX Support (Microsoft)
15. SD Card slots. OK I really don’t know this one but I’m going to say (Nindendo) Because history only shows that Sony has only thought about the disk drive. And yes I can eloborated if you need it.
You will find all of these things in Sony’s game consoles yet ironically they are not the originator of these ideas that have been put into their consoles. I know MS messed up with the RROD but the 3 year warrenty is great and RROD is becoming a thing of the past. When you look at that list tell me who has the gamer in mind and who is responsible for making the industry better with this generation of consoles doing things that have never been done before.
April 13th, 2008
Oh I forgot to add #
16. Downloadable content for games (Microsoft)
17. Parental Contorl (Microsoft)
April 14th, 2008
18. Controller Rumble (Microsoft)
April 14th, 2008
CDA (or CAD, whichever you are),
I’d really REALLY like to believe you are not serious with your list here. You did a great job of typing all of this out and everything, but the idea that Sony “copied” ANY of this from Microsoft is… well, it defies common sense.
Nothing listed here (outside of motion controls) is a unique feature, each being found (and applied to gaming) well before Microsoft put it into any console.
1. The PS2 had an HDD peripheral, built, patented, tested well before the release of the original Xbox. Common sense would dictate that this would be built-in in the next Playstation, especially if it is designed from the ground up to be a multi-media hub. So… not copied.
2. The first console to come complete with 4 control ports was Nintendo. So you could say Microsoft was the original “copier” of this idea. Not to mention that PS3 supports 7 controllers at a time. Again, no copying on Sony’s part.
3. I think you meant “Microsoft COPIED from Sega”, right? And even then, Sega was only implementing into a console what people had been doing on the PC for years. So, despite what you might think, Microsoft did not invent online gaming.
4. The PS1 had music playback and was the first console ever to have this function. Also, someone could argue that Microsoft “copied” music and movie playback from the Playstation 2.
5. Again, for a console built from the ground up to be a multimedia hub, an online store is a necessity, and would exist regardless of its existence in the 360. Online buying is as old as the Internet, so accusing either company of “copying” this concept it absurd.
6. Sony’s been offering classic games on the PSP well before the 360 was released.
7. Sony has been releasing game demos for its consoles since the PS1 via magazines and other media.
8. Another concept that Microsoft “copied” from the PC. Not to mention that this feature wasn’t implemented until well after Sony announced it for the PS3.
9. A feature arguably better on the PS3, especially considering it’s built-in Wi-Fi capability. You could say this is more of an “improvement” than it is a “copy”, especially considering (like this entire list) streaming from one piece of hardware to another is not a unique concept.
10. I’m lost here. How has Sony copied this? I have a PS3, but I don’t have an Achievements system. Am I missing something?
11. The Sixaxis uses a gyroscopic motion sensor, the Wiimote uses infrared. Wildly different technology. Not to mention Sony had a patent for a motion-sensing controller in 2001, years before Nintendo ever mentioned the idea.
12. The PSP was built with a mini-USB port years before the 360 was released. This would explain Sony’s use of USB in the PS3, considering all the integration between the two consoles.
Also, just for laughs, I could say Microsoft “copied” USB ports from PCs. Yes, it’s hilarious, I know. Like this entire discussion.
13. Besides customizable avatars, explain how Home is ANYTHING like “the Mii system.”
14. This is about where I began thinking that you really are joking and having a laugh at my expense. The PS3 is built to be able to run Linux. DivX support is/was a foregone conclusion the instant the PS3 was built.
15. I don’t think even YOU believe this one. The PS3 was built to be compatible with many different types of memory cards, including SD. Does this functionality appear on another console that I am unaware of?
16. Not a unique concept, PC games have had this for a long time.
17. Any machine capable of going online and/or downloading is required to have some kind of parental control. The PS2 had parental controls for the DVD player that was built into it. So, like with most of this list, Sony did it before Microsoft.
18. The first standard console video game controller to have built-in rumble functionality is the original DualShock… on the PS1. So… yeah, Microsoft actually DID copy this from Sony.
I don’t know why I bothered typing all of this out. Whether or not I did wouldn’t make your list any more or less ridiculous. But I sincerely hope that, somewhere deep down inside, you don’t REALLY believe that Sony copied any of these concepts, and especially not from Microsoft.
Believing that would be like, believing that Hery Ford “copied” his Model T from Volkswagen just because it was a vehicle that moved under its own power. Ridiculous.
It’s awesome that you and I have consoles that are even capable of all these things. I think that implementing these things into gaming consoles is smart, and a sign of progress for gaming in general.
-Arvis
April 15th, 2008
@ Arvis
Your not to bright are you. I’m talking about finding everythnig in a console. Not perpetuals, not magazaines. Of course you will find some of these things in all 3 consoles but Sony did not do it first and that is my point. The HDD was not built in the PS2 it was a memory card you had to buy to save games. for online I said continued from sega. Learn to read. Your probably right about music playback but it was not in game music playback. As for the store the demos the arcade being all in the console. No generation of consoles are doing what this generation is doing. 360 had a 1 year start and the rest scrambled to get in line. Because they just couldn’t come out with only a game system which is what all previous consoles were before. Yes Downloads were on PC but 360 was the first console to do it. 360 has tons of demos to try. WI-Fi they probably bit from Nintendo. 360 should have implemented it but hard line is always best for online. The achievements are coming but that will probably come with HOME. Motion control is still a bit from Nintendo it is still the same idea. The 360 is getting it so I’m glad. if you don’t understand how HOME is a bite of the MII, Your really an idiot. I did give credit to Nintendo for the SD card slot so like I said befor learn to read. I may not be rignt about rumble but I am not sure.
June 5th, 2008
I laughed to at CAD’s stupid post..
Anyway, eXbox fanboiz can never be reasoned with, they are uber cool, know more than anyone and believe Microsoft is the best for anything.
Arvis, you are 100% correct, but dum dum CAD wouldnt agree because his pride is on the line because he forked out $$ for a console (xbox) that is competing with a last gen console (PS2) while the true next gen machine (PS3) is kicking azz.
I just couldnt have been bothered to spend so much time replying to idiot comments like his, because MS followers only belive in themselves.
CAD, swallow your pride, give away your exbox and buy a PS3, You wont be sorry & bitter & you might actually be happy.
June 16th, 2008
xekolate re paliogida NES rules xaxaxa