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Nintendo announces Wii Remote Plus with built-in MotionPlus tracking
As a follow-up to this morning's announcement, we now have some shots of Nintendo's colorful new Wiimote. Still no extra details, but what we do have is confirmation from Nintendo that they are indeed building the Wii Remote Plus, which combines a Wii Remote with its Wii MotionPlus gyro add-on into one Wii Remote-sized package. We spotted the controller in a FlingSmash bundle last week, the telltale "smile" text below the Wii logo, and now all we really need is a price and a launch date. Hopefully we'll be getting all of these colors when this lands in the US as well, but since this is a Japanese presentation that Nintendo is making this announcement, we can't be too sure.
Razer building motion-sensing exercise peripheral using Sixense tech, handheld sticks slated for 2011 (video)
We're honestly not certain what it has to do with Intel, but here's some welcome news for the gaming and home exercise fronts -- Razer told the IDF 2010 crowd that the Sixense motion-sensing sticks it showed off at CES will finally arrive sometime "early next year." What's more, the company's been hard at work miniaturizing the one-to-one motion control tech into an exercise band, and while we've no word on when that's due or how much a "personal doctor" might cost, you can find a close-up (of a render, natch) after the break to see what it might look like (and video of the handheld sticks, if you're game).
Xbox 360 250GB plus Kinect bundle priced at $399 in US, £300 in UK
Microsoft has chosen the small hours of the night to announce pricing of its second Kinect bundle, which is set for launch along with the standalone and 4GB options on November 4 in the USA and November 10 across Europe. The new package throws in the 250GB slim version of the Xbox 360 to accompany the newfangled motion tracker, a spare conventional controller, and a copy of the utterly unmissable Kinect Adventures! (it has its own punctuation, it must be good). Pricing is a bit on the painful side, with Kotaku reporting a $399 figure for the US and Microsoft confirming to us a £300 sticker for this "special edition" bundle for the UK. Full press release follows after the break. [Thanks, Ravi]%Gallery-101662%
Microsoft Kinect starts making home deliveries to beta testers
As beta testing programs go, Microsoft's Kinect venture has been kind of... leaky. No surprises, therefore, that we've now received our first in-the-plastic pictures of the motion-tracking camera peripheral, replete with a few select shots of its packaging. Redmond's promise that hardware was en route to testers was clearly not a hollow one, and we can now probably expect a bunch more unauthorized disclosures about the user experience with what should be final retail units. The outside of the packaging includes a couple of teasers encouraging users to pick up some of those bodacious PDP stands and wall mounts for their Kinect -- presumably the start of a tidal wave of Kinect accessories. %Gallery-101257%
PlayStation Move review
The PlayStation Move. It's funny to think just 15 months have passed since Sony first unveiled its motion controller, and now we're mere weeks away from hitting the retail market. To be sure, it's not like the company didn't have waggle on the mind already -- patents dating as far back as 2005 reveal as much, and of course the incredible success of Nintendo's Wii proved there's a market for more physically exerting gameplay. And it's not just PlayStation; Microsoft's got its controller-free Kinect motion camera system coming this November. So, in the year where all major game consoles now ask you to get off the couch and earn arm muscle, how does Move fare? Read on for more!
Hillcrest Labs brings LG's Magic Motion remote to life, cheekily points out that Sony uses it, too
We had some fun playing with LG's Magic Motion gesture remote at CES this past January, which lets you change channels with a flick of the wrist, and now we're learning a little more about its fancy innards. Hillcrest Labs, the company behind the Loop mouse/bracelet, is proudly proclaiming that its Freespace tech is what makes LG's remote so magical in the first place. Hillcrest also would like to take this opportunity to point out that Sony has licensed its technology as well, and given we're but a few weeks away from the PlayStation Move launch, many are concluding that gadget has some Freespace up in it too. However, given Hillcrest's nasty patent dispute with Nintendo over the Wiimote, it's possible this is just Sony covering its ample posterior against a similar lawsuit. Or, this could go all the way back to the tech that allows the DualShock 3 to detect movement. (Remember trying to play that dragon game just with motion controls? Man, that was hard.)
PlayStation Move support added to XMB with PS3 firmware 3.40
It seems 3.40 firmware update added more than PlayStation Plus to the PS3. It appears support for the Move motion controller has also been added to the system, as evidenced by a new option in the "Settings" area of the XMB. This setting (pictured) will allow you to calibrate the motion controller, if the controller doesn't move "as expected." The Move controller isn't scheduled to launch until later this year. However, this isn't the first time Sony has prepped future-tech in earlier firmware releases. For example, firmware 3.30 added support for 3D games about two months before the first 3D games were released. Barring any further changes to the PS3 OS, you may be able to play Move games sans system update when the controller launches. [Thanks SecretAgentHam!]
