WarioWare: Smooth Moves

By Mathew Kumar Published 17 May, 2006

Buttery.

As I had chosen the (almost definitely incorrect, when it comes to the matter of time management) plan of playing the Wii games in the order they were presented when walking round the hall in the correct direction, I didn't actually get to this game until after I had played all of the Wii Sports games, and by then I'd become somewhat accustomed to playing using the Wii controller. Despite this, were Nintendo planning on recreating the glory days of consoles being released with a 'pack-in' title, I'd recommend above all it includes WarioWare: Smooth Moves in the box.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves was featured on a very small number of demo pods in an incredibly short demo of about five or so three second microgames, resulting in what was little more than 15 seconds of gaming. Even in that short space of time, it's clearly a title that does its best to show the many varied ways in which you can use the controller. After only one tiny snippet of gaming I'd been made to hold the controller sideways and use it as a bicycle pump; hold the controller above my head and perform squat thrusts; hell, I was forced to hold the controller at my side, before wobbling my midriff around in a lewd and entirely unsuitable representation of a hula dancer.

Now, it wasn't long after beginning to use the controller of the Nintendo Wii that I realised something about the system and its controller which should, I suppose, have been obvious - namely, that it doesn't have any understanding of where your body is, or what you're actually doing with it, at all. Using a combination of gyroscopes, an accelerometer, and an infrared triangulation, uh, thing, it can do a very good impression of spatially sensing where you're standing - but it doesn't really know what you're doing, only what the controller is doing. So, for example, I don't really have to hold the controller over my head and perform squat thrusts. I could just wave the controller up and down in the air. I don't have to hula dance... I could just wiggle the controller in the air. Indeed, the majority of the games on the Nintendo Wii, it seems, could be played comfortably with the controller in a hand lazily balanced on your knee.

'WarioWare: Smooth Moves' Screenshot 1

So while WarioWare: Smooth Moves trains you to use the controller in a variety of entirely stupid ways, and might in the end seem entirely pointless, the beauty of the system is that it's not only training you to use the controller, but training you to have fun with it. Compared to, say, the tragedy of Wii Music: Orchestra's drawn out hand waving simulator, being asked to perform any number of silly tasks that on their own would become repetitive is so immediate, and so consistently entertaining, that it's a joy to perform. More than that, it's a joy to watch.

While previous WarioWare titles were all excellent fun, they weren't exactly the greatest of spectator sports. Oh, sure, we've all probably engaged in half-hearted games of WarioWare Inc: Mega Party Games on the GameCube, but watching a competitor bashing buttons is absolutely nothing compared to trying to put someone off their stride while they try and skewer a watermelon with their Wii Remote. The game does it's best to facilitate this kind of pick up and play (with a group of friends) gaming by making it clear for each microgame what is expected of the player with a clear and simple diagram. So, for the 'Samurai' the graphic shows a human of indeterminate gender holding a Wii controller by his left side with his right arm. Once the microgame begins, it's obvious that you're supposed to slice diagonally out with the controller to win.

Not that every single game is so easily explained (or without challenge). Part of the joy of playing the game is the simple discovery of the next way you can use the controller, or the next way you'll be challenged to use it.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves is one of the most perfect ways to demonstrate the unique powers of the Wii, and it's surprising that Nintendo wasn't pushing it with greater gusto. But trust us, if the Wii Sports titles prove to be as simplistic as they threaten to be, this is far more likely to be holding pride of place in your Wii drive when relatives come round.

WarioWare: Smooth Moves release date is yet to be determined, but it'd make an ideal launch title (hint hint).

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About Mathew Kumar

Read more articles from Mathew by visiting the Mathew Kumar archive page.

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Comments (95) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • TripSkyway #1 6 years ago

    Nice one, sounds like a top laugh.

  • brandon-flowers #2 6 years ago

    Loved all the wario games this one looks like being the best!

  • Dr Strangelove #3 6 years ago

    Interesting. Sounds better than I thought it might.

  • Xerx3s #4 6 years ago

    Does it have m0t0b1k3s?

