[ncolug] wii
- From: larry <larry@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: ncolug@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 28 Apr 2007 10:12:05 -0400
Magic Wand: How
Hackers Make Use
Of Their Wii-motes
The $40 Game Controller
Hits Balls, Plays Deejay
And Regulates a Roomba
By *JAMIN BROPHY-WARREN*
A deejay in the Netherlands uses his to mix techno music at dance
parties. A medical student in Italy has reprogrammed his to help analyze
the results of CT scans. And a Los Angeles software engineer has found a
way to get his to help vacuum the floor. The high-tech device in each
case: the remote control from a $250 videogame console.
Since Nintendo Co.'s Wii landed in stores in November, it has become one
of the game industry's biggest hits, selling more than two million
consoles in the U.S. Many stores can't keep the console in stock, and it
fetches nearly twice its retail price on eBay. One of the major drivers
of the Wii's popularity is its remote control, which fans call the
Wii-mote. Unlike past remotes, it is motion sensitive and can detect
when a player waves it to one side or tilts it forward or back.
The Wii-mote is becoming a cult object for hackers, with gadget geeks
re-engineering the device to do all sorts of things having nothing to do
with playing videogames. To repurpose the Wii-mote, they download free
software from one of a number of Web sites and then tweak that code to
assign a specific command to each movement of the device. In the end,
the remote takes the place of a computer mouse or keyboard. Waving the
Wii-mote sends a message wirelessly to the computer, which then
communicates with whatever object the hacker is trying to control.
Software engineer Chris Hughes has tinkered with almost everything in
his Los Angeles home, from adding more storage capacity to his TiVo
digital video recorder to changing the combination on the keyless entry
to his Ford Explorer. When a friend at a Christmas party suggested he
find a way to get his Wii-mote to control his Roomba robot vacuum
cleaner, Mr. Hughes worked through the night tailoring the software code.
Since Nintendo Co.'s Wii landed in stores in November, it has become one
of the game industry's biggest hits, selling more than two million
consoles in the U.S. Many stores can't keep the console in stock, and it
fetches nearly twice its retail price on eBay. One of the major drivers
of the Wii's popularity is its remote control, which fans call the
Wii-mote. Unlike past remotes, it is motion sensitive and can detect
when a player waves it to one side or tilts it forward or back.
The Wii-mote is becoming a cult object for hackers, with gadget geeks
re-engineering the device to do all sorts of things having nothing to do
with playing videogames. To repurpose the Wii-mote, they download free
software from one of a number of Web sites and then tweak that code to
assign a specific command to each movement of the device. In the end,
the remote takes the place of a computer mouse or keyboard. Waving the
Wii-mote sends a message wirelessly to the computer, which then
communicates with whatever object the hacker is trying to control.
Software engineer Chris Hughes has tinkered with almost everything in
his Los Angeles home, from adding more storage capacity to his TiVo
digital video recorder to changing the combination on the keyless entry
to his Ford Explorer. When a friend at a Christmas party suggested he
find a way to get his Wii-mote to control his Roomba robot vacuum
cleaner, Mr. Hughes worked through the night tailoring the software code.
Tim Groeneboom, who lives in the Netherlands, uses his Wii-mote to spice
up his deejay act. He was inspired by a video on the Web of a California
music student bobbing in front of the computer in his room and making
jabbing motions with the Wii-mote to splice different tracks. During his
second gig with the Wii-mote, Mr. Groeneboom, 22, says he was able to
roam up to about 100 feet from his deejay booth and still be able to
control how the music blended and do some sound effects. At one point,
he danced into a circle of revelers clutching his Wii-mote.
Aaron Rasmussen has a sporting purpose for his Wii-mote. At his Garden
Grove, Calif. software company, USMechatronics, he and his partner stuck
a tennis racket in the "hand" of a $40,000 industrial robot and then
tweaked the Wii-mote to control the robot's arm so it can hit back
tennis balls on the factory floor. "This is what we do to relax," he says.
Some people are using their remotes to play Laser Tag -- where players
shoot one another with infrared light beams -- while others are using
them to strum a virtual guitar. Several Web sites, like
Wiihacks.blogspot.com and WiiLi.org, have sprouted up for hackers to
trade tips on repurposing Wii-motes. Because Nintendo sells the Wii-mote
separately for $40, hackers don't even need to buy the console.
Nintendo says it is surprised by efforts to reprogram the Wii-mote and
discourages the practice. "The Wii Remote was created to play on the Wii
system only," says Anka Dolecki, spokeswoman for Nintendo.
But all the interest in the Wii-mote could have an upside for the
company. The dozens of free games on the Web that incorporate the
Wii-mote have helped add to the buzz surrounding the console.
Much of the Wii-mote hacking is by music aficionados. Bob Somers, a
second-year student at California Polytechnic State University, has
figured out a way to play his virtual drum set with the Wii-mote. He
waves the remote while holding down one of the buttons on the device to
produce a drum sound. To get a bass kick, he holds down the "B" button
while flicking his wrist; for the snare drum, he makes the same movement
but holds down the "A" button. Paul Henry Smith, 43, has even bigger
ambitions. A formally trained conductor in Hamden, Conn., Mr. Smith
wants to lead a handful of classical musicians through a Beethoven
symphony. The musicians would use Wii-motes to control a digital version
of a section of the orchestra.
Some companies see possible business applications with the Wii-mote.
Rick Bullotta, vice-president of SAP Research, an arm of the German
software giant SAP AG, is looking at ways to integrate the Wii-mote into
their clients' manufacturing operations. He envisions factory and
warehouse employees walking through facilities pointing and waving
Wii-motes to monitor and control machines. "It's the first time we've
used a videogame controller for R&D," he says.
--
"Running Linux for the first time is like visiting another planet,
where people are named after power tools, and everyone speaks in abbreviations."
Dev
To unsubscribe send to ncolug-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the
Subject field.
Other related posts:
