Microsoft's now also copying Nintendo

Microsoft just demonstrated their experimental Step User Interface. Basically it's a door mat that has arrows on it which you can use to control your computer. I guess MS got bored copying Apple and is now looking back to the Power Pad that was available for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) back in the eighties...

They had some sports games for the Power Pad, I think it was "Super Team Games", where you were riding down a river on a raft and had to kneel down to avoid low branches or jump to avoid logs that had fallen across the river.

Oh yeah, and of course we also had "dance dance revolution" and other similar games later on other consoles...

Disclaimer: This is supposed to be a humorous aside. I know MS did some pretty neat things, and I'm a fan of alternate UIs, and the step UI, after all, is just a tech demo. I mainly thought Nintendo deserved the credit, that's all.

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David Steinbrunner writes: Nintendo had the Power Pad. For more info see here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Pad and here: http://www.planetnintendo.com/thewarpzone/powerpad.html Microsoft's Step User Interface uses a "Dance Pad" that are used for Dance Dance Revolution games. More info on that can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_Dance_Revolution

Uli Kusterer replies: ★ Thank you, "Power Pad" was the name I was looking for. I've updated the article.

Ruth Less writes: 2009: Geeks everywhere dance-dance revolutionaryly at work instead of pointing and clicking. Everbody laughs at them. 2010: Geeks grow more athletic and elegant each year. People stop laughing and go to the gym. 2011: You can tell a geek by his stealthy cat- and Matrix-like movements and his aerobics trained body. American Football players and Gangstaz are uncool because they can't navigate to a file and bluetooth it to a mobile while simultaneously dancing to the World of Warcraft theme. 2012: Nothing, of course. The world ends in 2012, you dork! Didn't you know that? (google for 2012!)

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