Rob Kostich, head of marketing at Activision, said of the new controller, “[It] will redefine sports games by offering players a true skateboarding experience, hands-free, playing with friends and family at home or online in a variety of different locations”.
Tony Hawk, the professional skater that the game is named after, said, “This is the game I’ve always wanted to make. Playing on the board is unlike any other game, and I’m excited for everyone to have the chance to feel what it’s really like to experience the true feeling of skateboarding".
The wireless skateboard controller will use a combination of accelerometers and motion sensors to allow players to physically control the action by performing various movements and gestures on the board which will then translate into tricks in the game. Activision’s press release said that Tony Hawk: RIDE will not have complex button combinations or analogue stick control.
We’re not sure if that means there will be no option to play the game with a traditional controller, but it sounds that way. This is an interesting move from Activision, and their success with the Guitar Hero series seems to indicate that they believe consumers are happy to purchase additional peripherals with their games. We’re not so sure though. Either way, it’s an interesting development and we'll watch with interest as it has the potential to change the way sports games are made and played (with the exception of the Wii which is already well advanced with motion-controlled games).
The game is being developed by Robomodo for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, while Buzz Monkey is developing the Wii version. It is due for release later this year.
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