Is motion control the future in gaming?

With the Wii remote and in the future Microsoft's Natal and Sony's motion controllers, motion control gaming seems to be more popular than ever. As we ooooh and awww over these new devices, a lot of people don't know that motion control in gaming has been around for almost 30 years now. Pretty much every motion control device has been a failure until recently with the Wii. So why don't we take a look back and see the ancestors of today's motion controllers.

Le Stick - DataSoft Inc.

Two and a half decades before Nintendo came on the scene with the Wii, video game developers DataSoft Inc. tried their hand at creating the world's first motion sensitive video game controller. Designed for use with the Atari 2600 and Commodore 64, the Le Stick released just two years before the Crash of the Video Game market. With a highe price tag, and no titles designed to support it, the Le Stick lived a brief, albeit historic, existence.

Power Glove - Mattel/PAX

The Power Glove is the first motion controller to recreate human hand movements on a television or computer screen in real time. The Power Glove was originally released in 1989. Though it was an officially licensed product, Nintendo was not involved in the design or release of this accessory. In the United States it was made by Mattel and by PAX in Japan. Only two games were released with specific features for use with the Power Glove, Super Glove Ball, and Bad Street Brawler, a beat 'em up, playable with the standard NES controller, but allowing exclusive moves with the glove. The Power Glove sold over 100,000 units in the U.S. Its gross sales totaled $88 million. The games that were especially made for the Power Glove sold poorly and the Power Glove itself was a critical and commercial failure.

Sega Activator - Interactive Light/Sega

The Sega Activator is an octogon-shaped ring that was placed on the floor and plugged into the Genesis. The concept was based on the Light Harp created by martial artist and musician Assaf Gurner. The player would stand in the middle of the ring, which emitted light beams, and the player's punches and kicks would break the beams, triggering some form of in-game action. It was meant to be a new form of martial arts combat, but in reality the beams were so sensitive that uneven roofs, beams, and ceiling fans would disrupt the sensor. The poor quality of the equipment and the lack of games support contributed to poor sales. It was only supported by Eternal Champions, Mortal Kombat, and Comix Zone.

I'm sure there are more obscure motion control devices out there but I just wanted to focus on the early controllers. Without these forefathers of motion control, the Wii remote, Natal and the PS3's devices may not exist today. I leave you with this one question. Do you think these new motion controllers are the future or just another fad that will fade away like the controllers before them?