Nintendo Unveils Wii MotionPlus

Tim MacDonald writes "In a pre-conference announcement at E3, Nintendo has unveiled the newest accessory for the Nintendo Wii — the Wii MotionPlus. The Wii MotionPlus combines with the Wiimote's accelerometers and the Sensor Bar to give true, almost 1:1 matching of motion. More to come during Tuesday's conference." If all these battery mods and add-ons to the Wiimote continue my controller is going to start looking less like a controller and more like a quarterstaff. Looks like the wrist strap is going to have to go through another round of beefing up.

Whats the point?

[warrior_s]

Whats the point in releasing new accessories when there are not enough Wii's available even after the console is more than an year old?
I know I can get it from ebay and all, but I want it for $250 which is the advertised prize.

Re:"true" 1:1?

[oneiros27]

What kind of additional data could you get out of 2 vectors that you couldn't out of one, especially since they are physically attached?

Rotation

They'd be able to measure acceleration in 3 axis and derive angular acceleration in 3 axis. (And the further apart the two accelerometers are, the more sensitive it'd be to angular changes).

Re:How does it work?

[Knuckles]

And that Nintendo will tell more tomorrow ...

Re:Finally

[dontPanik]

The current motion sensing is pretty bad, it flinches alot, it jumps around, it felt added on

I've been pretty happy with it, sometimes the bar won't be set up right or the batteries will run low, but when everything is working like it's supposed to, it is fine.

I think the problem is that developers are still learning how to use it well. Example: Red Steel was so hard to control, and not really fun becuase they couldn't harness the motion sensor well.

Re:Yep, This Is Nothing More Than A Hardware Patch

[Darkness404]

Have you checked the sensitivity settings for the Wii? That seems to do what you want it to do. But yes, the Wii isn't good for close-to-the-TV gaming.

Re:Where the hell's my battery charger?

[Jason Levine]

You mean like this?

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.3333 [dealextreme.com]

Yes, I bought it and yes it works perfectly. I haven't had to worry about my Wiimote batteries at all since buying it.

Re:Whats the point?

[MBCook]

Blame the dollar. My understanding is that Nintendo is shifting a significant portion of what they are making to Europe due to the dollar. Why should they sell the hardware they produced for $250 when they can sell the exact same thing for significantly more in Europe. If the dollar was better, we'd see more of the stock directed here.

Re:A patched Wii

[cosinezero]

Dunno what games you're playing, but almost every one that I play on a regular basis -requires- the nunchuck.

Re:Finally

[Just Some Guy]

The current motion sensing is pretty bad, it flinches alot, it jumps around, it felt added on.

I've had the exact opposite experience with Resident Evil 4 and Metroid Prime Hunters, both of which felt immediately responsive and accurate. Maybe you got a bad unit or controller?

Re:Finally

[Odin's Raven]

The current motion sensing is pretty bad, it flinches alot, it jumps around, it felt added on.

Also been there, seen that. If you want to go dust off your Wii and try again, here's what worked for me (FWIW). Go to the sensor sensitivity section of the Wii setup menus. Slowly move your Wiimote around to cover the entire area near the TV, and watch for stray dots/blotches/etc on the sensor display. Two dots from the sensor bar are normal, but you may see more dots if there are other light sources within your Wiimote's field of view - the primary culprits I've encountered have been lamps and direct sunlight leaking between/around curtains near the TV. Things like that can cause nasty flinching/jumping if the Wii mistakes the lamp/sun/etc for one of the sensor bar light sources. (If you play with a group of people remember to move to each person's playing position and sweep the Wiimote around - a lamp that's behind you during solo play might end up in someone else's field of view after everyone's spread out in an arc in front of the TV.)

And of course if you've never been on this screen before, it's a good time to check your sensitivity settings - if the sensitivity is dialed down too low and you play far enough back from the TV, the Wiimote might be constantly gaining and then losing track of the sensor bar.

Re:Finally

[Toonol]

Just to add to the parent post, here's something that I've noticed affected two different Wii setups:

If your cursor is continuously jumping by very small amounts, flickering up and down just an inch or two, the two IR LEDs might be reflecting off the coffee table, entertainment center, or whatever the sensor bar is resting on. Make sure it's resting on a non-reflective, non-glossy surface... or move it out to the edge, so there is nothing to reflect off of.

Re:Finally

[Turken]

Also, don't forget to check for reflections of said IR light sources. Glass-top coffee tables are commonly found in living room setups between couch and TV, and they can easily confuse the wii remotes as they reflect the sensor bar IR lights. I've "fixed" a few friends' wiis for them just by moving/covering their coffee table. Also have encountered problems with strong lights behind the player reflecting off the front of the TV.

Re:Next...

[exploder]

The "sensor bar" isn't a sensor at all. It's just some IR LED's. The sensor, in the form of a digital camera, is inside the wii-mote. I don't think it would be much good for a mo-cap suit...little cameras all over your body?

You don't even have to read the article

[Chuck Chunder]

Just look at the picture.

There is clearly a nub where a nunchuck could plug in and the extended Wiimote jacket clearly has a hole in the right place to allow access.

Personally I think it should include wireless nunchuck capability. It seems rather suboptimal to have a Wiimote that will track free movement better still tied to a nunchuck.

Re:Finally

[bradgoodman]

Yes, yes, 100% The putting - particularly when you're trying to do very subtle, light putts. And the problem is, as you stated, this is all accelerometer - not the IR stuff.

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