Xbox Living

So, Microsoft exec Peter Moore has hinted that there might be a new Xbox 360 controller in the works.

I like how this guy flat-out says how much he likes the Nintendo Wii. This speaks both to how good Nintendo has been at diffentiating themselves from the PlayStation and Xbox (trying to not be direct competition). It was also interesting to see Moore actually talking about flaws in the Xbox 360. Normally, he’s pointing out what Sony is doing wrong. I suppose he doesn’t feel vulnerable in this case, since the Xbox 360 controller is less complicated than the PS3 model (which has pretty much the same number of buttons, but also a sketchy motion sensing feature.)

One thing he did mention, though, was that the Wii’s remote, while familiar, still has many buttons and functions that make it a bit challenging to master. If Microsoft is going to simplify its controller with fewer buttons, I wonder how they’ll do it. Perhaps they’ll need to have games specifically developed for the simplified controller.

But then, while I doubt Battlefield 2 or other hardcore games could be played effectively with fewer buttons, these probably aren’t the games that attract the non-gamer. Let’s face it, if you’re big on shooters and war games, you probably have a good grip on the standard gamepad. I think it’s more the table tennis, driving sim and puzzle games that will use a simplified controller.

After all, Moore’s fourteen year-old daughter loves Project Gotham Racing, but hates all the buttons.