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Lenovo To Bring Wii-Inspired Input To PCs
PCWorld reports on an upcoming Lenovo PC that includes a remote control with functionality similar to that of the Wii Remote. It will control games using the same motion-based method, and Lenovo appears to be coming out with sports games like tennis and bowling to demonstrate its capabilities — an unsurprising choice given the huge success of Wii Sports .
"Lenovo is trying to capitalize on the trend of entertainment options merging into the PC. Few are able to play motion-based games, which could make this motion-based game controller a pioneer. In addition to controlling TV functions and video recordings on the PC, the remote control can also be used as an air mouse that moves the mouse pointer when waved. It has some advantages over a conventional mouse — it can function without being on a surface and be used at a distance — when sitting on a couch, for example."
...because I still use an 80-character TTY terminal, you insensitive clod!
... as Apple's new laptop without a keyboard! :)
My photolog
and can pc's use 'wiimotes' as is, ive seen flash games which can take input from them, is that for wiimotes attatched to pc's, or for wiis with access to the internet?
I thought they meant for much more beyond games.
I was thinking someone had come up with the genius idea of doing something like punching Windows to close them, slapping them down to minimise them, uppercutting them to maximise them and other such exciting things. You could even have an onscreen keyboard where you have to machinegun the buttons to type.
Suddenly for a moment there the working day seemed like it was going to begin being a whole lot more exciting.
Remember Johnny Lee's Wii remote hacks? It isnt just for games.
reminds me of the Thinkpad Hard Disk Active Protection System (accelerometers near the hard drive) which had a linux driver that allowed it to be used as a joystick. Quite fun for playing neverball...
Ask me about repetitive DNA
and getting rid of the keyboard entirely.
I had remotes come with PCs before (Medion). They usually suck because it doesn't work with linux and it's usually yet another startup progam in Windows. Also, since this doesn't come bundled with all PCs, it's guaranteed to fail at attracting game developers.
That's why PS3 own effort will be a failure. Unless it comes standard, few game developers are goingto bother programming for it to get the ball rolling.
Why even bother?
The WiiMotes are simple blue-tooth devices, you can already get drivers and control panels to hook up your Wii motes to your PC! What a rip this crap is!
Windows guys please stop pissing on everyone and the Linux guys stop pissing in the wind, hoping to hit Windows guys!
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/08/use-the-wii-mote-in-mac-os-x-with-darwiinremote/
http://sourceforge.net/projects/darwiin-remote/
Those things are dangerous. Many gamers, accustomed to sitting still, have been injured by the Wii. Now the PC world will be hurt by this onslaught of moving controllers.
Haven't these been around for a while?
The person sitting next to you on the plane constantly waves the damn thing around, until your drink is spilled.
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
And all the rumours about PC gaming will die out and now that...mmh.
The advert at the top of the page right now may well be telling you that you can save a fortune buy paying someone to learn how to run wii games for free (it is for me).
I'd hope that none of you would fall for this but be aware that all these sites provide is a bundle of freely available software including the twilight hack and homebrew channel. The makers of this software are not at all pleased about this sort of thing.
Is there any way to mod an advert down?
It's just a pointer, not a "pointer, VOIP handset, and tv remote"
Probably cheaper, too. If it ever comes out.
Haven't Gyration been doing this type of input already?
http://www.gyration.com/
I'm still stuck with a 32x16 display on an old tv, with lowercase letters being uppercase letters, but green on black, instead of black on green, you insensitive clod!
You have two colors on your display?! That I should be so lucky! I have to do all my coding on a monochrome display with a tube that has been burnt out for almost 12 years, but you don't hear me complaining! I consider myself lucky to still have a job (and lead developer, no less) with 3D Realms.
Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
And ultimately it will fail, or at best be a niche device. A PC is something you sit down right in front of, with the screen generally about 1.5-3 feet away. It's not a console where you sit/stand 5-10 feet away and have plenty of room to swing such a controller. If there were really a significant market for this, the drivers to use the Wii controller would be a lot more popular and people would already be using those.
There is no -1 Disagree mod. Slashdot.org/faq defines mod options. USE IT.
Of course Wii Sports is "selling" well: everyone's FORCED to take a copy when they buy a Wii console!
If you don't count bundled sales, however, the game's sales numbers are pathetic.
Don't get me wrong, it's a decent game, but if they'd bundled "Mario's Extreme Knitting Challenge" instead, it'd "sell" just as well. And all these "journalists" who keep pointing to Wii Sports as a massive success for the motion-based sports gaming genre would probably be calling knitting games the wave of the future.
Yeah, we have a few of these at work. They take a bit of getting used to (e.g. they work best if you hold your wrist steady and move it around from your elbow)
So I've only played with the Wii a little bit, but I think I like the gyromouse more. The gyroscopic sensors are much more sensitive. With the Wii, I ended up just flicking the thing as if it was just another button. The IR on the Wii is necessary for precise control, but it doesn't seem very precise or sensitive compared to the Gyromouse. On the other hand, I suspect the gyromouse uses more energy to keep the hi fidelity gyros spun up (it has a button that you need to depress whenever you want it to be active).
Anyway, more people are familiar with remotes and even laser pointers than with mice, so I think the wii-mote style controllers have a good chance of actually eventually winning out. Unlike several other human interface devices that were supposed to replace the mouse.
If you don't count bundled sales, however, the game's sales numbers are pathetic.
Wow definitely the least informed comment I have seen all day. Wii Sports is only available bundled, except in Japan where it has an amazing attach rate. So yes since you cannot buy it unbundled in 90% of the market it is selling terribly.