In2Games Director Harry Holmwood on the “Wii Killer”

Well, there’s nothing really revealing during the interview. We reported about the Fusion system before, and you guys had a lot to say about it. In this SPOnG interview, In2Games Director Harry Holmwood reveals a few more details regarding the system that SPOnG audaciously calls, “a potential Wii killer.”

We, know, some of you Ninty fans are already going, “Wii killer?! How dare they!” Well, be patient, let’s see what Holmwood had to say, and then let’s see if SPOnG’s claim is justified. And just so you know, they’re talking the death threats against them lightly, and with a positive sense of humor. Holmwood says:

one kind soul emailed us to say (and I quote) “I really hope your company burns to the ground and you are all homeless one day” …It’s nice to know that ‘platform passion’ still lives on. I have fond memories of arguments along those lines when I was at school.

With that over, let’s go to the details. Here we go.

Nintendo Copyists?!
His response to all the allegations that they’re “Nintendo Copyists?” Well, he says that they were there first. Of course he notes that he would never accuse Nintendo of having copied them. He says that Wii Eliott and Steve were making tilt controllers way back in the mid-90s before discounting them for the experiences that they think gamers will really want in the long term.

Here’s a technical comparison between the Wiimote and their Fusion technology in Holmwood’s own words:

The Wii remote is a neat idea… there’s basically an infrared “camera” in the handset which looks out for the infrared LEDs in the bar attached to your TV. When you’re pointing at the screen, it’s an elegant solution to giving the user an onscreen pointer, and can also determine the distance from the screen. Once you’re not pointing at the screen, it obviously loses all that data. At that point, all it has is the ‘accelerometer’ which is a tilt sensor… accelerometers don’t give you a 3D position, only information on the angle you’re holding it at and, to a degree, acceleration. These are good for soft, slow controls (I remember playing WipeOut on PS1 with an “Airpad” which was an early tilt pad, and it worked pretty well) but, as soon as you move them quickly, you lose the data as it all gets scrambled.

We actually use a tilt chip in the Fusion to give us information about how you’re holding the controller but it’s the ultrasonics which is the really useful part: combining the two together gives something extremely powerful and intuitive.

Get the rest of the article after the Jump!

Well, there’s nothing really revealing during the interview. We reported about the Fusion system before, and you guys had a lot to say about it. In this SPOnG interview, In2Games Director Harry Holmwood reveals a few more details regarding the system that SPOnG audaciously calls, “a potential Wii killer.”

We, know, some of you Ninty fans are already going, “Wii killer?! How dare they!” Well, be patient, let’s see what Holmwood had to say, and then let’s see if SPOnG’s claim is justified. And just so you know, they’re talking the death threats against them lightly, and with a positive sense of humor. Holmwood says:

one kind soul emailed us to say (and I quote) “I really hope your company burns to the ground and you are all homeless one day” …It’s nice to know that ‘platform passion’ still lives on. I have fond memories of arguments along those lines when I was at school.

With that over, let’s go to the details. Here we go.

Nintendo Copyists?!
His response to all the allegations that they’re “Nintendo Copyists?” Well, he says that they were there first. Of course he notes that he would never accuse Nintendo of having copied them. He says that Wii Eliott and Steve were making tilt controllers way back in the mid-90s before discounting them for the experiences that they think gamers will really want in the long term.

Here’s a technical comparison between the Wiimote and their Fusion technology in Holmwood’s own words:

The Wii remote is a neat idea… there’s basically an infrared “camera” in the handset which looks out for the infrared LEDs in the bar attached to your TV. When you’re pointing at the screen, it’s an elegant solution to giving the user an onscreen pointer, and can also determine the distance from the screen. Once you’re not pointing at the screen, it obviously loses all that data. At that point, all it has is the ‘accelerometer’ which is a tilt sensor… accelerometers don’t give you a 3D position, only information on the angle you’re holding it at and, to a degree, acceleration. These are good for soft, slow controls (I remember playing WipeOut on PS1 with an “Airpad” which was an early tilt pad, and it worked pretty well) but, as soon as you move them quickly, you lose the data as it all gets scrambled.

We actually use a tilt chip in the Fusion to give us information about how you’re holding the controller but it’s the ultrasonics which is the really useful part: combining the two together gives something extremely powerful and intuitive.

Inspiration and Origins
When asked about the inspiration for the idea for Real World Golf, a game they have that uses the system, Holmwood says that it came from the feeling that he and his team can do so much better. He takes time to note that despite a miniscule budget, they were able to create a game that sold about two thirds of what EA’s Tiger Woods Golf sold in the UK. They attribute their success to putting the golf club in someone’s hands.

He adds that technology that went into Real World Golf first appeared late 2000/ early 2001, and was first launched commercial in a 2004 PS2 fighting game called “Dark Wind.”

Cross-Platform really now?
Most of the Fusion System’s critics were quick to ask, “What about the games that will run with Fusion?” Holmwood was quick to mention that they’ll be launching 20 games over a four year period themselves. Seventy percent of which would be sports games, but they do intend to release adventure and action games in time. They say that all games will come with free accessories.

All that and they seem to have a few aces up their sleeve, Holmwood mentions that when it comes to developing Fusion based PS3 and Xbox 360 games, he had this to say: “I can’t comment on individual discussions as they’re confidential, however, we’re talking to most of the major players.“

Yes, he is aware that X360/Wii/PS3 cross-platform games may be a bit difficult since the graphical power, and development for the three isn’t really the same, but he does say that cross-platform Wii/PS2 games are very possible, especially since there’s around 100 million PS2 units already out.

Well? What do you guys think? Wii-killer or next eye-toy?

Via SPOnG