Designed over the course of two and half years by developer Robomodo, the skateboard peripheral is a rubberised-looking black curved board incorporating accelerometers that allow for pitch and yaw control and motion sensors to detect body movement. With this new controller, players can “perform manoeuvres like pushes, ollies, kick-flips, 180s and grabs, to name a few.” 

The board peripheral will be oriented parallel or perpendicular to the television screen for different game modes.

Innovative controller
Activision describes the board as “one of the most innovative pieces of hardware ever to hit the videogame”, saying that “no longer will you have to remember long button combos. How you move in real life is how you move in the game.”

In our first look at Tony Hawk: Ride, the controller fell short of that description in one or two places where grabs performed on the board didn’t appear to register in the game – though this sensitivity may well be tightened up before the eventual release on Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. 

This upcoming instalment in the long-running skateboarding franchise is intended to take Tony Hawk games in a new direction, marking that change partly with a new visual style, described as “stylised realism”. The traditional Make a Skater feature is still present, alongside speed, trick, pro-challenge and vert modes.

Accessibility for less-than-pro skaters is addressed with a “casual” difficulty setting that presents a yellow guide line for players to follow. The “confident” setting offers a freer experience but with a guide line still present, while the “hardcore” removes all the gameplay crutches.

See the wireless skateboard peripheral at the official Tony Hawk: Ride site.

 

Tony Hawk: Ride will be released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii in late 2009.