The Future of Gaming

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

I actually almost one of those Interactors at my local goodwill about a year ago, but declind to do so after giving it a 20 minute staring match on the shelf where it sat and given the smell of sweat coming off of it.

[Pulsar_t]

If you think the gaming industry is driven chiefly by innovation you can't be more mistaken. Sure they always factor in new technological developments but the formula that has always been applied is slow evolution not rapid revolution. One would have expected to do away with traditional gamepads by now, to be replaced by VR technology and accurate gesture recognition. The thing is such tech isn't feasible from a marketing standpoint. Would you pay $1500 for a console? People didn't pay $700 for the 3DO nor did they fork out $600 for the PS3 by the numbers both Panasonic and Sony had hoped they would. Natal and Move are the next logical step but expect a few years of crappy software ahead before we (totally?) let go of the far ancient 2D controls.

[Kebo]

I think gamepads will always have a place, even if a separate company had to rise up to provide that type of experience. There will always be those that want to sit around and be lazy while playing, not moving around. That includes me. There will be those that want greater control, like in a mouse and keyboard. There will be those that get enjoyment out of motion, or voice. There will be those that enjoy touch. And, eventually, there will be those that prefer virtual reality or even theoretical "mind reading" devices, which would probably be more interactive worlds than actual Mario platformers requiring real precision and focus. I don't see why there would have to be any specific, single, dominant technology. Isn't diversity of ideas and technology what drives innovation and creativity? I'll probably always prefer a gamepad for simpler games, and mouse/keyboard for complex ones. Motion for some sports games. Not a big fan of touch honestly, since it obscures my vision.

What I do hope though, is for specialization. I don't want these "partial" controls. I wish I could have just played Super Mario Galaxy with the gamecube controller.