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Rumor: Patapon Spin-off?
According to EGM's Quartermann, their top guy for all things rumorlicious, something "Patapon-related" will be popping up on the PlayStation Network. It seems that this unique rhythm game might actually be getting some sort of spin-off. Patapon has barely just been released in the west and already we're hearing rumblings of a sequel or a spin-off. Hey, we're not complaining; we're just a little surprised. It would be nice to have another Patapon game, little eye people and all.[Via 1UP]
Patapon trailer delights some, terrorizes rest
The Joystiq staff is somewhat divided in our reactions to Patapon, the rhythm/real time strategy Frankengame coming to the PSP early next year. If you listened to the last Joystiq podcast, you know there are those of us who are completely entranced by its addictive gameplay, its charming visuals, and its catchy music. Still, there are some of us who watch the above trailer for the game and feel like we're staring down the barrel of a nightmare gun. Those pitch-black, cycloptic abominations are unsettling enough -- why do they have to sound like Furbys in a microwave?
Hands-on with a bunch of SideShow remotes
Throw out your Harmony, kick your Pronto to the curb, and say goodbye to the old One4All: SideShow-powered remotes are about to take the home theater by storm. Much more than hunks of plastic and silicon used to control your gear, these remotes offer all sorts of widgety-goodness, delivering stock quotes, RSS feeds, and even an electronic program guide right to the palm of your hand (because, you know, using the guide on your TV is so 2006). We got to peep several upcoming models from Microsoft, Interlink, Sixik, and some unnamed manufacturer (the branding was taped over, but we suspect LG is the culprit here), and have been converted to true, unwavering SideShow disciples. Most of these bad boys will be released around the same time as Vista, so start saving your pennies and preparing your current remote for its inevitable disposal. Hands-on pictures are in the gallery below, and if we do say so ourselves, we make a mighty fine hand model (as do the cheerful booth reps who helped us out with some of the more challenging shots). Hands-on with a bunch of SideShow remotes
Interlink unveils SlideLink: the first SideShow remote for Vista MCE
While SideShow, that snazzy forthcoming feature that lets you fire up slideshows, widgets, and other random goodies with actually booting up, has been garnering a good bit of attention lately, it's not much good without a equally flashy remote to control the action from afar. While there's been several devices parading around as Vista MCE remotes, CEPro is now reporting that Interlink Electronics -- the folks who sued Nintendo for jacking their motion-sensing technology and implanting it in the Wiimote -- is the "first company to officially announce a SideShow remote control." The firm asserts that the SlideLink will let customers "select songs, schedule recordings, navigate video clips and photographs, display TV program guides, and even browse recorded TV shows" right from the worn down cushion of your sofa. Still, we're not yet sure if this thing will utilize RF, Bluetooth, or some other short-range wireless format, and since this doesn't seem to be the company's "first priority" (see lawsuit mentioned above), who knows when we'll see this thing in the flesh.
Nintendo finally hit with Wiimote lawsuit
C'mon, was there really any doubt about this one? We've seen everything from TVs to PDAs to windows to humans (and their scams) get jacked up thanks to Nintendo's Wiimote downright neglect, and without further ado, we present the first associated lawsuit. California-based Interlink, a company that manufacturers remote controls and other devices for business presentations, is hitting Nintendo up with a lawsuit claiming that the Wiimote violates its own "Trigger Operated Electronic Device" patent filed back in 2005. While the patent doesn't appear to focus on any kind of snazzy "full motion sensitivity" features like those enjoyed on the big N's controller, it does point out its uses as a pressure-sensitive mouse replacement, which really only relates to the Wiimote via a sweet hack job (or two). Nevertheless, the zany sounding suit may actually have more ground to stand on than we onlookers give it credit for, as we've already seen Sony's battle with Immersion head south. Sure, these filings are a dime a dozen these days, but if the signature piece of Nintendo's latest console gets tagged for royalties, who knows how much those classic title downloads could end up costing.[Via ArsTechnica, thanks Connor]
Nintendo gets sued over Wiimote [update 1]
Poor Nintendo, just when it looks like they have a sure-fire hit on their hands, someone has to go and sue them. It would appear that someone claims they came up with the technology in the Wiimote and is now taking Nintendo to court; no, it isn't Sony. Interlink Electronics, a California company most of us never heard of, thought that the good ol' Wiimote has infringed on one of their patents. From what the suit entails, they're not suing over the full-range motion, but over a trigger. Our best translation of the patent abstract is the trigger is pressure sensitive and transmits using infrared. From what we can discern, this would appear to be a shot in the dark lawsuit. Pressure sensitive triggers have been around for a long while now and patent law does state that the patent needs to be novel; since the N64 [update: bad author memory, N64 simulated pressure sensitivity, not actual] PS2 featured pressure sensitivity -- the technology also most likely existed prior to that -- and the complete lack of infrared transmission (the remote senses the IR from the sensor bar to acclimate itself) from the Wiimote (it uses Bluetooth to transmit) makes this suit suspect. There seems to be too many key differences -- and irregularities -- to make this a winnable case for Interlink. [Thanks, dark54555]
