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About 14 years ago I had a Gyro Mouse and really loved it. Seems to me the only difference between it and Kinect is how you interpret back what the mouse is telling you. Nice mouse, particularly as I could use my thumb for clicks, which it does far better than the forefinger.

They invented an extra bulky presentation mouse?

Haven't Gyration been doing this type of input already?
http://www.gyration.com/

I've got one of these for my HTPC, stows well with the keyboard in a coffee table drawer for when the computer is not what's on screen. It works very well. I sit about 10' from my TV (under which the dongle sits) and it's fairly infrequent that I get missed connection with it. Though I did have it behind the TV for a while and it was extremely spotty then, so YMMV.

Also, they're not cheap, wait for them to go on sale online or at Fry's. Got mine for $60 for the mouse/kbd combo...two years ago.

"Transition" devices have been available for years. I know we've had them for the last 6 or so: http://www.gyration.com/ I don't think I have seen anyone use them off the table. Waving it around in the air is way too imprecise and tiring.

Check out the mice and keyboards from Gyration, which use RF signals for a long range. While the advertised range of 100' is exaggerated, it might work for you. I still use the keyboard because it's nice and compact (no numpad) even though my range is much shorter and I switched to a laser mouse.

http://www.gyration.com/c-2-mice-keyboards.aspx

Mine works great for this... I have the older model but I've used this product from 100 feet away from a laptop in a presentation.

http://www.gyration.com/
http://www.gyration.com/p-56-m2000-travel-air-mouse.aspx ... I think mine might be a very early version.

Mine works great for this... I have the older model but I've used this product from 100 feet away from a laptop in a presentation.

http://www.gyration.com/
http://www.gyration.com/p-56-m2000-travel-air-mouse.aspx ... I think mine might be a very early version.

I'm surprised how many people thought this was a bad idea. I teach computer science and I have an air mouse from gyration. It takes a little getting used to, but it makes it possible for me to use the mouse on my computer from across the room. It is useful for anyone who needs to use programs other than powerpoint(like an ide) while giving a presentation.

This would work if someone were to integrate a chording keyboard into it.

FTFA:

"Soap goes one step further: It works in midair. With this new-age pointing device, now under development at Microsoft Research, you can navigate your PC using nothing but a bare hand."

Like say a GyroMouse.

http://www.gyration.com/en-US/Products.html
http://www.google.com/search?q=gyromouse&ie=utf-8& oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&clien t=firefox-a

Midair mouse like pointing devices have been out several years now. I know the technology is a bit different but the functional effect seems not so new to me and would actually seem to be inferior to gyro based technology. Like I said a typical PC Mag article suckin up as usual to one of its favorite advertisers know for over hyped behind the curve inferior products and vaporware. Classic. And so it goes...

Wabi Sabi
Matthew

Yes, a company called Gyration has been making them for some time now. It uses a gyroscope located inside the mouse to track movement and RF to transmit to a PC. I have personally had one for over 3 years and it works great. My arm doesn't usually get tired because I can still rest it on my couch and use small movements of my rist, but then again I don't use it for work 8 hours a day. In a pinch I have even used it for FPS gaming, not ideal, but functional.

What about the gyro mouse. I used one of those bad boys in college and it was popular among CS & IS students giving their project presentations in the school auditorium. This might not be the one I used but it's still a mid air mouse and came before the wiimote. http://www.gyration.com/en-US/ProductDetail.html?m odelnum=GP6005M&accshow=3

When my Grandma sat down at a computer for the first time a few years ago, she tried waving the mouse in the air to make the pointer move. That is a computer newbie!

...you can try an Air Mouse from Gryration. I know we're all really excited about the Wii and all, but, honestly, it wasn't the first, and isn't the only, device that does motion sensing.

I know it's not home made, but it does the job pretty well.

TW

...you can try an Air Mouse from Gryration. I know we're all really excited about the Wii and all, but, honestly, it wasn't the first, and isn't the only, device that does motion sensing.

I know it's not home made, but it does the job pretty well.

TW

http://www.gyration.com/en-US/Products.html

It's a wireless mouse you can use in mid-air. You simply tilt the mouse front or back, left or right. The buttons are set so you can press them with your thumb. I think the wii-mote uses the same principle. It also takes some time to get used to.

