wii-remote
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Wee bit of trouble: Nintendo can't trademark 'Wii Remote'
Oh, woe is Wii. Sure, Nintendo's latest console is printing money, but it has a little problem on – or, rather, in – its hands: the US Patent Office has suspended a request by the company to issue a trademark for the "Wii Remote."GamePolitics reports the application was put on hold due to the fact that "remote" is such a widely-used term, but the USPTO is willing to compromise. As long as the word "remote" is always preceeded by the word "Wii" (in all marketing, manuals, etc.) and Nintendo admits it holds no trademark on the word "remote," the government will reconsider. Why not just go with "Wiimote," something that we (not Wii) and, well, everyone else have been calling it from day one? GamePolitics points out that Nintendo did, in fact, try for that one – only to learn that a Florida company markets a TV remote for children under the name "Weemote." D'oh. Perhaps Nintendo could take this opportunity to re-brand the controller? Think of the possibilities: the "WaggleWand," the "GameBaton," the ... "Einhänder!" Oh, wait. Why don't you give it a shot? (And, as the Superintendent says, "Keep it clean!")
U.S. Patent Office suspends Nintendo 'Wii Remote' trademark
Nintendo recently filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which, as you might have guessed, has been shot down. Apparently, the word "remote" is far too common and incapable of being trademarked, said a letter sent to Nintendo from the USPTO last week. The attempt to trademark the term "Wii Remote" was filed back in March by Nintendo, and even though it has been put on hold, Nintendo still has the ability to trademark the term. It would merely require that Nintendo "disclaim" any ownership of the word "remote," except for when used with "Wii Remote."[Update: Removed uses of "patent" -- it's a trademark, duh.]
Nice idea, terrible value: the Multiplayer Controller Set
A Go Nintendo reader spotted this on the shelves of his local Target: a "Multi-Player Controller Set" containing a Wii Remote, a Nunchuk, and a Wii Wheel. This kind of thing obviously makes sense to Nintendo as Christmas approaches (the season where Wii excels, some would say), and we could really get behind the idea of a good value bundle of second/third/fourth peripherals (still need a fourth Wiimote and Nunchuk at Casa de Greenhough!). It's just a shame that the price is such a sham: $74.99?! All three of these peripherals are available separately at Amazon for a total of $63.91 (which qualifies for free shipping), but here's the real laugh: you can buy an individual Wiimote, Nunchuk, and Wii Wheel for $74.97 at Target itself. D'oh! Knock at least fifteen bones off this and you've got our attention.%Gallery-19823%[Thanks, Sonic_13!]
Wiimote helps man rock out
While some musicians might snobbily mock those who spastically flail around on Guitar Hero's plastic controller ("Like, lol, why not just learn to play a real guitar?" is something we read far too often), others embrace our hobby, and use elements of it to further their own music.Rob Morris is one such person. According to his collection of YouTube videos, Morris regularly performs with a Wii Remote duct-taped to his Stratocaster, where it doubles up as a whammy bar. This in turn allows him to add tremolo, or bend the pitch of his notes by up to an octave -- all by using the attached Wiimote's accelerometer. And look, here comes the science: this is achieved by "sending the Wiimote data to a computer running Max/MSP, which then sends data via MIDI to a Digitech pedal."Ooookay. It's another Wiimote hack that we don't really understand, but it sounds pretty cool! [Via Music Radar]
MeWe reveals new Quad Charger for your Wiimotes
Those of you looking for a rechargeable solution to your Wiimote's power needs, manufacturer MeWe has just come up with a new device: the Quad Charger. As you can see above, it includes LEDs to let you know the power status of your recharging Wiimotes, as well as the capacity to charge four simultaneously. And, of course, it comes with four rechargeable packs (Ni-MH). The MeWe Quad Charger is currently available and costs $49.95.
Nintendo jazzing up Wiimote wrist straps
While we're still waiting for that leopard skin Wiimote wrist strap of our dreams, Nintendo will shortly release green, blue, pink, and white straps in Japan. Other than helping to distinguish Wiimotes between multiplayer sessions, we can't really think of a compelling need for these non-threatening, pastel accessories, but perhaps they're a sign that matching controllers are on the way? That's probably a long shot, but it would be nice.For those of you with an interest in importing, these are scheduled to appear next month for ¥300 ($2.80) each, or you can snag the four-pack above for ¥1,000 ($9.25). For those of you who are too cheap for even that, you can make your own for nada.
