As we all know, Microsoft will be adding user avatars to the Xbox 360 as part of its upcoming Fall Update, but they have faced a lot of criticism for taking the idea directly from Nintendo's Miis.

Rare, the developers of these Xbox avatars wants you to know that they were working on customizable characters for the Xbox 360 before Nintendo even revealed Miis. Who do you believe?

Speaking with Eurogamer, Rare head of art Lee Musgrave, dropped some quotes on them regarding the issue:

"It was an idea we had, even before Miis were part of the gaming scene, of putting these characters that you have an affinity with, not necessarily as part of the Xbox dash, but somewhere in the Xbox that you would play multiple games with, that you would have multiple experiences with that same character."

That's certainly one way to look at it and we're sure that they are telling the truth. It could be a Deep Impact / Armageddon thing. It's more likely that this was an idea in a sea of possible ideas for Xbox Live with the popularity of the Wii and Miis bringing it to the top of the pile.

What's Microsoft's role in all this? Musgrave clarified, saying, "Microsoft did not turn up one day in a speeding car and say, 'They've got Miis - do something!' It wasn't like that at all; it was something that fell into place over a period of time."

What do you think? Did Microsoft jack Miis for their own purposes or were they really working on avatars before Miis were even revealed? Where does Sony's Home fit into all of this? Why can't we just play games on our consoles?!

Source