Another cool thing about it is that it uses RF radio waves, not IR to communicate with the wireless base. So you can hide the base if you don't like it. And it also has a craddle to charge the mouse in so you don't have to change the batteries every few days/weeks.

Gyration has wireless gyroscopic mouse for ~$70.
It is a much more natural wrist motion than
a traditional mouse... it helped me a little.

http://www.gyration.com/en-US/Products.html

This is a rather old concept. I bought a first-generation GyroMouse about 10-12 years ago. I've always been a disciple, as long as the application suits it. I think Nintendo is probably using nearly identical (if not, in fact, licensed from Gyration) technology for the wii-mote.

Without seeing it, the technology seems like it's going to be flaky or difficult to use, but you'd be suprised upon picking one up how very intuitive they are to use. My wife (not a geek) picked it up for the first time, waved it around a couple times, and instantly "got it." It's such a natural feeling to use one. There's really no substitute for trying it out yourself.

That old GyroMouse is long since gone, but I have a more recent generation one that I still use for my home theater. We also have one at my place of employment that I use constantly for teaching classes and sales presentations. It's not a mouse replacement, but if it's done right (and I have no reason to believe Nintendo won't do it right) I think it could totally rock for gaming.

I'm not sure exactly how it works, but Gyration, Inc. (which Nintendo has a majority stake in) has had an "air mouse" out for a while now.

I'm not sure exactly how it works, but Gyration, Inc. (which Nintendo has a majority stake in) has had an "air mouse" out for a while now.

Clearly you've never used a wiimote.

Moreover, clearly you don't even really understand how the wiimote works -- it's not gyroscopic at all, at least not the pointing part. Stop trying to compare it to that godawful Gyration product for the PC. It is nothing like the wii controller.

Actually this has been done before nintendo. It's called the gryo mouse. http://www.gyration.com/en-US

For those wondering what a gyromouse is

You mean perhaps like http://www.gyration.com/en-US/OEMProduct.html

I have heard several complains about "bluetooth" lag. If you seriously were looking at a similar device I would recommend the Gyro Mouse. I have used this before with no major problems and it should work just as well as the logitech solution.

The rod uses complete motion sensing, not just pointing. The sensors are accurate, you could try the GBA games "Yoshi's Topsy-Turvy" or "Wario Ware Twisted" (I'd recommend the latter, Topsy Turvy sucks) to test them. Or you could try this, which is a mouse designed by the company Nintendo licensed the technology from.

Obviously the rod will allow you to swing a sword around or maybe play a more accurate Pool/Snooker or Baseball sim. Probably a lot of things we can't even think of right now. At first people assumed the DS wouldn't bring anything new because "the mouse can do everything the touchscreen does and PDAs had it already, anyway". Noone thought of games like Trauma Center. Sure, the PC could probably do everything but since it's a minor market, introducing concepts into the console market that were available on the PC will yield new games.

You mean like gyration's products?

The company Nintendo invested heavily in and partnered up with around 4 years ago?

I don't think MS will pull the type of crap they're known for in the gaming market. Nor do I think they can. Nintendo actually has the cash reserves, IP portfolio and investments/partnerships to fight a rather protracted legal battle. They're not small-fry like most of MS's victims have been.

You mean like gyration's products?

The company Nintendo invested heavily in and partnered up with around 4 years ago?

I don't think MS will pull the type of crap they're known for in the gaming market. Nor do I think they can. Nintendo actually has the cash reserves, IP portfolio and investments/partnerships to fight a rather protracted legal battle. They're not small-fry like most of MS's victims have been.

that page was last updated april 2004..how does that make MSR behind in this technology? Both companies arent the first to come up with this idea anyway... neither one are pioneers. http://www.gyration.com/intl/uk/gyroremote_uk.htm

Interesting. Looks like it would be easy to use, since this kind of motion is second nature to most /.ers.

It was posted earlier in the thread, but anyway: http://www.gyration.com/intl/uk/pr-nintendo_uk.htm

Did Nintendo license the tech from the same company, I wonder?

