E3 2008: Nintendo Wii MotionPlus makes Wii Remote more accurate

Wow, E3 has only just begun, and already we have our first surprise announcement. Nintendo have unveiled the new MotionPlus controller for the Wii, which turns the standard, run of the mill, Wii remote in to a more accurate motion-sensing device.

This is a surprise for two reasons: the timing, just before the Microsoft press conference, and the fact that no-one seemed to know anything about it before Nintendo issued the press release. Which is a rarity these days in the games industry. We’ve certainly been hearing speculation about both Sony and Microsoft’s big announcements at E3 for months, but Nintendo seems to have kept a few things up their sleeve.

First the timing, which coincided with the start of the Microsoft press conference at E3 2008. Whether Nintendo was expecting some sort of motion-sensing controller for the Xbox 360 to be announced isn’t known, but if the company has listened to the same rumours we’ve been hearing for months, that is entirely possible. Either way, Nintendo clearly didn’t want to wait until its own press conference on Tuesday to unveil the new MotionPlus add-on peripheral.

There is likely to be much more detailed information revealed about the Wii MotionPlus tomorrow, including a few games which are going to utilise it. But for now, Nintendo has been happy to just get the basic knowledge out there, with this press release, courtesy of Kotaku:

Nintendo’s upcoming Wii™ MotionPlus accessory for the revolutionary Wii Remote™ controller again redefines game control, by more quickly and accurately reflecting motions in a 3-D space. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion.

Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo’s commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone. Nintendo will reveal more details about the Wii MotionPlus accessory and other topics Tuesday morning at its E3 media briefing.

Which is basically saying that as good as the Wii Remote is, it can be, and now has, been improved upon. A true 1:1 response for game play should make a hell of a difference for some games, meaning that bitter losers can no longer blame their equipment.

Unless of course, only one of the two players has the add-on, and an obvious advantage. Nintendo are very clever though, as I can see almost everyone who regularly uses the Wii Remote buying one of these so as not to be left behind. Which means even more money in the bank for the Japanese gaming giants.

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• MotionPlus not Wii exclusive – technology to move to PS3, Xbox 360?
• Nintendo Wii Remote strap lawsuit – How stupid are these people?