Sunlight disables Wii sensor bar?

It's hard to think of that cute little Wii box harboring vampiric tendencies, but beyond its Nintendo-confirmed aversion to halogen lights, the Wii sensor bar apparently can't handle your garden variety sunlight either. This little "quirk" was discovered by OMBRENOIR17, an official Warpstar Knight over at the Nintendo NSider Forums, who experienced an hour of downtime at a recent Wii demonstration at Nintendo World when the Sun hit the showroom and shrouded the display units in light. According to trusty ol' Wikipedia, "sunlight" is apparently quite commonly encountered by the Earth's surface dwellers, and might even pose a problem to the console's casual target market, but we don't foresee it posing much of a threat to Engadget HQ bunkers. Threat averted.

[Via digg]

[Dp462090 @ Oct 9th 2006 3:58PM]

Click on the link, and you'll seen that they're inside...

[Nags @ Oct 10th 2006 9:51AM]

cry more noob, all you accomplished with that bore was to make you seem like a super fanboy gratz

[MPG @ Oct 10th 2006 10:29AM]

"As for Amazon, who cares. Pokemon sold like crack in the slums, did that make it the most amazing game on earth? What a great american comment to make though; "Well if everyone is buying it, then it must be the best." One word for you, McDonalds."

Who said that the pre-sales numbers make the Wii "the best"? Someone said that this bit of news is "another blow to Nintendo", obviously implying that this is going to eventually cost Nintendo market share. I replied that the Wii seems to do pretty damn well so far. That's all.

As far as "the most amazing game on Earth", I agree that sales numbers aren't a criterion for that. A lot of people who are into consoles seem to think though that cool graphics make a game great, which is about as silly as thinking that a game is great because it sells well.

"I stand by my earlier claim that this will be the last home console on a compeditive level (a joke even in this case) from Nintendo, there business model just cant keep up with rising development costs."

Huh? Why? Are they going to make money with the Wii? Most definitely yes. What does that say about their business model? I don't know about you, but I'd like to have a share of that business model.

Let's see how much money Sony is going to make with the PS3. Then we'll talk again about which companies are going to bow out of the console business.

[Bro @ Oct 9th 2006 3:22PM]

It's a good thing I already have blackout curtains.
BAGH! SUN! CURSES!

[any_other @ Oct 9th 2006 10:37PM]

um guys? Don't get too worked up...

Ikeda: In the early stages of development we ran into a number of problems that we hadn't anticipated, like the fact that the controller would react to fluorescent light, for example. Creating a mechanism that prevents the controller from responding to fluorescent light and sunlight may sound like low-profile activities, but it still gave us a lot to work on.

[tiuk @ Oct 9th 2006 3:26PM]

If I ever get one it'll be used in the basement, so no big deal.

[Zadillo @ Oct 9th 2006 3:27PM]

I think I have to agree with some of the digg comments; if I have direct sunlight shining at my TV, the picture would be very hard to see anyway, making the issue of the wii controller being useable kind of a moot point to me. Unless I'm missing something (i.e. some large segment of the population that positions their TV's so that sunlight is shining directly on them), this does seem like a bit of a non-issue.

[Wonderboy @ Oct 9th 2006 3:30PM]

"This is going to totally screw Nintendo!" - [fill in the blank] Fanboy

There now that the stupid arguement has been posted we can all get to arguing about it... This will have an affect of Nintendo losing about 0 sales. People who are not hard-core enough to know about this ahead of time won't find out until it's too late. Anyone who knows about this ahead of time will be hard-core enough to get the dang thing anyway and figure out how to block the sunlight during the few select hours it will prove problematic.

Now all we need is a pricing comparison between the PS3 and the "Wii + windowless, custom-made bomb-shelter combo" available at Targets everywhere (no on-site full-size display kiosks of the combo pack, sorry).

There, the comment section is now complete. ;-)

[Alex @ Oct 9th 2006 3:31PM]

I don't see this being a problem for today's gamers. It's sad, really.

[John Doe @ Oct 9th 2006 10:02PM]

Why? I don't know about you but I never played my Atari 5200 in direct sunlight.

[fastolfe @ Oct 9th 2006 3:31PM]

It makes me wonder where did they develop this technology though.

[umrain @ Oct 9th 2006 3:38PM]

I'm getting pretty tired of the Sun's clear anti-Nintendo bias.

[Tim @ Oct 9th 2006 3:40PM]

It depends on how sensitive it is. Nobody "positions their TV's so that sunlight is shining directly on them." But a lot of people do have huge windows in their living rooms, and no desire to buy new (and possibly very ugly) curtains to cover them up.

If it takes a lot of light to cause this issue, it doesn't matter.
If 'moderate' sunlight messes up my Wii I'm just returning it. That's stupid.

[umrain @ Oct 9th 2006 3:49PM]

Secret cheat code to avoid buying ugly curtains: Look at them before you buy them.

