Topic: Wii Vitality Sensor *expanding the blue ocean*

[Stogi]

I totally called this.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

It's exactly what Iwata was talking(software focused around helping you relax) about and I think we even guessed that name already somewhere in this thread.

It can't just be that, though.  Even the casuals know that they can already relax via something as simple as their own bed + a bit of music or a favorite movie, or hell even the Wii _____ casual games they already own.  They don't need to spend $50 to have a game tell them how to do something they already know.

Yes, I believe I did just imply that the casuals might have a bit of common sense.  Never thought I'd be at that point.

Maybe Nintendo knows you can motivate casuals by presenting them "carrots" in software format.  Sure, they could go outside and take a walk for the purpose of fitness, but they bought Wii Fit ANYWAY.

[BlackNMild2k1]

It's exactly what Iwata was talking(software focused around helping you relax) about and I think we even guessed that name already somewhere in this thread.

It can't just be that, though.  Even the casuals know that they can already relax via something as simple as their own bed + a bit of music or a favorite movie, or hell even the Wii _____ casual games they already own.  They don't need to spend $50 to have a game tell them how to do something they already know.

Yes, I believe I did just imply that the casuals might have a bit of common sense.  Never thought I'd be at that point.

Maybe Nintendo knows you can motivate casuals by presenting them "carrots" in software format.  Sure, they could go outside and take a walk for the purpose of fitness, but they bought Wii Fit ANYWAY.

Well we all know the majority of America is lazy and we have to be tricked into taking care off ourselves.

[Ian Sane]

Maybe Nintendo knows you can motivate casuals by presenting them "carrots" in software format.  Sure, they could go outside and take a walk for the purpose of fitness, but they bought Wii Fit ANYWAY.

With exercise you're actualy doing something though.  "Relaxing" is kind of a vague activity.  I tend to "relax" by doing some sort of leisure activity.  Playing a videogame, even one that gets my heart pumping and gets me keyed up, can be a relaxing activity because I'm just doing something fun instead of being at work or doing some chore at home.  I don't need a game to relax, the sheer concept of playing a videogame is relaxing.
 
If you view relaxing as something that involves an absense of activity then how do you do that in a game (or a GOOD game at least)?  Doe it just play soothing music or present calming visuals?  Can't a fucking video do that?  The whole purpose of a videogame is that it has some interaction from the player.  Do you just chill and the game praises you for being a cool cat?
 
For me the game would be saying "you're so stressed out and angry as if some big company just ripped you off on a videogame that doesn't do anything."
 
I am incredibly curious however.  I'm sure I would instinctively hate any sort of Wii Relax "game" but I'm very curious about what Nintendo would come up with.  I want to see it in a "car crash" kind of way.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

In the end it probably tracks SOMETHING about your body's behavior and graphs it, just like the Wii ___ games do.  Then you're presented with a modest goal of hitting some kind of target on the graph via the activities.  What those activities are, I've no clue.

[BlackNMild2k1]

In the end it probably tracks SOMETHING about your body's behavior and graphs it, just like the Wii ___ games do.  Then you're presented with a modest goal of hitting some kind of target on the graph via the activities.  What those activities are, I've no clue.

Exactly. Iwata already stated in one of the interview how the game would probably work. You connect the sensor and then follow on-screen actions. The game then tracks your bio-rhythm and present them to you in a way that makes you aware of what is happening.
In the end you become slightly more aware of the things that raise your stress levels and the type of things that help you relax.

[Stogi]

I would actually be very interested in a meditating training "game."

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

You'd just play it "high" to see what kind of WARPED graph you can make =]

[BlackNMild2k1]

According to sources that could read this interview:
http://www.asahi.com/digital/pc/OSK201001050110.html (In Japanese)
Iwata says Vitality Sensor is set for 2010

[EasyCure]

In the end it probably tracks SOMETHING about your body's behavior and graphs it, just like the Wii ___ games do.  Then you're presented with a modest goal of hitting some kind of target on the graph via the activities.  What those activities are, I've no clue.

Exactly. Iwata already stated in one of the interview how the game would probably work. You connect the sensor and then follow on-screen actions. The game then tracks your bio-rhythm and present them to you in a way that makes you aware of what is happening.
In the end you become slightly more aware of the things that raise your stress levels and the type of things that help you relax.

I'd become so self aware that i'd freak out when i realize i'm becoming stressed that i stress out about it or stress out trying to relax.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Yo Dawg!  I heard you need some stress in yo' stress...

[EasyCure]

Yo Dawg!  I heard you need some stress in yo' stress...

so i can stress out while i stress out?

I liked the car one better. Who doesn't want to drive while they drive?

[Kairon]

The vitality sensor is interesting, and I TOTALLY see what nintendo is going for. However, I don't expect it to be a major event. Nintendo may make it front and center of their presentation, but that's more just because it's their major new accessory and Nintendo is still exploring new avenues for gaming. I don't expect a widespread impact from this new accessory.

...

THAT SAID, I TOTALLY am going to OWN at this thing! Me? I'm the low blood pressure king. Oh yeah. And to practice, I'm even going to use those sit-down blood pressure detectors everytime I see one!

[BlackNMild2k1]

Will WiiRelax Be Nintendo’s First Vitality Sensor Game?

Nintendo is keeping quiet about their Vitality Sensor games, but they have something called WiiRelax in development.

While searching the European trademark database, we discovered Nintendo registered the rights to WiiRelax in PAL territories. Since the Vitality Sensor is a pulse detecting accessory, it sounds like WiiRelax would work with the upcoming device.