Microsoft confirms: $199 new Xbox 360 coming soon, as well as Kinect bundles
Well, none of this will come as a big surprise here, but it's always nice to hear it straight from an official source. Microsoft has confirmed that a $199 version of new Xbox 360 will be coming in the fall to replace the now-$149 Arcade, which is no longer in production. In addition, the company's also spilled a few more beans -- Kinect will be available as a bundle with the new Xbox 360, and though there isn't any official pricing information on that one just yet, we've seen some telltale evidence on that front which would lead us to believe it'll run somewhere in the neighborhood of $399 for an Elite and $299 for the Arcade. So now you know.
Kinect guide: a preview and explanation of Microsoft's new full body motion sensor
We've become so familiar with the "Project Natal" codename over the years that our tongues are still having a little trouble wrapping around Microsoft's new Kinect moniker for it. Still, what's in a name? Microsoft has finally shown us what matters with real games, real gameplay, and real hardware, and after spending some time with it using our very own human flesh to control the on-screen action, we feel like we're starting to get a pretty good grip on the experience. Follow after the break as we break down the complicated workings and emergent gameplay of Kinect.
DualShock can be used in lieu of Navigation Controller
Remember that rumor a couple years back of PS3 motion control gaming being based around a pull-apart DualShock 3? Well, perhaps it wasn't such a wild idea after all. No DualShock 3s have been harmed in the making of Move, but Joystiq has just confirmed that you can actually use the existing controller for Move gaming instead of springing for the Navigation Controller if you'd like. Obviously, you'll be one-handing the DualShock, not quite as comfortable as the Move's tiny, dedicated quasi-nunchuck, but it saves you $30 for your hassle. You'll only have access to the d-pad or four face buttons, depending on which side you choose, but interestingly, the Nav Controller's X and O buttons are redundant with the full Move wand, so hopefully this won't impact gameplay too greatly.
Nyko charge base for PlayStation Move available for pre-order
Yes, it looks like the PlayStation Move accessories are starting to trickle in. While we're still lusting after the shooting attachment, we do realize the need for more modest hardware such as that supplied by Nyko. The Charge Station is a pretty straightforward affair: it features four ports for powering up as many Motion Controllers and / or Navigation Controllers, and can be pre-ordered from Amazon for $20. On a related note, we can't wait to see what CTA comes up with for its Move accessories. We hope there are some Sony-compatible wings in our future!
PlayStation Move shooting attachment in pictures: the ray gun you always dreamed of
We heard a mention of the PlayStation Move shooting attachment in Sony's Move E3 press release, but now that we've seen photos of the thing we think we're in love. The trigger of the attachment locks in with the analog "T" trigger button of the slotted-in Move controller for some sweet, shoot-tastic shooting, while the face buttons of the controller remain accessible thanks to a window cutout up top. But while we're sure it works great and all that silly nonsense, we're just totally enamored with the looks: it's like a 1950's ray gun, and with a light-up ball on the end and the future of motion gaming at your fingertips, perhaps that's not so far from the truth. The ray gun part. The 50's were actually a pretty bad year for motion controlled console gaming. %Gallery-95391%
PlayStation Move demoed for 30 minutes, German-style
German publication GamersGlobal may not be familiar to you, but we expect you'll recognize those shiny orbs -- somehow, the website managed to pry a pair of PlayStation Move motion controllers and software away from Sony long enough to shoot an extensive video demo. While we're admittedly jealous of our distant neighbors, we wholeheartedly recommend watching their 30 minute hands-on with Disc Golf, Archery and more -- we've had a turn or two in PlayStation Move's multicolored spotlight already, and we suppose it's time to pass on the torch. Video after the break.
Project Natal to cost $149 by itself, $299 with 360 Arcade, according to latest rumors
Here we go with those trusted sources again. Edge has it on good authority that Microsoft's midlife rejuvenator for the Xbox 360, Project Natal, will cost a cool 149 bucks when purchased as a standalone accessory, or $100 when bundled together with the $199 Xbox 360 Arcade console. That's a mighty steep hill for early adopters to climb, but Microsoft did warn us that Natal will not be an impulse buy. An October 26 date is also proffered for the official launch, but that might shift, leaving us with the same window of expectation as before. Interestingly, the Natal name is expected to definitely change for the final retail product, which we should be learning a lot more about at E3 in a couple of weeks.
