http://kotaku.com/376987/microsoft-to-rip-off-wii-remote-by-end-of-year-says-source

Awesome! I'm going to use this for Halo and pwn everyone!

I bet that it is just a leaked scrap idea for the april fools joke they did.

could be, or it could be real... i mean the wii is the only competition to the 360, hell most of the wii games are budget mini games that they charge an outrageous $50 for... ms could easily do the controller and produce a bunch of mini games for 400-800 ms points...

hell, i have a wii, and i'd gladly buy one of these and scrap my wii, the visuals look like crap and it mostly collects dust. i've played other peoples wii's (mostly at parties) more than i've played my own.

I smell BS.

I smell BS.

No, this is coming out. Its a known fact.

No, this is coming out. Its a known fact.

BS is always coming out, silly! :p

Well, that picture is a pretty shotty job in photoshop. If it's actually going to happen, who knows for sure.

No if you look there is actually a Xbox 360 logo, not a photoshop logo. This is going to be awesome!!

Yes, I was just thinking...the 360 needs a flood of crappy mini-game package after crappy mini-game package.

IMO, it's a good idea. The wiimote is far too undefined IMO. Too many devlopers spend their time tacking on these motion controls when they in fact need a lot of fine tuning to be effective. It sounds like MS wants to eliminate the guesswork with a lot of integration in their dev kits. MS's dev enviroment is known for it's ease of use and grade A support to devs. If they do release this it may become easier to do motion controls on 360 than on wii.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1584945/20080407/id_0.jhtml
If everything goes according to plan, Microsoft's response to Nintendo's Wii will appear before the end of the year, a developer who has been briefed on the project told MTV News. The Xbox 360 manufacturer has been working on its own version of the motion-controlled Wii remote since last summer, the developer said.

Since Nintendo's Wii became a global sensation and Sony launched a PS3 controller that is also motion-sensitive, rumors have reverberated through the gaming industry that Microsoft would create a motion-controller of its own.

While nothing has been officially announced, MTV News' source was able to provide us with details on one such 360 controller in the making: a controller designed to do all the Wii remote does, and more. Our source chose to remain anonymous in the interest of not compromising business relationships, but MTV News has confirmed Microsoft's active interest in developing a motion-sensitive controller with other industry sources.

The project has been in active development at Microsoft since last August, the source said. Rare, the Microsoft-owned studio behind Xbox 360's launch first-person shooter "Perfect Dark Zero" and the upcoming installment of the "Banjo-Kazooie" franchise, has been tasked with creating a unified interface and look for the controller. Rare has had trouble hitting its deadlines, according to the source.

When MTV News contacted Microsoft for confirmation, a spokesperson said that "Microsoft does not comment on rumors and speculation."

Our development source sketched out a reproduction of the last prototype he'd seen, although the final product — if it is indeed released — may vary from this design. A key difference between the Wii remote and the prototype is the lack of a companion controller to be placed in the other hand, like Wii's Nunchuck.

The controller itself isn't much different in functionality or design from Nintendo's Wii remote, but comes with four face buttons, an analog stick and microphone. There are also plans for the controller to interact with the Xbox Live Vision Camera, the source said.

Microsoft's controller isn't just a response to "Wii Sports"; it's slightly more ambitious. "They want the usual assortment of 'Halo'/ 'Gears'/ 'Forza'/ whatever, just in waggle form," our source told us. Such idea-generation has not gone smoothly. "The whole thing is a colossal clusterf---," the source said. "[Microsoft] marketing just want it so they can match the Wii point for point. The biggest parts of their marketing materials outline how easy it would be for third parties to port their Wii games to the 360."

In addition to designing the interface for the controller, Rare has also fleshed out Microsoft's take on Nintendo's Mii avatar concept, the source said. Microsoft's Miis are designed to be associated with any game that incorporates the controller and create a standard "look" for the games. The avatars aren't tied to a controller when in use, as Xbox Live profiles currently are.