Secret cheat code #2: Get some nice blinds instead.

Do you really want people outside to be able to SEE YOU flailing your arms and jumping about and whatnot when you are playing Wii games, anyway?

[mb @ Oct 9th 2006 6:21PM]

I have to agree with umrain here, playing with my Wii will be a very private enterprise.

[steve @ Oct 9th 2006 3:50PM]

i think we must start an all out war against the sun
quick everyone get on your anti-sun suits and grab as much sunscreen as you can

[IAmHydrogen @ Oct 9th 2006 4:01PM]

I'm just going to put a tinfoil hat over my house, that will keep the sun from meddling in my affairs once and for all.

wii + tinfoil > sun

[Dp462090 @ Oct 9th 2006 3:57PM]

I wonder if any bright light would have the same effect?

[Jeff Foster @ Oct 9th 2006 5:13PM]

haha if so, maybe i'll keep a laser for when my opponent's turn comes up, and shine it at the Wii to insure my victory! haha

[jowe @ Oct 9th 2006 8:49PM]

Unlikely. However, it might be affected by UV lamps.

[Jon A. @ Oct 9th 2006 4:11PM]

Hmm, the sun transmits IR light. The Wii communicates to the sensor bar via IR. Huh, so I'm guessing that the suns IR light somehow magically interferes with the sensor bar. I'M GENIUS!!!!!!

[Andrew C @ Oct 9th 2006 4:12PM]

"According to Wikipedia"... haha that made me laugh. Good one.

Andrew C

[disciple83 @ Oct 9th 2006 4:17PM]

The sun is bias against Nintendo, and Sony, and Microsoft for that matter, it told me so. It said if you want to play tennis, GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY TENNIS! There are alternatives for shooting things too, lasertag, paintball, (the lard-ass that invented paintball videogames should be shot on sight), cometitive shooting, nerf guns were fun, and cheaper than any Wii game. I swear I think Nintendo is on the sun's side here, they are secretly trying to corerce you into playing outside.. You know, actual movement? They already got you moving with the control, which means you want to. And when it won't work in the sun, you should continue to move anyway, why not go outside? Don't end up like that Korean dude who died of heart failure playing Everquest last year. F-this, I'm going to play some NBA Street, on a real street, with a real ball, and if I can find real NBA players, then they are obviously not preparing for their jobs when preseason starts here in a month or so cuz my ass is in Kentucky.

[Jon A. @ Oct 9th 2006 4:19PM]

Also, any bright light shouldn't intefere with the Wiimote and it's sensor bar. Only things that transmit lots of IR light should interfere. So don't play the Wii while your car is parked in where ever you play games and don't play the Wii in direct sunlight.

[MojoBox @ Oct 9th 2006 4:21PM]

I used to have a job working with a PDA outside. If you didn't disable the "receive incoming beams" option you'd get junk data from sunlight. It's a problem with every IR device, not just Nintendo's. The sun emits IR radiation, imagine that.

[Jed Merrill @ Oct 9th 2006 4:23PM]

I guess I will have to cancel my preorder for a Sun at Amazon.com. It would have made a nice living room ornament! Sigh...

[Matt Dusza @ Oct 9th 2006 4:31PM]

pssh you phail engadget. everyone knows you should have used a castlevania picture for vampires:P

[Whynot @ Oct 9th 2006 4:33PM]

Well, if we already have "Wii Condoms" ( http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/07/wii-retail-details-markup-and-endcaps/comments/2368867 ), we might as well have "Wii Sunblock".
And remember, parents, don't expose your Wii to the sun between noon and 4pm!

[JinKazama @ Oct 9th 2006 4:37PM]

What's the whole Halogen light thing? Do Halogens throw off the Wii too. While probably not a big deal for in-home use. A lot of the gamespot's/ebgames I've visited are in shopping centers with their demo kiosks near the front door/glass facade (i.e. where the sun shines in)

This could be a major problem if the "casual gamer" the Wii is targeting strolls in to check one of these babies out and it's going all crazy in the store front. Even if they moved it to the back of the store depending on the time of day and stores relation to the Sun, could it make the Wii go a little crazy?

If that's so, this could be an issue from a retail standpoint.

[abib @ Oct 9th 2006 5:18PM]

Wii owners would want to put curtain on their windows not only to bar sunlight, but also wandering eyes of the neighbors who might think they are crazy jumping, and swinging infront of their TVs.

[Eh @ Oct 9th 2006 5:25PM]

What matters is how much light is needed to affect the sensor. Nintendo is going to quickly find out just how many people out there like to have living rooms with sun coming through their windows.

Theres also children with parents who value sunlight more than where the TV is positioned. In my experience pretty much every adult puts their tv in a place that gets a lot of glare.

