MS man takes a pop at Wii Fit

Microsoft marketing exec David Gosen has warned against producing peripherals that end up gathering dust - taking a pop at Wii Fit in the process.

Speaking to Develop he described what Nintendo has done with the Wii as "truly fantastic" but added, "There is a thin line between gimmick and great gameplay.

"We've seen some research that says 60 per cent of people who bought a Wii Fit play it once and don't play it again," Gosen continued. "So we have to get the balance right, because what we are doing is bringing new consumers into the market for the first time in their lives sometimes - and we have to treat them with respect."

It's all about creativity, according to Dave. "We have to ensure that the peripheral strategy that anyone employs makes sense and delivers a truly game changing experience. Because if it's just 'okay' it will end up in the cupboard under the stairs."

So how will Microsoft stop that happening with the light-up wireless motion-sensing microphones for new singing game Lips?

"If you look at what people don't like about existing karaoke games it's that you've got wired microphones which look like they've come out of a toy shop and a fairly restricted song base," said Gosen.

"When we designed Lips we looked at those two major barriers. We created the wireless mics, which look and feel like real microphones, have motion sensors so you have more opportunity to get fun out of it because you can use it as a percussion instrument and even light up. Then we added in the opportunity to sing along to your own music library, and have PDLC on top of that."

So Lips, reckons Dave, is a "compelling substantially differentiating singing proposition". And not a SingStar rip-off after all.

Read our recent preview to find out whether he's right.