Think back to when the GameCube was Nintendo's main console, and then try and imagine its successor. I doubt anyone came close to guessing what would eventually be revealed as the Wii. The name alone was weird, but to have a motion controller as the main input device shipping with the machine? Crazy!
Now, with just three months until the Nintendo Switch launches, legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto has explained why Nintendo chose to focus on motion control during the Wii's development.
A new, eight-part documentary called Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed appeared to buy on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, and Steam last week. Episode three focuses on "Game Journalism, Nintendo & Violence," which includes an interview with Miyamoto. Nintendo of America tweeted a clip in which Miyamoto explains the switch to motion control.
Mr. Miyamoto shares his thoughts behind the creation of Wii motion controls in episode 3 of @UnlockedTVShow. https://t.co/WXMQRtv12v pic.twitter.com/3VK4gVZ3Me — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) December 16, 2016
Nintendo has always been about catering to younger gamers, but also gaming for everyone. Clearly, after the GameCube controller they thought the complexity was a step too far and worked against the "everybody gaming" desire the company had.
The Wii controller was the opposite of that complexity. The player simply moved their hand and arm, and button pressing was kept to a minimum. Was that too much of a leap in the other direction and away from complexity? I'm sure for some Nintendo faithfuls (including myself) it was. It was great for shooting games and sports titles, but trying to tweak an RPG to use a motion controller was never really going to work out as well as a standard, button-heavy controller.
The Wii U clearly took a step back and reintroduced a more standard controller, but with a big touch screen included. Now we are awaiting the next phase of that design, where the controller is the console. Nintendo must surely be hoping it's as popular as the Wii was.