Xboxist

Microsoft and Rare Strongly Deny Motion Control Rumor

Yesterday we reported on the apparent slip made by Ken Lobb while discussing gameplay in the upcoming Banjo and Kazooie. His comments made it seem as though the developers were implementing a form of motion control in the game, hinting at a new "waggle" peripheral for the 360. Both Rare and Microsoft were none too pleased about the rumor, as they moved to quash any speculation overnight.

According to a spokesperson at Microsoft, the rumor was a simple case of misunderstanding. "“There is no truth to this speculation,” the company spokesman said, “Ken’s comment is in reference to rotating the left analog stick while hitting the X-button to move different things in the game.”

To further dampen any excitement the rumor may have inspired, another spokesperson for Rare also confirmed that the company has no plans to implement motion sensing in their game. Producer George Kellion chastised fanboys for spreading the rumor, saying “People shouldn’t take rumours that gestate in comments sections so seriously. They can often turn out to be red herrings, as is the case with Banjo and motion controls. There’s no truth to the Banjo motion control rumour. Banjo has been designed to be played using a gamepad from the outset.”

Since Microsoft is usually mum about rumors that later turn out to be true, this strong denial makes us fairly certain that the company has no motion sensing ambitions. Which is kind of a shame, because the whole notion actually sounded like a good idea.