Gates: Motion-Sensing Controllers 'Not Mainstream'

In an interview with MTV News, Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates noted that while he appreciates the fact that there is innovation within the motion-sensitive controllers employed by Nintendo and Sony's Wii and PlayStation 3 platforms respectively, overall he's yet to be impressed with the idea, noting “it's something that's not mainstream for most games.” He also mentioned in the interview that Microsoft itself tried its hand at releasing a motion sensitive controller - the Sidewinder Freestyle Pro for the PC – but that it was largely unsuccessful. "It's tough because sometimes you move the controller, and you don't [mean] to fly into the ground. You just want to put the controller down," Gates told MTV News. "People aren't that good at totally standing still. Even pilots actually sit in a chair when they do their flying. So there's a lot to be learned about these controllers." He also said that gaming itself was changing, and that while popular genres like sports games and first-person shooters will always be around, Microsoft is also looking for opportunities to bring new concepts and experiences to the table, particularly with services such as Xbox Live Arcade and Xbox Live, which help to make the gaming experience less isolated and more about brining people together. "Some games you are going to be playing by yourself," he commented in the interview. "But most of gaming, particularly as we draw in both men and women and people of all ages, most of it is going to be social." Gates also hinted to MTV News at the long rumored entry by Microsoft into the handheld gaming market, indicating that he foresees an all-in-one device in the near future that you will carry with you which will fill the requirements of a media device, phone, and game console, but that for now the hardware isn't suitable, commenting that “the world isn't ready yet for a device that meets all of those needs.”