The avatars are more detailed than what Nintendo has allowed (i.e. they have limbs), the source said, but pushing the avatars into every controller title means they "dictate the entire look and feel of every game they're in, so they have to be generic as all hell."

Rare's difficulty in hitting development milestones has produced problems, however. "Microsoft is trying to decide how to get something out by the end of the year," said MTV News' source.

While MTV News' source presented full details of the project, several developers, speaking on background, could only confirm rumors that a planned motion-controlled Xbox 360 controller is in the works. If the project is more than a prototype initiative, it's been kept quiet from some major developers.

Microsoft has previously maintained a public message that motion controllers are a compelling idea, but avoided saying they would be moving into the space themselves.

"There's room for innovation here, but moving that controller around — it's something that's not mainstream for most games," Microsoft chief Bill Gates told MTV News in May 2006. "People aren't that good at totally standing still. Even pilots actually sit in a chair when they do their flying. So there's a lot to be learned about these controllers."

Last year, former Xbox executive Peter Moore was more upbeat about the prospects, but equally coy, in a February 2007 interview with GameInformer.com. "Since the day I saw Iwata-san [Nintendo president Satoru Iwata] pull the [Wii remote] controller out from under his podium a few years ago at [the Tokyo Game Show], I've always realized that was the right thing for Nintendo to have to do for what they needed to do to be successful in this next generation," Moore said. "And it was always going to be a challenge for us. So, we have plans. This does not come as a surprise."

MTV News' source maintained that development kits for Microsoft's new controller have been distributed to certain developers. If the project comes to fruition, and when Microsoft will actually reveal its plans, remain to be seen.

This would be lame, as it wouldnt be packaged with every system (most accessories fall into Catch 22 hell), and the Wii has proven that most developers have NO interest in utilizing it properly.

If the Wii, which has the largest installed base, the weakest hardware, and a universal remote controller, cannot get good solid implementations from anyone but the first party then why would the 360? Hmm.

Only good thing I can see is first person shooter developers putting in support. I havent played Prime 3 but I hear its controls are awesome and absolutely superior to a controller. If that is true, how cool would Halo 3, Call of Duty 4, etc. be with this thing?

They will probably just ship one to everyone that bought a console and then put them in the new consoles.

They will probably just ship one to everyone that bought a console and then put them in the new consoles.

Ship it to everyone for free? You mean, the same company that charges us for fricking maps and little pictures and wallpapers to use on our consoles? The same company that charges almost $200 for a 120 gig hard drive? The same company that had to absorb a billion dollar hit because of their system's ****** build quality? The same company that said their games would be $50 but then turned around and now charges $60?

No, I don't think they are going to do that.

Ship it to everyone for free? You mean, the same company that charges us for fricking maps and little pictures and wallpapers to use on our consoles? The same company that charges almost $200 for a 120 gig hard drive? The same company that had to absorb a billion dollar hit because of their system's ****** build quality? The same company that said their games would be $50 but then turned around and now charges $60?

No, I don't think they are going to do that.

They gave us a free 3 year warranty that covers anything you would ever need. This is a known fact.

Yea probably because they would've gotten their asses sued had they not. It cost them a billion dollars. They didn't want to do it. Originally the 360 had a 90 day warranty and they tried to charge people $100+ to fix their RROD system.

Microsoft didn't get into the console business to give stuff away for free.

They gave us a free 3 year warranty that covers anything you would ever need. This is a known fact.

Locbert, I'm beginning to suspect your use of "known fact" is one of 4 things.
(used on other posts)

1. A joke
2. Something to try to annoy people with (you've succeeded)
3. Something you truly believe.
4. You dont' know what a "known fact" is.

Locbert, I'm beginning to suspect your use of "known fact" is one of 4 things.
(used on other posts)

1. A joke
2. Something to try to annoy people with (you've succeeded)
3. Something you truly believe.
4. You dont' know what a "known fact" is.

First of all, what else would a known fact be besides one of those things. Secondly, it is obviously #3.

Anyway, back on topic. It would be cool if the Halo-Mote (thats what they should call it) had a laser sight on it so you could aim it at the screen before you snipe people.

