When Nintendo announced the Wii MotionPlus peripheral earlier this year, many wondered why the company didn"t include the superior gyroscopic technology in the Wii controller in the first place.

Turns out the tech was too expensive when the Wii launched in 2006.

Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime explained the situation in a VentureBeat interview, stating, "We were aware of that technology (the gryoscopic chips made by Invensense) at the time we designed the original Wii.

"But the cost would have been too high for the business model. It would have been unacceptable."

He said Nintendo waited about three years until the costs came down to a manageable point.

Nintendo has yet to announce a retail price for the MotionPlus, but Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata said in August, "...The cost of making the Wii Motion Plus is not that much, so I think we can make it very affordable."

Fils-Aime also talked about cutting-edge controls that utilize depth cameras, saying that at this time, such tech "is not at a point where there’s a consumer proposition."