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Posted By Robert G. about 9 months, 4 weeks ago
Jade Raymond
Many a hardcore gamer has scoffed at the idea of motion controls ever truly usurping the physical controller. Since the motion control craze kicked off on the Nintendo Wii, there has been increased attempts to penetrate the flooded market of casual gamer’s to try out the next dance or fitness craze. However, more “hardcore” titles with such capabilities are few and far between, and often it is an optional scheme that many never fully utilize.
Well, one of Ubisoft’s managing directors, Jade Raymond, is rather flabbergasted as to why. Raymond, the producer behind Assassins Creed and the upcoming Splinter Cell: Blacklist, believes that the full potential of motion controllers has not been tapped yet, and that the standard controller is a “huge barrier” that the gaming culture needs to overcome.
“I was a big Trekkie when I was a kid and I still have this dream that, ultimately, we’re going to end up creating the Holodeck – you know, totally immersive experiences. I still think one of the huge barriers is the controller, and even people who played games when it used to be just one big red button and a D-pad can’t play games now.
“You have to master face buttons, triggers and they all do different things,” she went on. “So obviously we’re never going to get to that really mass-market place where we’re touching a really broad audience with our messages with controllers, so Kinect and other more natural ways to interact with games are incredibly important. I think we can go further.
Should next generation consoles put still more emphasis on Kinect and other, pad-free interface tech? “I think they should, for sure, and I hope that we go beyond what we already have working and extend it even further. I think we saw some great changes with the Wii and a whole bunch of people playing games that hadn’t previously and I think we saw another step with Kinect.
Raymond does have a strong pedigree when it comes to serving up more “hardcore” titles since she began working with Ubisoft Toronto back in 2007. And while the idea of a controller may seem daunting to some casual fans out there, learning the controls, be it a simple, 2-button brick for a NES or a thumb-sticked sixaxis controller for the PS3 is still a fairly easy task for most.
In fact, Eric Kain of Forbes magazine is quick to call out his apparent displeasure with Raymond’s comments, in his article that (briefly) toys with the notion of game controllers being obsolete.
I understand the appeal of Kinect for people who want to play Zumba, or for kids who want to fly around a virtual Disneyland (and yes, this describes my family pretty well at the moment) but for hardcore games? For people like me who don’t play Disneyland games and are much too lazy for Zumba?
Call me skeptical, but what’s the real advantage for a Dark Souls fan? Or for someone who like Call of Duty? How will leaning my whole body enhance my gaming experience more than pressing the button that makes my character lean around a corner?
Am I just a Luddite?
This is always a possibility, I confess.
While oftentimes new tech excites and amazes me, just as often I look at the trajectory of technological innovation sans delight.
The truth of the matter is, there is no real right or wrong answer as to what what the future of game controllers will be. While Kain is far from achieving the coveted luddite status as he glibly questions, I also think he is quick to say no to new ideals as well. He may recognize that motion controls may work best with a certain style of game, but it doesn’t mean experimentation is not needed to further perfect motion and sensory controls.
Raymond is optimistic about the future of controllers, but likewise is quick to dismiss the power of a standard controller. Even on the Nintendo Wii, the only console where motion controls were touted as more than a gimmick, most games come with the option of the “classic” controller built-in. And in some cases, like Monster Hunter Tri, it’s almost necessary to use.
So for me, a stance of neutrality is pretty easy to make in this case. I feel that Raymond is quick to see the controller as a problem of archaic tech, while Kain is unfairly judging motion controls based on their current usage. Simply put, who knows what the future will bring. If we do move beyond the Kinect, the Wii, the Wii U and other forms of non-standard control schemes, then perhaps Kain is wrong in his assessment of what type of controls make a game better. But I wouldn’t be hesitant to say Raymond is incorrect about standard controllers, as they are always going to be refined and utilized in the future.
I have to be one to agree with the Egoraptor quote that was brought up also. People are not dumb. If kids nowadays can fully use a smartphone, they can handle a controller. A controller is an extremely easy thing to use for the majority of people out there. The Kinect has done nothing, but prove that it is a failed experience for practically everything but the kiddy casual experience. It works if you just want to jump around and be silly, or dance, but it simply doesn’t work for…not even gonna say hardcore, just straight up regular games. You’ll never see a Call of Duty or Assassins Creed that utilizes a Kinect type device to the same accuracy and feel you get with a controller or keyboard.
I think the lack of anything physical when it comes to a videogame creates the real barrier for a game. You have no feedback, you have nothing to grasp, nothing that makes you feel you are there. Even with my dislike of the Wii, at least with those sort of controls, you still at least have something to utilize.
The holodeck is a nice dream, but an entirely motion controlled, kinect-like, control scheme will never become the norm. I know for one that I don’t want to play every game running around, utilizing my whole body. If I want to pretend I’m shooting a gun, I’ll just go outside and freaking play Paintball lol
Its that such is being said from someone who’s working on games that in any way shape or form is even trying to utilize motion control is what makes it stupid.