  • Tonka #5 6 years ago

    The system doesn't actually understand the spatial positioning of the controller at all.

    Sounds more like it doesn't know the spatial positioning of the player at all.

  • Yossarian #6 6 years ago

    EG do like to talk about the Wii

  • #7 6 years ago

    I love Wario.

    Wario on the Wii: it can not be bad.

  • firm3d #8 6 years ago

    Does the sub-heading mean it "scrolls like butter"?

  • TripSkyway #9 6 years ago

    "No way I'm doing that. I'd rather be seen dead."

    Hehe looking stupid is half the fun.

  • Psi #10 6 years ago

    "No way I'm doing that. I'd rather be seen dead."

    old before your time, joyless, poser, emo?

    sorry but around xmas all the family playing a daft game like this would rock. if its something your gran can pickup and play without much trouble then great! apart from the hula bit, may need a new hip after that.

    I'd like to see nintendo buy up all the old coinop games release an arcade stick and give mame to people. The system would be the biggest no-brainer ever.

  • Tomo #11 6 years ago

    Sounds great.

  • floW #12 6 years ago

    LEVEL UP!

    duh dududuh duh duh duduh duh deh deh

  • Mr_Brown #13 6 years ago

    One of my most anticipated Wii titles. I really like the Warioware games especially how they use every Nintendo console to the best of their ability. This one looks like alot of fun. I don't care if I look like a prat when playing multiplayer. Its a laugh.

  • MadMirko #14 6 years ago

    Indeed, the majority of the games on the Nintendo Wii, it seems, could be played comfortably with the controller in a hand lazily balanced on your knee.

    Thank god someone said it.

    I was sick of all the "Wii games will be so tiring / make you jump around the room / look stupid" comments.

  • peterfll #15 6 years ago

    This is more like it (in terms of the article).

    Love the Wario games. Wario Twisted shows how clever Nintendo are at making a whole game around a control system, so this bodes well for this title.

  • sir_tripod #16 6 years ago

    Good news: Nintendo are planning on bundling it in with the console, which is great.

    Bad news: It's a bundled-title so it won't be a long and glorious game.


    I was really looking forward to getting this one because I've really enjoyed the previous WarioWare titles. Even if it's not got a great deal of longevitity, at least I can spend the money that I would have used on that game to buy another... Or beer.

  • JonFE #17 6 years ago

    I decided to purchase the DS on launch, right after playing WarioWare: Touched on a demo unit, without any previous experience on WarioWare games. Since then I have purchased both the GBA titles and the GC one and had enormous fun with all of them with my son.

    This, along with Smash Brothers Brawl, Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime: Corruption and Zelda: Twilight Princess will make purchasing a Wii at launch (if it's sensibly priced) entirely worthwhile to me.

  • JHuxley #18 6 years ago

    Sounds like.........fun.

  • afray #19 6 years ago

    Kumar:"...hold the controller above my head and perform squat thrusts; hell, I was forced to hold the controller at my side, before wobbling my midriff around in a lewd and entirely unsuitable representation of a hula dancer."

    Tonka:"Sounds more like it doesn't know the spatial positioning of the player at all."

    +1

    Why would they dictate where the player's hip must be? They have to allow it to be anywhere.

    That said, I haven't used it so it may not actually know world position, but Matt Kumar's statement doesn't support either position.

    Looking forward to the game though!

  • smelly #20 6 years ago

    Sounds more like it doesn't know the spatial positioning of the player at all.


    Well surely it'd be stupid if it did? It'd need calibrating every time you played it depending on the height of the player, where they are in the room, etc etc.

    That'd be a pain in the arse!

    But it STILL DOES have spatial positioning of the controller!!!

  • JetSetWilly #21 6 years ago

    The system doesn't actually understand the spatial positioning of the controller at all.

    Kumar ought to edit that really because his incorrect supposition will be recycled as fact around endless forums.

  • smelly #22 6 years ago

    which is bad enough as it is. I've read sooo many posts that think the ps3 pad is EXACTLY the same as the revs pad.

    Sony must be giggling at themselves at the stupidity of gamers.

