Inside Wii controller?

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philba

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Has anyone opened this puppy up? It's a major advance in gaming controllers. All I've found so far is a translated page with little detail via digg (but can't seem to copy the url to paste, sorry - search for wii controller engrish).
 
I don't know anyone who would open up a wii!! That is what? $250? Around that? Hmm, actuall, i think it would be kinda cool to see the inside. I really can't wait for someone to make a crazy mod for it... like usb... or SD cards.... or hey, even GPS...
 
Here's the page I was talking about:
https://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fn-styles.com%2Fmain%2Farchives%2F2006%2F10%2F15-000000.php&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools
wait for the translation. the english is, frankly, pretty laughable. unfortunately, they don't show any pictures of the actual chips so it's hard to know what accelerometer/gyro/IMU/whatever is used.

From the descriptions I've read, this a real paradigm shift. Accelerometer based at the least, it allows some very cool effects like allowing the controller to be used like a sword or gun or bat or golf club or... I predict all the gaming consoles will have something similar very soon. Legend of Zelda is supposed to be a totally amazing game.
 
a lil more digging. here's the nunchuck opened up. still no details on the chips used.
**broken link removed**

edit: note that the nunchuk is basivally an analog joystick.
 
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This isn't exactly a major advancement, controllers that use gyro/tilt sensors have been around for quiet a while, they've just never been particularlly popular, probably reliability and calibration issues. Recent years with MEMs sensors being so cheap and easy to use and high power MCU's and custom ASIC's it's relativly trivial to make something like this. Getting people to use it is going to be the hard part.
 
the technology has been around forever but that isn't the point - it's the first mass market game to have one. some gameboy games had tilt sensors and were quite playable but this allows the controller to be used for just about anything. it's breaking the controller paradigm.

and from the reviews, I don't think it will be a problem to get people to use it. the early game reviewers are just ga-ga over the integration of game play and the controller. even otherwise mediocre games are getting good reviews. they've got a huge hit on their hands.
 
Considering it doesn't get officially released in the U.S. untill the 19th I love it when people proclaim a video games systems hit or miss status. We'll see what's happening in sixth months from now and then you might be able to say something like that with a degree of credibility. Revolutionary, evolutionary, a toy or a truly unique product. Only time will tell if people really buy it, and it will take even more time to find out if people buy it for more than just a casual game or two and then shelve it.
 
you obviously haven't looked at what's going on. reviewers have machines and haven't been this excited in a long long time.
 
I've permenantly archived this thread on my computer and attached a note to re-open the thread in 6 months. We'll have something to talk about then. Until then I refuse to speculate further on video game systems that don't as yet currently exist in the hands of the masses =>
Also by then more than a few someone's will have taken apart and reverse engineered their wii controllers and will likley be working on all manner of things that use them for interesting projects.
 
here's a teardown of the wii.
**broken link removed**

it's a pretty good video and includes some discussion of the controller.
 
**broken link removed**

more info on the wii-mote. the accelerometer appears to be an adxl330.
 
philba said:
here's a teardown of the wii.
**broken link removed**

it's a pretty good video and includes some discussion of the controller.
Click to expand...

Now i'd like to see a video of the guy who gets to try and put it back together
 
well, by now, you have to admit that I was 100% correct. the wii is exactly the hit I predicted with it generating huge sales, continuing demand post-xmas and widespread excitement. I was at Gamestop yesterday (12/27) and there was line of 20 people hoping to get a Wii when they got delivered. For example, teen age girls are getting into the wii. this is a potentially huge broadening of the market. check out these videos of girls playing wiiboxing. hilarious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6DmkSbaAxY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vV5m5N9Odo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH_tN7XBMp8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1ZZz2iN3Ko

For my next prediction, all the game consoles will include wiimote style controllers within a year (or die...)
 
philba said:
check out these videos of girls playing wiiboxing. hilarious.
Click to expand...

Be careful! - my teenage daughter might come round and show you how girls can punch!

To be fair, EVERYBODY looks stupid punching with wii.
 
laugh out loud tru tht. it rele isnt tht complicated the console it self has like 3 or four bords. i bet you psp is more complicated than the wii lol
 
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