Actually... Ummm...

http://www.gyration.com/intl/uk/pr-nintendo_uk.htm

So, uh, buy one.

With all the articles about Google that get posted here, nobody seems to understand how to use it.

I don't have a Revolution controller (obviously), but I have experience with a similar device . It is a gyroscopic mouse, not dissimilar from Nintendo's new controller.

I am not convinced the technology can live up to our expectations. The video looked cool, but those actors weren't actually controlling anything, and those are game concepts, not actual games. This type of technology has always been rather fiddly when you use it in real life. It will live or die based on how good Nintendo's tracking technology is, and I'm not convinced good enough tracking can be put into a durable consumer product. People's kids are going to be slamming these things, and it has to be reasonably cheap too.

They have excellent tracking, are highly intuitive, and are quite durable. You don't have to point it at a screen to work, since it uses RF, not infrared. I believe the Revolution uses a bluetooth Piconet like the PS3 and 360, but don't know for sure. The GyroRemote doesn't drift, and can be used in a lot of positions. And it's designed to be used while the user walks around and waves his hands.

Your concerns are very valid. Fortunately, none of them are insurmountable technical issues. Nintendo has a reputation for putting some good thought into most of their product design. This is probably one of the most important products they've had to design in 15 years or so, and I would believe that they are working their asses off on this.

I hope and believe your concerns will be addressed by the time the Revolution makes it to market...

If it does have a Gyro like you say, I'm pretty pleased. I've used the GyroMouse fairly extensively, and knew a few people who used them quite regularly, and they are VERY intuitive. After about 30 seconds of "What the hell?", you suddenly say, "ahhh, I've got it!"

It's surprisingly immersive, too... you really begin to feel that you are directly controlling the pointer. Quite a fantastic device. I recommend them strongly for anyone who needs a wireless mouse for presentations.

I'm actually thrilled by the new controller. Looking at it, I thought, "WHAT?! you're shiting me." But reading its capabilities, I'm suitably impressed.

I wonder how long before MS and Sony offer gyro motion control on THEIR controllers...

but then i read on about the gyroscopic technology and moving the controller in mid-air to actually manipulate the games you play.. to me, this is going to rock.. i saw someone down below say, "uhh soon someone is going to be designing these things for PC probably logitech or something".. dood, gyroscopic mice have been out for almost 2 years!!! don't you remember the Gyration Mouse???

if you've ever used one of these things before, you should have no problem switching to the Revolution controller.. its going to revolutionize the game console.. such a wonderful technology to embrace. i can't wait to see the gyroscopic features in action..

I have been using a Gyration cordless mouse for a few years now. You can use it on a desk, or wave it in the air to move the cursor around. They also have remote controls which utilize the same gyroscope functions. It's a really nice tool once you get used to it. But it won't be an easy crossover for those who are accustomed to a controller. You'll have to learn to steady your hand in mid-air in order to maintain a steady position on-screen. I imagine that it will be hard on the wrists after extended use. People who suffer CTS might want to pass on this one.

I think we are about to get a great controller upgrade from Nintendo (once again). They recently bought these guys: http://www.gyration.com/ . This could also explain why Nintendo said that twilight princess was the last of "this type" of Zelda game. I expect the next one to actually let you swing the controller to swing your sword.

Kinda neet:
http://www.gyration.com/files/demos/Remote_web_Ger man.wmv">http://www.gyration.com/files/demos/Remot e_web_German.wmv

I think we are about to get a great controller upgrade from Nintendo (once again). They recently bought these guys: http://www.gyration.com/ . This could also explain why Nintendo said that twilight princess was the last of "this type" of Zelda game. I expect the next one to actually let you swing the controller to swing your sword.

Kinda neet:
http://www.gyration.com/files/demos/Remote_web_Ger man.wmv">http://www.gyration.com/files/demos/Remot e_web_German.wmv

Gyration. I believe the compact keyboard would be of interest to you. I've used their keyboard/mouse combo before. Very good stuff.

Works for some of us.

