Ask anyone who was in attendance at this year's E3 event (or at the very least following the coverage), motion controllers are hitting the industry in a big way. While Nintendo spearheaded this movement several years ago with the launch of the Wii, the other two console manufacturers have finally gotten on board and are getting ready to throw their hats into the ring.

Over the years, I've been on the bandwagon for several huge changes and big events in the video game industry. I jumped on board for the transition to HD gaming, touch controls, and just about every other feature introduced in the game of immersion and innovation. However, as years go by, I find myself growing not more cynical, but rather more observant in these key changes. While the technology behind the new motion controllers is impressive, especially in the case of Kinect, I'm still not convinced that this is going to make for a quality gaming experience, at least not to me.

The most immediate obstacle standing in the way of motion controls is the starting library. E3 was Kinect's big time to shine, but the announced launch lineup was extremely lacking. With little more than exercise simulators, dancing games, virtual pets, and what looks like a Star Wars rail-shooter, there doesn't seem to be one decidedly killer app in the mix, or even something that seems the slightest bit interesting to me. If this is the lineup that Microsoft is hoping will dazzle both newcomers and hardcore gamers alike, then they definitely have a wake-up call coming.

Sony's Move offerings fare a little bit better, offering more traditional titles like Killzone 3 and Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition, while bolstering the experience to support the new control schemes. After getting my hands on a couple of games modified to support Move, the end result felt quite polished. However, it still felt quite a bit like playing with a high-definition Wii, offering very little outside of what the Wii has been accomplishing for years now.

Pricing is also a bit issue facing upcoming motion controllers. At $150, Kinect won't come cheap to those looking to get their feet wet with motion gaming. Although the Move is a little bit cheaper at $49.99 for the Move controller, there is still a bit of confusion as to what gamers are going to need to purchase to work it properly. You'll need more than just the Move controller itself to get started, with a PlayStation Eye camera required as well and a Navigation controller for some games. While there are starter packs available that will give you some of what you need, the Navigation controller is not included in the pack, adding $30 dollars to the overall cost. Considering that starter bundles (which also include a game) cost $100, this puts the overall cost of the full experience within $20 of Kinect.

There is certainly a lot of potential in the idea of motion controls. Microsoft's hands-free approach looks like it could be a game-changer, and there are certainly a lot of non-gamers who feel alienated by unwieldy controllers with a king's ransom of buttons thrown in. Getting the controller out of their hands and allowing them to interact with a game in a truly new way could be a huge revolution. However, as long-term gamers are concerned, is there enough here to keep us invested and give us something that we'll keep playing for hours on end? At least in my case, Microsoft and Sony have their work cut out for them.