Nintendo is releasing add-on for the Wii Remote called Wii MotionPlus. It brings much needed accuracy to the Wii-mote. Why wasn't it included in the original Wii-mote?
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata asks just that in the Iwata Asks column on Wii.com. Here's the exchange between Iwata and Nintendo R&D's Junji Takamoto :
Iwata: I suppose the obvious question is: if it offers such huge advantages, why didn't you use it in the Wii Remote from the very start?
Takamoto: We actually looked into the idea of including a gyro sensor at the very start of the Wii Remote's development. But the idea was rejected due to issues of both space and cost which attaching a gyro sensor would entail.
Iwata: I see. But gyro sensors are measuring devices that have actually been around for a considerable amount of time, aren't they?
Takamoto: That's right. They were originally called gyroscopes and were used to measure angle and rotation speed in rockets and the navigation systems of ships. But they were very bulky instruments.
Iwata: They're fitted in the noses of airplanes as well, aren't they?
Takamoto: Right. That's the sort of size we're talking about. And let's not forget that they were also extremely expensive.
You know what's also expensive? Buying all the peripherals Nintendo releases.
The Gyro Sensor: A New Sense Of Control [Wii.com Thanks, Swarmster!]