In my college (not entire university), we have every classroom equipped with the following:

PC with gyromouse
Touchscreen input control panel (this controls light levels, projector screen, input devices [computer, dvd, vcr, aux, doc cam {audio and video}])
projector
racks of input devices (dvd, vcr, tape, aux inputs [such as vga, rca, etc])

along with a university internet connection and general software, this has served all purposes just fine. given this setup, you only need to ensure you have software for remote meetings (no clue for that)

Am I the only one who uses the gyra mouse? Come on, someone else had to have been suckered by the 'waving in the air' gimmick and the pics of workers with their legs up. Still it is a decent technology with all the funcionality of a 'normal' mouse. have no idea when their patent?! ends but would like to see some competition on that front.

I beleave VR is still very much everyone's dream. I see more products now inching closer to affordable VR. Like IR sensors for hats to track head movement.

I've personaly cobbled together a kind of entry level system I use to play games like Republic Commando and Star Wars Galaxies with. It's not the greatest as resolution is far from what you get on a monitor. And text, small ones, sometime become hard to read. But I am happy with it.

Head Tracker (actualy taped to the headphones):
http://www.gyration.com/ultragt-compact.htm

Surround Sound:
http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/view.asp?idx=1 10&code=023

Head Mounted Display ($500 off eBay, although my are an older version I think)
http://www.i-glassesstore.com/iglassespc-3d.html

There are a number of improvements to the setup which could be made with some electrical engineering type skills. Which I don't have, but it's to play with none the less.

So VR isn't forgotton, I just don't think it's really gotton to the point yet where the manufacturers see enough of a profit window to come up with complete systems.

try buying this mouse. does the same thing for any computer.

Not bluetooth, but there's no reason the Gyration couldn't be.

1. Gyroscopic tilt-sensing control is the most persistent rumor about the Nintendo Revolution (get it? "Revolution"?) and probably the most reasonable. Nintendo's apparently made some decent sized investments in that area, and this probably isn't just for Wario Ware Twisted. However this likely will not be the only unique feature of the Revolution.
   
   
2. The Nintendo DS WILL have connectivity with the Nintendo Revolution. We know this because Nintendo said so. Shortly before E3, shortly before the "it's a handheld with two screens" thing was announced, Nintendo explicitly said "we will be announcing at E3 a product which is neither a new Gamecube nor a new Game Boy, but will be able to connect wirelessly BOTH to the next gamecube and the next game boy". This is a paraphrase and I don't have a link, sorry; it might be possible to find one by looking through gaming news archives around that date. But this is the main problem with this set of rumors this slashdot story links; Nintendo probably wouldn't go back on a statement like that, and there isn't a clear reason why they would. If they don't, though, there's one obvious side-effect: The Revolution will have 802.11. There's no other way to connect to the DS.
   
   
3. Since if Nintendo keeps their word about the DS, 802.11 will be in the Revolution, well, that's out-of-the-box broadband potential right there. However we can't guess anything about how Nintendo will make use of this, if at all. All we really know about the online in the gamecube is what Reggie Fuls-Aime said in an interview a month or two ago (sorry, no link), where he put forth a very cryptic statement in which he said "online is a failed business model", then a couple sentences later said the next Nintendo console would have "long distance" and "community" gameplay features. So don't get your hopes up on anything, but expect whatever the internet features in the N5 are, they won't look like Xbox Live. What I'd almost suspect is that they're going to pull an online plan out of their ass and then try to insist on0 calling it something other than "online" (cuz, see.. it's wireless.. since there aren't any "lines".. get it).
   
   
4. The bit in the rumor about HD-DVD discs is incredibly unlikely. Nintendo hasn't yet announced who will be making the optical discs for the Revolution, but most likely it will be matsushita/panasonic. Matsushita manufactured the optical drive for the Gamecube, and it seems extremely likely Nintendo would go back to them for the optical drives for the N5; one, the drives worked extremely well, and are the chief reason why the Gamecube is the only console of this generation without a piracy problem; two, they'll probably have to go back to Matsushita if they want the Revolution's drive to be backward compatible with the Gamecube. The reason this is important is that Matsushita is one of the primary driving companies behind Blu-Ray. So most likely, the N5 will use proprietary deformed blu-ray discs, the same way that the Gamecube used little deformed DVD discs.