wii-remote
Latest
Sanyo's new Wii remote charger accepts MotionPlus
So, you've gotten yourself a fancy Wii remote charger, but you're tired of having to remove both MotionPlus and the rubber jacket before each recharging session. What's a dedicated fanboy to do? Run out and buy Sanyo's new Eneloop charging station. The device is powered by the Wii's USB port, accepts two Wii remotes and has room for both the MotionPlus add-on and its accompanying jacket. For those who haven't taken the MotionPlus plunge yet, the stand will also work with the standard Wii remote and jacket. Best of all, the charger has no actual contacts, so you just have to pop the remote into the cradle to start charging, no connection required. It's even licensed by Nintendo. The only problem: Thus far it has only been announced for Japan. Until Sanyo decides to offer it elsewhere, savvy importers can pick one up for about $80. [Via Engadget]
'Baby and Me' special edition includes Wiimote-ready doll
A new, janktastic Wii title dubbed Baby and Me (not to be confused with the new 50 Cent song, "Baby by Me") is shipping in limited quantities as a special edition that actually includes a doll "accessory" in the box. The regular game is designed to work with the Wiimote attached to any old doll, but in case your child is looking for a premium fake baby experience, we suppose this special edition is the way to go. The actual game play includes motion sensitive baby-rocking, Balance Board support for teaching the child avatar to walk, and the sound of gurgles and burps output through the Wiimote's built-in speaker. It sounds exactly like caring for a real child.
Houston newscaster dictates slide transitions, goes bowling with Wiimote
We're not sure who's winning the ratings war in Houston, but we're going to give the upper-hand to KHOU based on these shots alone. As you can clearly see in the image above (and the enlarged versions there in the gallery), this newscaster is wielding a Wiimote. It's hard to say if the news station actually has their slide transitions setup to change with a swing of the controller, or if weather map zooming is handled with something typically used for gaming, but one thing's for darn sure -- lightning rounds of Wii bowling during commercial breaks are definitely happening. [Thanks, Edmar] Update: Whoa, looks like this was indeed the real deal. Check the details here! %Gallery-76694%
Black Wii Remote, MotionPlus add-on and Nunchuck arrive on November 16th
We knew they were coming for the holidays, and now Nintendo's black Wii gear has some prices and a November 16th release date. The black Wii Remote comes bundled with a MotionPlus add-on -- obviously Nintendo doesn't want to risk too many more people picking up a controller without one -- and retails for $50, while the black Nunchuck (shown after the break) is all by its lonesome for $20. Unfortunately, still no word of a black Wii in the US to hang out with these finely tinted accessories.
Nintendo quietly reveals pink and blue Wiimotes for Japanese market
Rumors of a rainbow-splashed Wii and Wiimote lineup have been running for just about ever now, and while we've seen Nintendo cave and offer a black Wii, blue Wiimote and black Wiimote in select locales, the company has yet to push colors in a big way as it has on the DS lineup. Hopefully, all that's gearing up to change. At a small, quaint retailer event over in Japan, the Big N revealed that a blue and pink Wiimote would hit the Land of The Rising Sun on December 3rd, though pricing on the new hues remains undisclosed. In related news, a few new Japan-only Wii console / game bundles were also made public, and while the Samurai Warriors 3 package will indeed include a glossy black Wii, you'll need a round-trip ticket to Akihabara in order to claim one as your own. For shame.[Via Joystiq]
Black Wii remote bundle coming to North America, no matching console in sight
Oh Nintendo, you tease. You still won't give us that jet black Wii console bound for Japan, but you've got no problem giving us in North America a taste of the dark side with a black Wiimote and Motion Plus bundle, coming this holiday along with a black nunchuk sold separately. With any luck this is just the sign of things to come, and should the Wii's sales momentum drop, we're sure quite a few new colors will start shipping their way over here (light blue, anyone?). On the more portable side of things, the DSi will be adding pink and white to its repertoire on September 13th. Unless the House that Mario Built is feeling particularly nasty, prices should be the same as their pre-existing color counterparts -- you wouldn't put a premium on a palette swap, right Nintendo? [Via Joystiq]
Nintendo patent filing reveals inflatable cushion controller for horse riding, shark jumping
"For centuries throughout the world, horseback riding has captured the imagination of adventurous people. In the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans, the horse was a symbol of power. In medieval Europe and Japan, horses were essential for quick movement across large distances and were often used in warfare. In the American wild west, the horse was a cowboy's constant companion and a symbol of self-reliance and adventure." - Nintendo patent application, building up to... an inflatable cushion for your Wiimote. Really. [Via Joystiq]
iPhone and Wiimote brought together by Bluetooth
