Let's hope nintendo decides to do add this in future system update. 1:1 Lightsabers, here we come!!!!!

 http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=176443

Wii Sensor Bar calibration is finally here

In an almost scarily in-depth analysis of the Wii Remote for the legions of info-hungry gamers out there, we revealed our somewhat disappointing discovery that the Wii Remote's pointer functionality was not a direct pointer device.

But as it turns out, the Wii is totally capable of functioning with true 1-1 pointer accuracy, as now proven by simple calibration menus found in the new lightgun-style shooters, Link's Crossbow Training and Ghost Squad.

This begs the question: why the hell didn't Nintendo include this simple calibration in the front-end Wii set-up menu?

As you should have noticed by now, the on-screen cursor on Wii does not appear directly where you're pointing your Remote. Lift the Remote to your eye and look down the length of it at your TV - like it's a gun - and you'll see what we mean.

This is because there's no calibration screen. How does the Wii know when you're pointing at the edge of your TV? It doesn't, because it doesn't know how big your TV is. So instead it scales your movements roughly, like a 3D mouse.

We were hoping, after playing with prototype units, that final Wii consoles would include a calibration menu to set it up so you could achieve the direct, 1-1 pointer accuracy we had at first expected, but that was sadly not the case.

For the sake of keeping Wii's set-up as simple as possible for all those non-core gamers, did Nintendo opt out of precise pointer calibration, instead settling for an indirect pointing function?

That put an end to the dreams of absorbing shooters that allowed us to actually point at and shoot enemies, and made redundant that could-have-been-cool Duck Hunt-style game in Wii Play.

We felt robbed. We thought of that bloke in the initial Wii trailers who pointed the Remote like a gun to shoot enemies on screen, and how he'd deceived us all. For games like Super Mario Galaxy, it's not a problem.

But we did bare concerns for the Wii Zapper because, after all, without accurate aiming the whole gun concept goes right out the window.

Now that Wii Zapper games - Link's Crossbow Training and Ghost Squad - have arrived, they DO feature the calibration options we imagined. They even let you set up the Wii Remote for direct pointing.

In Ghost Squad, you shoot the bottom left and top-right corners of the screen. In the not quite as intuitive Crossbow Training, you move two sensitivity sliders around to achieve the accuracy needed.

Then, from there on you play the game just like you're holding a gun and the pointing accuracy is spot-on. It's really not that complicated.

A simple calibration screen is all Wii needs to achieve proper pointer functionality in ALL games. Imagine the difference this would make when playing Metroid Prime 3 - Samus' arm would be a direct extension of your own.

It would also solve the big issue of over-sensitivity for players with set-ups that have them sitting very close to the TV. Where the pointer swings around the screen with the smallest movement and under sensitivity for those who sit ever far away.

And although it's not necessary in games like Mario Galaxy, better accuracy is certainly preferred.

Surely a simple calibration screen wouldn't be of any harm to the mainstream technophobes (the legions of mums, grannies and little girls) that own the console.

It could be an optional extra that would allow those who are bothered enough to set up true pointer control.

You never know, maybe Nintendo will pull this one out in a future firmware update. Why, though, are we sceptical?

Games will only get better... and better... and better.

I don't think a calibration tool to create "offset" in the wii remote is the same as 1:1. While I agree that the offset tool is nice and should be a firmware update, it still doesn't address the technology of the Wiimote. The nature of the electronics and communication protocol in the Wiimote gives it some lag. Add to that the required number crunching to keep something like a high resolution, well textured light saber on-screen moving rapidly in response to input and you find that 1:1 is possible for slower movements but not in a full-speed, all out saber fight... The Wii side of the equation would need more horsepower for sure and the wiimote technology would need to be refined for true 1:1 in all scenarios...

What does having "pixel perfect" pointing have to do with motion sensing?

The Wii is fine as it is. I really don't want pixel-perfect aiming in general. Why? Because I don't always sit at the same distance from the TV, and I really don't want any games other than light-gun shooters on rails games to rely on pixel-perfect aiming. Even Metroid 3 is better off as it is.

Nintendo made a good call here. With the Wii; with Metroid; with Crossbow Training. Besides, the whole design of the thing just shows how throughly tested this was. These weren't random decisions. They where good engineering choices.

How would've this made Corruption a better game? It was a very long game, and I definitely wouldn't have wanted to be waving my hands around all the time. Resting my arms on my legs and moving my hands moving the cursor on the screen was perfectly enjoyable and intuitive. Heck, playing the Wii like that would be exactly like most people who've never tried it think it works. =P

Well, good for the pointing, but Light Saber would be about motion sensor, and as it turns out, the Wiimote do not work as you might expect.

In fact, there is not "motion sensor" in the Wiimote, so to speak. I'm not sure I can be clear in english, but the datas coming out of the wiimote are the forces apply by gravity. Visually, the datas are 3 lines (X, Y, Z) and if you just put the Wimote on the table, not touching it, one of the axis will "respond" continually. And with the same intensity that if you were moving the Wiimote downward.

More simply : it means that the Wiimote, for the same move, can not really make the difference between a slow one and a fast one.

It also means we're king of screwed for the lightsaber :(

The axis responses aren't just "yes" or "no", they have a range.  Meaning that you can, in fact, tell the difference between a slow acceleration and a fast one.

Since the Wii can tell when you're getting closer or further from the TV by measuring the distance between the dots on the sensor bar, I don't think that varying your distance from the TV should have any effect on a properly calibrated Wii.

Your point that not all users may wish to move the pointer from one corner of the screen to the other is well-taken, though. Still, that's no reason not to offer an option for more precise calibration if it's desired by some users. 

That gravity thing made no sense, the Wii remote cannot detect gravity? gravity isn't a force you can detect like that.

The remote has accelerometers in it, it is not just a gyroscope (electronic equivalent of) so it can detect changes in speed because otherwise it wouldn't know if you were drawing a circle or just moving it in general.

 The reason lightsaber action hasn't been worked in yet is because it will be ery difficult to get it to feel right, and star wars fans are whiny perfectionists.

Very off topic, but Link's Crossbow Training is awesome. I love it, and surprisingly, I love the zapper too. I started using it in Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 as well. It's doubled my accuracy in that game (I used to be fairly middle ranked in online play but now I'm almost always top). I was sure I would hate it after IGN and Kotaku bitched about it to no end, but I love it.