Wiimote mouse control gets sensor bar boost

At the rate all this Wiimote hacking is going, it looks like Nintendo's soon going to have more than just Wii users to contend with in its attempts to keep the darn things in stock, with this latest development sure to attract more than few curious PC users. The big advance here is support for the Wii's sensor bar (or candles, we suppose), which'll give you far greater control than previous Wiimote-only hacks have allowed, actually making it a decent alternative to a mouse for some tasks. Still skeptical? Check out the vid after the break and judge for yourself.

[Via The Edge of I-Hacked, thanks Felix T]

[Nando @ Dec 7th 2006 12:26PM]

Wow, that's neat!

Imagine businesses using the Wiimote & bar for presentations.

[Chris Merchant @ Dec 7th 2006 12:29PM]

Looks to me like it'd be rather difficult to precisely control, but I can't imagine how cool it'd be to play Counter Strike Source with a Wiimote and Bar.

Chris

[Matt B @ Dec 7th 2006 1:14PM]

It still won't stop you from getting headshot from a P90 across the map while you are Scouting him with 2 shots, a blood spray, but no damage.

[Andy @ Dec 7th 2006 12:38PM]

As for the stock issue of these things, i had been checking local places daily and no where had them. i also couldn't find any online that weren't way overpriced.

so i had my girlfriend stop by the toys 'r' us in times square yesterday since she works in the area. she said they literally had hundreds of them in bins there.

so that's where they all are!

[Mark Nelson @ Dec 7th 2006 12:44PM]

Very nice. I'm impressed and thinking about how great it would be to play Half Life 2 with a Wiimote and Nunchuck.

[Mark Nelson @ Dec 7th 2006 12:44PM]

Ok, we officially need a name for this effort.

I vote we call it:

---WIIMAPPING---

And someone tell them to get control of the speaker, rumble and Nunchuk and map them as official Human Interface Devices under XP. That's about what I'll need to start using my Wiimote and Nunchuk to play Half Life 2.

[Rob @ Dec 7th 2006 2:42PM]

wiiuse

[Jarrett @ Dec 7th 2006 12:50PM]

now, if someone could figure out how to make this work with my xboxMediaCenter....

[zenprime @ Dec 7th 2006 1:18PM]

Not to Wii bash or anything but it'd be hilarious if using Wiimotes on PCs and Macs became more popular than the Wii itself. That and if someone figured out how to make a Wiimote work with the gamecube.

[Josh @ Dec 7th 2006 1:21PM]

Looks like it could be useful for HTPC setups

[Bertrand @ Dec 7th 2006 1:21PM]

Fun hack aside, how about just using a Gyration mouse?

[SOCOMRAIDER @ Dec 7th 2006 1:41PM]

Because the Wiimote looks better than any Gyration mouse, plus after just buying a Wiimote ($40) and sensor bar ($20), it is still cheaper. (retail vs retail pricing)

[Alan @ Dec 7th 2006 1:21PM]

I don't know why everyone is havint so much trouble finding a wii... have you guys ever heard of Kmart? Ya know, the hole in the wall store that no one ever thinks of. I snagged one on release day without standing in line or anything. I showed up at 8am when they opened walked in casually and grabbed one, there was no one else waiting!

[Vesh @ Dec 7th 2006 9:13PM]

Shhhh, this is supposed to be a secret! I remember doing the same thing for the Gold edition of the Ocarina of Time and then also getting a free t-shirt and cd that I didn't even expect to receive. Gotta love KMart.

[Bertrand @ Dec 8th 2006 2:15AM]

Err, do a quick Froogle on that. A Gyration is less than $40...

[kinshadow @ Dec 7th 2006 2:30PM]

Now get us Linux drivers so I can use the Wii-mote on my PS3!

[Kamalot @ Dec 7th 2006 4:11PM]

Wiimote uses optical sensors for pointing relative to the sensor bar.

I have a gyro mouse for my HTPC and a Wii for gaming. They are very different. There have already been several times when I tried controlling the cursor on the HTPC with the Wiimote as using the wiimote is much more intuitive and precise.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Dec 7th 2006 4:33PM]

The problem with this is that Nintendo may sell extra Wii-motes but they don't sell extra Wii sensor bars. (for those who wish to use it with a pc)

[Mark Nelson @ Dec 7th 2006 4:40PM]

If you purchase through the Nintendo.com online store you can get an extra sensor bar as a replacement part. You can get all the basic system parts that way.

http://tinyurl.com/y3kyhu

[Marcus @ Dec 7th 2006 5:01PM]

I forsee a new PC/Wii alliance, with many PC owners purchasing Wii's for both the gameplay, and the ability to use the remote as a PC controller. Wii will win this generation.

[Chris @ Dec 7th 2006 5:02PM]

Now all they need is a light gun for the Wii to play with on the computer

[Nova @ Dec 7th 2006 5:32PM]

Great! Wiimote is almost demistified

[jeff Foster @ Dec 7th 2006 5:49PM]

I'd like for someone to set up a Wiimote to control FrontRow on my mac...

:)

[Billy Bob @ Dec 7th 2006 6:17PM]

this is for frontrow/macs
http://blog.hiroaki.jp/2006/12/000433.html

[nevensbod8r @ Dec 7th 2006 7:55PM]

Great! Now, as a Wii owner, it will be even harder for me to find one of these in stock thanks to the demand for them. :D

[Ted @ Dec 8th 2006 1:01AM]

The 3D missile game that is on the screen would be awesome with the wiimote.

[SOCOMRAIDER @ Dec 8th 2006 2:37PM]

As in retail vs retail, I meant MSRP vs MSRP. Which the WiiMote/Sensor bar is definitely cheaper.

[Scooter @ Dec 8th 2006 3:42AM]

development of this could be useful for slideshow presentations - variable sized pointer on screen, highlighting, notation, drawing etc.

[Bertrand @ Dec 8th 2006 2:42PM]

Err, ok, ... I guess? But who would buy at the MSRP if it's cheaper just about everywhere? I meant cheaper as in "it will cost me less".