Andy Robertson (@geekdadgamer) is a freelance journalist who runs http://www.gamepeople.co.uk and produces the http://www.youtube.com/familygamertv YouTube channel.



Novelty gaming controllers come and go, and sadly, this year’s innovation can soon be consigned to next year’s discount pile. A truly Savvy Auntie needs to sift the wheat from the chaff and invest in those products that will stand the test of time.

There are two key factors in play here: the inventiveness of the design and the commitment of the company behind it. For example, the Wii Remote ticked both of these boxes; it was a truly innovative motion controller that also had the full backing of Nintendo over the coming years.

I recently took a close look at the Wonderbook peripheral for the PlayStation 3. This is effectively a new way to control a videogame – with a book. It’s big and plush like a cardboard pop-up book, but the pages are blank until you put it in front of the PlayStation 3 camera. It then springs to life on screen and populates with stories and pictures and even a completely 3D pop-up cardboard theatre.

Watch my Wonderbook video to see it in action as it is much easier to understand once you have seen it. When it is released in November, the Wonderbook peripheral itself will become available, and then a whole range of different story experiences.

This will start with the first launch title, Book of Spells from the Harry Potter universe, which offers a chance to learn how to be a witch or wizard, cast spells, and hear how many of them were discovered. As you can see in the video, the real highlight for my family was being able to move the book around in front of the camera and see the pages keep track instantly on screen.

To return to my criteria for video game products that stand the test of time, I think Wonderbook has a very good chance, provided Sony support it in an ongoing way with more titles. Signs are already strong in this area with Diggs Nightcrawlers a detective book and the BBC’s Walking with Dinosaurs both coming after launch.

Photo: imagerymajestic
Published: October 1, 2012