So, I was just checking out Wii news and apparently the newest iteration of Tiger Woods is going to feature MotionPlus (read: true 1:1 swing recognition… when did “1:1″ become such a buzzword?) and will be joined by a tennis title, also using the improved technology.

Ok, so this is actually exciting news. And yep, I can already hear the cynics and the XBOX faithful sneering “gimmick”… but I don’t think see it that way. Here’s why:

In my mind, this was the purpose of the Wii… to usher in a gaming era with new, more natural motion-based controls (remember the water-cooler comparisons made of the Wii, to the computer interface in Minority Report? I do. I also remember the Power Glove… but that was different, damn it…) and motion-controlled console gaming, while still admittedly experimental, was a large part of why we got excited about the Wii, remember?  We bought them to be a part of a revolution.

1:1 swing recognition in 3D space is a far cry from “ok, you need to waggle your right hand to swing a sword instead of mashing the A-button” (and it’s also a far cry from Far Cry, and a slew of mediocre ports with tacked-on motion controls).  This is what they call a Unique Selling Proposition. And it’s not surprising that, along with Nintendo, a giant like EA is the among the first to dive in and putter around with the experimental technology.  Get it yet??  We’re not dealing with a gimmick, we’re dealing with experimental technology!  gimmicks aren’t cool, and experimental technology is— ask anybody.

I didn’t just buy a Wii because I’m a life-long Nintendo fanboy, or just to get a Mario and Zelda fix.. I bought it to be part of something new. This might be a good start.