Developer Motus shows off motion-sensing, break-apart pad, but is it for third or first-party production?

A video of a prototype for an Xbox 360 motion-sensing pad has been discovered on the official site of hardware developer Motus.

However, it is not made clear whether Motus is planning to release the peripheral as a third-party product, or if Microsoft has done a deal with the company to make it an official Xbox accessory.

Motus Games, based in Massachusetts US, codenames the product ‘Darwin’ and explains: ‘Darwin uses a number of sensors that allow it to know where it is… It is self-contained, meaning what you hold is all you need, no IR strips or other devices for a reference point.’

It also provides a visual description of each element of the controller, showing that it breaks in half, ‘allowing for three modes of play: combined, two free hands or two player’.

The company’s product description – which focuses on Darwin’s ‘Six Degrees of Freedom’ – takes a number of swipes at Nintendo’s Wii Remote.

On another page, the company juxtaposes Darwin and Nintendo’s Wii Remote in a game-by-game comparison – which also includes the only video footage of the 360 controller.

It is widely rumoured that Microsoft is to unveil a motion-sensing pad at its E3 keynote conference next Monday (July 14th).

Having seen the Motus website and video, a Microsoft UK spokesperson told MCV:

“We do not comment on rumour or speculation”