Move Over

I hate to break it to you but Sony’s crack at building a motion-sensitive controller is dead before birth. You’ll also be sad to hear about the Wii’s slow but steady death. Natal is about to take over that market. And there’s no doubt about it. Microsoft’s Xbox console is on a winning streak and for one good reason. It attacked an existing market but introduced original ideas. Fortunately for Microsoft those ideas just happened to be very good ones…

Why do I think Natal will conquer PlayStation Move and walk all over Nintendo’s pioneering motion-sensitive gaming technology? I need not lay out consumer statistics or market research to prove a point. Just take a look at the gadgets’ specifications down on paper. As was the case with Windows 7 less is more. Notice how there is no controller required with Natal whereas both Nintendo and Sony force buyers into flailing around a plastic rod of some kind.

Whenever I ask someone which games console they prefer and their answer is Nintendo’s I ask them how they feel about the annoyance of having to recharge batteries. No sooner do I mention this point than they begin leaning towards the Xbox. But there’s a catch. They enjoy flailing their arms around instead of sitting on the couch exercising their thumbs and nothing else. And that’s where Microsoft comes in.

If you know someone like this who wants the Wii’s motion-sensitive technologies but can’t stand the battery issues the chances are they’ll end up buying Natal. Why? Because there are no controllers you have to recharge. You just have your arms and legs. Some things will be achievable with a simple voice command. No batteries required. And that is why Natal is on a winning streak while Nintendo and Sony waver in Microsoft’s Xbox-shaped dust.

Let’s put this into a real-world perspective. At the moment consumers expect Natal and Move to be released simultaneously during the festive season of 2010. Put yourselves into the shoes of a child of teenager hearing about the news of these two new revolutionary products. Will they want handheld wands topped by luridly-coloured plastic balls? Or does a camera which picks up arm and leg movements, facial motion and voice commands sound better. Easy choice.

So parents will see Natal at the top of their child’s Christmas wishlist. Across the world Natal will worm it’s way into homes while Sony stands and watch Move fade. I don’t own any consoles so you can’t accuse me of being biased. This is truly what I think is going to happen.

I nevertheless find myself hoping that the Wii doesn’t die completely because Nintendo did something to the gaming industry most softcore gamers thought could never happen. The Wii made gaming fun again. For so long realism and violence had completely taken over the entire realm of gaming but the Wii’s stint has so far lowered the bar on graphics expectancy. Nintendo proved that you don’t need stunning detail or a barrage of weapons to make gaming fun.

That’s a truly admirable achievement. The Wii’s family-friendliness will keep it going for a long time after Natal hits the shelves but Nintendo will have to struggle to keep some of the spotlight focused on their little white box. And who knows? Nobody can truly say that somewhere deep inside Nintendo’s labs there are a group of developers and engineers working on a technological advancement to outdo Natal. Things are really beginning to heat up…

Comment your thoughts below.

By Steve.