Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Currently unused component found in Wiimote]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/01/currently-unused-component-found-in-wiimote/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/01/currently-unused-component-found-in-wiimote/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/01/currently-unused-component-found-in-wiimote/#commentsFiled under:

OMG SECRET CHIPZBefore you go running off to troll post on various message boards, we'd like to give you some specifics. A recent CNN technology feature details some of the various chips and components found within the forty-dollar Wiimote. Among the Bluetooth converters and accelerometers is a component listed as an "audio translator," which "converts analog data such as human speech into a digital data stream. This feature is unused now but will probably be employed in future games." The approximate cost is listed at $2.00.

So, what's the deal? First, there is no actual microphone (a device capable of converting vibrational energy into electrical signals) found within the Wiimote. Though basic electrical engineering principals allow a standard speaker to act in such a fashion, the signal quality and frequency response would be unacceptably low. This chip actually requires an expansion device for it to be used at all. So why add it? It's only two dollars, but this rather unnecessary addition has cost the company several dozen million dollars. We can only assume that Nintendo or significant third parties are planning a title utilizing an expansion microphone, which will be presumably cheap enough to bundle with a title and incur no markup in price.

God knows the masses need a mainstream karaoke game (we know about Karaoke Revolution for the PS2, but it never really took off), and the Wii is just the system to do it. Like a Virginnnnn ... hey!

JoystiqCurrently unused component found in Wiimote originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Jun 2007 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AudioChipElectricalEngineeringExpansionKaraokeMicrophonePortSecretTechTranslatorWiimoteFri, 01 Jun 2007 09:50:00 EST<![CDATA[More English Training helps you order a cheeseburger]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/25/more-english-training-helps-you-order-a-cheeseburger-right/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/25/more-english-training-helps-you-order-a-cheeseburger-right/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/25/more-english-training-helps-you-order-a-cheeseburger-right/#commentsFiled under:

The sequel to English Training: Have Fun Improving Your Skills -- also known as Eigo ga Nigate na Otona no DS Training: Eigo Zuke in Japan -- has a new commercial demonstrating its usefulness. The television spot shows a Japanese woman attempting to order lunch at an American fast food restaurant, only to find her effort stymied by the language barrier. The resulting burger is enough to leave everyone's mouths agape.

Set to hit Japanese stores later this week, More English Training is filled to the brim with over 400 "conversation situations" that will help users with everyday tasks like phone calls and customer/clerk dialogue. As the non-game's lighthearted commercial can attest, a little training can go a long way in making sure that your cheeseburger doesn't have any avocado in it.

JoystiqMore English Training helps you order a cheeseburger originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 25 Mar 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adburgercheeseburgercommercialdsdsliteenglishenglishtrainingenglishtraining2hamburgerjapanjapanesemoreenglishtrainingnintendonintendodstraintranslatetranslatortvSun, 25 Mar 2007 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[DS language tool prevents international incidents]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/12/ds-language-tool-prevents-international-incidents/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/12/ds-language-tool-prevents-international-incidents/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/12/ds-language-tool-prevents-international-incidents/#commentsFiled under:

There's nothing more embarrassing than standing in the tastefully decorated lobby of a Japanese hotel, fumbling with an English-to-Japanese dictionary and blurting out, "Your mother was a hamster," when you actually meant to ask for one of those teensy packets of shampoo. Language barriers are tough to overcome, much more so than dandruff.

Luckily, portable consoles can provide a much-needed grappling hook for scaling these wordy walls swathed in obscure grammatical graffiti. Much in the same vein as Sony's own PSP Talkman software, Tabi no Yubisashi Kaiwachou (which either translates to Conversation Notebook for Travelers...or Archaic Speech Patsy for Eels) turns the DS into a fully functional interpreter that translates text, outputs audio samples and generally helps to prevent uncomfortable international incidents. The supported languages are Thai, Chinese, Korean, American English and German, each one released as a seperate volume and accompanied by its own obscenely adorable multilingual mascot. American English is represented by a surprisingly friendly bear, if you must know.

Though Tabi no Yubisashi Kaiwachou was originally slated for a March release, it is now scheduled to hit Japan at the end of this month.

[Thanks, Siliconera!]

JoystiqDS language tool prevents international incidents originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 12 Apr 2006 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DSDS LiteDsLiteNintendo DSNintendoDsTranslatorWed, 12 Apr 2006 16:20:00 EST