Xbox 360 getting its own Wiimote?

That's what one anonymous developer is saying, but it sounds like Microsoft's purported "X-mote" project (well, that's what I'm calling it, at least) is stuck in the mud, at least for now.

According to MTV News' anonymous source, Microsoft and Rare (the developer of "Perfect Dark Zero") have been working on a "motion-sensitive controller" for the Xbox 360 since last summer.

The plans for the remote look a lot like the Wiimote, but minus the Nunchuck, and would include four face buttons, an analog joystick, a microphone, and Xbox Live Vision support, the source told MTV.

Microsoft supposedly wants the "X-mote" out by the end of the year, but MTV's mole says that Rare, which is taking point in the project, is missing deadlines, and that "the whole thing is a colossal cluster----," according to the MTV story.

As MTV points out, Microsoft execs has expressed passing interest in a Wiimote-type device for the 360, although Bill Gates himself has said that "it's something that's not for mainstream gamers."

MTV says that "several developers" confirmed that a "motion-controlled" remote for the 360 is "in the works," although they were sketchy on the details.

It's an interesting development, but even if the story is true, there's one big problem—the "X-mote" (that's my name for it, not Microsoft's) wasn't part of the original Xbox 360 platform, and that means any support for an X-mote would be spotty, at best.

For example, would we get patches to make "Halo 3" or "Call of Duty 4" work with the new remote? Maybe, maybe not (and online multiplayer modes—with some players using standard controllers and others using X-motes—would be thrown out of balance by a new controller).

Now, motion-controlled accessories made for specific games—like, oh, "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" or ported Wii games—could be well worth talking about. (I'd happily pay $100 for the new Star Wars game plus a custom 360 lightsaber.)

And of course, the ultimate solution would be baking a motion-sensitive controller into the Xbox 720 or PS4, when they arrive in the next decade.

So, what do you think—would you pay up for an X-mote? Or how about a new game with its own custom motion-sensitive controller?

Related:
Xbox 360 Version Of Wii Remote Has Been In Development Since Summer, Source Exclusively Tells MTV News