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Wii Moving Connection Kit helps you move the Wii ... between rooms
Do you find, when you move your Wii from room to room, that you often wish for a second composite cable, power cord, and sensor bar that you could leave connected to another TV? You do? Well, Nintendo of Japan released a bundle containing exactly those things, for exactly that purpose. The Wii Moving Connection kit, available through Nintendo of Japan's online store for ¥4,200, is designed to make it easy for you to move the Wii between rooms. The diagram on the site offers some insight into why Nintendo thinks this is important: it depicts a person moving from the "living room" occupied by a child to a "private room," presumably so he or she could play Zangeki no Regenleiv or Monster Hunter or something in an environment safe for adult-style games. In other words, It's for the children. Nintendo manufactured this new demand for redundant accessories for the children. [Via Andriasang]
Darth Vader senses your Wiimote's presence
With the economy the way it is, even Sith Lords are having to work second jobs. Take Darth Vader here, who's moonlighting as the absolute coolest Wii sensor bar holder ever. (We're sure his supervisor will say something similar on his quarterly performance report.)You can hire Lord Vader for the sum of $49.99 from the official Star Wars Shop website, and he'll drop out of hyperspace (a.k.a. arriving via FedEx) sometime in November. Just be forewarned that his heavy breathing might ruin the atmosphere during those quiet, extremely tense gaming moments. But hey -- as much as old "Iron Lung Ani" needs the work, nobody's Forcing you to hire him.[Via Gizmodo]
Microsoft almost definitely planning motion-sensing 3D camera for Xbox 360
If shots from the barrel of Mr. Blurrycam just aren't legitimate enough for you, how's about corroboration from The Wall Street Journal? A breaking report has confirmed that Microsoft is indeed "developing a new videocamera for its Xbox 360 videogame console that will allow players to control games with the movement of their bodies," or at least that's the good word from the all-too-supposing "people familiar with the matter." It's noted that unlike Nintendo's Wii, the Microsoft camera won't require gamers to "hold any hardware in their hands to control in-game action," but in the same vein as The Big N, it seems as if the device will debut at E3 only to sit around in a lab for a year before shipping to consumers. Boo.[Thanks, Chuck]
Microsoft's motion-sensing Xbox 360 add-on a result of 3DV acquisition?
We've already gotten a pretty thorough rundown of the motion-sensing Xbox 360 add-on that Microsoft supposedly has in store for this year's E3, and it looks like the folks at Ars Technica have now pieced together a few more of the pieces and figured out exactly where the device might have came from. Apparently, the device has been around in some form as far back as CES 2008, where little-known upstart 3DV was showing off its own ZCam system which, according to Ars, was able to perform just about all of the functions that Microsoft's device is able to. That didn't exactly cause a huge stir at the time, but it was apparently enough to attract the interest of Microsoft, which reportedly went after the company shortly thereafter and seems to have finally gone through with the acquisition earlier this year. Coincidence? Maybe. But Microsoft's history is certainly pushing this one into the more-likely-than-not column.
Xbox 360 to get motion-sensing add-on with full body game control?
Here's a wild one. We just got a tip from someone who purports to be in the know on Microsoft's efforts to beat the Wii at its own motion-sensing game, with some of the details lining up with what we were hearing last year along these lines. The word is that Microsoft is building a "sensor bar" of sorts, but instead of detecting the waggles of Wiimote-like controllers, it detects full body movement and sound, sans controllers. There are two sensors on the bar, along with a mic and a camera, and while our tipster has "no idea" how it actually works, it sounds pretty impressive. Here's a quick rundown of capabilities mentioned: Full body and hand gesture control of games / characters. In fighting games you kick, punch, duck, dive, jump and so forth with your body. It also picks up small hand gestures like pinching, grabbing and scrolling. There will also be video conferencing and games with video. Trivia game over the internet with live images of each person playing. When a question pops up, they can clap to buzz in. You can "move objects on your screen" and the other party can see what you're doing in real time. Sensor detects only the person playing, not folks observing on the couch. We're rather curious as to what those two mystery sensors on the bar are doing, since there's specific mention of a lack of controllers. Perhaps they add depth perception to whatever the camera is picking up on video, but we guess we'll have to wait and find out. Of course, this could all be an elaborate hoax, but for what it's worth the picture appears undoctored, and the story is plausible. Either way, it's only natural for Microsoft to be looking to duplicate -- and expand upon -- the wild success Nintendo has enjoyed with motion-controlled gaming. And if they don't, Sony sure will.
Wii Warm Up: Top or bottom?
We were thinking about another Wii Warm Up recently, when the idea to ask about the sensor bar popped into our head. Personally, we're fans of sticking the thing under our TV, but what about you? Do you have your sensor bar placed above your TV. Do you have it below the screen, just as we do? Is it on top or the bottom?
Wii Warm Up: Positioning
Think back to the first games you played on your Wii. Did you have to change the way you usually sit to play games? Discount anything you play standing; we're not talking about Wii Sports or Wii Fit here, but more traditional titles. Can you sit back and slouch, one leg slung over the arm of the sofa, or do you have to sit differently? We've noticed that positioning is a big part of a relaxed Wii gaming experiences -- you've got to find the right place for your hands depending on where and how your furniture is arranged. Has this affected you at all?
