In motion: Nintendo Co. became the big dog in the console-game arena by never resting too much on its laurels and always trying to squeeze one more success or innovation out of its best achievements. (For some reason, the name "Mario" keeps coming to mind.)
Less than two years ago, Nintendo stood the world on its head when it released the Wii game console, featuring the revolutionary Wii Remote control wand. And early last week, Nintendo unveiled at the E3 Media and Business Summit in Los Angeles an eagerly awaited Wii accessory that will rumble even more ground for the remote.
The new Wii MotionPlus accessory connects to the end of the remote wand and looks like a natural extension to it. The MotionPlus boosts the accuracy of the Wii controller so that every movement a player makes with the wand is rendered identically on the screen. Sensors in the attachment supplement the accelerometer and sensor bar in the Wii Remote to provide a true 1:1 response in game play. So, if your tennis forehand sails long, or you hook your golf swing, the Wii will reproduce your errors in inglorious accuracy. What a wonderful concept. While the MotionPlus was unveiled with great fanfare last week, there is no word yet on pricing or a definite release date. www.nintendo.co.jp