It's been a long time going, but it looks like the invisible divide between the iPhone and the Wii remote has finally been bridged through the magic of Bluetooth. That was apparently made possible thanks to the portable Bluetooth stack from the BTStack project, which got paired with some custom OpenGL-ES code to allow the Wiimote to control a virtual representation of itself on the iPhone. Practical? Of course not. But it's a Wiimote controlling an iPhone. Video after the break.[Via MAKE]
Wii remote enrolled in student-developed CPR training program
Taking a more passive approach with the Wii remote than, say, operating a 15-ton grapple or saving your friends on Tatooine, a team of biomedical engineering undergraduates at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have been developing a companion CPR training program. Using the controller's built-in accelerometer, it tracks hand position as you practice those vital life-saving maneuverings, charting depth and rate of compression to give you a more accurate performance reading than the conventional Resusci Anne mannequin. The American Heart Association is sure impressed: it just pledged a $50,000 fund to UAB for the continuation of the project. The software's expected to be complete early fall 2009, with an open source download being released on the AHA website. No telling what these crazy kids'll accomplish once MotionPlus gets its time to shine.[Via Coolest Gadgets]
EA announces latest NERF Wii game with new and improved blaster
Thought all your dreams of an all-in-one NERF gun / Wii controller were fulfilled with the original NERF Blaster Controller? Think again. 'Cause EA has now announced its follow-up NERF 2: N-Strike Elite game, which will of course also come bundled with a new and improved NERF Switch Shot EX-3 blaster. As before, this one will house the Wiimote inside to let you use it with the game or let you ditch it to take things outside (or to the office), and it adds a new attachable "NERF decoder scope" that'll let you detect enemy weak spots, decode secret messages, and uncover other hidden gameplay elements. And, well, it's a NERF gun and a Wii controller. Is there anything else you really need to know? No word on a price just yet, but you can look for the bundle to launch sometime this fall.[Thanks, Vincent]
Nintendo unveils light blue Wii remote with MotionPlus, for select Japanese Wii Sports Resort owners only
Just great, more hue-enhanced Wii hardware that we in North America will very likely never get. After teasing us with that kuro (i.e. jet black) Wii and matching classic controller, Nintendo's announced a light blue sleeved Wii remote, nunchuk, and motion plus set that'll be given out to five thousand members of its Japanese Club Nintendo program who have registered Wii Sports Resort. Historically, Club Nintendo gifts have only made their way stateside via unofficial channels, so if you're desperate for a non-white peripheral and using paint is absolutely out of the question, we suggest you keep a close eye on eBay and hope the House that Mario Built takes a cue from its portable line sooner rather than later. [Via Joystiq]
Nyko: Project Natal not a threat, but a 'challenge'
When Microsoft unveiled its controller-free camera technology dubbed Project Natal during E3 last week, you'd think that gaming peripheral makers might start asking President Obama for a bailout. But not so. At least not for Nyko. The manufacturer of third-party accessories, whose core business is unlicensed Wii products, doesn't see physical controllers going away anytime soon. In fact, Chris Arbogast, Nyko's director of marketing, has a hard time seeing casual gamers letting go of the Wii remote. "People in the casual market like feeling something physical to keep your hands aligned," he said. "When you grab the Wiimote and swing it, it feels like you're swinging a baseball bat, versus pantomining swinging a bat. I think that if you take all [the controllers] away and you're just pantomiming everything, there may be some disconnect with realism there." Obviously, working for Nyko, Arbogast has to stay positive. However, if Project Natal does take off, we wondered if the company has a Plan B. Arbogast said it might force Nyko to "think outside the box." "We'll have to think of other ways we can accessorize and augment the players' experience," he said. "Not with a controller anymore, but with other things to add to that camera functionality. It could be a whole new avenue of business that opens up for us because we'll be forced to challenge ourselves." Luckily for Nyko, Project Natal is probably a long ways off, with analysts saying it won't trump the Wii just yet. Until then, you can enjoy another innovation in camera technology: the Nyko DSi Zoom Case.
EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 with Wii MotionPlus now shipping
It may not seem quite as impressive now that Microsoft and Sony have shown off their visions of a motion-controlled future, but Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus is still as good as it gets when it comes to consoles today and, as promised, it's now finally shipping alongside the latest Tiger Woods game. That may not be exactly what Nintendo had in mind when it first unveiled MotionPlus way back at last year's E3, but the first-party wares won't be too far behind, with its own Wii Sports Resort title (and requisite bundle) still on track for a launch late next month. If you're up for a little golf in the meantime, however, you can pick up the Tiger Woods game bundled with Wii MotionPlus for $59.99, or the standalone game (still playable with the standard Wiimote) for $49.99.
