According to an allegedly reliable source (the same guy who broke the Microsoft/Bungie split story,) Microsoft’s rumored-to-be-in-development motion-sensitive controller has a name: The Newton.  Get it?  Newton - physics.  HA!  Clever. 

Not to be confused with Apple’s failed early attempt at a PDA, this Newton s being developed in cooperation with Gyration, the same company that created Nintendo’s Wii-mote.  If the rumors are true, the Newton is set for release in winter of 2008, and will use a USB-powered LED sensor bar, an LED sensor on the controller, an accelerometer and gyroscope sensor, rumble motors, and a built in Microphone.  

While this is technically still just a rumor, there is some evidence to support these claims.  As we reported three months ago, Microsoft did indeed enter a deal with Gyration, and in January, Microsoft posted a job opening for a “Electrical Engineer Focused Hardware Test Engineer” that listed as one of its requirements “Experience with motion control, accelerometer instrumentation, and gyroscopes.”

If Microsoft manages to get this thing together, they will have a peripheral that can directly compete with the insanely successful Wii’s motion-sensitive system.  This would open up the 360 to a whole new audience of younger and casual gamers who have been somewhat ignored in Microsoft’s lineup of shooters, RPG’s and, well, more shooters.  Now all they need is an external Blu-Ray drive, and they can rule the whole industry with an iron fist. Well, once they fix the red rings.  No rumors about that yet.

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