Epic Games Not Dropping Controllers
With every console manufacturer to soon have their own motion sensing peripheral the question remains as to where the classic controller will be after the dust settles. Some say it’s not going anywhere, while others are more hopeful about the possibilities of motion controlled gaming. While both the Wii and Sony’s offerings involve specific controllers, Microsoft’s Project Natal takes the controllers out of the equation altogether, using cameras to monitor players movement.
As both Bungie and Epic games had been given then chance to play around with the features of Natal well before its announcement, the question has been posed as to whether or not Natal controls will feature into their future titles with both Halo: Reach and Gears of War III on the horizon. Epic’s Cliff Bleszinksi says that though they’re keeping an open mind, he thinks it’s unlikely: ”Y’know, we’ll take a look at Natal–no promises–but it’s likely that the classic control interface is what Epic will be working on in the foreseeable future.”
He did admit as many have that in some ways Natal could be used in conjunction with the existing controller: “ I think there’s ways that you could merge the two interfaces and supplement a classic game with Natal controls to make something compelling.” Thus far the camps seem divided along more or less predictable lines with casual game focused companies more interested in motion devices and the rest looking at them with either mild interest or utter disdain.