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The Mechanics of Motion Sensing
Dr. Eggman writes, "The AP has a short technology piece on the mechanics that go into the motion-sensing capabilities of the Wii and PS3 controllers. It also details some of the past uses of the technology and gives a nice overview of just how far the technology has come from the earliest missile-guidance sensor equipment."
Interesting, but I have one question. Do the silicon springs recalibrate every so often, or will they wear out and break? My old N64 controller did this.
It would be cool to incorporate this type of controller into a portable device. You could have portable laser-tag like games with real-time mapping, or incorporate some type of ball and it automatically keeps score and records the game. You could have "operations" players indoors that have some different role (view the maps, for instance, and direct the players)
With networking and GIS in a portable device, it's almost necessary to have new interfaces to use all the new space it knows about. In gaming it's the most fun but these types of thing could be used in more professional ways also.
Cool! Amazing Toys.
I thought the "snare" was the first motion-activated weapon. Or was it the "covered pit"?
In all seriousness I believe Nintendo would actually allow it. They really haven't blocked non-family content since the ESRB has been around and people have been able to get a better idea of the game content before they buy it through it's rating. Also have you seen the number of dating sims available for the DS that deal with "touching" not just in Japan but in the US too.
The biggest roadblock to "adult" Wii entertainment isn't Nintendo but retailers, your EBGames, BestBuys, and Walmarts refuse to carry any "AO" rated titles meaning if a company did release them they'd get very limited to almost non-existent exposure... in the US at least (most of the rest of the world is a bit less prudish).
Collector's Edition
http://www.freescale.com/files/sensors/doc/data_sh eet/MMA7260Q.pdf
A good picture of a two-axis accelerometer can be seen here: http://users.wpi.edu/~cfurlong/me-593Mech.html (second picture down). Sensing is usually performed by capacitive combs, structures which act as capacitors, with their capacitance varying with displacement.
MEMS accelerometers have dropped in price in recent years because there's a big market: the automotive sector. A typical new car needs two accelerometers, one for the traction control system measuring roughly plus-or-minus 2 to 4g, and one for airbag deployment measuring more like 50g.
Two big manufacturers are Analog Devices and ST Microelectronics, though others exist.
The high demand of the automotive sector has driven prices right down; sensors which would have cost hundreds of dollars in the past can now be purchased in bulk for less than $4. In fact, you could order one right now; component retailers will sell you one for less than $15.
"Goodness me, how unlike the FBI to abuse the trust of the American public." -- The Onion
One of these days, your doctor will figure out the dosage and your posting will cease. Truly a sad day for all.
Slashdot - where whining about luck is the new way to make the world you want.
I know where you can BUMP and NUDGE to affect the gameplay... an actual PINBALL game!!!
It's always irked me to see some hand-held P.O.S. that touts "realistic pinball action". (...action ...action ...ction ...tion)
If I want to play pinball, I'll play pinball.
However, if I want to ride a dragon... well I can't really do that now, can I?
THAT is why the new controllers are so incredible; they give a new, visceral edge to creative gaming... rather than try to "come full circle" with a gaming platform that's already been around- and around- and around again.
I'll grant you that someone will ultimately make a pinball-sized cabinet with two HD screens on it that uses the very implementation you describe. It will be neat, but it won't be real.
You'll get a two-fold "wow factor" out of me when you can manufacture a true-physics pinball game that truly does something no other pinball game has done before. (Remember the face in "Fun House"? Now, that was some awesome innovation, back in its day.)
This post © Copyrite Duggeek, all rights reversed.
Axises?? How can you mispluralize one of the most entertaining plurals around? Axes, dammit.
there is no need to sign your posts. this isn't usenet. your username is right there above your post. stop it.
oops! http://www.freescale.com/webapp/sps/site/prod_summ ary.jsp?code=MMA7260QT
There are some app notes below.
The Nintendo Wii Remote one-ups the Sony controller by including an infrared camera.
I think they meant to say: The Sony controller dumbed down the Wii Remote by excluding the infrared camera.
Hobby Robotics
Right from the source: http://www.st.com/stonline/products/literature/ds/ 11115.pdf
These things are not exactly new. They are used in the automotive sector, or for "stabilizers" in camcorders.
The sooner you fall behind, the more time you have to catch up.
Consumer gear is often behind military tech. Perhaps you have heard of velcro, or GPS, or the internet.
It's hard to actually say who is ahead or behind, partly because tech in the real world isn't a linear scale (like it is in various games), partly because the military deploys such a wide variety of accelerometers. The ones used in, say the Trident-II's MK6 guidance, are certainly much larger than these (about the size of a film can) and are 'old style' (asymmetrical floats in fluid) - they are also much more robust and less sensitive to vibration. (The accelerometers in the MK6 Guidance System are also a neat illustration of the nonlinearity of tech in the real world. It uses an advanced form of the same type used in Polaris - because they are more sensitive and accurate than an advanced form of the (quite advanced in and of themselves) ones used in the MK5 guidance of the Trident-I.)
so I can finally keep Mario from falling down the bottomless pit by jerking the controller above my head?
It has accelerometers AND the sensor thing. Tennis actually just uses the accelerometers, it works quite well no matter where you're facing.
Username taken, please choose another one.
Tilt sensors indirectly measure orientation (tilt). They look at the change in the gravitational acceleration vector with respect to the sensor coordinate frame.
I was worried that something like metal fatigue would set in. But metal fatigue is a result of microscopic fractures in the crystalline structure of the metal. These sensors have moving parts that are fabricated from a single flawless crystal. So nothing like metal fatigue can take place.
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
I found this absolutely fascinating video that shows exactly how the sensor bar detects the Wiimote's position - and how you can possibly hack up your own "sensor bar": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTGSkYRDpWY