Wii-Phone?

[Guden Oden]

I mic in the Wiimote for in-game talk? While waving the controller around?

I would think - should there actually be a mic in the thing, which I somewhat doubt at this point - that any games using voice input would rely on the player keeping the wiimote (relatively) still while speaking into it. Most games won't be using huge swinging arm gestures methinks, so sound fading in and out shouldn't be such a big problem then.

For just a telephone replacement, apart from looking silly talking into a remote control

As opposed to looking crazy talking into thin air when using cellphone handsfree units?

 

[Refreshment]

This idea is so good that the chances to become reality are ZERO ( 0 ). Nintendo can be inspired sometimes but they suck at conecting the dots.

Wasnt something similar to VOIP planned for the DS? We know how that ended. And no, MPH doesnt count, since it wasnt the same application it was commented. The only similar thing was that E3 2005 demo.

How much for a wireless bluetooth mic? Nintendo should pack a mic in every console as it has a lot of gameplay posibilities.

At least more than that STUPID low fi speaker.

 

[NANOTEC]

Tony Hawk for DS has VoIP.

http://ds.ign.com/articles/707/707675p1.html

 

[StefanS]

Wasnt something similar to VOIP planned for the DS? We know how that ended. And no, MPH doesnt count, since it wasnt the same application it was commented. The only similar thing was that E3 2005 demo.

I remember Fils-Aimee commenting that they were looking into it, but they were having problems with the latency. Anyway, as those problems now seem to be fixed (MPH, TonyHawk?), I expect that this feature is going to be used more often in online titles. However, I am not sure that there'll be a stand alone app as with Opera.

 

[Squeak]

I think it sounds very plausible. My biggest concern is the range of the wiimote. Nintendo said that the range is about 10 meters (class 2 bluetooth). That's fine for gaming, but not so for telephones where people are accustomed to walking all over their house when talking. But maybe the radio in the wiimote can switch from class 2 to 1, when in phone mode?

 

[Fox5]

For a videophone it will be THE mainstream model considering Wii will be online 24/7.

Nobody said it will replace the home phone at $200 per unit and broadband requirements. Oh and lets not inject Eyetoy into this discussion when it falls short on so many levels as a VoIP phone wannabe. It's like comparing DS3 to Wiimote. Finally using a DSLite with Wii and VoIP gives rise to all kinds of uses.

How can it be a video phone when the Wii doesn't have a camera?

 

[ban25]

The biggest thing I miss in games in terms of interactivity is speech recognition. If Nintendo can do it even with very limited vocabulary that would be a killer application. Imagine you can talk in Half-Life 2 instead of NPCs crtizing you for not talking, or select the response in a conversation with your own voice in a game like Mass Effect. Now, thats immersion.

This has been done in several games (and will be done in several more) and it generally ends up being annoying more than anything else. Voice control was even used in that pinball game for the GC.

 

[Bobbler]

Which hints?

I believe the most clear one was in an interview with Miyamoto (I think it was him) that asked what other features they were thinking of (or maybe it was why other things weren't included).

He said something like: they thought about adding a microphone, but found that it just wasn't as feasible/functional as using a headset.


Additionally, the implementation talked about is completely goofball. No company in their right mind would do such a thing (phonebook on the remote that's explicitly tied to something that is completely capable of storing such things). If you add a phonebook to the controller all of a sudden you need some sort of processor (outside of whatever logic you need for the wiggle and jiggle part of the remote) that can run some amount of code so it knows what to do with the phonebook, how to store/sort entries, and how to dial stuff apparently. And then you need some sort of ram to hold the phonebook, and all of a sudden the complexity of the controller just went up needlessly so people can (for no beneficial reason) have their own remote that is tied to them.

 

[pc999]

This has been done in several games (and will be done in several more) and it generally ends up being annoying more than anything else. Voice control was even used in that pinball game for the GC.

Aparentely it will play a big part of UT07 (UE3?) and Windows Vista, personally I think that if well implemented it can be great (voice commands, no menus just to start) while it would make the game much more intuitive and easier, I really hope there is a good implementation of it (in any console).

He said something like: they thought about adding a microphone, but found that it just wasn't as feasible/functional as using a headset.

Even then it can be have a headset.
I think that the complexitity could be offload to the console, which is in sleep mode.

 

[Bobbler]

Even then it can be have a headset.
I think that the complexitity could be offload to the console, which is in sleep mode.

The idea of the rumor (some sort of voice chat -- a mic in the remote possibly) is decent enough, but the implementation that this rumor talks about is absurd at best. I'd actually be surprised if rev didn't offer voice chat in games and otherwise, but I'm not going to believe that the remote is going to hold a phone book -- that's just senseless complexity. It makes me think this rumor has little roots in reality and is pure wishful thinking by someone who didn't think it out very well.

