And just like that the video game industry has 4 different types of motion controls (I am including basic Wii vs. Wii Plus). Microsoft's Natal is amazing tech with less focus on controls and more on movement. Sony's EyeToy wands are closer to Wii Plus but have the added ability to understand field of depth and perhaps better precision. And of course we have all heard about the differences between basic Wii controls and Wii Plus's 1:1.

Now that the cat is out of the bag I am actually a little concerned about how the industry is going to react to 4 different motion controls, because each version of motion control could be slightly different (Wii Plus to PS3 Wands) to dramatically so (Wii basic to Natal) I worry that developers are going to be forced into two different scenarios.

 The first scenario is that we see a lot more platform exclusive games. Developers wanting to fully utilize Natal will have a hard time making it work even for the PS3 Wands much less for the Wii. If the only way to truly get the most out of each type of motion control is single platform gaming then you are going to see very few games that utilize those controls on Xbox 360 and PS3, which will almost certainly have weak attachment ratios (even compared to Wii Plus). 

The second scenario is the lowest common denominator wins. I am assuming that the basic Wii controls will eventually go the way of the dodo, so I am thinking that games developed around motion controls would be focused on the abilities that Wii Plus can do.  Which is probably ok for PS3 players (given the similarities between the two), but Xbox 360 players may be feeling a little underwhelmed based on the promise of Natal (skateboarding on carpet!).

 Obviously the graphical differences will mean that the likely hood of games being developed 1:1:1 (all 3 platforms) is going to be small. However, it wouldn't surprise me to see developers look at game engines that can scale as low as Wii and as high as PS3/360 and then incorporate a set of standard motion controls that will work for the the 3. This would be incredibly beneficial for developers looking to create, for lack of a better term, casual party games.

Which way will the industry take motion controls now that its here to stay?For a majority of the games industry history developers have had to worry about multi-platforms graphically but rarely had to figure out to create a control scheme that will be this universal, especially when each control system offers something new to the table.