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Reader Comments (99)

Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:34PM Peter Moore said

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So... EyeToy + Wii Sensorbar + WiiSpeak.


Alright... uh, well, I guess if it works, then cool..?
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:10PM Brendan H said

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"In fighting games you kick, punch, duck, dive, jump and so forth with your body."

Wait a minute, DIVE? I can't imagine anyone diving around their living room. You think Wii had injuries, just imagine the first time someone does a barrel roll into their glass coffee table!
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:12PM Peter Moore said

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Your comment was not a reply to mine.

I think your just trying to have your comment near the top so it'll get more views.

I think that you should stop doing that.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:16PM Kattleox said

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OKAY. I'll leave an actual reply!

Its actually JUST the sensor bar with an eye toy, since it had a microphone in it.

it appears Microsoft is just up to their crazy innovation again, just like with Texas Instrument...errrr...MICROSOFT Windows.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:18PM (Unverified) said

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i'm posting a comment that's not a reply to your comment just to get it closer to the top, so i can get more views. because that's really what i give a shit about. you're a huge loser, get a life, get a girlfriend, get off the internet, i hope you get swine flu.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:38PM Peter Moore said

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Well, aren't you angry...

I was just voicing my opinion on the purpose of the reply function.

Also, I wasn't even replying to you, jsatch, you can say I'm a uptight douche for my comment, but at least I'm not an overaggressive asshole.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 4:16PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said

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I would settle for a camera that allowed for head tracking. They could put IR sensors on the headset and it would an illusion of 3-D and depth. This prototype wouldn't be practical for most games because the gestural recognition would have to be infallible. I'm not saying it's impossible but without some type of force feedback it would lack realistic immersion.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 4:21PM Peter Moore said

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I think camera based gaming, as the primary control source, generally won't work. I think it would work best in addition to standard controller. Imagine playing Halo Wars, playing normally with the controller, but when you want to select a specific amount of troops (or whatever), you just do a pinching motion toward the area of the screen you want.

I think having games like Totemball, are generally impractical, as well as uncomfortable.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 5:11PM Benjamin Gilbert said

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CHILDREN! Children! Relax! Ridiculous!
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 6:24PM (Unverified) said

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@ Kenny Powers

check out Johnny Lee's Wii projects if you haven't seen them before http://johnnylee.net/projects/wii/

The third one down on the page I think is what you're thinking of. I've tried it out and it is really immersive. It'd be great for single player games; I'm not sure if anybody's taken the next step to make a game out of it, but I'm planning on trying to make something with it over the summer. Johnny Lee is the freaking man.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 7:23PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said

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Nick8708

Johnny Lee is the freaking man ...
Thats the exact type of device I'm talking about. Sony showed off something similar at CES that only required the PS3 eye camera thingy. Either one would be great and I'm hopeful we see some of that this generation. I would take that over a camera controller.

Here is that video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFN8cW1mSVY
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 10:31PM Discotheque said

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Why did BrendanH get downvoted? His comment was funny and made sense.

I anticipate the amount of injury reports we'll be hearing from people diving into their tv or something stupid like that because of this.
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Posted: May 3rd 2009 3:24AM WiredKnight said

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Just downvote 'em all, let a Mod sort 'em out.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:36PM mr nimblewick said

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Camera-based motion detectors... is it going to be able to capture every player if they are spread out, or will they have to scrunch together?
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 4:34PM Mr Khan said

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Depends. I mean, the Wii sensor bar gets a pretty wide scope for its size, this thing seems somewhat bigger

Though this relies on different technology, so i dunno.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 8:35PM (Unverified) said

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The wii sensor bar is merely a couple IR LEDs and possibly a couple passive resistors/decoupling caps set in a plastic casing, there's no other electronics beyond that.

Presumably, Microsoft's alledged version could have a field of view of 90 degrees, possibly more, since they've previously sold PC webcams with optics with performance in that range. This is merely speculation though... The wider the field of view, the smaller details will get. And resolution is kind of important when doing video-based motion capture... The Wii remote sensor merely registers glowing dots, but if the camera in MS's version is mounted in that little plastic thingy it could presumably be able to do a lot more than that. So you'd want decent rez, and good framerate too. :)
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Posted: May 3rd 2009 3:04PM BigD145 said

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I imagine the next "borrowed" "idea" will be a mat with red, blue, yellow, and green colored circles on it. Perhaps an on-screen spinner will tell players where to put their hands and feet in order to interact with each other.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:36PM (Unverified) said

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Why do we want it?

It really serves no purpose aside from casual games, and if they try to make it serve a purpose more than that, well that's just asking for trouble.

