Some are more cautious, though. Fred Swan, director of marketing for Logitech, says that while he believes the main inhibitor to voice-controlled games is consumer acceptance, he doesn't think that voice control will ever replace handheld controls in the majority of games. There are many types of action for which even the best voice control could provide only intolerably clumsy control. 30 degrees left. It's just ridiculous.
Some developers think that it's about time.
Right now, games are limited by the joypad, and every company just copies the last one. While it seems unlikely that gamepads, joysticks, mice, or keyboards will be replaced anytime soon, don't assume that we won't see any revolutionary changes. Logitech's Swan explains that while people often look for change, they are hesitant to buy products that appear too different - a fact that peripheral manufacturers take into account when designing new products. Listing such recent innovations as force feedback, optical mice, and motion-sensing gamepads, he believes there will be many more such developments in the coming years. If there's one technology that most everyone we talked to believes will have the most significant impact on gaming, it's broadband.