  • Keimar #23 6 years ago

    "The system doesn't actually understand the spatial positioning of the controller at all."

    So much for all those 3D detection lies by Nintendo. So basically, any of the moves described can be done with the PS3 controller.

  • flp #24 6 years ago

    Heh :)

  • Tonka #25 6 years ago

    @Keimar

    Yes, yes that's exatly how it is. My gods you are a wise one.

  • flp #26 6 years ago

    @Tonka

    I took that as a pisstake. Please tell me I'm right...

  • Tonka #27 6 years ago

    @flp: Ah, that's probably it. Now I'm the idiot.
    X(

  • Eighthours #28 6 years ago

    So much for all those 3D detection lies by Nintendo. So basically, any of the moves described can be done with the PS3 controller.

    Er...no.

  • geepersd #29 6 years ago

    well there's a world of difference between knowing it's relative position through awareness of it's movements and actually being aware of it's relative space, as in to the sensor, the screen and therefore to other controllers etc.

    the former would be enough for everything described in the WarioWare article, but the latter is what was in the hype and had people frothing at the mouth.

    I'm just curious as to which is the case as it affects the potential for future game control

  • JetSetWilly #30 6 years ago

    Some hands-on reports have noted that the Wiimote gave differing results based on whether you stood close to or far away from the sensor bar. The PS3 controller would behave the same no matter where you stood. Ergo, the Wiimote knows where it is in relation to the sensor bar.

  • JHuxley #31 6 years ago

    It could just be an issue of game design - ie, the Wii CAN tell where the remote is in relation to the sensor, but the WarioWare designers simply chose not make use of this function to simplify the gameplay.

    Unlikely though.

  • krudster #32 6 years ago

    Thanks for the feedback, guys, we've reworded the third paragraph to make it clearer.

  • Chtulie #33 6 years ago

    "So, for example, I don't really have to hold the controller over my head and perform squat thrusts. I could just wave the controller up and down in the air."

    so this means thatif you don't hold the conroller as suggested, you don't just have to figure out what to do when the timer starts and how to do it but also translate the designed motion required to do i into the 'cheat' motion?
    Sound like the only way you'll have a chance at winning that way is by already knowing all the minigames.

    If you're silly looking and succesful it just adds more fun to the fun, but sitting back letharic and lossing, that adds to the loserness.

  • Keimar #34 6 years ago

    It appears they wanted to make the remote lighter by having an external sensor; but that's just created more problems with operating position.

    All the hype and the actual result is just bog-standard mapping of current controls into basic movements and none of the 3D spatial movement recoginition.

  • Tonka #35 6 years ago

    @Keimar

    Yes, yes that's exatly how it is. My gods you are a wise one.

  • #36 6 years ago

    There's a sensor bar - so there's not only input from the accelerometers/gyroscopes from the remote (to measure accels, pitch, yaw, rotation, orientation etc) but also a relative measurement of what the remote is doin in respect to a fixed point (mounted in this case above/below the TV).
    Anyone with a degree-level understanding in vectors will be able to tell you that these two things can be extrapolated to model all movements of an object in the area of space in front of the TV.

    My only doubt is whether the sensor array will measure the distance of the remote from the TV. It seems with the correct accelerometers etc within the remote this data (i.e. the third dimension - depth) can be relatively accuratley (well accuratlely enough for games) be extrapolated indirectly.

    It would be nice to draw a picture but we're not on Picochat :)

    Go look up dot and cross products and so forth within vector algebra for more information if you like. It has to do with the movement of minor axes within a fixed axis system, and gets very complicated from what I remember.

    Take home point - Nintendo arn't lying about the spatial awarenes thing - the senor 'bar' is evidence that it will be possible. However, it is equally true that the Wii will not be able to sense body position around the remote, so as long as your depth of stroke and length of movement (along with speed/accelerations of movement) are comparible to the actual actions they want you to perfom ('squat thrusts etc.!) they you should be able to "cheat". For example I ccan entirely see that waving your arm in a circle at the side of your body could be a way of cheating the 'Hula' movement.
    Edited by 1 at 17/05/06 @ 13:38

  • Keimar #37 6 years ago

    It's suspicious no game has used these supposedly 3D awareness function. Read: it can't.

