I don't really agree with how much 'gimmick' has become a buzzword on forums now. It is overused and often used erroneously. Gimmicks are by definition shortlived and truly useless things that don't stand the test of time or usage. Motion controls, I would argue, have lasted long enough to have left the lable of 'gimmick' behind. Motion controls, like any technology, can be abused and misused. I don't see anyone decrying control pads because of the high percentage of mindless and thoughtless control schemes applied to them. Of course not, there are so many great uses of that technology as well.Volafortis said:This poster is a master in the arts of Necromancy.UberNoodle said:Same things were said about optical disc based games, full motion video, polygonal 3D, and so on. The same kind of shortsighted gamers have critics have decried every major development in gaming history.Volafortis said:3D and motion control are just gimmicks.
OT: 3D may eventually become viable once the technology actually does what you'd want it to do, but as it is, it's more immersion breaking than anything else. Motion Control, on the other hand, has very limited application, and in those few situation where it could be meaningfully applied, they'd be great, but most games that have them simply tack it on to say they have them, making it a gimmick.
There are a so many great uses of motion control too, you just have to open to it. It is not all 'waggle and shake' now, and it hasn't been for a some time. Yes some games do just 'tack on' motion, but in those cases the APPLICATION ITSELF is what's gimmicky. The titles that earnestly try to use motion control to advantage outweigh the schlock from earlier days and cheap-ass products.
As for limitations, need I remind you of the expression, 'horses for courses'? Both control schemes have their strengths and weaknesses. The biggest barrier against motion are the gamers who fear it will try to REPLACE traditional control. It hasn't and it won't. It is for new experiences, ones that control pads are illsuited for.
As for 3D? I don't like it because I can see the refresh in the corner of my eyes and those glasses feel cumbersome and constrictive. There hopefully will be a better way, but there won't be if we demand the future NOW without all the essential steps inbetween.