Just trying to figure out which one it was. And since it is #3, I regret even replying.

Relation to Jock?

While anything is possible, this "rumor" has been going around for quite a while in various forms and keeps coming up every few months.

Just because Microsoft is performing research in motion controllers does not mean that they are developing it for the 360. Remember that Microsoft already made a game controller about 7 or 8 years ago I believe that is just like the PS3 controller. It was one of their SideWinder series controllers. Also Microsoft Research already made the XWand controller long before the Wii came out or Nintendo showed off what they were making. The person who created it was working on this technology in the late 90's and was working a few years later and then shown to the public around 2004 or so. When Nintendo shown their motion controller to the public a lot of people were questioning if it was copied from Microsoft since it was nearly identical in how it worked and the Nintendo person who came up with the Wii controller did so shortly after Microsoft showed off the XWand (go Google XWand and see how it works). It's possible both companies were developing the same technology at the same time, or both copied various features off of each other though, we may never know though.

Microsoft has had motion controller technology for quite some time, so for them performing additional research that has been going on for the past decade or so is nothing new.

I don't know if this is legit or not, but I for one wouldn't mind seeing a Wiimote-style accessory for the 360, just as long as it is an optional accessory. It would definitely make certain types of games like golf much more enjoyable.

It would be cool, on a limited basis.

must be a joke

Seriously...Lay off the kool-aid.

I for one would find cool FPS motion controls like in Metroid on the X360 to be kick ass.

MS researches lots of stuff they never get credit for.
http://research.microsoft.com/~awilson/wand/default.htm
Even now, their Surface computer is continually confused with touch screen tech when it uses infra-red cameras to detect shapes and motion. Which, is, of course, how the Xwand worked five years ago.
Not sure if the 360 really needs a magic wand but it really doesn't much matter if they have one coming or not. All this Sturm-und-drang about hardware misses the point that the XBOX line is and always has been about the games. If MS has a great game that works with a wand, then people will buy it, just as they bought guitars and drum sets. If they don't have a game then the controller would be useless and will languish. And MS knows this.
So, until the Xwand is linked to a premium AAA title its existence or lack there-of is meaningless. Just a way to fill otherwise blank screens.
(I guess it beats more red ring FUD, or price cut speculation, but not by much...)
Now, if MTV were to say the wand will be integral to the gameplay of the highly anticipated game releasing on Sept 16, 2008 then we might have something to talk about... ;-)

They will probably just ship one to everyone that bought a console and then put them in the new consoles.

i'm sorry, man, but everyone of your posts are extremely outrageous, or extremely naiive.... who are you?

and i'm sorry, but "known fact" != "what you truly believe".

As long as I dont HAVE to use it then they can make whatever they want. It would be a good marketing tool against the wii. They could make xbox arcade more kid/non-gamer friendly like wii (since they are similar in my mind) that doesnt bother me. Though I doubt it would help their sales as their problem is more image then anything.

What I dont want is developers using that thing as the main control for their real games. I find the current 360 controller to be the best one around and I would hate if I couldnt use it for the games I want to play.

But then again, just like stargate, some dumazz has to come in and "re-invision" everything and kill off all the good classic stuff just to give what they think the mass market finds "fun" (which is usually lame..and the Mass Market generally doesnt care anyway, they just want to be on the bandwagon until the next shinny object catches their attention....what is the attache rate for the wii?)

i'm sorry, man, but everyone of your posts are extremely outrageous, or extremely naiive.... who are you?

and i'm sorry, but "known fact" != "what you truly believe".


Besides the 3 years on the warranty covers RROD and even the 1st year only the console is covered. I have never heard of anyone getting a controller replaced for free.

Isn't a known fact something you can prove?

A second source for the rumor:
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/digitaljoystick/archives/136125.asp

i'm sorry, man, but everyone of your posts are extremely outrageous, or extremely naiive.... who are you?

and i'm sorry, but "known fact" != "what you truly believe".

