As many people know, Nintendo recently announced the Wii MotionPlus, an adapter which would allow the console to register point per point movement on the sensor bar, rather than just certain directions and actions as it does now. However, it turns out this technology was available from the start to Nintendo and they chose not to use it because, at the time, the technology was apparently too expensive to fit in with the business strategy Nintendo had in mind.
And while they have eventually brought this new innovation to the market, it seems like there were a lot of wasted opportunities on many games already released or upcoming.

All this and more was revealed in this interview with Reggie Fils-Aime president of Nintendo of America.

VB: On the Wii, the Wii MotionPlus technology will make aiming more accurate when it debuts next year. There are a lot of startups out there with technologies that promise to go much further. 3DV Systems has a depth camera where you wave your arms around and you don’t need a controller at all to control a game. Why didn’t Nintendo go further than it did?

RF-A: Wii MotionPlus is a great example of our approach to new technology. We were aware of that technology (the gryoscopic chips made by Invensense) at the time we designed the original Wii. But the cost would have been too high for the business model. It would have been unacceptable. By waiting about three years, the costs come down substantially and it becomes a viable product. So, for a number of the startups that you describe, there is very advanced technology. But it’s not at a point where there’s a consumer proposition.

Bale Fire via venturebeat.com »