    The Nintendogs should take it with a pinch of salt like many of those Sony claims.

  • #38 6 years ago

    I'm not a Nintendog by any means, and I would have thought that my earlier, substantial post would have cleared things up for most people.
    /sighs
    Nintendo will estrapolate 3D spatial data from a combination of the 2D 'image' from the sensor (but it is probably a number of images very close together - ever wondered how they calculate how far a star is away!?) and the accelerometer & gyroscopic data collected by the handset, happy?

    Sony's controller has the accelerometer/gyroscopic data, but no reference sensor (that we've seen to my knowledge) and so can only provide relativistic data - aka you pitch the controller whatever you're controlling pitches.

  • Shinji #39 6 years ago

    It's suspicious no game has used these supposedly 3D awareness function. Read: it can't.

    I can't make head nor tail of what you're talking about. Do you actually even understand yourself what you're talking about? In my experience when someone starts making very little sense when discussing something technical, it's a sign that they're way out of their depth.

    The controller can measure tilting (left/right or forward/back), motion in any of six directions (forward/back, left/right, up/down) and can tell you where it's pointing on, and at what angle it is with relation to, a fixed plane in front of it (the screen).

    Add those components together and you've got a damn good idea of where the controller is in space, what direction it's moving, what way it's being held and how fast it's moving. What more do you want?

  • Keimar #40 6 years ago

    The reference/deadzone is set when you power on the console/game. Any reading from an accelerometer can be used to calculate it's 3D position and relative travel from the deadzone.

  • #41 6 years ago

    What are you talking about "deadzone".
    We have no idea how the system will ask you to calibrate the mappable space yet. (There's HUGE matrices involved for this kind of mo-cap stuff - but not to worry, the power of these consoles can handle it)
    What make you so sceptical?

  • Keimar #42 6 years ago

    "where it's pointing on, and at what angle it is with relation to, a fixed plane in front of it (the screen). "

    No - it has no idea of the screen, how big it is or other dimensions.

  • Shinji #43 6 years ago

    That's a common way to use data from an accelerometer, yes. It's not what the bulk of Wii stuff does, because it's not the best way to use the extended functionality of that controller. What's your point, anyway?

  • Keimar #44 6 years ago

    "We have no idea how the system will ask you to calibrate the mappable space yet."

    So when you change your sitting position or if someone moves the sensor before the next time you play; all the mapping is screwed up?

  • patchbox360 #45 6 years ago



    'It appears they wanted to make the remote lighter by having an external sensor; but that's just created more problems with operating position.

    All the hype and the actual result is just bog-standard mapping of current controls into basic movements and none of the 3D spatial movement recoginition.'



    the 3D spatial movement recoginition would have made the Wii a Revolution - the ability to cheat just renders the Wii a controller subject to wrist movement with a lightgun funtionality




  • Keimar #46 6 years ago

    "with a lightgun funtionality"

    Not even that - the demo videos had everyone thinking you could actually point to something on screen; but instead you move the remote to control an on-screen cursor.

  • Tonka #47 6 years ago

    And now they are fighting each other. Yay
    \o/

  • Keimar #48 6 years ago

    "with no external sensor, there's no way of the controller knowing where it is with any reliability"

    And are any of the Wii games able to demonstrate this reliability any better? No.

  • patchbox360 #49 6 years ago


    'The PS3 pad will be great at, say, pretending to be a steering wheel, but have nowhere near the range of abilities of the wiimote'

    because????

  • Tonka #50 6 years ago

    That's what he said.

  • #51 6 years ago

    So when you change your sitting position or if someone moves the sensor before the next time you play; all the mapping is screwed up?

    No, that's not at all what I said.
    I have tried at length, but I guess my grounding in engineering and vector/matix algebra, and having done a course on motion capture has me at some advantage.