Thank god, someone else noticed! I thought I was just picking on him for a minute there. But this guy is either 13 years old or just extremely naive. Every one of his posts ends in "this is a known fact" irritating.

Its on Yehaa. Its gotta be known fact.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1584945/20080407/id_0.jhtml

Microsoft supposedly wants the "X-mote" out by the end of the year, but MTV's mole says that Rare, which is taking point in the project, is missing deadlines, and that "the whole thing is a colossal cluster----," according to the MTV story.

It would be a cool add-on if it comes out. I wonder if they'll plan on making casual games to go with it or try and implement it into the current games. The supposed code name for it is "Newton"

It would be a cool add-on if it comes out. I wonder if they'll plan on making casual games to go with it or try and implement it into the current games.

If you read the MTV article it says they want to do both. All I can say is: A game that controls as awesome and intuitive as Metroid on the Wii but with the graphics of the Xbox 360 would win my money in a heartbeat.

That's what I'm talking about! It would be very, very cool!

I think it would be a good idea. But who owns the patents on such a controller? Obviously the games would have to be written to support it. I want to get a Wii, just for bowling and table tennis, etc, but I have held off because $300 seems too steep for a few novelty games. This would be a great addition to my 360 though.

Maybe it's just me...but I don't really care about this. It screams "ripoff" and I think it'll move the 360 in a direction it doesn't need to go. This type of thing might be fine to try on the *next* xbox but for the 360 they need to just keep on doing what they're doing...cranking out great games, adding content to Live, etc.

Plus, I like the 360 controller just the way it is!

I think it'll move the 360 in a direction it doesn't need to go.

And what direction might that be?
Attracting quirky arcadey games that appeal to people who *haven't* bought a 360 yet?:rolleyes:

Check this:
http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9639&Itemid=2

There's money in them thar hills!
MS wants to make money.
MS wants games on 360.
We want MS to make money (otherwise there won't be more XBOXes)--though not always off us--and we want to see the broadest possible selection of games on 360--even if it includes games we personally would never buy. As long as *somebody*, somewhere, buys them.

An X-wand detracts nothing from the existing 360 games. It might even add something to future games. What makes the X-wand any different than a racing wheel? Just because I have no use for it doesn't mean somebody else might not have a use for it. If it enables the porting of many of those Nintendo "exclusives-by-default" on the top-100 games list to 360 it can hardly hurt.

It is all about competition.
MS competes against both Sony and Nintendo; a lot of folks seem hung up over matching every last tiny PS3 feature on XBOX but see no reason to compete with Nintendo even though Nintendo is actually racking up more money than Sony and is thus more of a threat to MS.

If you look at the Wii phenomenon, you see that it sells for 3 main reasons:
- its cheap. MS can match cheap.
- it has exclusive franchises (mario, et al) that MS *can't* match but they *can* counter with their own exclusive franchises.
- it has the funky controllers. Well, MS can match the funky controllers. And, in the process, a lot of Wii exclusives become cross-platform.

Suddenly, Wii has less of an edge, no?
Help me here: what's the downside? The 360 stops being the exclusive province of hardcore gamers?
MS already knows how to cater to the hardcore; they need to learn to cater to the hardcore *and* the kiddies, too.
If they think an X-wand will help, why not give it a try?

Mind you, I only see a 40% chance the rumor is true and this thing comes out *this* year, but I see no reason why it couldn't come out at some point...

While it may be a obvious "rip-off", it doesn't matter to me. Companies do this all the time, the more competition the better for us (the consumer). Some people have really lost their heads over this whole fanboy, console war deal. Let them (The companies) worry about who's ripping off who. We should only care about what's coming to us. The more these companies try to out do each other the better it is for us!

Microsoft did motion controls long before either Sony or Nintendo did.

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Sidewinder-Freestyle-Game-A17-00001/dp/B00004Z729

All I can say is: A game that controls as awesome and intuitive as Metroid on the Wii but with the graphics of the Xbox 360 would win my money in a heartbeat.


