Squeeballs is a tech demo game being sold along with the new motion sensing controller for the Xbox 360, the Gametrak Freedom. I was able to squeeze into the PDP booth without an official appointment to grab some time with this game along with quick look at the truly remarkable charging system they’ve come up with for the Wii remote.
Playing with the Gametrak Freedom was quite interesting, and after years of playing with the Wii remote it seemed a little awkward and not quite as intuitive. During a shooting game I had quite a bit of trouble since my instinct was simply to aim by pointing at the screen, but the game was designed so that if I wanted to shoot something in the top right corner, I had to actually move my arm up and to the right. The result was that my hand had to move around in an area in front of me perhaps two feet tall and two feet wide to aim a reticule that on the Wii would simply be a movement of the wrist. From what the PR guy told me, it seemed like the Gametrak Freedom could be programmed to function more like a Wii remote, but the ability to accurately track motion like the ones I was forced to use is promising. I hope it can be put to better use later on. It seems as though PDP has jumped ahead of Nintendo by making a $35 controller that already matches closely the capability of the Wii Motion Plus.
The Wii version of Squeeballs was not playable at E3. Or maybe it was and I didn’t get a chance at it. I forget now. Either way, I didn’t actually play it. However, from the overview I got, it plays pretty much the same as the Xbox version with the Gametrak Freedom, but since it uses the normal Wii remote, it plays more like you would expect a motion control game to. Since the Wii version of Squeeballs does not come with any hardware, it will retail for $39.99, a price point that should do well for them. Because the Xbox version is packaged with one Gametrak Freedom, it will be $69.99. That’s a bit more than your average Xbox game, but it’s an awfully cheap way to give the 360 the wiggle controls.
Playing with Squeeballs was interesting, but the real reason for my interest in PDP was their lineup of charging solutions for Wii remotes. PDP makes the basic two-remote charging stand, along with a snazzy looking stand to charge four remotes, but they went much further than anyone else with their designs. First off, they make a standard charging stand that makes room for the Motion Plus to remain attached during charging. Second, they partnered up with one of the most trusted brands in batteries: Energizer. Finally, through their partnership with Energizer, PDP developed a charging stand that lets you charge your Wii remotes without any kind of direct electrical contact. The Wii 2X Induction Charge Station uses induction coils to wirelessly transfer electricity from the charging stand to the special battery that comes with the system. This means that you can not only leave the Motion Plus plugged into the remote, but you can also leave the remote in the sleeve. You could probably even leave it in the gun attachment or in the steering wheel. All it needs is to be close to the stand and it will automatically begin charging just like it should.
Several reviewers have noted that the charge time is considerably longer than it would be on a normal charger, but it turns out ’considerably longer’ is still only five to eight hours. Basically it will need to charge overnight, but once it is charged, it will last just as long as any other rechargeable battery pack. At $49.99 it is a bit expensive, but the sleek design and great convenience through impressive technology make it worth it. If I wasn’t broke I’d already have one of these. I’ll probably end up with one of these anyway.
