Nintendo unveils Wii MotionPlus accessory for 'unmatched precision'

by Ross Miller { Jul 14th 2008 at 12:00PM }

Nintendo has announced via press release Wii MotionPlus, an accessory for the Wii remote that works with both the sensor bar and accelerometer to "allow for more comprehensive tracking of a player's arm position and orientation." No other details are provided at the moment, but more information is promised for Nintendo's press conferece tomorrow.

Fun fact: Here's the mass text message Nintendo sent out 2 the press:

Tags: breakingnews, wii-mote, wii-motionplus, wii-remote, wiimote

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

ANTCEP @ Jul 14th 2008 12:04PM

i don't get it, why would you need this?

Sam K @ Jul 14th 2008 12:05PM

Well, if it does what Nintendo claims, it could allow for more precise control. Maybe Nintendo has some upcoming games that require finer movements than the Wiimote can currently produce.

jcd @ Jul 14th 2008 12:09PM

Potatomoto says: "I like your money!"

Kye - WiiDSixty DF @ Jul 14th 2008 12:10PM

That was my thought as well.
Aren't the sensors in the Remote supposed to be able to detects movements of micrometers?

creid @ Jul 14th 2008 12:16PM

I think anyone who's tried to putt in Wii Golf knows that the thing needs much more precision.

Vegnagun bwf @ Jul 14th 2008 12:17PM

They're supposed to but I'm fairly sure they don't. Even if the sensors are that sophisticated already, they don't seem to have put that to use yet.

jsn @ Jul 14th 2008 12:18PM

unmatched gimmickry!

Lijik @ Jul 14th 2008 12:18PM

So when you're shaking the remote and nunchuck like a madman in the new Raving Rabbids game, you will have 100% accurate shaking.

You know you want that.

FOXHOUND @ Jul 14th 2008 12:22PM

I was lead to believe in many previous reports that the Wii Remote actually had 1:1 motion sensing capability on its own, but Nintendo was not allowing developers to use that function. Even crazier, some the reasons read for it were intriguing to hear:

» Too much immersion into the game, causing "Wii Remote bat/sword swinging" accidents
» Vertigo (I didn't get this one at first; but it makes sense if they're referring to attachment with the Nunchuck for FPS games like PORTAL; if it had been ported(no pun intended.)
» Unrealistic movement (i.e., the character or ship spinning on a dime quicker than Wall*E does in its game)

Of the quick 3 mentioned, only vertigo and swing-injuries really seem likely. The movement is really on the developer to correct.

Obie @ Jul 14th 2008 12:23PM

This is SUPER waggle! And I am intruiged!

deaftly @ Jul 14th 2008 12:23PM

"We fucked up the first time, heres a fix"

Benny @ Jul 14th 2008 12:25PM

You need this to make your Wiimote compatible with the 360. It comes free with Halo Blue!

Mr.ESC @ Jul 14th 2008 12:28PM

NOW YOU ARE PLAYING WITH WAGGLE!

SUPER WAGGLE!11ELEVEN

Naota @ Jul 14th 2008 12:46PM

for some of us who have our wiis in brightly lit rooms with natural lighting, the wii remote tends to jump all over the place, so i'm assuming that this is to help keep things smooth.

Blazur @ Jul 14th 2008 12:47PM

Oh good, I was concerned about the accuracy of my waggling. All this time I thought it was because I hadn't drank enough coffee...

Dale Massey @ Jul 14th 2008 12:50PM

The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion.

Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo’s commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone. Nintendo will reveal more details about the Wii MotionPlus accessory and other topics Tuesday morning at its E3 media briefing.

Ridgecity @ Jul 14th 2008 1:03PM

Wow, all this bashing almost sounds as if Nintendo wasn't beating the other consoles and these guys own the other consoles...

Fullmetal Salchemist @ Jul 14th 2008 2:18PM

Sales don't always equate to quality, pal.

Hashbrown Hunter @ Jul 14th 2008 4:13PM

Link's Crossbow Training 2: Electric Boogaloo

idiot @ Jul 14th 2008 4:19PM

i bet it has built in compatibility with a nintendo nunchuk

KirbyMeister @ Jul 14th 2008 8:19PM

Anyone wanna guess this MotionPlus thing is a gyroscope? The Wiimote's internal accellerometer is only good for 2 rotational axis and only when under relatively low forces.