[Regbo @ Oct 9th 2006 5:36PM]

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the Wii use infared to detect motion? I get the feeling that a good amount of sunlight may increase the number of misreads the sensor makes, so while most people don't have sunlight directly on the TV, I bet a good amount of gamers play in rooms with large windows. Also does anyone know how sensitive the controller is to movements? And do you need a line of site with the TV to use it? I get the feeling that this could end up being a sort of gimmick in some games. I mean people already rag on console controllers for not being accurate enough, so how accurate can this thing be?

[bebop @ Oct 9th 2006 5:36PM]

Let's not forget, on rainy or cloudy days, there's no need for curtains.

Now if you live in Alaska, during the time of year when the sun never sets, well, your simply screwed.

[x23 @ Oct 9th 2006 9:07PM]

"Now if you live in Alaska, during the time of year when the sun never sets, well, your simply screwed."


they actually lifted the Curtain Ban in late 2004. so we are allowed to buy curtains (and blinds) just like the real United States. in addition some of our igloos are windowless. or have basements.

and most the time we use similar "opaque" walls like the lower 48. (that means they aren't see-through. so they "block" sunlight. dead serious.)

[J @ Oct 9th 2006 5:43PM]

As long as I can use my Power Glove, this is a non-issue for me.

[mike @ Oct 9th 2006 5:50PM]

"What fucktard plays home consoles outside?"

Engadget of course.

[Jason. @ Oct 9th 2006 5:52PM]

Nintendo's newest Add-on: Wii Curtains, retail price: $17.99.

[Jack (who gives a) Crap @ Oct 9th 2006 6:05PM]

WHAT, no "Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand" Part III on the Wii?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boktai:_The_Sun_is_in_Your_Hand
This is Bull Nintendo! Just for that no Wii for me! Stupid Nintendo...

Insincerely

Jack Whogivesa Crap

[HughJass @ Oct 9th 2006 6:20PM]

Sunlight affects ANY infrared receiver, Engadget. First we hear your conclusion that plasma TVs give off EMI & RFI that magically interfere with the TiVo IR receiver, and now this? *Bangs head violently against brick wall*

[Alex` @ Oct 9th 2006 7:00PM]

This will only really be a big deal if your TV is in DIRECT sunlight, as any IR radiation that is reflected wouldn't be strong enough to make a signal. For example, your TV (which also uses IR) doesn't go nuts under normal conditions, so won't the Wii.

[Jason. T @ Oct 9th 2006 7:26PM]

Actually, I spent more than an hour playing the Wii. In fact, I was there from about 10 to 4:15!!

*is OMBRENOIR17*

[myscrnnm @ Oct 9th 2006 8:00PM]

Nice, another blow to Nintendo.

[Tegilbor @ Oct 10th 2006 5:33AM]

"Nice, another blow to Nintendo."

So what were the other blows? Amazon running out of server bandwidth while trying to deal with the unexpectedly massive number of Wii pre-orders?

[Lt_Ladle @ Oct 9th 2006 8:04PM]

leave it to the good 'ol Nintendo folks to not realize the sun affects their system... ;)

[Jay Kothari @ Oct 9th 2006 8:27PM]

I'm just going to play my Wiiiiii in the Weeeee hours of the night... crisis averted.

That was bad, I'm going to avoid posting for a week.

[Fred Finisterre @ Oct 9th 2006 9:15PM]

What's the game screenshot accompanying this piece?

Thx.

[J. Evans Turner @ Oct 9th 2006 11:00PM]

Regbo: No, the Wii does not use "infared" or the sensor bar to detect motion. It uses MEMS gyros. The sensor bar is only for games that use the on-screen pointer function (shooters like Red Steel and Metroid Prime Corruption). This means that the majority of games will be perfectly playable in sunlight.

Jack: Try Boktai 4. Boktai III is a real game. ;)

[Dogenzaka @ Oct 9th 2006 11:15PM]

This has been proven to be resolved.

Iwata Asks: "In early stages of development, flourescent and sunlight affected the Wii".

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/8501/hadl6.png

The Wiis shown at Nintendo World and Fusion Tour were also proven to be E3 versions as the Metroid game was the E3 version. The E3 Wiis still had bugs and were not final versions.

[Kei @ Oct 10th 2006 4:23AM]

I personally don't play ANY console with the sun beaming on the screen. I also don't have my console anywhere besides next to my tv.
I doubt anybody lives in a freaking world where the sun shines 360 in your glass wall room.

I also think it's funny how that the topic says that they had 1 hour of downtime. Didn't they think of moving the consoles at a different angle....

[myscrnnm @ Oct 10th 2006 8:53AM]

"So what were the other blows? Amazon running out of server bandwidth while trying to deal with the unexpectedly massive number of Wii pre-orders?"

For instance having only 512MB of internal storage, and having to buy a "Classic" controller as an accessory. Oh yeah, and still no out-of-the-box support for DVDs.