When the Wii first came out, people were uncertain what to make of its unique control interface (the "Wiimote").  The Nintendo DS with its split screen and stylus met with similar scepticism. It was also far from certain that the iPod's click wheel would be a winner, but all three soon became hugely popular and, more importantly, they inspired others to invent new games and services that could not have been delivered using other control interfaces.

However, it seems that to find a successful interface, we have to wade through piles of unsuccessful ones.  One of my favourites is the Virtual Boy - a bona fide attempt to develop a virtual reality game console.  Had this worked, the world, as we know it would probably have looked very different.  As it is, the few that were made fetch a high price on e-Bay these days due to their scarcity.

Now Microsoft is trying to give the controller world a shake-up again with their Project Natal. Why? To reclaim the inventive space from Nintendo, and to develop some genuinely hard-to-copy intellectual property.

Whether it will actually work is another thing. I generally don’t recommend being an early adopter unless you have a good reason.  I also predict that this will either a) fizz out as it simply does not work well enough, or b) fall victim to the usual hype cycle: early excitement, medium term disappointment followed by greater long-term usefulness than anyone could have anticipated due to the invention of applications no-one had thought of in the first instance.

What is clear is that new interfaces open new opportunities, not least for serious gaming.  Nintendo is trying to push its Wii Vitality, which measures blood oxygenation.  I doubt it is going to be a big sell, but for people with health conditions it could perhaps help them manage their condition better. And Milo, the new Artifical Intelligence project from Lionhead Studios, can read and respond to emotions which could be a first step towards a companion, and perhaps, in the future, even a caretaker for older people. 

The point is not whether these will happen or not, it’s that I came up with these possible applications in less than thirty seconds. Just imagine what could be achieved if more people sat down and put their minds to it?

Image of the Wii Vitality sensor by gadget review