Current Microsoft employee/ex Nintendo employee - 'thin line between gimmick and great gameplay'

A portion of a Developmag interview with Xbox VP David Gosen…

DM: In the keynote you said other interfaces can be quite gimmicky. Is that something Microsoft is wary of when it looks to implement it’s own ‘peripheral strategy’? I assume you’ve been watching the Wii’s various games…

DG: I think it’s really important that you don’t underestimate the knowledge base of the consumer. What Nintendo have done with the Wii is truly fantastic – there is no question about it. But I think sometimes there is a thin line between gimmick and great gameplay. We’ve seen some research that says 60 per cent of people who bought a Wii Fit play it once and don’t play it again. So we have to get the balance right, because what we are doing is bringing new consumers into the market for the first time in their lives they are playing games sometimes – and we have to treat them with respect.

And at the end of the day that comes back down to creativity. We have to ensure that the peripheral strategy that anyone employs makes sense and delivers a truly game changing experience. Because if it’s just ‘okay’ it will end up in the cupboard under the stairs.

Wow, are we really going to start this whole ‘gimmick’ thing again? And this is a former Nintendo man! Check out the full interview here