Topic: I think I know what the "HOME" button is...

[BranDonk Kong]

...my guess is that it calibrates the sensors/controller. Say you started playing a game on the left side of the room you're in, the sensors make that location the "center" of the game, or where you're positioned basically. Now, you pause the game, go get a drink, come back and sit on the right side. Press the "HOME" button, and there you go, the sensors now know where you're sitting, and you're back to playing the game without any awkwardness caused due to repositioning yourself. Just my guess, but I bet I'm pretty close, and if I'm wrong, I bet there will be another way to do this via a PAUSE menu or something.

[Stimutacs Addict]

eff yeah man; you hit the nail on the head

[Renny]

None of the journalists mentioned this, and they could only guess that the Home button is for navigating to the system's root interface. One even mentioned that he went from flailing about to sitting down and using much smaller and simpler movements. He made no mention of calibration. It might have been a controlled setup though. But there must be some kind of calibraiton. Could be automated possibly, from unpausing or something. I hope I don't have to manually recalibrate each time I throw it across the room. ;¬]

[Don'tHate742]

That's a good guess brandogg, but I think the Home button will be just that. A way to go to the main menu or "home".

Nintendo, i think, took a chapter out of Microsoft's book when it comes to online. A home button would definitely be a very intuitive way to go to the online interface or even to the system start-up menu for the console.

I think when you simply tap the home button, it pauses everything that is going on on-screen and pulls up an online menu, where you can continue a conversation or read an online guide. As soon as you tap the home button again, you go right back to your game, but this time, to the pause menu (so you don't accidently die or something).

If you HOLD down the home button, it takes you to the system start-up menu.

To recalibrate your controller, you could hold a series of buttons (or if Nintendo decides to include one, a reset button) for an extended period of time.

PS.

"I bet there will be another way to do this via a PAUSE menu or something" -- Brandogg

The problem with this is that they would have to program everygame to implement a calibrate option instead of programming the system. That would lead to extra work for the developer that wasn't needed. However, you may be on to something if the pause menu included a sensitivity option.

[PaLaDiN]

Why do you need a reset button? I'm imagining this thing as a 3D mouse... mice don't need reset buttons when you pick them up and put them somewhere else. It's the movement that seems to matter, not the position.

So the guy jumping over the couch in the trailer... as he jumps, his character moves forward or jumps or whatever, and then when he's sitting the character is standing still.

[KDR_11k]

Paladin: Yes but if you have the device powered on and move to another seat the system registers a long movement and a different position. You'd need to tell it that this movement wasn't meant to influence the game.

[Mr. Segali]

Maybe thats what the B trigger is for... the movements won't register unless it is held down or something.

[trip1eX]

  Pause the game.  Move to a different chair.  Unpause.  This could easily do the calibration if calibration indeed needs to be done.

Anyway this technology has been around for awhile so I'm sure this won't be a problem.  PLus Nintendo has always stressed ease of use in many of their products such as how easy their wi-fi will be to use.  I don't think this will be any different.  Most likely it will be nearly totally transparent to the user.  


Here's a link to a review of a 3d mouse from 2 years ago.  Good reviews and again that was 2 year old technology and the article said this technology has been around for decades.  

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1234106,00.asp

I'm not sure the REvolution controller uses this exact technology for pointing because it includes sensors to put above or below your tv.  But those sensors maybe are just to tell how close/far you are away from the tV.  

Here's the company's website.  This may be the company Nintendo licensed their technology from 4 years ago or so.

http://www.gyration.com

[trip1eX]

Thomson Unveils New Mini Gyroscope
for Motion-Sensing Applications

Smaller, fully self-contained sensor sets new benchmark for computer peripherals, TV remote controls and game controllers.