    Just as when you first use a touch screen you have to touch the corner/middle to then give your palm pilot/DS etc a calibration matrix, so a similar thing must be done in a space that you are hoping to capture movement within. The only difference is that the matrix for the space is A LOT larger (hundreds of rows/columns) and more complicated. However, that' not to say it can't eaily be done.
    The Eyetoy also had no idea about haw big your TV was did it, but it could let you manipulate items on the screen in a real-world spatial manner. Think of the sensor bar on the Wii as a number or eyetoys all linked together to provide the position of the controller in the space in front.

    Again, if you really want to understand how it could work, do a course in vector algebra.

  • Keimar #52 6 years ago

    "The Eyetoy also had no idea about haw big your TV was did it, but it could let you manipulate items on the screen in a real-world spatial manner. "

    o.m.g... Eyetoy works purely by visual object recognition.

  • DaveT #53 6 years ago

    "And are any of the Wii games able to demonstrate this reliability any better? No."

    Have many Wii games been demonstrated? No.

    The fact remains that the basic tech is there in the Wii to do that, wheras it isn't in the PS3 controller.

    The PS3 controller has _no way_ of knowing where it is in space, as it's a self contained unit. The Wii controller knows where it is, as there's an external sensor. Simple enough for you to understand?

  • #54 6 years ago

    To re-iterate for all those people having a hard time:

    The KEY difference between Wii and PS3 as I see it is the external sensor. This allows a FIXED axis to sense that of a moving one, allowing you to re-create entire movement within a 3D space (given that the point you are measuring has internal information about it's rotation/orientation/acceleration/speed etc.

  • Shinji #55 6 years ago

    Not even that - the demo videos had everyone thinking you could actually point to something on screen; but instead you move the remote to control an on-screen cursor.

    This is total bullshit. You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. You've never used the controller, you've never spoken to anyone who knows anything about what's inside the controller, and you clearly haven't been paying attention to those who do know what they're talking about.

    The controller knows exactly where it's pointing on screen because it can sense where it is pointing and at what angle by checking its position relative to the two infrared LEDs in the sensor bar that you attach to the TV. This also lets it check roughly where it is in relation to that screen, if the developers choose to use that data.

    It ALSO has the full functionality of the PS3 controller, i.e. the ability to sense tilting and motion in all directions through a combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes.

    This has been explained to you multiple times in this thread, why do you persist in banging on about something you patently don't understand?

  • DaveT #56 6 years ago

    "Eyetoy works purely by visual object recognition"

    Err, no, Eyetoy worked by contrast differences. And you actually seem ot be doing a good job of ignoring what he said. Congratulations

  • #57 6 years ago

    o.m.g... Eyetoy works purely by visual object recognition.

    o.m.g... so could a sensor looking for a specific receptor in a device - THERE'S NO DIFFERENCE! - or did you think eyetoy worked by 'majic' - it somehow 'knew' what the image was (i.e. not just a bunch of '1's and '0's) and had a little elf in there determining what part of the image your hand was etc.
    Jeez, get a clue. I'm sorry I have been patient.
    Edited by 1 at 17/05/06 @ 14:40

  • #58 6 years ago

    Shinji, on baic principle I agree with you, but if it is indeed a "sensor bar" then it will have sensors rather than LEDs on it surely? Hmm.

  • Keimar #59 6 years ago

    lol - the Nintendogs all riled up

    It's just a shame the remote can do none of the hyped movment controls to any degree of accuracy.

  • DaveT #60 6 years ago

    Either the remore contains the sensor or the bar does. Either way would work. Which is which depends on which is more sensitive and which consumes less power in the remote.

    Sensor bar may be a misnomer, i don't know

  • DaveT #61 6 years ago

    "lol - the Nintendogs all riled up

    It's just a shame the remote can do none of the hyped movment controls to any degree of accuracy. "

    I'd hardly call myself a nintendo fanboy. It's just frustrating to see someone talking about something that they don't have a clue about from the technical side, and have had no hands on experience either.

    And dammit, WHERE'S MY RUPERT LOMAN VIDEO DIARIES???

