Wii Technology Outsourced: Details
Third-party provides technology for new N machine
It has emerged that Nintendo has licensed technology from a third-party company, Analog Devices, to deploy its revolutionary controller for its new Wii home system. In a press release seemingly issued to clarify the distinction between its own controller and that of the PlayStation 3, Nintendo's partner outlines what it will make available to consumers.
The press release reads:
Of course, Sony's revision of the Dual-Shock merely features a speed-sensitive tilt sensor, a far cry from the fully three-dimensional position-sensing capabilities of the Wii, which also incorporates full multi-directional tilt functionality. SPOnG believes Sony's announcement of pseudo-Wii functionality in its new controller that forced this counter from Nintendo and its partners. And we're more than happy to report this to you, our Wii-buying readers.
Read on for some glib corporate quotes:
"For the industry's first mainstream game controller using MEMS acceleration sensors, we turned to Analog Devices, an industry leader whose acceleration sensors are used by Nintendo for popular games like Kirby's Tilt 'N Tumble for Game Boy Color," commented Genyo Takeda, Senior Managing Director/General Manager, Integrated Research & Development Division, Nintendo Co., Ltd. "We selected the ADXL330 because its accuracy, small size, and extremely low power consumption were critical to the Wii Console's design objectives and key for a wireless controller that will revolutionize the gaming industry."
"Motion is an integral part of our lives. We are delighted that Nintendo selected us again for another incredibly innovative motion-based product like the Wii Console and Controller," said Bill Giudice, vice president and general manager, Micromachined Products Division, Analog Devices. "Analog Devices offers unparalleled experience with integrating motion sensing to enhance the products we use every day, whether it's the automobiles we drive, the mobile phones we use, or the games we play. Our customers rely on our ability to deliver high performance, superior quality motion sensors in large volume for many exciting applications."
The press release reads:
Central to the Wii Console's design is accurate and reliable multi-axis linear acceleration sensing. When facing the design challenges of the new Wii controller, Nintendo collaborated with Analog Devices, a leader in signal processing technology and well known for innovative motion sensing. The ADXL330's robust 3-axis motion signal processing performance enables a new concept in console video game controllers and gaming interfaces by allowing the gamer's body motion to control his or her actions in the game in real time. The ADXL330 is used to sense motion of the game player in three dimensions of freedom: forward-backward, left-right, and up-down. When the new controller is picked up and manipulated, it provides a quick element of interaction, sensing motion, depth and positioning dictated by the acceleration of the controller itself. The Wii Console is more intuitive and realistic than existing game consoles that require buttons to be pushed and will expand the gaming market by appealing to new classes of users.
Of course, Sony's revision of the Dual-Shock merely features a speed-sensitive tilt sensor, a far cry from the fully three-dimensional position-sensing capabilities of the Wii, which also incorporates full multi-directional tilt functionality. SPOnG believes Sony's announcement of pseudo-Wii functionality in its new controller that forced this counter from Nintendo and its partners. And we're more than happy to report this to you, our Wii-buying readers.
Read on for some glib corporate quotes:
"For the industry's first mainstream game controller using MEMS acceleration sensors, we turned to Analog Devices, an industry leader whose acceleration sensors are used by Nintendo for popular games like Kirby's Tilt 'N Tumble for Game Boy Color," commented Genyo Takeda, Senior Managing Director/General Manager, Integrated Research & Development Division, Nintendo Co., Ltd. "We selected the ADXL330 because its accuracy, small size, and extremely low power consumption were critical to the Wii Console's design objectives and key for a wireless controller that will revolutionize the gaming industry."
"Motion is an integral part of our lives. We are delighted that Nintendo selected us again for another incredibly innovative motion-based product like the Wii Console and Controller," said Bill Giudice, vice president and general manager, Micromachined Products Division, Analog Devices. "Analog Devices offers unparalleled experience with integrating motion sensing to enhance the products we use every day, whether it's the automobiles we drive, the mobile phones we use, or the games we play. Our customers rely on our ability to deliver high performance, superior quality motion sensors in large volume for many exciting applications."
Companies:
Nintendo
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