The Wii was a divisive console to say the least. In the face of expensive HD powerhouses like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, it was an underpowered Standard definition console built on the input of Motion Control with the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. Poor early implementations, and a lack of AAA game support led to may "hardcore" gamers writing it off as a gimmick. Yet despite this, it sits at 100 million units sold worldwide, making it Nintendo's best selling Home Console to date. And its unique controller design laid the Ground work for one particular market, Virtual Reality. VR as a concept had always been envisioned since the 16-bit days. Even Nintendo tried a crude version of it with the Ill-fated Virtual Boy. But back when the concept was just a thought bubble, Motion Control was never really thought to be a control input used for it, and if it was, was probably thought to be in the form of some impractical gloves or something.
Even when Motion Control was done right on Consoles like the Wii or PlayStation 3 with its Move controller, it never really found an audience with the mainstream hardcore gamer, who stuck with their classic control layouts. That was, until VR came along. With headsets like the Occulus Rift, and PlayStation VR popping up, the idea of a motion sensitive split-controller made perfect sense. VR is all about immersion, and so it needs a control input that can make the player feel immersed in the Virtual world, and since the Wii had 6 years on the market, there was already a blueprint for a controller design to build off of. You get the immersion and versatility of motion controls, with the tactile hardware and button inputs of a physical device. Thus, the split motion control setup became standard for VR. Call the Wii an over-hyped gimmick if you will, it did lead to one of the most interesting developments this generation. And whatever the Wii was or promised to be, much of it still lives on in the land of VR.