Maybe I'm wrong and this rumor is 100% the truth as they say it, but if I am, I'm inclined to believe Nintendo doesn't know what their doing.

 

[pc999]

But would the remote need more than a speaker, micro and bluethoot? all the rest could be done by the console probably even in the sleep mode or at least it could go for full mode when needed, I think.

 

[Bobbler]

But would the remote need more than a speaker, micro and bluethoot? all the rest could be done by the console probably even in the sleep mode or at least it could go for full mode when needed, I think.

I agree, more or less. I just don't think it's going to work exactly like the rumor says (i.e. phonebook stored in the remote itself) -- functionally, probably similar though. I do think rev will end up with some sort of voice chat, be it supported by the actual rev unit or on a per game basis.

With that said, I don't think you'll find a mic in your remote when you bring it home on launch day.

 

[Bad_Boy]

Is'nt the ps3 doing something like this? As in, a video phone VOIP type deal with the new eye toy.

 

[Bobbler]

Is'nt the ps3 doing something like this? As in, a video phone VOIP type deal with the new eye toy.

That's the plan. I believe it was listed on the E3 slides as one of the online features.

 

[Clashman]

Aparently Nintendo has bought the domain name wiikaraoke.com, lending further credence to the microphone idea.

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/25/nintendo-snags-wiikaraoke-com-built-in-mic-rumor-heats-up/

 

[NANOTEC]

Nintendo has already said each remote will be linked to each person's preferences.

 

[NANOTEC]

How can it be a video phone when the Wii doesn't have a camera?

USB camera accessory is a nobrainer. Nintendo has hinted at a camera addon for both DS and Wii.

 

[Ty]

Can anyone explain WHY they would make each remote tied to a single person?

Seems pretty stupid. Now if I want to use the VOIP, I have to make sure I'm picking up the right remote? And if they look the same? Then what?

Would seem to make much more sense for the console itself to hold phonebooks (hell, it's got the flash ram) and just Password Protect your profile.

 

[NANOTEC]

Can anyone explain WHY they would make each remote tied to a single person?

Same reason why a cellphone has its own phone #.

Seems pretty stupid.

Not really.

Now if I want to use the VOIP, I have to make sure I'm picking up the right remote? And if they look the same? Then what?

If you want to call your VoIP buddies then you would pick up the Wiimote that has your buddies' ID#s stored on them.

Would seem to make much more sense for the console itself to hold phonebooks (hell, it's got the flash ram) and just Password Protect your profile.

So how do you enter a password without turning on the TV? AABBAXYBBAAR? The problem with storing the phone book on the Wii console is portability. You can't access that phonebook from another Wii console only your own.

I could see many uses for a personalized controller. Say you have 4 controllers one for each person in the home and when you have a voicemail, the LED on the Wiimote blinks. Of course you would want controllers of different colors to distinguish who the message is for since the LED on the Wiimote are all blue. The controller would contain the ID# of the user so the Wii console would know which controller to page or blink the LED. Bring your controller to a friend/relative's house and you have your VoIP phone book with you and can even receive messages or even calls from another Wii console that's not even your own.

One cool feature is to leave videomail messages that can be played back on a DS/DSLite. Of course the DS/DSL can already function as a standalone VoIP unit so it doesn't even need a Wii for VoIP

 

[Guden Oden]

Additionally, the implementation talked about is completely goofball. No company in their right mind would do such a thing (phonebook on the remote that's explicitly tied to something that is completely capable of storing such things).

The idea is actually pretty radical if you think about it. Personalized wiimotes makes the customers more attached to the system, on an emotional level. The wiimote isn't just a stupid joystick anymore like with every other game system before it, a stupid joystick that can be used interchangeably with any other joystick. Instead the wiimote becomes a personal item, like a cellphone or a music player that the owner can customize and put their own touch on - to some extent at least.

If you add a phonebook to the controller all of a sudden you need some sort of processor (outside of whatever logic you need for the wiggle and jiggle part of the remote) that can run some amount of code so it knows what to do with the phonebook, how to store/sort entries, and how to dial stuff apparently. And then you need some sort of ram to hold the phonebook, and all of a sudden the complexity of the controller just went up needlessly

The wiimote already have this stuff. Nintendo's already confirmed flash storage in the wiimote, due to the speaker feature.

so people can (for no beneficial reason) have their own remote that is tied to them.

'No beneficial reason' is a very narrow-minded way of looking at it. You might as well say wireless joypads are of no beneficial reason because then you need batteries for them. There obviously ARE beneficial reasons for a personalized pad, except you choose to completely ignore them.


I'd like to add however that my post is completely speculative in nature. I don't know for sure Nintendo's doing personalized wiimotes or not, and I don't know if they're storing phone books on them, or if there's a mic either. I'm just expressing ideas here fellas.