Motion-Controlled Remotes Are A Stupid Idea

Movea thinks it has a good idea. It thinks the Move TV remote, which uses Wii-like gestures to flip through channels, is something that should be in our lives. It’s not. The Move TV is a premise beyond idiocy.

Motion controls make sense in some contexts. With your Wii, you can swing the controller like a baseball bat, aim it like a gun, or putt it like a club. It’s fun, because it helps you pretend you’re doing the virtual activity on the TV. You’re tricking your brain a little bit! Kinect functions (well) along these same lines. You can’t replicate the experience of punching someone with buttons as well as you can with your arm.

But a TV remote is simple. You’re only going in two directions. Up or down. Left or right. Make something louder, or make it softer. Type in a channel. These are little tiny actions that are perfectly suited for little buttons moved with your little fingers. Remotes can be innovated — beautiful, even — just look at Apple TV’s. But converting these actions to wild arm flappings, hand jerkings, and various wrist bobs isn’t just stupid looking — it makes it harder to watch TV. What a great quality in a TV remote!

Look at the video. What requires less effort: shaking your wrist to move from one channel to another, or applying slight pressure to a button you’re holding in your hand? Do you want to have to memorise different hand gestures for everything you might want to do to your TV? How could this possibly make your life easier?

The Move TV is the most absurd, shameless trend cash-in I’ve seen in some time. It makes using your TV harder. It makes motion controls alienating. It makes me want to throw it into a lake. Movea: burn this idea. [Engadget]