Sora @ Jul 14th 2008 9:26PM

So...Is this just two Wiimotes duct taped together?

ugg.tryptophan @ Jul 14th 2008 10:25PM

maybe so we can play some fps

Abscissa @ Jul 15th 2008 11:34PM

"We fucked up the first time, heres a fix" - deaftly

That's EXACTLY what I was thinking when I saw this.

ballistic3188 @ Jul 14th 2008 12:04PM

now with this we can have some nice lightsaber action or really nice fps

nxtiak @ Jul 14th 2008 12:04PM

I'm thinking the first game to support this will include this in box and Nintendo will sell these for cheap, hopefully less than $10

juju187 @ Jul 14th 2008 12:09PM

dont hold your breath when they are sell plastic shells for $25 U.S.

Lonecow @ Jul 14th 2008 12:12PM

I can almost guarantee this will come free with whatever game uses it. (read: Zelda)

Dan @ Jul 14th 2008 12:28PM

You mean you can gaurentee that it SHOULD come with every game that needs it..... not that it will.

Because Nintendo is sooo nice and loving that they will give you free accessories just because they have soo much money on hand....
Yeeah I dont see that happening.

samfish @ Jul 14th 2008 12:32PM

"Because Nintendo is sooo nice and loving that they will give you free accessories just because they have soo much money on hand...."

Wiimote condoms.

Roto13 @ Jul 14th 2008 12:39PM

Where exactly are Nintendo sell plastic shells for $25?

Steve @ Jul 14th 2008 12:42PM

They give out the Wii Remote covers (the Wii condoms) for free. Up to 4 per household, I believe.

Dan @ Jul 14th 2008 12:55PM

The wiimote condoms cost like what... $1.00 to make. I don't even use them, plus they still won't give you this that looks like will cost around $25.

Ridgecity @ Jul 14th 2008 1:07PM

The n64 rumble came free with Starfox for $59. If you only wanted the rumble in was $20.

RD @ Jul 14th 2008 12:04PM

Sounds great. But couldn't it be smaller?

jimbo @ Jul 14th 2008 12:05PM

Seems like something that should have been released with the console in the first place....

NATO_Duke @ Jul 14th 2008 12:06PM

...yeah, like a rumble controller or wireless adapters did. Oh wait...

Dirty @ Jul 14th 2008 12:09PM

But Nato THE FUTURE IN NOW!!!

arrrgh @ Jul 14th 2008 12:23PM

At least they had rumble out of the box

NATO_Duke @ Jul 14th 2008 12:26PM

No the PS3 did not have rumble coming out of the box for most of its life now.

jcd @ Jul 14th 2008 12:29PM

Sony was fixing previous mistakes, nintendo is just being greedy

Dan @ Jul 14th 2008 12:31PM

@Nato

But rumble wasn't required at all to play any game.

Sooo yea....

NATO_Duke @ Jul 14th 2008 12:40PM

I didn't know the wiimote didn't work as it is for their games. Trust me, I am no Nintendo lover, but all of the companies have done this crap.

Lijik @ Jul 14th 2008 12:42PM

@Dan
Actually, I once made a game in RPG Maker 2 that exploited the rumble feature. A party member was able to gain the power to "sense vibrations" in chests to see how awesome the loot inside was (no rumble = trap monster, lots of rumble = MAD LOOTZ).

It was a mostly optional endeavor until I decided to take it ridiculous extremes in the last dungeon making players check the vibrations of everything from doors to certain parts of the floor to make sure they were progressing correctly.

Sure enough, a friend of mine made it to that dungeon on his PS3 shortly after launch and was pissed to discover that 90% of everything was boobytrapped. If only Sony had implemented rumble sooner!

Mr. Cantu @ Jul 14th 2008 12:51PM

@ Lijik

"A party member was able to gain the power to "sense vibrations" in chests to see how awesome the loot inside was (no rumble = trap monster, lots of rumble = MAD LOOTZ)."

I probably would have set the rumble to work the other way (no rumble = MAD LOOTZ or no loot, lots of rumble = monster). I'd do it this way because a monster would most likely be moving around but loot would stay still.

Lijik @ Jul 14th 2008 12:53PM

Yeah in retrospect that would have made more sense. I just really wanted to use the rumble function =P

Questworld @ Jul 15th 2008 1:05AM

Look at it this way, it's like putting rumble back into the PS3 SIXAXIS via a small attachment without having to buy an entire new controller. I'm guessing future Wiimotes will have this tech upgrade built-in but this peripheral will provide those who have bought the original Wiimotes the option to upgrade their devices. And much like rumble, it's just there to improve gameplay though probably more important depending on who you talk to about rumble.

Anyway, at least it's not like those dumb shells that don't really add any new functionality (i.e. wheel molds, gun molds, sports attachments, boxing gloves, etc.).