  • patchbox360 #62 6 years ago


    'Think of the sensor bar on the Wii as a number or eyetoys all linked together to provide the position of the controller in the space in front. '


    What Wii game at E3 supports this theory ?

  • #63 6 years ago

    I'm not a Nintendog (as stated before).
    I have at every stage used mathematics to try and get you to understand. I even cited how the interpolation of a SONY device can give similar (if less functional) results.
    I'm guessing you're either pig-ignorant of vector mathematics or just being obstnant for the hell of it.

    Also, where is your data on the accuracy?

  • Keimar #64 6 years ago

    "The controller knows exactly where it's pointing on screen because it can sense where it is pointing and at what angle by checking its position relative to the two infrared LEDs in the sensor bar that you attach to the TV"

    ha ha - I suppose it also knows the curvature of the screen and when you switch to a stretched widescreen mode?

    Read the previews for games like Duck Hunt - you can't point to the screen, just move the cursor about.

  • #65 6 years ago

    patchbox. try any of the fps' they are showing screens/demos of.

  • Tonka #66 6 years ago

    Arnie?

  • asphaltcowboy #67 6 years ago

    "you can't point to the screen, just move the cursor about"

    This makes no sense... how do you just "move the cursor about" then? I suppose you control Duck Hunt with the d-pad do you? Or is it... BY POINTING AT THE SCREEN!

  • patchbox360 #68 6 years ago

    'Think of the sensor bar on the Wii as a number or eyetoys all linked together to provide the position of the controller in the space in front. '

    'patchbox. try any of the fps' they are showing screens/demos of.'

    enlighten me -

    so where in Red Steel for instance was the position of the controller sensed that couldn't have been the case with a ps3 pad?

  • Keimar #69 6 years ago

    "how do you just "move the cursor about" then? I suppose you control Duck Hunt with the d-pad do you?"

    You can read the preview for Wii duckhund demo on IGN. Read: It's not a light gun.

    Another concern is there is no deadzone-return. With current controllers, you know that if you rest your hand the stick/dpad will return to center. But as many of the E3 demos have shown, if you move your hand to rest it, the on screen cursor shoots off in some direction.

  • Shinji #70 6 years ago

    Shinji, on baic principle I agree with you, but if it is indeed a "sensor bar" then it will have sensors rather than LEDs on it surely? Hmm.

    Nah, it's a bit of a misnomer as far as I can gather - the bar has LEDs in it whose position is picked up by the IR camera in the Wiimote. Early development kits actually had two hollowed out GBA cartridges with IR LEDs in them which you needed to stick to either side of the screeen. It's really simple technology, but it works very well.

    Read the previews for games like Duck Hunt - you can't point to the screen, just move the cursor about.

    I've played Wii games for about half an hour to an hour total, including Metroid Prime III, Zelda: Twilight Princess and Mario Galaxy, all of which rely EXTREMELY heavily on the ability to point at the screen, and all of which demonstrate perfectly well that the system can do this.

    Other games, like some of the Wario Ware minigames and many of the Wii Sports titles, don't use the screen-pointing functions because they don't NEED them for their gameplay. But it's definitely there, and it works - just as surely as you're a troll that needs to scurry back under his bridge.

  • Keimar #71 6 years ago

    The Nintendogs should actually read the previews than making up what they think the controller can do. No one is denying it can't do stuff like pointing stuff on screen, it's just that it's nothing like or as effective as claimed.

    Duck Hunt:
    "Rather than playing like a traditional light gun game, players actually move around a small cursor on the screen. The controls aren't calibrated at a precise one-to-one ratio, so the cursors actually move faster than the players hands do. The control feels more like playing Point Blank with a controller than a true light gun conversion"

  • Tonka #72 6 years ago

    No light gun ey?

    /fighting fire with fire

  • Keimar #73 6 years ago

    ...all that does is change the handling style - HA HA, what, you think just because you add an extra bit to the handle it knows the dimensions of your TV?

  • stonypoint #74 6 years ago

    "the controls aren't calibrated" - that sort of says it all right there. Maybe its just about calibrating it then? At least to me, if you change the size of your TV set you would have to re-calibrate the pointing mechanism, much like how you calibrate the touch screen on a iPAQ or DS?

