Split controller designs are nothing new. We've seen them implemented by third parties such as SplitFish and, of course, major players – Nintendo's Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and Sony's PS Move and Navigation Controller. Now, Mad Genius is looking to up the ante with its new break-apart motion controller.
Mad Genius says the controller is capable of tracking movements as minute as 1/100 of an inch. A video demonstrates the controller being used in an unmodified version of Skyrim on Xbox 360, tracking the player's body movement to make the character move in the game world. A more practical application is splitting the controller apart to aim and fire a bow in-game.
Holding the two halves like a bow and arrow, the game automatically equips and begins aiming the bow. The control is so fine, according to Mad Genius, that players will actually have to hold their breath to steady their shots, lest a tiny movement knock them off target.
The motion-tracking system will work with any game on any platform, including even outmoded platforms such as the original PlayStation (though it's not clear how you would actually connect the two together). Mad Genius is planning to launch a Kickstarter to fund the final version of the controller, which will be wireless and, presumably, a bit sleeker.
FEATURES A REMOVABLE STOCK, SCOPE, BIPOD & BARREL FOR USE IN 4 DIFFERENT MODES; CONTAINS A REAL FUNCTIONING TRIGGER FOR OPERATING THE WII REMOTE; AUTHENTIC SIZE & FEEL; EASY TO USE & LIGHTWEIGHT; WORKS WITH WII SHOOTING & HUNTING GAMES; WHITE COLOR & ORANGE TIP FOR SAFETY![[Image: game-news-image-2011-fb80a1f46906e27c460...ad8fae.jpg]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uWmi-RJ8EMDHOAZF3vYg_jcfexRAVFNzoZXSueQO16vTeNiGomvdpDbZWYbHPy1H8R6t-0DaHgelO_MiIeS6ROEtB69KX8Ck3PCezPLL6TabVPzWqsGhKyHBfaL5uMlAYsgxYR28DlX-7Mu1gdpGCH687qhHVdTo28XocT=s0-d)
Sniper Elite
When Sniper Elite arrived in my mailbox, I opened it immediately. A World War II sniper game sounded like a perfect match for the Wii. There have been other sniper games I enjoyed. Well sniper game I enjoyed, that being Silent Scope for the Dreamcast. Gun games in general, though, are a genre that is alive and well on the Wii. House of the Dead, Ghost Squad, and Umbrella Chronicles all give my Wii pistol a workout. Even hunting games work on the Wii in a way they could not on other consoles. I was expecting good things.
The single player game in Sniper Elite starts with a demo. This demo races through the basics needed to survive the war torn streets of wartime Berlin. How to aim your sniper rifle, how to crouch, how to crawl – the usual suspects. Using a Wii Remote and Nunchuck in the Zapper, I started to feel a pain in the pit of my stomach. This being the preferred controller arrangement of the developers and all, I found it unpleasant. No matter how hard they try, no one can make a Wii Remote as precise and as comfortable as a keyboard and mouse. They will continue to try, but it is increasingly obvious that this control scheme works best for on rails type shooters and is not conducive to go anywhere shooters, be they first or second person. With or without the Zapper framework, the controls are unpleasant.
No matter how much content there is in a game, it needs to be fun to access. Sniper Elite is not fun to play. The constant struggle to get the action onscreen to behave using the Wii Remote drains the player’s enthusiasm in a hurry. The graphics, with their N64 blockiness and muddiness reminiscent of games too generations ago, have painful gameplay repercussions. Even when my sniper went where I wanted him to, it was tough to get him to aim where I wanted. When he was pointed in the general vicinity of an enemy soldier, it was near impossible to see the target and tell him apart from the scenery. 