Saratoga, California - June 7th, 2005- Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453; NYSE: TMS) today introduced a new miniature solid-state gyroscope that is designed specifically to enable motion-sensing capabilities in user-interface applications. The gyro was designed and developed in the Gyration sensors lab of Thomson’s Technology Division. It is fully self-contained for easy integration and direct mounting to printed circuit boards of input devices. The new gyroscope (MG1101) strengthens the Gyration offering as a key technology for advanced devices such as computer pointers, TV remote controllers, game controllers, robotics, factory automation, antenna stabilization and auto navigation.

MG1101 is based on a revolutionary structural design that allows for a compact package and low manufacturing cost without sacrificing performance and precision.

“This new gyroscope is the only sensor on the market with the performance characteristics required for smooth and accurate ‘pointing’ combined with the low power and low cost to make it viable in consumer devices,” says Greg Smith, Vice President for Marketing and Sales of the Gyration business. “This sensor, combined with our broad Motion by Gyration™ pointer method patents, is a key element in our strategy to make ‘motion sensing’ ubiquitous in user-interface markets as entertainment, broadband and PC applications are converging. We are already seeing a dramatic growth in our OEM sales and licensing business as we partner with strong brands in both PC and consumer markets.”

For more information see www.gyration.com.




   

[vudu]

Quote
Originally posted by: vudu
Thu September 15, 2005 10:54 PM

Quote
Nintendo was unwilling to comment on what the "Home" button does, but it's likely a place to manage classic games you've downloaded, online games, and hopefully much more.

Perhaps I'm way off, but I assume the Home button is used to recalibrate the controller so the sensor knows where the neutral position is.  Otherwise if you start playing a game sitting in one position and then you want to move to another, it won't be able to tell where you want to move.

I said this in the IWATATON thread less than 2 hours after Iwataton started.  Stop stealing my ideas.  Get our of my head!

[kennyb27]

Let's just say the home button does indeed bring you to a home menu that allows you to see your downloaded games, system info, etc.  How funny would it be that Microsoft's "innovation" is indeed just an afterthought on Nintendo's new controller.

[zakkiel]

Quote
Originally posted by: PaLaDiN
Why do you need a reset button? I'm imagining this thing as a 3D mouse... mice don't need reset buttons when you pick them up and put them somewhere else. It's the movement that seems to matter, not the position.

So the guy jumping over the couch in the trailer... as he jumps, his character moves forward or jumps or whatever, and then when he's sitting the character is standing still.

You reset your mouse precisely by picking it up and moving it to where you want it. The controller has no similar built-in mechanism for ignoring some movements but not others.

[PaLaDiN]

"You'd need to tell it that this movement wasn't meant to influence the game."
"The controller has no similar built-in mechanism for ignoring some movements but not others."

Obviously, the pause button. I was answering the original post... there is no awkwardness caused by repositioning yourself if the game was paused since no movement is captured before and after the pause. Hence, no "calibration" button needed.

In other words, pausing the game lets you pick up and move the controller.

[Don'tHate742]

That is a good solution.

If that's the case (which it most likely is), then I see the "home" button having the ability to take us to the online-menu or the start-up menu (tap or hold).

I really like the idea of being able to tap the "home" button to bring up a digital guide for the game you're playing. I don't use guides unless I really really have to. This way it can become more streamline, and Nintendo could even charge a minimal fee.

[MarioAllStar]

I would actually hope they would charge a fee for a guide like that. Don't get me wrong, it is a very good idea, but sometimes I have trouble just overcoming the temptation of going to GameFAQs to find a solution. I can imagine if it were only a few button presses away I would be doing it more often, which is not what I want. For those that do want it, though, I can see the convenience.

[zakkiel]

Quote
Originally posted by: PaLaDiN
"You'd need to tell it that this movement wasn't meant to influence the game."
"The controller has no similar built-in mechanism for ignoring some movements but not others."

Obviously, the pause button. I was answering the original post... there is no awkwardness caused by repositioning yourself if the game was paused since no movement is captured before and after the pause. Hence, no "calibration" button needed.

In other words, pausing the game lets you pick up and move the controller.

This would be a waste of a point-and-click interface for menus.

