CNN Claims Wiimote Features “Audio Translator”
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Culture, Music, Rumors, Wii,
To go along with Fortune magazine’s recent article on the Wii (see here), CNN.com has posted an online look at the components that make-up the Wii Remote. While it’s meant to give business-type folks a feel for just how much it costs to make the little gadget, it features an interesting bit of information. According to their disassembly, the Wii Remote features an “Audio Translator” which “converts analog data such as human speech into a digital data stream”.
Whu?! Admittedly, mainstream news sources often don’t get their videogame information exactly right, so this could all just be a misprint or misunderstanding on the part of CNN/Fortune Magazine. Still, rumors of the Wii remote featuring or using a microphone of some sort have been floating around for a long time, so we’d be somewhat unsurprised if this tidbit just happened to be true. But given Nintendo’s tight hold on new information, we may not learn anything more about this new feature for quite some time…
Click the jump to see a screencap of the new info…
Click to continue reading CNN Claims Wiimote Features “Audio Translator”
Read More 
| Money.CNN.com
Gallery: CNN Claims Wiimote Features “Audio Translator”
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Google’s RSS Reader Now Wii-Compatible
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Internet, Nintendo, Wii, Wireless,
Google Reader has always been a personal favorite of mine among online RSS readers. It’s light, is a part of your Google account, and works well – can’t really ask more than that. While porn and gaming sites have been quick to implement Wii-friendly versions of their sites in order to garner more traffic, Google has now done the same with their RSS reader.
4 Color Rebellion found the page, which has an adjusted resolution and improved functionality for the Wiimote. As Google says, “Google Reader can take advantage of the buttons on your Wiimote, letting you navigate easily from the comfort of your couch.” The controls are as follows:
- up/down: scroll up/down
- right/left: next/previous item
- 1 button: show subscriptions
- 2 button: show links
When showing subscriptions:
- up/down: previous/next subscription
- right: select current subscription
- left: close
- -/+: collapse/expand folder
The page can be found here. The number of reasons to actually move from the chair in front of you TV is dwindling.
Read More | Google Reader Wii via 4 Color Rebellion
Gallery: Google’s RSS Reader Now Wii-Compatible
Yet Another Wiimote mod: The Glowing Nunchuk
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Mods/Hacks, Screenshots, Wii,
First there was the the totally sweet glowing A Button, then there was the the multi-color glowing A Button mod. And now, we bring you the glowing Nunchuk mod.
How much longer can it be until some enterprising hacker unveils the multi-color glowing A Button AND Nunchuk mod which will no doubt drain the poor batteries in seconds? I’ll lay money on about 3 weeks…
Read More | WiiCade Forums
Gallery: Yet Another Wiimote mod: The Glowing Nunchuk
The Industrial Wiibot
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Wii,
It looks like someone has found yet another use for Nintendo’s Wiimote: controlling an industrial robot. A couple of engineers at USMechatronics put together a software control program that let them control a Kuka KR16 industrial robot. Unfortunately, time limitations didn’t let them implement a real-time control scheme, but what they came up with is still pretty cool. Using existing PC driver software for the Wiimote and some custom VB.Net code, USM built a simple pattern recognition engine that would let the robot play back pre-recorded movements based on their similarity to the motions that the user would attempt with the Wiimote. The video shows off some of the results, some with a tennis racket mounted, and others with a sword. Handing a weapon to an industrial robot might just be how the robot revolution begins, but given the fact that other projects at the company include robotic sentry guns, it would appear that the company has ample methods to defend itself.
Read More | USMechatronics
Gallery: The Industrial Wiibot
Rumor: Mad Catz to Release First 3rd-Party Wiimote
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Accessories, Hardware, Rumors, Wii,
A user over at the Gametrailers forums recently posted some photos he allegedly took with his camera phone showing what looks to be the first 3rd-Party Wiimote, made by Mad Catz. While the shell of the Wiimote itself has a contoured grip that mighty be comfy (or perhaps, bit more than comfy), the flat trigger buttons on top of the Nunchuk attachment just look plain-old painful. Hopefully this Wiimote iteration will have a non-slip grip too, so that we don’t have to go out and buy all new controller gloves.