And only if MS can read what you just said, they'd have my money too. However, as with many 360 games, the analog implementation is never 100% perfect in any other form, like KBM. Also, the Wii remote gets tiring after a while, IMO. For any extended periods of play, I have to put my forearm on my leg.

Microsoft did motion controls long before either Sony or Nintendo did.

http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Sidewinder-Freestyle-Game-A17-00001/dp/B00004Z729

I have one of those. It is HUGE, and MS stopped support of it early in it's life, but the Sidewinder worked very well.

And only if MS can read what you just said, they'd have my money too. However, as with many 360 games, the analog implementation is never 100% perfect in any other form, like KBM. Also, the Wii remote gets tiring after a while, IMO. For any extended periods of play, I have to put my forearm on my leg.

You know, I just got a Wii and I have to agree that it's not necessarily made for the hardcore 5 hour session. But in spurts with maybe being able to switch between controllers in the options menu it would be great for the 360.

You know, I just got a Wii and I have to agree that it's not necessarily made for the hardcore 5 hour session. But in spurts with maybe being able to switch between controllers in the options menu it would be great for the 360.

IDK. If you play Metroid on the Wii, I have yet to see a batter control scheme for FPS's on a console. I actually prefer it over KB/M on my computer at this point.

I agree, it's the best controller for FPS's, but after a while it may get a little tiring that's all.

simply put

the Wii has motion controls
The PS3 has motion controls
The 360 does not

The average consumer only sees simple facts, and that is that.

So yes, they need some sort of motion controller to compete

simply put

the Wii has motion controls
The PS3 has motion controls
The 360 does not

The average consumer only sees simple facts, and that is that.

So yes, they need some sort of motion controller to compete

Are you saying the 360 doesn't compete now? Are you implying that the only reason the Wii sells well is its motion controls? I really don't see why the 360 NEEDS motion controls to compete. It seems to be doing ok with what it has.

Are you saying the 360 doesn't compete now? Are you implying that the only reason the Wii sells well is its motion controls? I really don't see why the 360 NEEDS motion controls to compete. It seems to be doing ok with what it has.

No. Don't take it that far, I mean in my eyes, it doesn`t NEED the controller. But I could see how the less informed could see it that way. Remember, the 360 doesn`t have blu ray either, so add in that and no motion contoller, the average moron consumer could start thinking the 360 is at a disadvantage.

Now to me, there is only one console I could not live without. If my ps3 or Wii died....actually the Wii did and it`s gone for replacement and I don`t miss it at all....but if the 360 died again and no warranty to replace it with...I`d be devastated so knock on wood it doesn`t happen.

it`s no secret that the 360 is losing ground right now, and the others have passed or are catching up. A 360 wiimote would help things along if the software was there to push it. However, the Wii has hit it`s market, selling like crazy still and the word is out, so it might be too late for the 360 to be succesful with a motion controller this time around.

I got to be honest, for the most part, the Wiimote is a gimmick. Some games, it`s just awefull.....aweful.

People who bought the 360 care more about high quality games, online gaming, amazing graphics, & 5.1 sound, not a gimmick like the MS Wii control wanna be..

No. Don't take it that far, I mean in my eyes, it doesn`t NEED the controller. But I could see how the less informed could see it that way. Remember, the 360 doesn`t have blu ray either, so add in that and no motion contoller, the average moron consumer could start thinking the 360 is at a disadvantage.

Now to me, there is only one console I could not live without. If my ps3 or Wii died....actually the Wii did and it`s gone for replacement and I don`t miss it at all....but if the 360 died again and no warranty to replace it with...I`d be devastated so knock on wood it doesn`t happen.

it`s no secret that the 360 is losing ground right now, and the others have passed or are catching up. A 360 wiimote would help things along if the software was there to push it. However, the Wii has hit it`s market, selling like crazy still and the word is out, so it might be too late for the 360 to be succesful with a motion controller this time around.

I got to be honest, for the most part, the Wiimote is a gimmick. Some games, it`s just awefull.....aweful.
True it was never made for the serious gamer in mind.. Like the console itself, it's very noob friendly..