What is it about the Wii that makes it appeal to the non gamer. In a word, it would appear to be this: “Wiimote”. Yes at least according to a few non gaming pals of yours truly, that is what it comes down to. This is amusing given there’s news on the internet today that Phil Harrison of Sony and Peter Molyneux of the Gods of gaming posse think controllers are too complicated for new gamers.

“You hand somebody a game controller and it’s like you’ve handed them a live gun or a hand grenade with the pin taken out” Phil Harrison

“We don’t use half the buttons on the 360 controller,” admitted Molyneux, “simply because the whole dream I’ve got is that someone will sit down to play Fable 2 who has never played a game before” Peter Molyneux

It’s like that thing of you get used to something yourself, so then you assume it’s simple for others, like have you ever been to one of those work seminars where some ass gets up in front and starts talking technobabble and you’re totally lost because he’s been working on it 25 years and you’ve been working on it 6 months. This is because as you get used to something, you forget how to relate to it in ‘newbie terms’.

My non gaming friends loved the simplicity of the Wii, but found the average 360 title had too many buttons to be of any use to them as beginners (though they did enjoy Uno). Sure they may well work their way up, just as we all have. I still remember the days of the old one button Atari and getting my first micro-switch controller for my Amiga. We all had to start somewhere.