Wii Vitality Sensor... Are you having a laugh!

[Ganepark32]

Deleted my post which was on topic but never mind, I'll just post it again.

 

I think this would/could be put to good use in something like the Bit.Trip series on WiiWare. Think about it: your heart beat could determine the speed of the background music or the speed of the oncoming bits. The faster your heart beat, the faster the music gets and the onslaught of bits increases. Well, I think it's a good idea.

[Daft]

I said earlier, how awesome would it be for a Trauma Centre game; having to keep your cool as the surgeon and calling the nurse to dab your brow.

 

"Nurse!!"

[Fierce_LiNk]

Deleted my post which was on topic but never mind, I'll just post it again.

 

I think this would/could be put to good use in something like the Bit.Trip series on WiiWare. Think about it: your heart beat could determine the speed of the background music or the speed of the oncoming bits. The faster your heart beat, the faster the music gets and the onslaught of bits increases. Well, I think it's a good idea.

 

The interesting thing about ideas like that is that gaming is more "personalised." You could put two gamers, side by side, playing the same game, but both having different experiences depending on how they interact with the game.

 

What about using this on something like Silent Hill? The game could identify if hordes of enemies is really not having an effect on the game, and instead focus on a different route. So, the quiet sections, with the odd enemy jumping out.

 

The potential is there, I guess that is all the creators can do, put these devices out there. Then, it's up to the developers (both first, second and third party) to do something with these peripherals.

[STOOPIDDITTIES]

No More Heroes' Goichi Suda Has Plans For The Wii Vitality Sensor

 

Source

 

You may not have been overly excited to see Nintendo unveil the Wii Vitality Sensor, a Wii Remote add-on that monitors one's pulse and "the body's inner world," but it filled No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle director Goichi Suda with ideas.

 

Sadly, those ideas don't seem like they'll make it into the follow up to Wii adventure No More Heroes. And the Grasshopper Manufacturer CEO wouldn't tell us what those ideas were. But considering Desperate Struggle's focus on revenge and Wii Remote swordfighting, one would think monitoring a player's pulse would be regularly up.

 

Vitality Sensor use in Suda's upcoming game probably won't happen, but Wii MotionPlus support might. Suda says Grasshopper is "going to definitely try to use" the peripheral for No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle, one of the few properties the developer has worked on that's spawned a sequel.

 

If they can figure out how to dual-wield beam katanas with one-to-one motion tracking, we could have something interesting on our hands. Just not our fingers.

[Shino]

Seems like there IS someone making games with it. Perfect guy to do it too.

[Emasher]

I can just imagine something that played like Killer 7 Using this. Thinking about it, if Killer 7 was on the Wii, it wouldn't need the nun-chuck, so a game that controlled like it and sort of had the same style would be a perfect fit. Imagine how the Heaven Smiles would react to your heartbeat and stuff like that.

[Pestneb]

This thing has potential. I actually thing the sensor we saw will never see the light of day.

so ignoring design flaws I expect to see disappear by release it could be awesome definitely.

not just in relaxation but in mood overall. The immersion into the game can be made far more complete. AI can react to you, the game can see if you are reacting correctly to it.

The information provided may allow programmers to spot issues in the game play experience, and cause difficult to increase or decrease in response to the gamer - there are a lot of possibilities, of course it really does depend on what measurements the sensor takes and how they relate to the experience of the game.

 

my main issue is in its current form it seems to be something you would be very conscious of, something I imagine would either reduce immersion, or cause issues.. like moving the hand and finding it uncomfortably impeded by this device. time will tell, I think this is something they should have held back on announcing, unless it was there as a red herring?

[Dante]

From Venturebeat interview:

 

Take the example of Wii Fit. When we talked about it two years ago, a lot of people thought the Wii Balance Board was crazy. They thought Nintendo would start selling a bathroom scale. But Wii Fit became a success because we saw a “blue ocean strategy.” But now a lot of companies are fighting in the red ocean of follow-up exercise games. [Note: As discussed in the Blue Ocean Strategy book, too many sharks in one area make a red ocean; but innovators who swim in the blue ocean have no rivals]. When we introduced the Wii controller, we were in the blue ocean and this year is still the blue ocean. But the year 2010 may become the red ocean for motion-sensing controls, based on what Microsoft and Sony say. The advantage for Nintendo is that we always try to do things that other companies don’t try to do. That is something that the general public appreciates. That’s why we have to introduce this Wii Vitality Sensor. A lot of people must be wondering what the hell this is about. But that’s exactly the way people felt two years ago with the Wii Balance Board. Looking at the history of video games, and game controllers in particular, you have always controlled it consciously. That’s what the name implies. Starting from the movements of your fingers to the shifting of the body mass, you always control it consciously.

[Jim]

Well well well... So there is indeed some potential here. I hope something comes of it, will be great to see certain people eating their words again!

 

On a slightly more serious note, Its good to hear that developers are having some ideas for this. This never really grabbed my attention in the conference, I was way too excited about the other stuff Nintendo showed. But it was dissapointing to see people instantly rejecting this, without even giving it a second thought...

 

I guess we'll wait and see now. If all that comes of it is a heart rate check game, then so be it. Not like we've lost anything...

[Dante]

Nintendo's announcement of the Wii Vitality Sensor was one of the most mystifying product announcements at the show. We asked for more information.

 

Nintendo's president, Satoru Iwata unveiled the Wii Vitality Sensor at E3 and has since explained in interviews that the Wii add-on will use light to measure bloodflow and therefore certain bio-rhythms for people who use it.

 

But this product's still a head-scratcher, and Nintendo did curious onlookers no help by not showing any software using the device. By contrast, Nintendo unveiled the Balance Board at E3 2007 with a live demonstration of Wii Fit.

 

So, we asked Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime at E3, what's the Vitality Sensor all about and why unveil it this way?

 

"We've been very clear that our objective is getting more and more consumers into this gaming industry we love," he said. "In our view, as we grow the consumer base, it will drive a vibrant, healthy industry. We've been able to get a certain number of consumers with Brain Age. We've been able to get more with Wii Fit. We're constantly thinking about what's the next innovation that will drive the consumer who, today, is still saying, 'I want nothing to do with video games,' to get into this industry and have a great experience. In our view, the Vitality Sensor and the software that will accompany it is a step down that path."

 

Fils-Aime said there are "some unique elements" not yet revealed about the sensor, details that may be revealed early this year. If not, then next year will hold the key. "The product is something we're anticipating to launch some time in 2010," he said.

 

Confusing as the Wii Vitality Sensor may be, Nintendo's ability to turn head-scratching into head-nodding with the Wii remote and the Balance Board suggests that this next Wii peripheral may still be worthy of the benefit of our doubts.

 

kotaku.com

[blender]

I can absolutely guarantee that the "vitality" sensor will be on the ear. and not that stupid finger mock up (that pic looks so stupid but is desingned to provoke forum chatter as having an instantly recognisable function ....but does not reveal the true secrets or physical form of the device). It might well connect to the DS and be the "new" nike+. It is normal to have a pulse detector on the ear for exercise equipment etc.

 

 

An ear sensor can also have a motion detector. I saw some research at imperial college london that used such a sensor.

See http://www.gizmag.com/go/7979/

"posture, stride length, step frequency, acceleration and the body's response to shock waves"

The next generation wii fit accessory!!

 

 

am i ever wrong?

.

Edited July 3, 2009 by blender

[ghost_zero]

Actually ear sensors are more common but that doesn't change the fact that Nintendo showed it for the use with the finger but even if: What would you really use it for?