It will never happen.
Why?
No one takes women seriously.
lol.. wow.. just.. wow.
Here’s the thing: we would need the intricacies of a holodeck in order to truly realize the potential of motion control. The problem is that most games are just far too complex or intricate for motion controls to be used effectively. Imagine having to play Skyrim or Mortal Kombat with just the Kinect; I would imagine that the motion controls themselves would present a huge barrier, as opposed to a standard controller which would allow for more capable controls. Simply put, motion controls can be a major barrier themselves in being able to play a game.
Dear Miss Raymond, This isn’t 2010 anymore.
I’m done with video games if this bitch has her way.
Calling her a bitch is not necessary. Keep it clean, please.
I guess some people will strongly disagree with me, but I’ll say it anyway.
I just HATE this casual gamer thing. Some say that it’s good, because it widens the games industry, and more stuff is developed, so it’s better for everyone to enjoy new titles and technologies.
But that’s not what happens.
Instead, people like this Raymond, lose focus on doing what WE want, and just focus on giving the casual gamer new toys to play with. No gamer really wants to jump around like a retarded monkey, we want to enjoy the game with precise controls.
I don’t even like the idea of controlling a game with brainwaves, it lacks the thrill of improving your dexterity to do something you can’t do.
actually i think a lot of people here would aggree with you, not disagree. I certainly feel this way.
Dearest Jade,
Motion controls ARE NOT precise..The technology is still in (relative) infancy and has been been proven only certain,casual gamer friendly games which have a simple control mechanic actually function well.Twitch based,reaction intensive games do not fare well.Motion controls do not allow full free movement so most open world/mmo’s/sandbox games would not function.Fighting games require complex motions to be performed,motion controls do not allow it presently.
“The Future is (not) Now.” (SNK NeoGeo reference!)
Yet.
What we all have to remember is that we’re gamers, and we’ve been doing these things for years. A controller -can- be a barrier to some people – my sister is a hardcore pc gamer, but give her a controller and she -still- sometimes has trouble with dual-analog-stick controls in first or third person games, and she still has to look at a controller to remember which button is which even though she’s been using the same controllers for a decade.
Give a controller like that to a non-gamer and they aren’t going to have a clue what to do with it. There’s a reason why all those people buying iPhone games aren’t moving on to consoles. Now, motion controls certainly aren’t the next step, and especially when they suck like they do now, but I do think they could be -a- step. Not for me – God, no, I fucking hate motion controls, I wouldn’t even buy a Wii. But they could be a good option for non-gamers to play games. We just have to hope people stop getting the stupid idea to replace one with the other.
‘You have to master face buttons, triggers and they all do different things,” she went on. “So obviously we’re never going to get to that really mass-market place where we’re touching a really broad audience with our messages with controllers’
If you’ll permit me to quote Egoraptor:
“[...] Video game developers assume the non-gaming masses are dumb, and they can’t identify simple patterns in their head like normal human beings can, and need to be able to do in order to… be.”
Oh, and like Futago said, you just don’t have as many options for controlling a game without a controller in your hands. I mean, think about it for one second: WHY do controllers have “so many buttons”? Well, to better control the game, of course! As a comparison, take a look at any given Star Wars game and how it controls, and look at how Kinect Star Wars controls: one offers free, fluid movement and overall control (depending on the game, of course lol), and the other is locked to a more arcade-style setting (meaning you only move forward), in order to accommodate a barely functional piece of equipment.
I think the egoraptor quote pretty much sums up this issue. I really wonder how people who are just baffled by modern games and control schemes are able to tie their shoes, or drive, or do whatever job it is they do. People fail to realize that most of the stuff you do during the day is pretty intricate and it took time to figure out how to do it well.
This girl comes across like she just wants games where she can wildly flail her limbs about and still be competent at it. She can have them, really, I have no real opposition to motion controls and how easy they are for the “non-gamer” to use.. but I dread the day when they try to put something like Devil May Cry on the Kinect. As it is, the technology is no where near where it needs to be for really complex gaming experiences to be done with a motion device unless we want motion control peripherals that cost tens of thousands of dollars.
One only has to watch Angry Joe’s review of Steel Batalion to see where the bold frontier of motion control is taking us. Even if they could improve the precision of the Kinect so it doesn’t think you’re trying to close the blast shield every time you want to reach for the periscope, the game will still read movements like gesturing while speaking as inputs and that’s a big problem for me.
The problem with motioncontrols is that in its current form it severely limits your input options and requires you to move around while playing. Most people don’t want to jump around or waggle the controller for something to happen since it’s tiring for long playsessions. Until it is possible to control a game with your brainwaves I don’t see the classic controller becoming obsolete. I also don’t see the controller as a barrier.