Controllers go flying
Nintendo says it will investigate reports that over-enthusiastic players of its Wii console, which launched in Japan this week, are struggling to keep them to hand. One of the Wii's unique features is a controller that can be waved around, allowing the player to mimic real movements found in sports games and handheld weapons like swords.
"We are investigating. Some people are getting a lot more excited than we'd expected," said Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. "We need to better communicate to people how to deal with Wii as a new form of entertainment."
Judging from the reactions of the lucky members of staff at ITWeb who have already tried the Wii, waving the controller around too frantically is definitely a real problem, with a broken TV set - or more seriously, a broken Wii - as worst-case scenarios.
Does size matter in a game?
Gamasutra asked its readers recently just how important the length of a video game was for them.
"Is there a particular 'hours per dollar purchase price' that makes sense, or are there other sensible measures of 'replayability' beyond simple linear mission modes?" asked Gamasutra. "How should the game industry address this problem in the future?"
The answers, from readers who are almost all actually employed in the games industry, are revealing. Shorter games, lower prices, better quality and more originality seem to be what people want.
"As a husband and father, homeowner, employee (lead game programmer), and game fan, as well as a person with additional non-videogame hobbies, I have to say that I prefer shorter games," wrote one anonymous respondent. "Real life takes precedence over playing games, and I just don't have enough time to play games that last forever."
Bonus points for connecting the reason for the Wii's enormous success so far with the results of this survey.
Thanks to Gamesindustry.biz and Gamasutra.
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