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New Type of 3D Game Controller Harnesses MEMS Gyro
An anonymous reader writes "A new category of 3-D motion controller for gamers uses a novel type of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) gyroscope to track hand motions with unparalleled accuracy. By detecting the natural motions made by remote control users — as opposed to the unnatural motions that gamers must learn to control today — the MEMS chip is sure to be incorporated in both game consoles and other consumer electronics like TV remote controls. Nintendo has already incorporated a similar MEMS gyro into its forthcoming MotionPlus controller for the Wii, but this newer type of gyroscopic motion sensor will enable even more intuitive and agile control."
Come on slashdot.
This company reprints this press release periodically.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
So slashdot should wait for the Tech sections in the newspaper to reprint the article, and then link to the credible news source?
...a tap against a thigh hits farther than an enthusiastic swing, motion will continue to be overrated.
The biggest issue I've had with a lot of novel game controllers (and I've tried many of them) is that while they may technically work very well, they just aren't practical. For example, I remember trying out a gyroscopic mouse several years ago, and it worked fine--except I had to hold the mouse up in the air...somewhere. Not only was it very tiring, but I found that without a nice steady table to slide it around on, it was impossibly to hold *steady* in the air. In the end it was useless.
So I wonder if they've solved that.
expandfairuse.org
This product is the one that the Wii Motion+ uses. They actually unveiled it a year ago when Nintendo showed off the device at the E3.
This 2-axis rate gyro part came out in 2006. Analog Devices and Motorola have had comparable parts for years, but at a higher price.
It's only 2-axis. If they could do all 3 axes on a flat chip, that would be something. Usually, you need a second chip mounted vertically to the first one to get all three axes.
An elegant design is to use four MEMS gyros oriented along the axes of a tetrahedron. With that redundancy, you can detect faults. The Segway does that, for safety reasons.
Actually, no. This is the IXZ-500/650 that they are talking about, which measures pitch and yaw (rotations about the X and Z axes). The IDG-600 which you link to is the older gyro which measures pitch and roll (rotations about the X/Z) axes.
And as far as getting 3-axes goes, pairing one of Invensense's X/Y dual axis gyros with their single axis Z gyro would give you that in a single plane.
For those saying this is the part in the MotionPlus, it's not. That's using the IDG-600 which the parent talks about.
As the article mentions, this is for apps where you only want pitch/yaw and don't care about roll, as in a typical remote control application where you're waving up/down and left/right.
It's all about build cost. Mounting the chip at 90 degrees means a separate PCB, mounting connectors, and physical space. All things that drive up the cost of the device.