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More Wii-mote Info
Psykechan writes "IGN has revealed some more info about Nintendo's Wii remote controller. Paraphrasing from the official Developer documentation, the controller will communicate with the console using Bluetooth and will last up to 60 hours on two AA (R6/UM3) batteries using only accelerometer functionality or 30 hours using precision aim functionality via the sensor bar. There's also details on memory, LEDs, possible camera functionality, and environmental distractions." From the article: "Light sources from fluorescent and halogen lamps, plastic, mirrors and more may occasionally interfere with the pointer, based on official documentation. To eliminate this interference, the pointer must identify the sensor bar and mark its two coordinates. When pointing with the Wii-mote, the unit is actually interacting with the sensor bar, which then translates data to the television, in effect simulating a direct aim to the television."
I read this the other day. Most of it was known before. That said, the IGN writer needs a clue.
I wonder what the memory will be for. I can't think of any uses, unless it is used for calibration in which case it doesn't matter that much. That said, using non-volatile memory (which did not need to be in quotes, and is probably flash) to store sound clips seems rather pointless and a waste of limited write cycles.
But wait, there's more!
I'M ruling it out. That's like saying a mouse with a ball and a 200 PPI resolution could be used as a scanner. To put a live mega-pixel video sensor on the front of the Wiimote just to analyze every image to figure out which way the thing was pointing would be one of the most expensive, slow, battery draining, and stupid ways to accomplish that goal imaginable.
We'll find out more during Tokyo Game Show on Sept 22nd. In the mean time, if you are going to speculate in an article about something, get some kind of engineer to take a glance at your article first so you don't look too wrong.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
Check the Wavebird remote for the Gamecube. It uses standard AA batteries. It also lasts a LONG time (depending on normal vs. heavy usage, of course). With two pairs of rechargables, I never had to worry about batteries in mine (well, until I lost the charger, but that's another story...)
Now, admittedly, the Wavebird is doing a lot less than the Wiimote, but 30-60 hours on a charge sounds pretty good to me. A docking/storage station that did recharge of internal batteries would be nice, but it doesn't seem as flat-out crazy as some people are making it out to be.
(Another caveat: They could still change it before release, I guess. Retrofitting your design from AA batteries to an internal rechargable shouldn't be too hard)
Well, as a camera, no purpose, because the folks at IGN are, as usual, being paid to be highly speculative fanboys. I say this as:
.. the "co-ordinates" you end up with are a result of your game logic that deals with the input values of the console controllers' analog stick. With the wii-mote, the idea is that it is pointing somewhere, therefore, the hardware can tell you where.
.. you should average it out over some small delta, maybe .2 seconds.
.. man why am I working 50 hours a week to create something mediocre when I could be paid to work 40 hours a week, some of that playing videogames to write wild wet-dream conjecture?!
a) a game developer
b) who has access to the wii-mote and has read the dev documentation
c) somebody who likes IGN, although my like of them dies by the day
Trust me, it can never be used as a camera. It translates position into co-ordinates because, holy fuck batman, thats what a pointer does.
The difference with a joystick or analog stick is that you map the 'force' of the joystick (ie, pointed up down, left right) into some kind of velocity and acceleration and determine where on the screen the pointer should be
I read the article a few days ago on IGN, and for the most part, its correct. You have to distinguish between real input, and glare from windows or lights, and another interesting matter is that the controller is so sensitive that in order to deal with the input from the accelerometer you cant take what you get EVERY frame and go from that
But the 'maybe it can be used a camera' part is just like
"Old man yells at systemd"
Fewer people own Charging kits for proprietary battery packs (XBox 360). Personally, I have 2 chargers and a bunch of NIMH AA's, since I have a digital camera (Canon A620) and a couple other devices which use them. And it's $5 cheaper to buy a NIMH charger with two sets of batteries.
I really hate having a proprietary battery cartridge when a few generic rechargeable AAs could have done the job just as well, and let me not pay the hefty premium for the few cents of cheap plastic that they used to bundle them together with. Plus, with standard-size batteries, you have the option of using regular alkalines in a pinch if you really want to -- if you use a proprietary pack and it runs out, you're SOL until it recharges.
The only excuses for using proprietary batteries at all are if the form factor is such that a standard-shaped (AA/LR6 NiMH) won't fit, or the increased energy density of a Li-ion is required.
The best combination is to use standard-sized, replaceable cells and then have an external charging port so that the batteries can be charged without removing them from the device. Unfortunately, few manufacturers of consumer products do this because of the safety features you need to put on the charger in order to keep it from trying to charge the alkalines that people will inevitably put in there, even if you warn them not to.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
The sensor bar's purpose is to allow the system to know where you are pointing at on the screen. Given two fixed points a known distance apart it's possible interpolate the position in a plane that the device is pointed at. The sensor bar presumably has an IR LED at either end. In other words it isn't really a sensor at all.
First off, "second set" is pointless to say here. Batteries are typically sold in sets of four, and since the Wii's remote uses two...voila! Problem solved!
Also, Rob Simpson already made this point in another comment on this level, but he used Canadian prices when they're far from the majority on Slashdot. So, I'll say it again: battery chargers are cheap. $20 for four batteries and the charger? I do believe that most people can afford that if they're paying $200+ for a console.
Goo goo g'joob.
From TFA:
"Interestingly, according to documentation the Wii-mote is able to act as something of an eye, measuring coordinates between 0-1023 on the X axis and 0-767 on the Y axis, which means that it is more or less seeing a megapixel image. Whether or not this data can be interpreted into visual information remains unknown, but we're not ruling out the possibility that the pointer could sub as a camera."
It's not a cameara. The res of HD is 1024x768, so of course the Wii-mote is going to measure coordinates of the same size. All this is saying is that the Wii-mote has per-pixel accuracy. Saying it may be a camera is one of the biggest stretches I've ever seen.