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Playing through RE4: Wii Edition was great, so much so I did it three times in succession. I had my first experience of Guitar Hero this year, which was fun and something different, as was Excite Truck. And I found Motorstorm's online mode to be quite addictive.

The Eye Toy looks to be quite limited and personally I don't think it's that appealing - unlike the TrackIR.

The PC version is said to be the best version.

In the examples demonstrated, by both Johnny Lee and Warren Blyth (TrackIR), the head tracking is used to control the camera, and since all 3D games need a viewpoint (a camera) in theory its application could be quite extensive - far more so than the guitars, dance mats, and microphones mentioned. The idea of using such a device in a first-person game is especially exciting. Not just for shooters, but imagine just walking around, for example, Cyrodiil in Oblivion, and being able to use your head to look around at the world. It would replace the mechnical feel of pushing about a thumbstick (or, as in the PC's case, dragging a mouse about) with a natural action. You would be using your own head to move your characters head in the game. The increase in immersion would be considerable I think. I know Oblivion wouldn't be possible on the Wii (at least not in its PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 form), I'm just generalising again.

Be it 60%, 50%, or 30%, or whatever, it's not entirely obvious what it would sell. I only said 50% because above or below that defines a majority or a minority. I know that console's and their peripherals aren't directly comparable in terms of sales. I was making a generalisation that developers and publishers don't stick strictly with only the most successful devices, they will consider others if they deem them worth developing for.

I said "it would probably not sell to more than 50% of the console's userbase." Wii Play, being bundled with a controller already included with the console, would only really sell to people wanting an extra controller - e.g. for multiplayer games. If it's true that it has sold to 60% of the userbase, then I'm quite surprised by that. Still, as a controller plus a free game I've often heard it referred to as a great bargain. I'm not just talking about the Wii, and developer anxiety over the Gamecube's failure. I'm talking about all the consoles in this and any generation as a whole. The PS2 had a huge userbase when the 360 was launched and continued to sell well into this generation, but developers didn't ignore the new consoles and stick only with the most successful.

Chances it will succeed are probably nonexistent, since this was just someone's project and isn't being made by Nintendo, and it's impossible to tell if the company has any plans to put out a similar device. I hope they do but, if they do, I think (and I'm sure Nintendo would think so too) that it would need to be much more affordable than NaturalPoint's TrackIR. It would probably not sell to more than 50% of the console's userbase, but as long as it managed a decent userbase I think they would deem it worth developing for. If developers/publishers had the mentality that only the biggest userbase is worth developing for then I think it would be difficult to get any new product off the ground, including the console itself.

That depends on how many have the peripheral. Like I said, if they market it right and bundle the right game with it I think it would sell really well. And the more it would sell the more the userbase for it would grow and, in turn, the more developers will want to support it (cash in on its success). Just because something is sold separate from the console it's designed to work with doesn't mean it's always destined to fail, they have to work at making it a success. Most peripheral manufacturers don't, or don't have the means to.

It's a peripheral, so you don't have to build the console around it - especially as the Wii has everything a head tracking system like this needs out of the box (Bluetooth, spare USB ports). I can't see Nintendo doing this, but I think with the right marketing and an effort to keep it supported it could be a huge success. If it were bundled with an appealing game that does a great job of demonstrating how it works - as Wii Sports did with the Wii remote (and Wii Fit might do with the Balance Board) - that alone could see sales soar. And as I said before, Guitar Hero is a huge success and its controller doesn't come as standard with any console.

Yeah I think a lot of people overlook the fact that the last-gen systems had many brilliant games - differences in technology aside, many of which are still better than this generation's finest. So it isn't unrealistic to say that the Wii can compete with the Xbox 360 and PS3 in having high quality games.

I didn't say it wasn't noteworthy. I said there are probably games, other than those already mentioned, released in the Gamecube's first year [that I could have mentioned - and I did mention two] but are probably not what most of you people would call noteworthy. I forgot about the Resident Evil remake, but I hated that anyway (rubbish controls). Of the ones I've played I've only liked RE4. Talking about mini games and games for the casual in general, I think developers are looking at it all wrong. They're trying to appeal to casual and hardcore gamers with separate games when they should be designing games that can appeal to both - games that can be rewarding to the less experienced but have hidden depth and optional challenges for the hardcore.

I didn't forget Pikmin, I just didn't bother mentioning it. To be honest, I didn't like Luigi's Mansion. And I've never been that fussed about Pikmin. Eternal Darkness just happens to be my favourite Gamecube game though. Not bad for what began as a N64 project.

They were in addition to those mentioned by LazyBoy.

Rouge Squadron! The Wii has been around for a year now. In the Gamecube's first year (May 2002 - May 2003) we also had Super Monkey Ball (launch title), Mario Sunshine (October 2002), Eternal Darkness (? - I got it for Christmas 2002), Metroid Prime (March 2003), and Zelda: The Wind Waker (May 2003). There are more too, like Star Fox Adventures and Wave Race Blue Storm, but probably not what most of you people would call noteworthy.

Well I suppose you can't please everyone. I've used headphones (only a microphone short of being a headset) for many years now - I play games, watch television, etc. a lot at night and so have to consider other people in the house and the neighbours next door - and it really doesn't bother me.

You said 'console gaming', not specifically the Wii. I don't think that matters though. As long as it's small, easy to pop on your head (or around your ear?), and comfortable to wear, I really don't see a problem with it - whatever the console. EDIT: What about Guitar Hero? Those controllers are designed to be hung around your torso, but it didn't stop the series becoming a major success.

Xbox Live gamers have worn headsets for years without complaints. In fact it's pretty much regarded as compulsory to wear a headset whilst gaming on Live! NaturalPoint have an infrared headset attachment for use with their TrackIR.

NaturalPoint on eye tracking technology...

Merry Christmas everyone.

Endless Ocean? It's not a RPG, and it doesn't have old school controls, but it is something you can sit back and relax to whilst playing, and the controls seem to be designed with that in mind - even though the Wii remote is used as a pointer, the sensitivity is so high that you only have to make very slight wrist movements.

I don't think Nintendo quite realise the deep potential for online play in their franchises.

But in turn, people don't go for the third-party games on Nintendo consoles because developers don't make as much effort as they do with the other consoles.

So far only No More Heroes and Mario Kart Wii are definite's for me. I am holding out for a 1080° game that uses the Balance Board and two Wii remotes for ski poles though.

Well introducing something new always has its hurdles. I'm sure there were plenty of people that didn't like the thumbstick when it first appeared. I still don't (for shooters), so I'm glad something (the Wii remote) has come along to give me a, in my opinion, better alternative.

Up to now, only Little Big Planet interests me. So I'm wondering if there's a place for the PS3 in 2008?