What was the Big Story of E3 2009?

Well, it finally happened. there have been rumors about motion controllers on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 floating around for a while now. Both companies used E3 '09 to debut their own takes on what Nintendo has done with the Wii.

Nintendo on the other hand plans on upgrading the control scheme on Wii using an add on called Wii Motion Plus. With all three industry heavy hitters traveling the same road on a quest for innovation, which console developer is likely to reach their goals using these new technological advancements?

Nintendo: Wii Motion Plus
Motion Plus was announced last year, along side that resort mini game compilation.The live demo at E3 2009 gave everyone a reason to sorta care about both products.

Nintendo should just go ahead and patent this formula they have when it comes to releasing peripherals for Wii. It seems like almost every add on they make has a mini game collection associated with it. The steering wheel was probably the only one that was released with a game that had some actual depth to it(Mario Kart Wii.)

The Basketball and skydiving demos did an okay job at getting Nintendo's overall point across. Unlike N64's pump pak, this controller add on enhances the gaming experience by making the control scheme better. Your wrist movements and arm positioning will make a difference in how your on screen persona executes in a game. It's all about precision.

Microsoft: Project Natal
Microsoft chose to combine ideas to create Project Natal. It's a camera(like Sony's EyeToy), that allows you to interact with being sand objects in a virtual world. No controller means it's already a step ahead of the Wii.

Some people complain about controllers being "intimidating". I've never heard they word "scary" used for anything other than Atari's Jaguar controller. An abundance on triggers and buttons can be overwhelming. Getting rid of the need for triggers and buttons seems like a logical choice for expanding the reason of video games.

Major obstacle: Microsoft's fanbase is not Nintendo's fanbase. Wii's best sellers won't fly off shelves as Xbox 360 titles. Lionhead Studio's Milo demo was a great example of what should be done to help sell 360 players on a controller-less gaming experience.

Sony: Playstation Motion Controller
Sony...I don't know what to think about their Motion Controller. The tech demo featuring a sword fight was very impressive. Know what else was very impressive? Sony's Sixaxis PS3 controller.

remember the Sixaxis? You could tilt it from side to side to control the dragon in Lair. Most players didn't enjoy the controller or the game, thus a third incarnation of the Dual Shock controller was released.

If you're keeping score, this is Sony's third attempt(counting the EyeToy) at offering up a more interactive gaming experience. Just because this one looks like a winner, doesn't mean there's no chance of them striking out a third time.

For those who just don't give a care about wiimotes, or flailing about in front of the television, there were plenty of interesting traditional games debuted at E3 '09. You can't deny the possibility of a truly extraordinary gaming experience, on all three next generation consoles, ended up being the runaway healline of the event this year even if Microsoft's camera ends up being a piece of crap, and Sony's PS3mote crashes and burns, at least the possibility of success is there..