[PaLaDiN]

"This would be a waste of a point-and-click interface for menus."

What do you mean? There's also a select button.

[Don'tHate742]

He means that if you had to pause the game to move the controller, then it would make sense that the controllers motion-capturing functions would be turned off. If they were turned on, how would pausing the game make it any different from moving the controller to another position while in the game?

So basically, you would need a recalibrate button if Nintendo opted for a point and click interface with menus.

[trip1eX]

Nintendo's technology, afaik, differs from pc gryo mice as it will work more like a laser pointer for moving the cursor ie you'll have to aim it.

The Revolution would have to calculate how far you are away from the 3 or so sensors. Then it would combine this with how your controller is tilted to determine where you are pointing on the screen. And somehow it has to differentitate whether you are above or below the sensors.  

With this data, your position in 3d space from the tv is calculated by measurement of signal response times. Combine that with how your controller is tilted will tell the Revolution where you are aiming whether it be on screen or off screen.

With this I don't think alot of calibration would be needed. It would automatically determine where you are pointing no matter where you are (within certain limits.)

Well then again some calibration might be needed. TVs are different sizes and they have different size frames around the actual screen. But this would be a one time calibration that I guess would be stored internally in the Revolution.

[PaLaDiN]

The way I see it, pressing Start brings up the Pause screen. Not a menu, controller is turned off and can be picked up and moved around before resuming game.

Pressing Select (the GC didn't have a Select button) brings up the game menu. Controller is on and you can select stuff from the menu by pointing and clicking.

Is there something I'm missing?

[trip1eX]

[Dasmos]

^^ I am liking the blank entry above ^^

Don't you see the home button, is for when you go out and get intoxicated FROM CANDY!!!!!. Once you've had enough you just get out the controller and press the home button and you are home without any fuss......
 

[KDR_11k]

Paladin: That won't help when you want the controller's neutral position to be in one specific place. E.g. you forgot to pause before moving, you'd have to move back, find the center again, pause, move to the new position, unpause. Or you pause, put the controller down, do something, come back and unpause without the controller being in the place it was before, suddently your neutral position has moved and you'd have to perform a voodoo dance to correct it.

And I don't see a reason why a games machine would need an "exit to BIOS" button, that could be solved with menus.

[PaLaDiN]

No, actually, only the first situation would require correction because while you were moving the cursor would be moving as well. And you'd probably notice when that happened. Say a lateral movement = strafing, then the character would strafe with you until you stopped moving.

In the second situation, exactly nothing would happen because there would be no movement before or after the pause. Like I said, picking up and moving the mouse... the distance between matters not one bit.

What if you just decided to move for some reason while forgetting to pause without looking at the screen? Now you're just inventing situations. My brother could decide to come into the room and hammer on the buttons with a traditional controller.

I'm talking about lateral and vertical movement here, controller pointing perpendicular to the TV screen. Imagine the plane parallel to the TV screen as a mousing surface and pausing as picking up the mouse. Obviously tilting wouldn't work that way exactly... the center for all other types of movement would always be holding it normally, perpendicular to the screen.

[zakkiel]

Quote
Originally posted by: PaLaDiN
The way I see it, pressing Start brings up the Pause screen. Not a menu, controller is turned off and can be picked up and moved around before resuming game.

Pressing Select (the GC didn't have a Select button) brings up the game menu. Controller is on and you can select stuff from the menu by pointing and clicking.

Is there something I'm missing?

Most games I've played have menus that come up when paused. There's no point in having a separate pause and menu screen. If the start button turned off the controller, you wouldn't be able to navigate the menus. And it's a lot more ackward to pause, move controller, unpause, then just point the controller at center screen and hit "home." Remember, your system freezes the present orientation of the controller while you move it. That means that if in the game you have it pointing towards the top left at a 45 degree angle, when you pause it you have to point the physical controller at the same angle. Or remember to set the in-game control to neutral before pasuing. Sounds like unnecessary annoyance to me.