Sigh this is just a stupid waste of money.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:43PM jorojoserojas said

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It's not so much about us wanting something, it's more about Microsoft wanting some of that Wii money.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:27PM (Unverified) said

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Halo Tennis here I COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




/sarcasm
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:57PM WiredKnight said

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Wow, jump to conclusions much?
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Posted: May 3rd 2009 9:55AM Haohmaru said

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I know it's easy to jump on the hater-train because of some developers' cheesy, tacked-on "waggle" controls for Wii games, but there have also been many well-crafted, extremely fun games that have managed to correctly implement the feature. I'm looking forward to seeing what the other two giants (AND Nintendo) can do to try to improve it in the future.

That having been said, this is only a peripheral. That means that our good ol' joypad-controlled games aren't going anywhere, because not everyone is going to shell out the bucks for this extra. People throw around "casual" quite a bit as some kind of naughty word this gen, but the fact of the matter is that the two styles can and will coexist as long as there's a market for both.
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Posted: May 3rd 2009 7:00PM eJ24 said

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If this is true it has tremendous potential for the operating system. Imagine being able to navigate the nxe with a wave of your hand or a flick of your finger. Obviously that would require a big upgrade to the nxe itself but it's definitely something developers could use in their games. It wouldn't replace the controller, just accompany.

Either way we'll have to wait until E3 to find out if this is fo reelz.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:38PM Yggdrasiel said

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If the sensor bar is all i have to buy then it's not too bad I was scared of having to buy a whole set of new contollers, now all I need to know is the price...
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:42PM (Unverified) said

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look at the wire behind it... it goes straight to the tv n dissapears
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:46PM Jeremy White said

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Closer looks reveal another white cord going into the back of the Xbox.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:49PM TheDarkWayne said

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i think I see the wire coil on the left side of the TB
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 5:09PM TheDarkWayne said

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the TV even
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:43PM saintamour said

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That's a huge bitch!
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:45PM Jinn35 said

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If this is true, I hope the one pictured is a prototype, because it is kinda ugly.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:46PM cesaria said

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This sounds kind of cool. The problem is that Microsoft has already established the 360 as a hardcore console. I'm not so sure it'll take off unless you bundle it with the arcade at the same price.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:59PM WiredKnight said

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They've already started branching out with the NXE and avatars. It doesn't seem unreasonable to expect them to start offering more functionality for casual games.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:47PM nadomars said

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well as long as it allows me to do this then i'm good:

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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:48PM nadomars said

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crap, I guess youtube videos embedded don't show up

heres the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwVBzx0LMNQ
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Posted: May 3rd 2009 3:36PM VSpeck said

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I was thinking more like what Tony Stark was doing in the Iron Man movie. In the minority report it seemed almost to complex. In the Iron Man move it was more casual.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:58PM Nier said

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Finally, I can play video games by waving my penis around like a crazy man!
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:52PM (Unverified) said

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Dr. Manhattan has been doing that for a while

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdFstm_kJzU
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:53PM CommentSystem said

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pencil writing game CONFIRMED.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 4:31PM TheDarkWayne said

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you dont need a Wii for that
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 7:16PM Garst said

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Hardware developers can't build sensors strong enough to detect motion from something so small. You'll probably get more use out of it trying to pick up women.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 8:40PM Nier said

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Sorry, Garst. I like men.

And they like my small penis too. :(
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 2:58PM The MAZZTer said

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I see some problems with this:

1) Accidental hand motions will be translated into in-game motions. And that's even if it manages to interpret them with 100% accuracy. If it's lower it'll be even more frustrating. An attempt to figure out if a person isn't playing isn't likely to work... I play plenty of Wii games sitting down, and people are going to walk through the room standing up.

2) Transmitting real time images of opponents (especially random ones) will never be permitted. The sort of stuff people are going to transmit to be "funny" would have MS shutting down the online functionality immediately until they can patch out the real time video.

3) Not sure about punching and kicking translating to motion. Some idiot is going to punch their TV and break it and sue MS.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 4:01PM WiredKnight said

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While they're good points, none of those issues are insurmountable.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:12PM (Unverified) said

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hearing more and more about these new peripherals and hardware revisions (PSP) makes it start sounding somewhat believable...
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:27PM Mazrael said

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Is the world no longer safe... What is this, is the next gen going to do away with controllers as well as disc media..!!??
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Posted: May 3rd 2009 12:48PM (Unverified) said

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as long as activision is still around there will be disc media :)
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:29PM Za23 said

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Looks like a photoshopped Xbox Vision Cam...
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:34PM Crusty Magic said

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Meh.
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 3:38PM Araman said

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Sorry boys, you're too late to this party. The Wii install base already has the corner on this market and any chance you had to gobble up any of those customers is long gone. You might catch a few suckers who already have 360's, but they're going to be closer to the "real gamer" demographic and will dismiss the unit as a toy a few short months after purchasing it.

Too little, too late... hey, just like the Zune!
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Posted: May 2nd 2009 4:03PM WiredKnight said

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I think that's pretty shortsighted. What about the people who enjoy the Wii and motion-based gameplay, but are looking for more in the graphics department? I know a lot of people who fit that description, myself included. I'm also interested to see what some AAA developers can do with more articulate motion controls than just a six-axis.
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