Wii uses 3-axis acceleration sensors of STMicroelectronics for its controller

[one]

http://www.st.com/stonline/stappl/press/news/year2006/t2031.htm

Geneva, May 09,2006 - STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), one of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers, today announced that its three-axis acceleration sensors will be used to provide a motion-activated user interface for Nintendo’s new home console, Wii.

Expected to dramatically change the way people play games, the Wii controller includes ST’s high-performance acceleration sensors that can detect the motion and tilt of a player’s hand in all 3 dimensions and convert it into immediate game action.

Driven by ST’s Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology – micron-sized structures that interact with the physical world – the Wii controller can respond to changes in direction, speed, and acceleration, down to the most delicate movements. Specifically, thecontrollers use embedded acceleration sensors to enable players’ wrist, arm, and hand movements to interact with the games. Tilt measurements allow users to move characters, while the accurate three-axis acceleration sensing easily transforms the controller into a virtual sword, gearshift, or musical instrument.

The acceleration sensor’s miniaturedimensions (5x5x1.5mm3) significantly contribute to the user-friendly volume and weight of the TV-control-shaped handpiece. Ultra-low power consumption of ST’s MEMS devices prolongs the battery life of the controller and the high thermal stability avoids unwanted motion sensing in varying temperature conditions. The robust design of the sensor also provides very high immunity to vibration and a shock resistance up to 10,000g.

http://www.analog.com/en/press/0,2890,3%5F%5F99573,00.html

ANALOG DEVICES AND NINTENDO COLLABORATION DRIVES VIDEO GAME INNOVATION WITH IMEMS MOTION SIGNAL PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY
With ADI’s ADXL330 3-axis iMEMS accelerometer, Nintendo’s Wii Console redefines the gaming experience by bringing the gaming world into the physical world.

Norwood, MA(5/9/2006) - Building on its relationship with Analog Devices, Nintendo is creating a truly interactive, lifelike, motion-based gaming experience for players of all ages while igniting the creative forces of game developers around the world. Nintendo breaks more than 20 years of video game history by abandoning the traditional controller held with two hands and introducing a new freehand-style unit held with one hand. Incorporating the Analog Devices, Inc. (NYSE: ADI) 3-axis ADXL330 iMEMS® acceleration sensor, the intuitive, innovative Wii™ controller allows players to run, jump, spin, slide, steer, accelerate, bank, dive, kick, throw and score in a way never experienced in the history of gaming.

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.

 

[NANOTEC]

Nice find. I wonder how much these cost.

 

[one]

And 1 more from Analog Devices (edited the OP). It looks like multi-source procurement.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

So there's two types of devices being used? Won't that affect the quality between Wiimote depending on which version tech you have? There'll likely be performance differences between devices, but hopefully they won't be noticeable.

Also this same tech can be used in DS3, so those people who question it's tilt usefulness can see it should be just as sensitive and responsive as other techs out there.

Nice find. I wonder how much these cost.

http://www.analog.com/en/prod/0%2C2877%2CADXL330%2C00.html

$5.45 in 1000-5000 quantities, so not expensive.

 

[NANOTEC]

Also this same tech can be used in DS3, so those people who question it's tilt usefulness can see it should be just as sensitive and responsive as other techs out there..

Well none of us have ever used the Wii controller so we don't know how accurate the tilt sensor is for certain games. We know the other sensor is accurate eg the one that controls the cursor. There's also the difference in shape not to mention one handed use.

 

[Refreshment]

Quick question:

Do anyone knows if these sensors are in both the remote and the Nunchuck attachment?

If thats the case, does that means withouth the sensor bar both pieces work the same and have the same motion sensibilities?

Btw, thanks for the info as always.

 

[one]

Do anyone knows if these sensors are in both the remote and the Nunchuck attachment?

They said so explicitly during the conference.

 

[_xxx_]

So I was right with my predictions on technology in the related tech thread. Nice.

AFAIK, Analog and ST belong together. One bought the other, dunno which way around. But I'd have to check that, not sure.

 

[Fox5]

Hmm, do you think Nintendo went for cheaper console hardware in order to subsidize the controller costs? Or do you think the controller will go for $50 to $60?

