Will Wii MotionPlus be the huge success Pachter predicts?
The Wii MotionPlus peripheral is due for release on June 8, less than a month away. This little device, which attaches to the end of the Wii remote, aims to turn the currently inaccurate Wii motion controls into a 1:1 spot-on control system. Analysts think it’ll sell extremely well but will it be the boost the Wii seems to need at the moment?
MotionPlus was announced almost a year ago, at E3 2008. At the time, Nintendo released the following statement about how it would change gaming on the Wii.
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.
It sounds good, which coming from me is saying something. I have been unequivocal in my dismissal of the Wii as a short-lived fad which really doesn’t live up to the praise heaped upon it in the last two years. But despite this, it’s managed to sell extremely well, and the MotionPlus could be about to help it along even more.
The release of the MotionPlus comes at a time when there are signs the incredible success could be coming to an end. Sales of the Wii are in Japan, Europe, and the U.S., so this add-on peripheral and the games shipping with it could be a Godsend.
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter is certainly confident that MotionPlus will be a big hit, recently telling Edge:
I think around 20 percent of Wii owners in the US and Europe will have bought Wii Sports Resort, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 or EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis, [which will come bundled with the Wii Remote add-on], so that’s around 8 million. I think another 2 million will buy MotionPlus with new consoles.
I expect MotionPlus to be a sneaky success (like Wii Fit), and ultimately attach to at least one third of the [Wii's] installed base.
EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich thinks it’ll take a little longer for MotionPlus to hit the 10 million-sales mark but get there it will. It’s important also to remember that the peripheral won’t be backwards-compatible, only working with games released with it in mind.
I certainly believe, as do the analysts, that MotionPlus will sell extremely well to those who already own Wii’s. However, I’m not sure if it’ll be the push necessary to persuade those who haven’t yet invested in the console to part with our hard-earned cash. I suspect many people will wait to see just how good it is and what games make full use of it before deciding.
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11 Responses to “Will Wii MotionPlus be the huge success Pachter predicts?”
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May 17th, 2009
Good work Dave!!
The Wii is a fad and the PS3 will take over any time now.
May 17th, 2009
“but will it be the boost the Wii seems to need at the moment?”
Ahhh, comedy gold…
/me will be waiting for a good game that uses it (and not some ‘sports’ tosh).
May 17th, 2009
This might just be the boost Wii needs to get out of 3rd place this generation. We all know that spot = doom.
May 17th, 2009
I welcome any sort of improvement to the Wii’s clumsy control system they currently have. I am tired of getting beaten by my 6 year old nephew when I know I am a bowler than him. Little bastard….
May 17th, 2009
Little to Shane Warne here…
May 17th, 2009
Barnabee’s take on Wii motion Plus:
Nintendo:
Hey Wii fans, are you tired of the broken, non-responsive controls that the Wii offers? Well you’re in luck because here’s Wii Motion Plus. Finally the Wii will have motion controls that actually work. Please go out and buy this additional peripheral that we bundled with a shitty game. Oh by the way, Wii Motion Plus is not backwards compatible, so our back catalog of games from the last few years, will all remain the same with horrible, broken, non-responsive controls.
Sheepeople:
Wow! Nintendo is great! This is so innovative and amazing! I’ll buy 5!!… wait no, I’ll buy 10!!
*Wii Motion Plus goes on to sell millions*
Barnabee:
WTF? Why weren’t the Wii’s controls good to begin with? Why should people have to go out and buy something additional and that’s not backwards compatible? Nintendo is destroying gaming and cashing in every step of the way. It’s sickening.
Stay tuned for Barnabee’s rant on “New Play Control†games. –spoiler: it’s pretty much the same shtick.
May 17th, 2009
Something else to think about… think of a triple A PS2 game. Any game will do, but for example let’s say MGS3. The game was released in 2004. Now fast forward to 2009, how many Wii games are of the same caliper as MGS3? None? Why is that?
May 17th, 2009
haha god bless Warnie….
May 18th, 2009
What does Motion Plus do anyways i won’t bother searching for it. Wii is so damn unexplainable.
May 18th, 2009
Ivan, it’s supposed to make the Wii’s motion controls more responsive. It’s only $20, but it’s not backwards compatible, and there are only about 5 games as of now that are planning on supporting it.
My point is, why weren’t the Wii’s controls good to begin with? Also this should be bundled with Wii’s now. It’s not really fair that they expect people to go out and buy it.
May 20th, 2009
If you don’t like it then don’t buy it. Plain and simple Barnabe.