J Allard's 'Magic Wand' patent application for Microsoft puts Nintendo, sorcerers on notice
It's been awhile since we've heard from J Allard; the man who assumed responsibility for Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division (think: Zune and Xbox) in mid 2008 in an effort to unify the experience into a centralized package. Now Microsoft's CTO and CXO (that's, Chief eXperience Office) has co-signed a patent application for a "Magic Wand" first filed in November of 2007 and made public just a few days ago. The patent application reads very much like a Wiimote, hand-held controller,"The architecture can utilize one or more sensor from a collection of sensors to determine an orientation or gesture in connection with the wand, and can further issue an instruction to update a state of an environmental component based upon the orientation." It's worth remembering that Microsoft has been rumored to be working on such a controller since at least August 2007. Something they've apparently scrapped for a camera-based solution that will allow gamers to control the action with their bodies and hand-gestures without requiring a hand-held controller -- you know, if current rumors are true. How many days until Microsoft's June 1st E3 press conference again?[Via TechFlash]
Casmobot lawnmower is a slave to the flick of a Wiimote
Most of the time we see a Wii mote controlling something tangible, it's more for entertainment value like an airsoft gun or Rovio. The Casmobot lawnmower, developed by scientists from the University of Southern Denmark, is actually quite useful if you loathe outdoor chores. It can be steered into grass-cutting action via the tilt of the controller synced with Bluetooth. Alternatively, you can drive it for a lap around the border of the yard and then put it on autopilot to mow inside the designated zone. We wouldn't run in front of it while its in motion, though, it's probably not as forgiving of interruption as a roomba. Researcher Kjeld Jensen also suggested applying the same technology to your grandmother's wheelchair, but we really don't think she'd appreciate that. See it for yourself in the video after the break.[Via Switched]
Neuros adds Wiimote support to the LINK
The Neuros LINK set-top was already plenty interesting when it was just a $300 riff on a storageless HTPC capable of full-screen Hulu and YouTube playback, but now that the company's gone and added experimental Wiimote support, we might just be smitten. It'll take some work to hook Ninty's stick to your LINK, but once you do content is just an arm-flail away. Video after the break.[Thanks, Joe]
Patent shows Wiimote was originally a GameCube peripheral
Some new images and details on Nintendo's patent for the Wiimote have surfaced on the net and they show that the original idea was planned for the GameCube. The Wiimote was to attach to the console via an adapter, much like the WaveBird's. But, as you all know, the GameCube ended up going the way of the dodo, and so the Wii was born. The image to the right shows Mario playing tennis, which is where Nintendo originally got the idea for Wii Sports, we assume, but there's more. Past the break, you can see more diagrams showing how the Wiimote would work with the GameCube, if you're into that kind of thing.%Gallery-14911%
Patent reveals Wii Remote began life as GameCube add-on
What's so interesting about the above image? Is it that the man (?) has no eyes? Is it that he's not using the strap on the Wii Remote? No: it's that this isn't a patent drawing for the Wii Remote at all -- it's for a GameCube controller. The original Japanese patent was submitted by Nintendo in 2006, around the time Shigeru Miyamoto admitted, "[Wii] is based on GC."Now we know its controller was, too, by way of the US Patent and Trademark Office's database, which also contains related drawings. One shows what this line-art person is playing (a tennis game with Mario) and the other is the proverbial smoking gun: a Wii remote and receiver connected to a GameCube, which is, in turn, connected to a TV with sensors attached. Check them out after the break.[Via Siliconera]
WeeP5 makes other Wiimote gun mods cry home to their mamas
If your Wiimote-gun hybrid lacks a little bit of that "I would shut down an airport having this in my carry-on luggage" panache, we suggest you check out WeeP5, a toy MP5 chock-full of motion control. To be honest, we're most enamored by the setup of the above picture, as the modded armament rests lovingly over the heads of a young couple, against a picture of men in togas, and just under a VHS copy of The Lost World in German -- it's just so beautiful. In case you're wondering: B button is the trigger, A button is under the foregrip, 1 and 2 are on opposite sides near the front, the D-pad and Wii remote are jutting out of the left side, and the +, -, and home buttons are on the top just above the ammo clip. Hit up the read link for full DIY instructions.[Via Hack a Day]
Nintendo denies report of new Wiimote tech
Remember that story we ran last week about Nintendo wanting to change the internal components of the Wiimote? Well, Nintendo has finally responded to the Nikkei Tech-On! article that claimed the company would be looking into alternative accelerometer chips for the Wiimote, denying what was said in the piece. In speaking to Edge, a Nintendo spokesperson shot down the possibility for a tech upgrade to the Wiimote's internal parts, stating this is all "purely rumour and speculation." Of course, we wouldn't rule out the possibility, because if the technology can be improved through alternative components, why wouldn't Nintendo want to go that route?%Gallery-31614%