Students program Human Tetris into 8-bit microcontroller, give away schematics for free (video)
Sure, Project Natal is the hotness and a little bird tells us PlayStation Move is pretty bodacious, but you don't have to buy a fancy game console to sooth your motion-tracking blues. When students at Cornell University wanted to play Human Tetris (and ace a final project to boot), they taught a 20Mhz, 8-bit microcontroller how to follow their moves. Combined with an NTSC camera, the resulting system can display a 39 x 60 pixel space at 24 frames per second, apparently enough to slot your body into some grooves -- and as you'll see in videos after the break, it plays a mean game of Breakout, too. Full codebase and plans to build your own at the source link. Eat your heart out, geeks.
Student moves quadriplegics with Wiimote wheelchair control (video)
There were certainly a couple whiz kids at Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair this year, but high school senior John Hinckel's a regular MacGyver: he built a wheelchair remote control out of a couple sheets of transparent plastic, four sliding furniture rails and some string. A Nintendo Wiimote goes in your hat and tells the whole system what to do -- simply tilt your head in any direction, and accelerometer readings are sent over Bluetooth. The receiving laptop activates microcontrollers, directing servo motors to pull the strings, and acrylic gates push the joystick accordingly to steer your vehicle. We tried on the headset for ourselves and came away fairly impressed -- it's no mind control, but for $534 in parts, it just might do. Apparently, we weren't the only ones who thought so, as patents are pending, and a manufacturer of wheelchair control systems has already expressed interest in commercializing the idea. See the young inventor show it off after the break.
Cellbots get Nexus One upgrade, ad-hoc motion control (video)
Sprint and Verizon may have shunned the Nexus One, but that doesn't mean the handsets can't be put to good use: these Android-controlled, Arduino-powered Cellbots now feature the one true Googlephone as the CPU. At Intel's 2010 International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose, we got our hot little hands on the DIY truckbots for the first time, and found to our surprise they'd been imbued with accelerometer-based motion control. Grabbing a Nexus One off a nearby table, we simply tilted the handset forward, back, left and right to make the Cellbot wheel about accordingly, bumping playfully into neighbors and streaming live video the whole time. We were told the first handset wirelessly relayed instructions to the second using Google Chat, after which point a Python script determined the bot's compass facing and activated Arduino-rigged motors via Bluetooth, but the real takeaway here is that robots never fail to amuse. Watch our phone-skewing, bot-driving antics in a video after the break, and see what we mean.
PlayStation Move controller priced at $60 in Canada
Sony's been pretty fuzzy on pricing for the PlayStation Move -- we've only really heard "under $100" for the full package with controller and camera -- but it looks like the numbers are starting to solidify, as Gamestop Canada has the controller itself now listed for $59.99. How that number will translate into a US price is obviously up in the air, but Sony's MSRPs tend to be the same or similar across the US and Canada, so we'd say we've at least got a reasonable estimate of how much this thing is going to cost. We'd also guess that this points to a full package price of $99, but we'll see -- Sony's got months before the Move's planned holiday launch to tweak all these numbers. [Thanks, Matthew]
HP ships Swing motion controller hardware with Pavilion PCs in India
The vaguely kidney bean-shaped device above is actually, believe it or not, yet another motion controller. Details are scant, but apparently the HP Swing is being bundled with HP Pavilion desktop PCs in India (starting at 29,990 Rupees, or about $670). The thing will not be available separately, and as far as we know there are no plans to release it in the states. We're not saying that it won't be released in the US, but we are saying that we probably don't care. Either way, we'll let you know when we hear more.
Side-Kick founded to work on motion-based games for 'next-gen' consoles
Israel-based company Side-Kick is a new studio "focused on the creation of motion control games for next-generation game consoles and digital living rooms." We're not quite sure what a digital living room is (The Matrix?), but the rest seems fairly self-explanatory. Led by Guy Bendov, co-founder of Double Fusion, the new company also includes former Eidos and PrimeSense alums, the latter being responsible for the tech behind Microsoft's upcoming Project Natal. So, the studio definitely has built-in familiarity with Microsoft's new motion-sensing device and, based on that next-gen line above, we assume the company will also produce PlayStation Move content. Side-Kick has a few games in development right now -- Mini Demons is only briefly shown via its website -- and will be on-hand to display its new wares at Microsoft's ThinkNext2010 event and E3. We've contacted the company for clarification on which platforms it's currently targeting. Update: A Side-Kick representative got back to us, stating that "Natal and Move are the targets for now since they use camera systems to track movement." Well, we're glad that's cleared up!