Nintendo's Wiimote tapped for patent infringement by Hillcrest Labs
Nintendo just can't seem to keep its nose out of patent troubles, with its highly successful Wii now the target of a new patent lawsuit from Hillcrest Labs, which claims that its patents for "a handheld three-dimensional pointing device" and the gloriously vague "navigation interface display system that graphically organizes content for display on a television" which apparently predate Nintendo's own. At least we're not dealing with a complete patent troll here: Hillcrest Labs does have a product based on its technology, called The Loop remote (pictured left), based on what it calls "Freespace" motion control technology. It's fairly clear Freespace is a much different beast than the Wiimote, and we'd like to believe something so vague as a handheld 3D pointing device (a very un-new concept) isn't enough to best Nintendo in a court of law, but naturally Hillcrest is requesting Nintendo stop shipping Wiis to the States (that shouldn't be hard, huh Nintendo? Yuk, yuk.) and reward Hillcrest with unspecified monetary damages.
Ubisoft totally hearts MotionPlus
Nintendo kept the Wii MotionPlus a secret from everybody for as long as possible, a move that resulted in grumbling from certain third-party developers.That hasn't diminshed enthusiasm for the tiny add-on, however. During an interview with Gamasutra, Ubisoft Montreal CEO Yannis Mallat couldn't praise the MotionPlus enough (even though he admitted having some doubts at first), enthusing about how the peripheral would make gaming feel "seamless," and arguing that it could only lead to a more immersive experience. "It's one thing to have your brain interpolating what you're doing," gushed Mallat, "[but ] it's another thing to not need that interpolation work."Elsewhere in the interview, Mallat expressed his view that Shaun White Snowboarding was a "must-try" and described developing Dogz as "psychologically very exciting." Hmm.%Gallery-29887%
Latest Nintendo Power says 100 onscreen zombies in Dead Rising
According to the latest issue of Nintendo Power, Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop might not be the slouch many are making it out to be. The magazine mentions that there could be up to 100 zombies onscreen at once. Aside from that, improvements include: Combat controls will mimic Resident Evil 4. Selectable difficulty level. Improved save system. Larger text! Overtime mode now part of the main game. Sounds like Dead Rising: Chop 'Til You Drop will be an option-rich good time. How many of you are looking forward to it?%Gallery-28028%
Wii Warm Up: What's 'very affordable' for you?
Iwata's interview yesterday definitely sparked some debate within our little community here, but it would seem a lot of you didn't exactly chime in with your own thoughts on 'very affordable.' So, what price point would you like to see Wii MotionPlus set at? Is $20 a sweet spot? Would you mind paying as much as $30? Weigh in!
Wiimote triumphs over Weemote: A small business sob story
Sometimes, it really sucks to be the little guy (especially if the big guy you're up against is Nintendo). Take Forbis Technologies, for example, who came out with the Weemote (and trademarked the name in 2000) long before the Wii even launched. Nintendo never officially refers to the Wii's controller as a Wiimote, and always calls it by the full name Wii Remote. Retailer and blog outlets such as ourselves are the cause of the problem, however, as we constantly use the unofficial nickname. Ever since the term "Wiimote" caught on, though, the Weemote's sales have "fallen considerably."
Porn for Wii: Dark Room Sex Game
No, you didn't misread the title of this post; it's not another edition of Born for Wii for today. Yet, the title is still a bit misleading, as we really should have said that the Dark Room Sex Game is "Porn for Wii Remote."Created for the Nordic Game Jam at the IT University at Copenhagen (which had a theme of "taboo" this year), players can either use Wiimotes or a keyboard to play this PC title. Even though it's a "sex" game, there are no visuals in Dark Room (only audio). The objective is to find a "mutual rhythm" with your partner, and then gradually speed up until -- well, we probably don't need to spell out the rest. Four players can also take part simultaneously in Orgy Mode, during which you "swap partners randomly and compete to reach orgasm the fastest."Part of the inspiration behind Dark Room, apparently, was the phallic shape (and rumble) of the Wiimote. The team behind it hoped to make players feel embarrassed but satisfied, and believes that the use of imagination in the game is more erotic than using raunchy graphics. We're not so sure, though, that some hormone-driven teenagers would agree.Note: The audio (and audio only) in the video above is NSFW. Also, the reaction of the person watching Dark Room Sex Game is absolutely hilarious.[Via MTV Multiplayer]
MotionPlus totally ambushes third-party developers
We mucky commoners have known about the Wii MotionPlus add-on for just over a week now, but don't go thinking it's any different for third-party developers. At E3, Game Informer approached several third-parties about the peripheral, and were repeatedly told that the accessory was news to them -- as they understood it, Nintendo simply hadn't told anybody about the MotionPlus, prior to it being revealed last Monday.In other words, we can safely not expect a flood of third-party releases supporting the peripheral. On top of that, the developers doubt they'll be able to implement Wii MotionPlus into upcoming projects, such was the secrecy that surrounded the project. Not clever, Nintendo.