  • Keimar #75 6 years ago

    The thing is, if you want to calibrate to remote to work like a light gun; as soon as you change your sitting position, the dimensions of the TV screen are now different from the position of the controller.

    Conventional lightguns have a feedback positioning signal from the screen, but the remote doesn't.

    With a touchscree, the positon of the touch sensors is always constant and proportional to the screen.

  • stonypoint #76 6 years ago

    yeah, well, but if the "sensor bar" has two LEDs (one at each end of the bar), wouldn't the remote be able to know the distance from the TV by calculating the (perceived) distance between the two LEDs? (given that the sensor bar is placed on the TV).

    So the only calibration needed would be the size of the TV (as the actual distance between the LEDs is a known factor)?

  • DaveT #77 6 years ago

    Did you actually read a single thing Shinji said? Hands on experience proving you wrong and all.

    Sure duck hunt may be cack. it may be badly setup or whatever, but there are games which show the functionality to work.

    Keimar: Toads don't exist.
    *Keimar is presented with a toad*
    Keimar:Lalalalala. Toads don't exist. An eskimo once told me.

  • #78 6 years ago

    Right, I'd given up on this.
    Shinji seems to actually have played with the things. He has said you can point to the screen. We have also tried to explain how a 3d spatial awareness system could work given the "sensor bar". If you still are going to tell us it doesn't work then I give up.

    Shinji - I take it you used the pointing thing without your hand being clamped to a stick stuck in the ground!?

  • Keimar #79 6 years ago

    "but if the "sensor bar" has two LEDs (one at each end of the bar), wouldn't the remote be able to know the distance from the TV by calculating the (perceived) distance between the two LEDs? (given that the sensor bar is placed on the TV). "

    Except not everyone's going to /be able to put the sensor in exact alignment with the TV. The depth of the sensor bar relative to the surface of the screen is important too - and if you don't have a TV with a flat screen surface, all the calculation is not going to work.

    Not to mention that TVs stretch the image in various ways (esp 16:9 TVs) which the console has no way of knowing.

    The whole pointing at things on screen like a light gun is a myth.

  • asphaltcowboy #80 6 years ago

    "You can't point to the screen, just move the cursor about"

    "No one is denying it can't do stuff like pointing stuff on screen"

    /is confused

  • #81 6 years ago

    Keimar, my guess is that you either havent ever used a console or are just being obstinate. Of course the console will know the aspect ratio of the TV.
    For example, where appropriate, a game will either render in 4:3 or 16:9 depending on the overlaying settings of the cosole - and that was on the xbox 1!!

    To be told by someone who's used it that it works and still not believe them, well, I give up.

  • Keimar #82 6 years ago

    "For example, where appropriate, a game will either render in 4:3 or 16:9 depending on the overlaying settings of the cosole"

    And how is this going to help the sensor/console calculate the size and position of the screen relative to the position of the remote?

  • #83 6 years ago

    To be told by someone who's used it that it works and still not believe them, well, I give up.

  • Keimar #84 6 years ago

    Count on a Nintendog to believe hype and not real reports:

    http://uk.revolution.ign.com/articles/707/707330p1.html

    "Rather than playing like a traditional light gun game, players actually move around a small cursor on the screen. "

  • #85 6 years ago

    My god, your entire arguament is based around a sub-5 minute playtest done by a couple of guys, on a demo unit, on a game that will be far enhanced by llaunch, on hardware that will be a lot better utilised by launch.
    And I am not a "Nintendog" whatever this means (I think ou made it up). Apart from a GBASP(now sold) and a DS(lite) I don't own nintendo (unless you count the N64 in the attiic that I bought a total of 2 games for). If anything, I'm an xbox guy.
    So why the scepticism?

    BTW I hardly view IGN as a reliable source.

  • #86 6 years ago

    I'd like to point at our very own beloved EG now:

    htt p://eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=64757

    "the other controller acts as, essentially, a laser pointer that you point at the screen to aim, and you point at the edges of the screen to turn left and right or look up and down. This makes aiming feel incredibly natural"

    Well, Keimar? Surely they could never do that?