Click the jump for more pics…
Click to continue reading Rumor: Mad Catz to Release First 3rd-Party Wiimote
Read More | Gametrailers.com forums
Gallery: Rumor: Mad Catz to Release First 3rd-Party Wiimote
Cool WiiMote Mod: The Totally Sweet Glowing A Button
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Mods/Hacks, Nintendo, Wii,
Some readers over at MaxConsole have offered up pictures of a pretty sweet-looking mod for Nintendo’s famous Wiimote. Who hasn’t looked at the beautiful, clear A button before and thought “Dang, I bet that thing would look sweet lit up!”. Well, if you did, you were right… click the jump for more pictures of this mod. Hopefully the user will post instructions on the hack sometime soon, or at very least give us some pictures of the increased-lumens Wiimote without the controller glove.
Click to continue reading Cool WiiMote Mod: The Totally Sweet Glowing A Button
Read More | MaxConsole.net
Gallery: Cool WiiMote Mod: The Totally Sweet Glowing A Button
Nintendo Offering Free Wiimote Strap Replacements
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Nintendo, Wii,
Nintendo of America is offering free strap replacements for those with the original Wiimote straps. The company has already been slipstreaming in the new straps into the supply chain, so not everyone will need to have a replacement sent. Those needed a replacement can fill out an online form with their address and their Wii console serial number. Nintendo believes that the replacement should arrive within 5 to 9 days.
Read More | Nintendo
Gallery: Nintendo Offering Free Wiimote Strap Replacements
Interlink Files Patent Dispute, Hopes to Profit off of Wii Success
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo, Politics, Wii,
It seems to be the new norm in consumer electronics manufacturing - if you start to make money off of a good idea, you’d better stockpile lawyers and money to defend it against patent lawsuits. First Creative vs. the iPod, then Immersion vs. PS3 Rumble, now this. Interlink electronics, creator of those pointers businessfolk use for corporate presentations, is suing Nintendo over the Wiimote and its use of a trigger button, claiming that that Nintendo is infringing on their patent #6,850,221 “Trigger Operated Electronic Device”.
Granted, I’m a bit biased, but it seems to me that there’s absolutely no merit in their claim. Here’s the timeline of events, just to keep things straight:
- September 29, 1996 - Nintendo releases the N-64, featuring a 3-pronged controller with the infamous Z-trigger underneath the anolog stick. Nintendo goes on to sell 32 million consoles worldwide
- 1997 - Interlink files patent for “Trigger Operated Electronic Device”
- February 2005 - Interlink is granted patent for a device that bears resemblance to the Wiimote (see figure at right), including a remote-style shape and a trigger on the underside of the device.
- September 2005 - Nintendo unveils the Wiimote at the Tokyo Games Show
Given that Interlink had no plans to get into the gaming world, and that Nintendo had been using trigger-style technology before Interlink even filed their patent, I find it hard to believe that this case has any leg to stand on.
Read More | GameDaily.biz
Gallery: Interlink Files Patent Dispute, Hopes to Profit off of Wii Success
Nintendo: Hold on To That Wii-Mote
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Action, Internet, Rumors, Wii,
In response to some of the recent stories of Wii-motes damaging friends, family, and expensive electronics (some credible, some not so much), Nintendo felt it would be a good idea to send out a reminder to all the Wii owners out there. The bottom line? Hold on to that Wii-Mote! And don’t flail your arms around at hundreds of miles per hour, ya dumby!
See an image of the e-mail from Nintendo, after the jump…
Click to continue reading Nintendo: Hold on To That Wii-Mote
Gallery: Nintendo: Hold on To That Wii-Mote
JoyTech announces Hunks-O-Plastic for Wii (Oh, and Charging Cradles!)
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Accessories, Hardware, Wii,
Joytech announced yesterday that they will be producing a variety of peripherals for Nintendo’s new Wii gaming console. Most of the new peripherals fall into the “big hunk o plastic” category, including a tennis racket-shaped attachment for tennis games, “protective” controller gloves, and a white steering wheel attachment similar to what will be included on Ubisoft’s GT Pro Series.
The one product of note, pictured above, is a Wii controller docking/recharging station which will feature a pop-in battery pack that charges over the console’s USB port. Now that would seem to be some great functionality - no extra power cords, plus a nifty looking stand for your Wiimotes. Nice work on that one, Joytech!
Click the jump to see the rest of Joytech’s offerings…
Click to continue reading JoyTech announces Hunks-O-Plastic for Wii (Oh, and Charging Cradles!)
Read More | MaxConsole
Gallery: JoyTech announces Hunks-O-Plastic for Wii (Oh, and Charging Cradles!)
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