Molyneux: Motion Control Going to Make Devs “Sweat”

Peter Molyneux has said that motion controls may make ‘œdesigners sweat’ because of the change in interfaces. Speaking in an interview with Eurogamer, Molyneux stated that because they’re no longer thinking in terms of buttons, the idea of developing for Natal or Move is making them ‘œbleary eyed’.

Molyneux told Eurogamer in the same interview that ‘œevery rule we’ve got, we’re having to throw away’ because of the new platforms being pushed on to developers. He said that faces, arms and legs were the new control mechanism for developers to use, obviously creating a totally different type of development environment.

He also said that the initial generation of titles ‘œ[won't] be what you expect’ because of developers needing time to get used to the system. ‘œJust as with every hardware chain, it’s the second wave where they usually come up with stuff that’s interesting.’ While Molyneux isn’t saying that the initial Natal or Move games will be rubbish, it’s a fair assessment to say that they’re not going to be the best that the new control scheme can offer.

Personally, Sony’s Move looks interesting but I’m not really convinced. To me, this all seems like a push forward that isn’t needed. The Wii has offered motion control for a long time now and while it hasn’t won over the hardcore group, normal people have rushed to it. It appears Sony and Microsoft has seen this reaction and has decided to get with their own add-ons. While some of Sony’s Move does look impressive, I keep asking myself why wouldn’t I just use a controller? What benefit does motion control give me? I don’t want gimmicks like waggling your pad around to reload, I want the precision.

We’ll have to see how Sony and Microsoft market their respective motion devices, but I imagine a huge focus will placed on normal people, rather than core gamers, despite Sony’s suggestions. In turn, this could result in a focus by developers on the casual gamer as well, with a situation similar to the Wii where games are just thinly veiled inputs for the controller’s motion sensors. I’m not suggesting this will absolutely happen, or that every developer will suddenly start making fitness games. I’m saying there’s a threat which could reduce the quality of titles because of the inclusion of motion control, with an attempt to appeal to everybody and thus no-one.

Via: Develop