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Posts Tagged ‘Wiimote’

PlayStation Move first hands-on (update: video!)

At last, we’ve felt Sony’s long awaited motion controller, now at last officially known as “PlayStation Move,” in our unworthy, sweaty hands. We have a bunch of videos on the way, but for now you can revel in our first close-ups of the controllers in the gallery below. Here are some of our initial thoughts:

• The controllers are light. Much more akin to the DualShock3 than the Wiimote in heft, and we’re guessing that’s due to Sony’s continued love of rechargeable batteries.
• The main controller does have some subtle vibration (not DualShock or Wiimote level, but present), but we’re not sure yet about the subcontroller.
• We hate to say this about “pre-alpha” software, but we’re feeling lag. An on-rails shooter we tried out, dubbed The Shoot, was discernibly inferior to shooting experiences we’ve had on the Wii, both in precision and refresh rate of the aiming cursor.
• The gladiator game is about as fun as it looks, we’ll have video after the break momentarily. Unfortunately, while it’s less of a defined experience than something like the sword game on Wii Sports Resort, you’re still working through a library of sensed, pre-defined actions instead of a true 1:1 fighting game with simulated physics. Not that it isn’t possible with PlayStation Move, just that it’s not this.
• The lightness of the controllers means we might be feeling less of that Wiimote fatigue, always a good thing! There’s an aspect of the controller that feels a little cheap, but at the same time we wouldn’t call it fragile.
• As far as we can tell, the control scheme for Socom 4 is quite similar to dual-controller shooter setups on the Wii, with the camera moving based on your aiming cursor hitting the edge. It’s hard to see this as the preferred hardcore setup, but we’re told it’s configurable, so we’ll try and see what else is on offer.
• The system seemed to have a bit of trouble understanding the configuration of our body in a swordfighting stance: even though we selected “left handed,” it was putting our sword arm forward instead of our shield. Right-handers didn’t seem to have similar problems, and we’re sure this will be ironed out in time, but it certainly shows that the controllers aren’t magical in their space-detection prowess.
• As would be expected, you’re supposed to stand relatively center on the TV, and at a certain optimal distance. The system is forgiving, but there’s a sweet spot that users will undoubtedly have to learn.

Update: We’ve got our first video up after the break. 23 seconds of unadulterated action! Not to be missed, folks.

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PlayStation Move first hands-on (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wiimote-controlled ‘Jazari’ robot percussion takes us back to our tribal, Nintendo-hacking roots

We’ve seen the hacker-friendly, Bluetooth-based Wiimote used for so many purposes by now that it’s hard to get excited about just any amalgamation of accelerometer-based fun. Patrick Flanagan’s ‘Jazari’ project breaks past the yawn factor with a veritable museum’s worth of robotic instruments, which are all controlled from a pair of Wiimotes and some rather intelligent software. It all seems a little too complicated to be live-controlled, but as Patrick himself explains in true music nerd detail, there’s pretty much a button or a twist or a tilt behind every bit of the wild djembe, bongo and cowbell stylings that make up Jazari’s “steamfunk” (his term) music. Check out both videos after the break.

Continue reading Wiimote-controlled ‘Jazari’ robot percussion takes us back to our tribal, Nintendo-hacking roots

Wiimote-controlled ‘Jazari’ robot percussion takes us back to our tribal, Nintendo-hacking roots originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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B.O.S.S. Wiimote shell fills giant people with sense of SNES nostalgia

It might be hard to tell from the picture, but that B.O.S.S. controller, built by Performance Designed Products, is no controller at all. Instead it’s a SNES controller-shaped, super-sized shell that slides over a regular Wiimote and turns it into a monstrosity of memories and oversized buttons. Kudos for ingenuity, but unfortunately the playability suffers and the bulk is just too much to handle, according to Ars Technica. For $10 you can’t fault it too much (and it least it isn’t reliant on its own batteries, a sore subject for the manufacturer), but we think we might save that cash for some international postage to write Nintendo about its unconscionable neglect of the Wii Classic Controller with New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

B.O.S.S. Wiimote shell fills giant people with sense of SNES nostalgia originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nintendo bringing pink and blue Wiimotes to America on Valentine’s Day

Hey, kids. We got your attention? Good. Remember those pink and blue Wii controllers that were quietly launched in the Land of the Rising Sun back in October? Yeah, well it seems that both of those gems are coming to the United States, but it’ll be well after Christmas before you can get your hands on either (without a good importer, anyway). Starting on February 14, 2010, the blue and pink Wiimote will be on sale on US soil, and both devices will come bundled with Wii MotionPlus dongles. There’s no word yet on pricing, but we’re guessing a small premium is in order for those badly in need of some hue variation.

Nintendo bringing pink and blue Wiimotes to America on Valentine’s Day originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox 360 controller ingeniously hacked for NES use

Hey, it’s just what you’ve always wanted: to use your Xbox 360 controller on your old NES. Using a Cortex M3 processor left over from a school robotics project, Francois Gervais managed to rig his wireless pad to control something decidedly less advanced than a game of Modern Warfare 2. There’s a video of the controller in action after the break, and you can grab some of the code being used in the Google link below — perhaps one of you brainiacs will finally hack the Wiimote to control a Jaguar. A tech writer can dream…

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Xbox 360 controller ingeniously hacked for NES use originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BBC redoubles its Wii efforts with dedicated iPlayer channel

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

BBC redoubles its Wii efforts with dedicated iPlayer channel originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sanyo releases new, Motion Plus-approved, contact-free Eneloop Wiimote charger

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Sanyo releases new, Motion Plus-approved, contact-free Eneloop Wiimote charger originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exspect launches racing wheel for Wii Motion Plus controllers in the UK

Sure, there are plenty of Wii racing wheel options out there, but Exspect’s launching one just for the Wii Motion Plus controller — and just in time for the holidays! The wheel is also compatible with the plain old Wiimote, but sadly, if you live in the States it doesn’t look like you’ll be able to get one of these any time soon. The Racing Wheel is available now in the UK and will run you £6.99 (that’s about $11.67 if you don’t speak “£”) on its own, or £19.99 ($33.35) if you buy it as part of a Wii accessories pack.

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Exspect launches racing wheel for Wii Motion Plus controllers in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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