 

[pc999]

Hmm, do you think Nintendo went for cheaper console hardware in order to subsidize the controller costs? Or do you think the controller will go for $50 to $60?

A few weeks ago they said they are considering put two on the console, even during E3 they said it still undecided the number of controler per Wii, so it needs to be inexpensive.

Edit: althought this wouldnt mean that the sensor bar is inexpensive...

 

[Fox5]

A few weeks ago they said they are considering put two on the console, even during E3 they said it still undecided the number of controler per Wii, so it needs to be inexpensive.

Edit: althought this wouldnt mean that the sensor bar is inexpensive...

Hmm, I was assuming one per console. BTW, in the promotional video, someone is pretending to drum using two wii sticks, if they included two in a console it would make it possible to develop games around using two.

 

[OtakingGX]

Well none of us have ever used the Wii controller so we don't know how accurate the tilt sensor is for certain games. We know the other sensor is accurate eg the one that controls the cursor. There's also the difference in shape not to mention one handed use.

I dare say the tilt sensitivity will be extremely accurate. Analog Devices accelerometers have built in analog-to-digital conversion. The output of the IC is a square wave. I've used their two-axis accelerometers, and they're pretty easy to work with. They're also tiny (smaller than a pencil eraser).

What I don't understand is how they can incorporate rumble feature with an accelerometer. The sensor should pick up a lot of noise from the rumbling and not give you a clear signal. If rumble in there, though, Nintendo's engineers must have found a way to filter out the side-effects.

 

[NANOTEC]

Immersion has also said it's possible so it seems to be a known solution.

 

[Fox5]

I dare say the tilt sensitivity will be extremely accurate. Analog Devices accelerometers have built in analog-to-digital conversion. The output of the IC is a square wave. I've used their two-axis accelerometers, and they're pretty easy to work with. They're also tiny (smaller than a pencil eraser).

What I don't understand is how they can incorporate rumble feature with an accelerometer. The sensor should pick up a lot of noise from the rumbling and not give you a clear signal. If rumble in there, though, Nintendo's engineers must have found a way to filter out the side-effects.

If the rumble is a controlled and known effect, can it be subtracted from the accelerometer data?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

You could do, I guess. But you'd need to measure motion from the weights. In fact, motion would vary according to how hard the controller was being held, so you couldn't just subtract a known quantity. I don't think that'd work actually. The problem doesn't have an obvious solution that I can see.

 

[Kryton]

You could do, I guess. But you'd need to measure motion from the weights. In fact, motion would vary according to how hard the controller was being held, so you couldn't just subtract a known quantity. I don't think that'd work actually. The problem doesn't have an obvious solution that I can see.

Generally rumble is used to indicate a force that detriments your control ability. Perhaps just switch to a less granular detection method whilst rumbling (or allow developers to have full data + rumble to make it 'hard')?

 

[_xxx_]

Why filtering it out at all? It could rather be used as a feature to make the game more challenging. After all, in the real world you also have less control and more "niose" when running around during an earthquake or when you get hit by something.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

That's a different argument though. If Immersion are filtering the rumble out (you don't always want rumble to interfere. In Driver it was an alert to proximity of Police) how can they do that? Magical Pixie Dust seems the only option.

 

[_xxx_]

Well I can think of some ways to partly filter it out, but I can think of no way to 100% remove the "noise", since that would depend on the angle, hand movement etc. as well, and these added to the equation would make it very hard to measure/predict. Maybe they'll go that way, but that requires some serious calculating power and _lots_ of tuning to get it right.

 

[poopypoo]

That's a different argument though. If Immersion are filtering the rumble out (you don't always want rumble to interfere. In Driver it was an alert to proximity of Police) how can they do that? Magical Pixie Dust seems the only option.

but seeing as we have a new controller here, that dictates new methods of gameplay, why not re-invent the rumble pack, too, in the sense of its function in games. e.g. in driving games, it would just be a detriment, in sports games it might give you a good feel on how you hit the ball, and in rhythm games it can just give you another positive feedback element (assuming those games use less precise, more exaggerated movements).