As official NWR staff engineer, I declare this technology to be awesome.

This makes me wonder what exactly was lacking in the remote's and nunchuck's motion sensor. I heard from RFN and other that the plus adds another axis (roll?) and orientation when still?

That's what a gyroscope does, basically.

WHUT, NO PICTURES?

Can I buy stock for this company?

Awesome, yet not truly 1:1.  This technology doesn't know where your arm is, it only knows the orientation (which the wii-mote already knew, just not with as much accuracy).

What we're really waiting for is a local "gps" system.  While we wait though, this is an improvement.

A gyroscope is more accurate. With accelerometers you can guess which way the remote is turned by tracking how it got accelerated and, when still, looking for the pull of gravity. A gyroscope remembers which direction it was held in when it got calibrated and can tell you pretty exactly where it's pointed relative to that direction.

As much as this will improve the Wii's motion control I can't help but feel it's a waste.
As an optional accessory developers will be hesitant to make games requiring it which will keep it from being any kind of lasting innovation and if it did end up being standard on the Wii's successor it would no longer be as impressive by then because we'll have already experienced the superior motion controls in a few titles that will use it.
It seems like Nintendo should have either waited to use this technology for its next console or just make every effort to make it the new standard for the Wii which is hopefully still a possibility. Though it would mean packaging the accessory with future remotes and selling it stand-alone for a generous price so existing users will buy them for all their existing remotes.

Why?  They can still use it in the next console (if they haven't scrapped motion control altogether and come up with something completely different by then), but now we'll also get to play a few games that use it on the Wii in the meantime.  And this way they're safe from their competitors doing it first.

Imagine the reaction if they waited, and the next console was just 2-3 times more powerful than the Wii, with this controller.  It wouldn't be pretty.

Anyone else feel this is just trying to deliver what we all thought the Wii was going to do when it launched?  I remember feeling kind of bummed when I realized in Wii sports, it just kind of took over your swing for you in golf and baseball.

This is the exact technology I thought the Wii was going to use in the first place.  I remember arguing with people that the Wii would be able to know exactly where the remote is at all times based on some guesswork from its sensors (sans IR bar).  I guess I was both right and wrong.

In any case, I am glad this is coming to fruition.  Yeah, I know, it's an extra accessory and it's only doing what the Wii should have done from the start....but really, I was happy with the Wii before and this is only going to make it that much better.

Now that the Wiimote can now do pitch roll and yaw combined with the accelerometers it can do exactly what we all though it should have done in the first place but couldn't do with the accelerometers alone.

The Keyword here is Dead Reckoning. The system knows the Wiimote shouldn't be more than 2 meters away from it's calibrated position (If it isn't, maybe someone should be using a strap) so all it's estimates as to where it is should effectively render the system 1:1 in relation as to where it thinks it is over short periods of time. Since it isn't traveling far and not going to be used at the North or South pole errors that appear in aircraft gyroscopes are going to be less evident. Anyone who has done a SADIE check will know what I am talking about. looked up the product in question Since it's a RATE gyro it doesn't care about drift, only how many degrees in the X/Y axis it passed through in the last 1/140th of a second. Also, my guess is that every time it gets a good look at the sensor bar it gets re-calibrated. It isn't a true gyro, but along with the other sensors, it is good enough for gaming.

As potentially painful as it has the potential to be, they need to integrate this into a Wiimote V2.0. They have the add-on to upgrade existing controllers. They do need to make this standard. Yes I am telling Nintendo to do what Sony did with PSX and re-standardize the controller. They can do this by releasing Wiisports 2 as a pack-in. Bigger better badder.

Here is the product in question http://www.invensense.com/products/idg_600.html It's quite clever and it's Nintendo Tough.

Will the MotionPlus improve aiming in RE4 and RE: UC? Or is its use limited to big arm-wavy motion for games like Wii Sports and Wii Play?

No.  To improve aim, you need practice.

MotionPlus is about recognizing where in space, relatively, the Wii Remote is, and improves sensitivity to tilt angles.

The normal Wii Remote mainly covers tilt, IR pointing, and swipe detection (applying Gs to the remote by swinging the remote to make an imaginary line or arc in space... or back & forth shaking/rotation).

now one is coming with a copy of Wii Sports Resort, I bet that Nintendo will sell it individually with Wii Play 2 for $20 and have another pointless game to brag about on the NPD. However to make a bigger impact WiiPlay 2 will come in 3 different versions so people who buy more than one don't get the same game.

NPD for July 2009

Wii sports Resort
Wii play 2: Blue
Wii play 2: Green'
Wii play 2: Red
Wii Fit
Wii Music
Animal Crossing: City Folk

It's funny because its true

Vega where can I get your time Machine?