Last week Ubisoft invited a group of journalists, including myself, to its San Francisco-based studio to check out the company’s upcoming slate of titles on Nintendo platforms. One such title was the MotionPlus-exclusive Red Steel 2, the in-name sequel to 2006′s Wii launch effort. Does the title break new ground in an oft-attempted and admittedly crowded genre? Read on for thoughts. more »

Casually announced during a Q&A roundtable session at E3, Nintendo creative director Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that its next Zelda title for Wii will take advantage of the MotionPlus attachment. But a question looming on many minds is if the title will actually require MotionPlus, which is currently sold separately at $20 and will debut in bundle form with Wii Spots Resort in July.

Miyamoto elaborated on his previous statement in a recent interview with Wired, revealing that he is making a concerted push with the development team on utilizing the extra possibilities offered by MotionPlus in Link’s next adventure. more »

Ubisoft is harnessing the enhanced precision offered by MotionPlus in Red Steel 2, the upcoming sequel to 2006′s sword and gunplay hybrid. Of course, taking advantage of the newfangled technology is rife with creative risks, as director Jason Vandenberghe points out in an interview with Nintendo Power:

It’s a huge risk. We have no idea what the penetration rate for Wii MotionPlus will be. We assume high. We would like it to be high. I would love to say to you that it’ll be compatible with just a regular controller, but the gameplay simply isn’t there without MotionPlus. That core experience just isn’t there without it.

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Update: The official Red Steel 2 website also went up today, prominently featuring the game’s logo and a catchphrase highlighting MotionPlus compatibility. Keep an eye out for updates.

Ubisoft officially announced today that Red Steel 2, the second installment in its katana-brandishing first person shooter hybrid, will hit the Nintendo Wii later this holiday season.

Set on a high-tech metropolis surrounded by an arid desert, Red Steel 2 utilizes the soon-to-be-released MotionPlus attachment for 1:1 precision and mapping of movements on-screen. For instance, the game will take into account how much force players put into a katana swing and deal damage accordingly, based on the impact and strength of the blow.

“Red Steel was a unique opportunity for Ubisoft to work in tandem with Nintendo to create a title exclusively for the launch of the Wii console,” said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing US at Ubisoft. “Red Steel 2 is another milestone for the company as it is the first Ubisoft title with full Wii MotionPlus integration.”

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Nintendo announced today that its Wii MotionPlus accessory will launch across U.S. shores on June 8. Priced at $19.99, the device offers increased accuracy over the original Wii Remote, netting precise motion-tracking throughout all 360 degrees of movement.

Wii MotionPlus represents a new evolution in video game control. The variety of fun games in Wii Sports Resort show off its incredible precision,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Developers around the world are busy working on new ways to incorporate Wii MotionPlus controls into inventive experiences for consumers.

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Speaking to MTV’s Patrick Klepek, High Voltage Software COO Eric Nofsinger revealed that the company’s hardcore-tailored first-person shooter The Conduit will feature use of the Wii MotionPlus accessory.

We want to support [the MotionPlus]. Probably for this version of the game there’s not going to be a whole ton of really extensive use of the Wii MotionPlus. For the sequel to the game, we definitely do want to incorporate more melee and things like that. We want to support it.

Additionally, the title will include support WiiSpeak for voice chat in multiplayer. Nofsinger was quick to note, however, that the peripherals are not required to fully enjoy The Conduit. HVS is making sure, through periods of extensive playtesting, that the game is still fun with only the the standard Wii Remote and Nunchuck combo in hand.

The Conduit is slated to hit Wii in the first quarter of 2009. A publisher has not yet been named.

‘The Conduit’ Already Has ‘MotionPlus’ Support, WiiSpeak Too [MTV Multiplayer]

InvenSense’s MotionPlus technology is not exclusive to Nintendo, company exec Joe Virginia revealed in a recent interview with Eurogamer. As you’d expect, other parties are taking interest in licensing the tech, but Joe of course isn’t saying who:

I can’t get into details about other folks that are interested in this technology, but as you might imagine of course there is more interest out there.

Considering Sony and Microsoft are both heavily rumored to be testing the waters in motion control, we have little doubt that they are interested in MotionPlus tech. Whether they’ll actually end up using it or not is an entirely different matter.

MotionPlus tech not exclusive to Nintendo [Eurogamer]

The follow-up to Ubisoft’s sword-slashing shooter hybrid Red Steel will utilize Nintendo’s recently announced Wii MotionPlus peripheral, according to Ubisoft executive director Alain Corre.

Red Steel 2 has been in development for many months now, and this new device will help us be even more precise in what we do with the product.

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Nintendo has announced Wii Sports Resort, the successor to Wii’s highly-acclaimed launch hit.

The game will ship bundled with the recently announced Wii MotionPlus accessory, which adds 1:1 motion-sensing precision to the standard Wii Remote controller.

During the conference, Nintendo execs Reggie Fils-Aime and Cammie Dunaway demoed the game, participating in a number of outdoor activities, including Frisbee, Jet Skiing, and Fencing.

Wii Sports Resort Screenshots