The curiously strong homemade sensor bar
The Altoids tin is a handy enclosure for various electrical projects, as evidenced by this homemade wireless sensor bar, crafted by benheck.com forum user ghosstt (well-known in his community for his exceedingly fresh breath). It's a simple enough project -- just two Altoids tins with LEDs and switches attached, and batteries inside. It's a functional and cheap way for projector users to get the sensor bar across the room. You know, for all those projector owners who are keeping an eye on their budgets. The flexibility of the Wiimote's camera is the source of some of the most interesting hacks -- since it recognizes pretty much any infrared light source as a reference point for pointer movement, you can do things that vary from changing the function of the Wiimote (as in Johnny Lee's light-pen whiteboard) to swapping out the stationary light source with something made from Radio Shack parts and garbage (like this).[Via GoNintendo]
Wii Warm Up: Tethered
Looking at the neat wired/wireless 2Way Sensor Bar got us thinking about the device in general. It's likely that the multiple battery-powered sensor bars on the market reflect an actual consumer interest in removing that extra cord from the Wii setup. We say "likely" and not "obvious" because the existence of products like the "Trauma Center Kit" is in no way demonstrative of any gamer's interests. We think the idea of losing the wire is neat, but not neat enough to justify the extra cost in batteries. But, then again, our TV/Wii setup is stable and unlikely to be moved around, and the cable is neatly concealed.Is the cable a problem for you? Are there any other deficiencies in the official sensor bar that would drive you to replace it?
A wireless sensor bar with something extra (a wire)
We're not really in the market for a sensor bar, since ours Just Works and we've managed to conceal the little cord, but if we were interested in replacing it, we'd choose CYBER Gadget's 2Way Sensor Bar. It's the most versatile third-party sensor bar we've seen. It retails for around 2000 yen ($18).The 2Way Sensor Bar can operate on 4 AA batteries when wireless play is desired, or it can be powered by the Wii's (or any) USB connection. Too bad it doesn't have internal batteries that could be charged over USB, or it would be perfect.Unfortunately, the unobtrusive design of the original sensor bar has been replaced with a Wii-imitation white slab with some lights on it. We don't really mind the clock, because, hey, if you've got a thing sitting on top of your TV, it might as well make itself useful.[Via Famitsu]
The $4 Wireless Sensor Bar: for that special Wii in your life
So, your Wii sensor bar has slid down the back of your TV for the umpteenth time and you just aren't up for diving into the rats nest of cables this time, maybe this time you should just leave it there. You can pick up this Wireless Sensor Bar for a mere $4, a quarter of what you'll pay for most competing products. Of course, they're using the term "wireless" liberally here, and the bit about being "detected automatically by your Wii console" is pure rubbish -- all it takes is a pair of IR emitters, or even a couple candles to make a sensor bar replacement -- but we'll let it slide for this kind of price.[Via Wii News]
Mod your fingers into sensor bars
Armed with nothing but his hopes and dreams (and a large array of infrared LEDs, and also reflective tape, and let's throw "dreams" in there again), YouTube user Johnny Lee designed a method for using the Wiimote to track his finger movements. Basically, by sticking reflective tape to his fingertips and shining a bunch of infrared light on them, he made his fingers into a moving sensor bar! The Wii Remote picks up the reflected light and tracks the fingers' motion as if it were Wiimote motion. He then demonstrated some custom PC software that uses this gesture-based interface, manipulating some grids around by pointing at them. This is super cool, obviously, but it also gives us a weird idea: if this works, then it means that you can set the Wiimote on top of your TV and use the sensor bar as a controller. Except for the motion sensing, and, uh, all the buttons.[Via Joystiq]
Talismoon offers up retractable Wii Sensor Wiire
We can't definitively say that a travel-friendly sensor bar is undoubtedly superior to a wireless sensor bar, but for those who can in fact say that, Talismoon has you covered. The Sensor Wiire is nothing more than an ultra-compact Wii sensor bar that features a pair of sensing blocks on a retractable spool, but it'll serve as a satisfactory replacement for your factory bar when hittin' the road with your console. Click on through for a couple more pics, and be sure to hit the read link if you're looking to snag your own for $24.95.[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]
Talismoon's travel-sized, retractable sensor bar
Talismoon, the same company behind the swappable Wii slot gates and ninja-themed replacement shells, tinkered with Nintendo's sensor bar design to make it more compact for travel. The resulting $24.95 Sensor Wiire requires even less space than the already-low-profile standard bar and, thanks to its retractability, packs up without leaving a frustrating tangle of thin wires.As an added bonus, you could probably use it as a pocket-sized garrotte if you don't have any other assassination tools handy. Protect ya neck and jump past the post break for more photos of Talismoon's Sensor Wiire setup.
Revolutionary: Answering the Call
Every Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities. Metroid Prime 3 has proven indeed that a Wii Remote and Nunchuk is the next best thing to a keyboard and mouse for first person shooting and action. Although we have few FPS titles being developed and released on the Wii (relative to party games and family-friendly content, or the main attraction of a certain other platform), the genre is among the most popular in the scripting community. This is naturally so with FPS being a favored genre among hardcore PC gamers and hardware enthusiasts. With the recent release of the demo version of Call of Duty 4 and its imminent final release, I felt it was time to pick up arms and serve you a script for this spectacular shooter.
Nyko's wireless sensor bar bargain
Though it's significantly larger than Nintendo's inconspicious sensor bar, requires four AA batteries (included) for up to 30 hours of use, and is, of course, much more expensive than the free accessory that comes with every console, Nyko's Wii Wireles Sensor Bar has a few things going for it:
