Now the answers you find below may very well shock the life out of you, so I’ve been urged to issue a warning. Caution: Do not read if you are a fanboy…or wait, yes..read this if you are a fanboy and forever put your hormonal teenage angst to rest. You see, this issue has been hotly debated and fanboys of each console have fumed and fussed that their proclaimed videogame messiahs were the first to bring motion control to the world.
It is true that in the world of gaming the line between fact, rumor, and fanboyism is very blurred and the purpose of this article is to set the record straight, and if you have a plausible argument feel free to post below. To make a long story very short, it’s all about giving credit where it is due, and the first statement to be said is that Microsoft does not deserve credit for “revolutionizing” motion control. I can see all you 360 fanboys getting their rage on, so before you attempt to write a furious comment below, take a look at this video:
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The Kinect is simply an improvement on something that was previously established: The Playstation 2 EyeToy. Now that being said, the Move does not escape scrutiny either , all ye Sony fanboys, because though it can credit the Eye Toy for it’s development, the Wii did enhance the motion control genre, proving that in its sales record and the audience it captured. Indeed, the Move owes a lot of its success to its Nintendo forerunner who oddly enough also bears a striking resemblance.
Now to lay the issue to rest, neither the EyeToy or the Wii and not even the Move or Kinect can take credit for the insurgence of motion control gaming on the industry. The true aboriginal motion control goes back 10 years before the EyeToy was ever seen on a drawing board, almost three decades before the Nintendo Wii came out, and well before “Project Natal”. The consoles were the Atari 2600 and Commodore 64. The peripheral was the Le Stick by Datasoft Inc, and check this it: it didn’t even require a power source!
With such a unique innovation, it’s surprising that the Le Stick was perceived by the market as nothing more than a novelty. The biggest fault was that no one, including DataSoft, designed any games catered to the Le Stick’s unique capabilities. Although it worked with most Atari 2600 and Commodore 64, the movements were limited to the same as a traditional joystick. This, combined with a high price tag due to expensive manufacturing costs, caused many curious customers to shy away from trying it out. –Source
I hope you enjoyed your history lesson folks..what an appropriate way to start off the new year; sticking it to the fanboys! Once again happy new year from us at TGF and here’s to a 2011 full of fun, prosperity, and peeved fanboys! 🙂
Edit: I did forget to mention Nintendo’s Power Glove, which came after the Le Stick…and then came all the others. Thanks Jay 🙂
