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GDC08: Wii Remote 2.0? Probably not!
But it was pretty startling to walk by the NeuroSky biosensor headset controller booth and see Takao Sawano, designer of the Wii Balance Board, going over the booth with a video camera. It seems that, along with trying to sell Western developers on the Balance Board, Sawano is using his time at GDC to keep abreast of new control methods. We say "probably not," but don't be too surprised if Nintendo announces WarioWare: Thought About!! next year. There's a controller for your hands and a controller for your feet; why not put one on your head?
GDC08: Wii Fit panel aimed at developers
Takano Sawano's panel "Wii Fit: Creating a Brand New Interface for the Home Console" wasn't the "megaton" style of panel. It was more of what GDC is all about: developers interacting, sharing ideas and technology with one another. It remains to be seen whether more developers will pick up on the Balance Board technology, but Sawano made an interesting case.First he played six Japanese commercials: families enjoying each minigame, of course. Then he introduced the board and the ideas behind it. He said that the board is such a natural extension of the Wii idea that it would be the product of a strategic business decision -- but that this isn't the case. As usual, one of Miyamoto's whims is what drove the development: specifically, when he decided that weighing himself was fun. As a part of this, he revealed Miyamoto's original Wii software notes -- a total mess of arrows, boxes, circles, clouds, pizza clipart, there was a truck in there ... showing what he conceived as the "Party Pack" (Wii Play), a "Sports Pack" (Wii Sports) and a "Health Pack" (Wii Fit).
