Monday, November 15, 2010

Egonomic Critique : Wii Remote



In recent years, games have become more interactive with people through things like instruments, touching, and dance. The most talked about is Nintendo’s Wii remote which can take the role of several interactions. The Wii remote uses new ways to let the player interact with the game with accelerators for all three axes and infra-red to point on the screen with a cursor. The ergonomic factors of the remote allow users to easily engage in games and build a more general audience.

                When the Wii mote first came out with the Nintendo Wii, there were many reports of hand straps breaking and causing damage from flying Wii motes. After that Nintendo released a stronger strap to fit on the problem was resolved. In the factor of safety the Wii mote fails with its small solid design, but after 2008 Nintendo released an add-on to the Wii mote called Wii Motion Plus which came with a silicon jacket to cushion the rectangular corners. The bulky form is clearly a design error but later makes up for aesthetics and design simplicity. Overall the Wii mote is relatively small and shouldn’t be a major problem for safety as much as any other remote is.

                The Wii mote’s comfort is a part of its appeal because of the design is a lot like a remote control where a person can hold it with one hand or two (if using the nun chucks) and can be done by mostly anybody. The new silicon jaket allows for more grip and comfort. Its wireless capabilities prevent the user from uncomfortable wires bugging them. The strap on the controller also gives users the comfort in insuring the controller does fly from their hand. Having generic grip gives no favors to any hand size which invites that anyone can use it the same way. 

                 The ease of use is one of the best factors on the Wii mote because it relies on people to easily pick it up and start playing. Compared to older game controllers the Wii mote can be used in one hand and has less buttons to make playing less complicated. Also the controller has a variety of attachment it can fit into to be more convenient for certain games like shooting and racing. The most major thing is the emphasis in the use of motion and buttons to make game playing simpler to learn from all ages. A child or a grandparent doesn’t have to read instructions to move the cursor on the screen.
                How the Wii works is by using three accelerators, one for ever axis, and it senses motion. There are certain limitations of the controller like not being rotatable, but in the Wii Motion Plus update the Wii remote can rotate freely allowing people to interact even more. The Wii mote is not complicated at all and interacts with ease with the user. Even though it’s wireless there is little problem with the signal it gives and if it runs out of battery it can recharged with the charger that can be bought. Basically the performance of the Wii mote is something people don’t notice because it runs so smoothly without disruption. 

                The overall aesthetics of the Wii mote is simple similar to Apple’s design to iPods and computers. The item is support to be a universal tool that can be applied in any situation so it has no favoritism to any way to use it. If the controller was more like a TV remote, it could be harder to drive, paddle, stir and shoot with. The Wii mote is a basic block so that it’s not associated to any kind of object.
                The Wii mote’s ergonomic factors especially the ease of use and the productivity make it possible for mostly any social group to interact with it. The Wii mote has certainly become a success because of its outselling of units compared to its competitors and it imitators like Microsoft’s Kinect and Sony’s Move. The Wii remote has formed a new interaction with users and games, making games more a part of our social lives similar to how internet and cellphones have become universal.             

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