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Nintendo Unveils Wii MotionPlus
Tim MacDonald writes "In a pre-conference announcement at E3, Nintendo has unveiled the newest accessory for the Nintendo Wii — the Wii MotionPlus. The Wii MotionPlus combines with the Wiimote's accelerometers and the Sensor Bar to give true, almost 1:1 matching of motion. More to come during Tuesday's conference." If all these battery mods and add-ons to the Wiimote continue my controller is going to start looking less like a controller and more like a quarterstaff. Looks like the wrist strap is going to have to go through another round of beefing up.
Rotation
They'd be able to measure acceleration in 3 axis and derive angular acceleration in 3 axis. (And the further apart the two accelerometers are, the more sensitive it'd be to angular changes).
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
Blame the dollar. My understanding is that Nintendo is shifting a significant portion of what they are making to Europe due to the dollar. Why should they sell the hardware they produced for $250 when they can sell the exact same thing for significantly more in Europe. If the dollar was better, we'd see more of the stock directed here.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
Also been there, seen that. If you want to go dust off your Wii and try again, here's what worked for me (FWIW). Go to the sensor sensitivity section of the Wii setup menus. Slowly move your Wiimote around to cover the entire area near the TV, and watch for stray dots/blotches/etc on the sensor display. Two dots from the sensor bar are normal, but you may see more dots if there are other light sources within your Wiimote's field of view - the primary culprits I've encountered have been lamps and direct sunlight leaking between/around curtains near the TV. Things like that can cause nasty flinching/jumping if the Wii mistakes the lamp/sun/etc for one of the sensor bar light sources. (If you play with a group of people remember to move to each person's playing position and sweep the Wiimote around - a lamp that's behind you during solo play might end up in someone else's field of view after everyone's spread out in an arc in front of the TV.)
And of course if you've never been on this screen before, it's a good time to check your sensitivity settings - if the sensitivity is dialed down too low and you play far enough back from the TV, the Wiimote might be constantly gaining and then losing track of the sensor bar.
A marriage is always made up of two people who are prepared to swear that only the other one snores.
Just to add to the parent post, here's something that I've noticed affected two different Wii setups:
If your cursor is continuously jumping by very small amounts, flickering up and down just an inch or two, the two IR LEDs might be reflecting off the coffee table, entertainment center, or whatever the sensor bar is resting on. Make sure it's resting on a non-reflective, non-glossy surface... or move it out to the edge, so there is nothing to reflect off of.
Also, don't forget to check for reflections of said IR light sources. Glass-top coffee tables are commonly found in living room setups between couch and TV, and they can easily confuse the wii remotes as they reflect the sensor bar IR lights. I've "fixed" a few friends' wiis for them just by moving/covering their coffee table. Also have encountered problems with strong lights behind the player reflecting off the front of the TV.
The "sensor bar" isn't a sensor at all. It's just some IR LED's. The sensor, in the form of a digital camera, is inside the wii-mote. I don't think it would be much good for a mo-cap suit...little cameras all over your body?
Yo dawg, I heard you like the Ackermann function, so OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD