Wii. That's the name of Nintendo's new gaming system. It was code-named "revolution" and some say it already is a revolution due to the different control scheme Nintendo has designed. The main controller is a TV remote-like design and uses a sensor placed on top of or below a TV to determine where it is pointing. Internal accelerometers can tell direction and speed of the controller. Attachments include a "nunchuk" (as seen here) , a gamecube type controller and a light gun attachment.
Initial reviews at E3 are not what would be expected with Nintendo's promises of a revolution however. Some journalists are complaining about slow control and a lack of a true 3D feel to the controller. That leads me to believe that Nintendo is holding something back about the Wii. They have said the system can detect where and what the controller is doing in 3D space, however at E3 the contoller either used the accelerometers or the LED transmitter but not both at the same time. Four days ago Nintendo did announce a partnership with Pixart who has a multiple object tracking device, which technically should allow the system to track multiple objects in 3D space (ie: the controllers). That being said, perhaps Nintendo made a decision to just show a working version of the Wii.
That moves us on to the system itself. It looks very slick and is supposed to be very small. Nintendo says it is the same size a three DVD cases stacked on top of each other. An auto feed loading system is used and the system can handle regular CD sized media and the smaller gamecube media with no problems. The back has two USB ports and power. The "top" (when placed on it's side as in the picture to the left) has ports for gamecube controllers and slots for SD cards. The front flap as of right now if a guarded mystery. When journalists questioned Nintendo reps as to what is behind it everyone was tight lipped except for one comment of "that's the revolution right there."Really? The controllers are not the revolution? What is then? Let's speculate here. Nintendo has said it hasn't released all the secrets with the Wii as it doesn't want to be copied by a competitor (such as Sony with it's new addition of tilt sensors for the PS3 controller) so they are guarding the "revolution" well. There are some tidbits that would seem to indicate where they are going:
-Both have said before E3 that the system would wow us with it's graphics. Having last gen graphics isn't exactly wow, so what's coming?
-A patent filed in July 2004 by Nintendo for a 3D projection device that responds to a person's 3D actions with a controller.
**************************
1. A three-dimensional image generating apparatus for generating a three-dimensional image according to an operator's operation input, comprising: an operation input detecting means for detecting the operator's operation input; an object data storing means for storing object data for rendering objects forming a three-dimensional image; a displaying means for displaying an image projected onto a projection screen within a virtual three-dimensional space; a virtual three-dimensional space generating means for generating said virtual three-dimensional space based on the operation input detected by said operation input detecting means and the object data stored in said object data storing means; a viewpoint controlling means for controlling a viewpoint within the virtual three-dimensional space generated by said virtual three-dimensional space generating means; a display image generating means for generating said image of said virtual three-dimensional space seen from the viewpoint controlled by said viewpoint controlling means, which is projected onto said projection screen; a depth value storing means for storing a depth value of each pixel of the image generated by said display image generating means; an object arrangement position storing means for storing at least an arrangement position of a specific object in said virtual three-dimensional space; a determination point setting means for setting a predetermined number of determination points in a predetermined area containing the arrangement position of said specific object in said image; a determining means for determining whether or not a first depth value of the predetermined number of determination points set by said determination point setting means is smaller than a second depth value of said specific object; and a degree-of-hiding calculating means for calculating a degree of hiding of said specific object according to the number of said determination points where it is determined by said determining means that said first depth value is smaller than said second depth value.2. A three-dimensional image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination point setting means sets said determination points in an area adjacent to and embracing said specific object projected onto said projection screen.3. A three-dimensional image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in case where said specific object in said virtual three-dimensional space is projected onto said projection screen, said determination point setting means sets said determination points on the circumference of a circle adjacent to and embracing the specific object projected onto the projection screen.
*********************
-Nintendo had a 3D add on device for Gamecube at last year's E3 that was shown behind closed doors
-With regards to the partnership with Pixart, what kind of video game system would work best with a true 3D controller?
- During the ShoWest film conference, a panel featuring George Lucus, Robert Zemekis, James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez, and a satellite feed from Peter Jackson discuss their plans to integrate cheap digital stereoscopic 3D into major theater chains by 2007. Later Rodrigues said they were aware of a game machine that was going to beat them to the mainstream market.
- This is going out on a limb here but nintendo has said that the two I's in the name represent the controllers. What do the W represent? Pehaps the two projections from stereoscopic cameras?
So, in short form, it is possible that the Nintendo Wii will have a 3D projector built in. Will it use a screen to project the images? Most likely. Is this one baby step towards a real life Star Trek Holodeck? Seems to be=) Will it really be a revolution? Most definitely
No comments:
Post a Comment