  • Keimar #87 6 years ago

    HAW - as opposed to your's which is based on...

    "wah wah - please, i'm not a Nintendog :'(" pathetic.

  • asphaltcowboy #88 6 years ago

    ""Rather than playing like a traditional light gun game, players actually move around a small cursor on the screen."

    I still don't understand you Keimar - how exactly do you think this small cursor moves on the screen (just so we're clear)?

  • Shinji #89 6 years ago

    Count on a Nintendog to believe hype and not real reports:

    Oh, sorry, the time I spent playing practically every Wii game that was on show at E3 was obviously "hype" and not "real". I often get those two confused, my mistake!

    FYI, you calibrate the controller when you first set up the console, as you do with a touchscreen on a handheld, and from this it learns the dimensions and aspect ratio of your screen. This works no matter what angle or distance you are from the screen, since it can work out those factors from reading the relative positions of the LEDs in the sensor bar. This is really simple stuff - you could actually work it out with a school education in applied maths. I'm a journalist, so if *I* can understand the maths, anyone bloody can :)

    The curvature of the screen doesn't matter, since unless you're actually using a goldfish bowl as a television, it won't be significant enough to distort the picture enough to screw up what you're pointing at.

    Many games are obviously going to drop the "light-gun" style control mechanism because it's simply more comfortable to control them using a relative positioning mechanism - but that's by no means an indication that the console can't do this. It absolutely, positively can, and in fact, it's solved the problem quite ingeniously - I'd like you to show me any traditional lightgun-style controller that's ever going to work on a plasma, an LCD or a projector!

  • Tonka #90 6 years ago

    I'd like you to show me any traditional lightgun-style controller that's ever going to work on a plasma, an LCD or a projector!

    Or with different refresh rates for that matter.

  • stonypoint #91 6 years ago

    Putting the LEDs in the sensor bar and the actual sensor in the remote is pure genius.

  • geek-chic #92 6 years ago

    I loved WarioWare Touched and I'm definately getting this!

  • Santino #93 6 years ago

    Wii sports baseball u can move the bat around before the pitch however u please, in twilight princess fishing u use the remote like a fishing rod, in MP3 the door opening mechanism relies on moving the controller backwards and forwards, also, check out the hands on preview of the obsticle course demo...are all these not evidence of spacial awareness?

  • SirScratchalot #94 6 years ago

    @Geepersd, no, a few of the things in wario ware such as swatting a fly etc. rely very much on spatial position.

    "enlighten me -

    so where in Red Steel for instance was the position of the controller sensed that couldn't have been the case with a ps3 pad? "

    Most of it actually - its based on where the controller is pointing in space an accelorometer approach detects movement and as such is completely independant of position. Turning your gun arm to aim and then moving your arm would also confuse the hell out of the PS3 controller. What´s more with an accelorometer and gyro the mechanistic approach will always give a slight delay from movement of the controller to movement on screen.
    Edited by 1 at 18/05/06 @ 05:59

  • shot_to_the_gun #95 6 years ago

    to sum up...

    1) the sensor bar is flat, most tv tops are flat, an idiot could line it up with the front edge of a tv...hence the depth and alignment of the sensor will not be an issue. that the curvature would make such a big difference is ridiculous

    2) if you have two sensors which can both work out where the control is in relation to the it is pretty simple math to work out exactly where the controller is. (IR travels at the same speed all the time...shock horror...) - calibration would be identical to a light gun

    3) the sensors in the controller can work out where its pointing, combine that with the exact position of the player...and, wait...bam...you got yourself a pointer, not jus a fancy mouse...

    i think its plain to see the ninty tech is more sophisticated than sonys. now i say this being a complete sony fanboy (phone, comp, console, digicam...) but its is not like it adds extra validation to my the points raised so far.

    keimar and patchbox360, dudes, take a break...jus see how the wii plays when it comes out and you'll realise...in fact id put money on you being schtum as soon as you get your hands-on test...