Start bulking up your Wiimote early
Are you desperate for some extra length? Do you yearn for that extra inch that could give you the edge over others? Do you want increased size right now?Well, good news: you don't have to wait for Wii MotionPlus's Spring 2009 launch for a chance to elongate your Wii Remote. The makers (it's not specified who) of this new wireless Nunchuk are happy for you to get adding to Nintendo's wand right now. Available from today at China-based outlet Divineo, this 'chuk comes with a tiny wireless receiver that plugs into the bottom of your Wiimote -- very much like the Nyko Kama model which we reviewed earlier this year.At $24.95, this is ten bucks cheaper than Nyko's effort, or you could buy five for $21 apiece and, um, give us the spare? We're just floating ideas here![Via DCEmu]
E308: Nintendo exec alludes to Wiimote refresh with built-in MotionPlus
Your Wiimotes might be outdated pretty soon, that is if Nintendo's Katsuya Eguchi is to be trusted. During a developer roundtable, he alluded to the possibility of a hardware refresh on the Wii's motion-sensitive controller, one that would include the new MotionPlus functionality, commenting "as to looking at whether or not it will be an attachment or built in - we're always looking at how hardware should evolve and where we should take it." He also added that "it's something we'll be looking at."Of course, there are several things to consider. For one, how much would it drive up the cost of the Wiimote? Secondly, how crappy would it be to have to (eventually) buy all new Wiimotes? Thirdly, until Nintendo shows off a killer app for the thing (as okay as Wii Sports Resort looks, it's definitely not a killer app), does anyone even care?[Via Engadget]
Nintendo unveils Wii MotionPlus accessory for 'unmatched precision'
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Nintendo_unveils_Wii_MotionPlus_for_unmatched_precision'; Nintendo has announced via press release Wii MotionPlus, an accessory for the Wii remote that works with both the sensor bar and accelerometer to "allow for more comprehensive tracking of a player's arm position and orientation." No other details are provided at the moment, but more information is promised for Nintendo's press conferece tomorrow.
Wiimote inspired motion controls hit PCs in August
Microsoft and Sony might -- might being the keyword -- have Wiimote-esque plans in the works, but there's another platform that we failed to consider tapping into the motion control scheme: PCs. GoLive2 has created a controller that looks eerily similar to Nintendo's, called Stix. Although these bad boys (the 200 model is for 2D games while the 400 model is for 3D) were announced last week, they won't hit retail until August.We're not sure if PCs need motion controls, but it's an intersting concept. After trying out the controllers, though, MTV Multiplayer's Patrick Klepek described the experience as "touchy," which sounds ... not good. They also don't come cheap, as the 200 retails for $39.99 and the 400 for $49.99. Are any of you Wiimote lovers excited to try this out on your computers, or do you think it's just a silly idea?[Via MTV Multiplayer]
Finally: Motion control comes to the C64
Old hardware doesn't die ... it just gets hacked. As documented in the above video, Jeff Ledger has pieced together a clever little collection of chips and wires to bring vaguely Wii remote style interaction to the Commodore 64. Perhaps it should be called Wii-ffle Ball, since he's taken a wiffle bat, attached an accelerometer to it, and created an interface that lets the C64 read the sensor's output as a button press. When the bat is swung fast enough, it triggers the switch and, in this case, tells Street Sports Baseball to "swing away."[Via Hack a Day]
Wiispray turns Wii Remote into virtual graffiti spray can
If only Mark Ecko had a Wiispray when he was developing Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, perhaps people the world would have understood his vision for a videogame-based, graffiti-tagging urban dystopian angst. Anyway, this Wii Remote turned into a spray can is the product of a student's thesis at Bauhas-University in Weimar, Germany. Martin Lihs crammed the controller into the can-like structure and plans (hopes?) to create a communal -- but not illegal -- virtual graffiti wall in which people can add their digital tags and keep it real clean, yo. Curious that he's using PlayStation-based triangle and square buttons, though.[Via SlashGear]
Wiimote used to control robotic arm, effectively this time
Sure, it's been done before, but that doesn't make the idea of a robotic arm controlled by a Wiimote any less exciting, especially when the arm is actually responsive. That feat is aided considerably by the fact that this latest setup was developed by an engineer from National Instruments, who made use of some of the company's LabVIEW hardware and a specially-designed Bluetooth adapter to control the arm at the flick of a wrist (or using the Wiimote's buttons). Check it out in action in the video after the break -- don't worry, no one gets hurt.