Prior to this trademark, Pub Company, an video developer in Italy, also mentioned a game called Wii Relax (note the space). The title was officially announced on April 1 and hasn’t been mentioned since. Their website for Wii Relax is gone too so Pub Company’s “zen experience” project may have been canceled, blocked, or perhaps purchased by Nintendo

Nintendo may soon be asking you to get less excited about a game.
 <a href=/newsArt.cfm?artid=20777>http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=20777[/url]

 Although nothing has been announced formally yet, Nintendo has laid the groundwork for Wii Relax in North America via a series of trademarks filed recently.  Similar trademarks were filed in Europe under the name WiiRelax.       <P>
The trademarks seem to run the gamut from video games to trading card games.  Until something is announced by Nintendo, it remains unknown what this trademark refers to.   Nintendo has not formally announced any titles for the Vitality Sensor, but it's possible that Wii Relax may be tied to that peripheral.       <P>
Nintendo World Report will have more information on Wii Relax as it is available. <P>

We can all pretend we don't know what WiiRelax is gonna be, but we all know it's the Vitality sensor game. We also know that it's coming in 2010 and most likely to be revealed in full at E3.
I hope it incorporates the balance board into the game as that is the exact audience this game is shooting for, and going by WiiFit/+ sales, that is a huge audience.

[Ian Sane]

We also know that it's coming in 2010 and most likely to be revealed in full at E3.

Hell, I expect it to take up at least half of their E3 presentation.  With Nintendo how much presentation time is dedicated to a product is inversely proportionate to how interested the E3 audience will be in it.  I think Nintendo's idea is that if no one at E3 will give a **** they should focus on that product MORE to try to win that audience over.  If this theory holds true Wii Relax might take up so much of Nintendo's presentation that they'll run out of time and be forced off stage by the next presenters.

[BlackNMild2k1]

They might need 2 presentations at this years E3.
First one to present some games, announce the DS2 then focus on Vitality sensor and WiiRelax, then they will need another one on the last day of E3 to get to all the actual games that people wanted to hear about that they forgot to mention(Zelda Wii) and also announce the WiiHD*.



*WiiHD is not actually gonna happen..... not at this years E3 anyway.

[vudu]

I'm sure we'll have plenty of threads created for the sole purpose of venting frustrations over Nintendo's E3 press conference.  This is not one of them.

[Kairon]

Hell, I expect it to take up at least half of their E3 presentation.  With Nintendo how much presentation time is dedicated to a product is inversely proportionate to how interested the E3 audience will be in it.

My working theory is that Nintendo sees E3 as a chance when mainstream media like CNN will definitely give them coverage, so it's the most "blue ocean" reporting they can get in the entire year. So of course with this view of the event, I would expect Nintendo to show Wii Relax since it's their best chance to get the accessory out to new consumers who rely more on blue ocean news sources, like, well, the news they see on TV.

[BlackNMild2k1]

^That's a very good point, and why I hope Nintendo has 2 conferences this year.
One for us and one for everyone else.

It's not gonna happen, but it's good to want things and not lose hope in getting them.

[Ian Sane]

My working theory is that Nintendo sees E3 as a chance when mainstream media like CNN will definitely give them coverage, so it's the most "blue ocean" reporting they can get in the entire year.

Does CNN actually pay much attention to E3?  I don't watch CNN that much so I legitimately ask that.  I always figured E3 was more for the industry and those that follow videogames since the only media outlets that I ever noticed giving it any decent converage were videogame magazines or web sites.
 
The Wii is so mainstream that if Nintendo wanted to they could probably just hold a press conference to announce their non-gaming stuff and the mainstream press would just show up.
 
I like BlackNMild2k1's idea of having two conferences but I figure Nintendo would never want to do it, not just because it would involve more resources, but because to do so would acknowledge two different types of products aimed at different audiences.  I think Nintendo very much sees their products as being for ONE audience: everyone.  If they had two conferences they would be pigeonholing certain games as being for specific audiences and that might cost them sales from the opposite audience that doesn't consider that product as being for them.  Now in reality I think there are two audiences whether Nintendo wants that or not.  But I can see why they wouldn't want to officially state that.
 
The E3 reaction to Wii Music seemed to legitimately surprise Nintendo.  I think they seriously thought that the hardcore videogame nuts that follow E3 would be interested in that title.  I don't expect a company that oblivious to think of the idea of having different conferences for different audiences.

[Stratos]

I think NWR folks and also IGN folks have mentioned in podcasts that a lot of media outlets outside of the gaming realm cover E3. There was someone from Popular Mechanic there among others so there is a broader crowd than just game media outlets.

[vudu]

Does CNN actually pay much attention to E3?

Yes.  You see news stories from major media outlets (television, newspapers, magazines, Internet) following big shows like E3 (and for that matter, CES).

Like it or not, Nintendo's not marketing to you during their press conference.  They don't need to--they can count on you to keep up with news and releases on your own.  The press conference is for the general press and also buyers for major retail chains.

[Ian Sane]

Like it or not, Nintendo's not marketing to you during their press conference.  They don't need to--they can count on you to keep up with news and releases on your own.

Except that I can't keep up with the news when there, you know, is no news.  The last couple E3s Nintendo's conferences have usually provided more questions than answers.  I can't follow the news if Nintendo shows a game for four seconds in a video and then doesn't reveal any other info and the game isn't on the floor.  That's my source of news too.  It's EVERYONE'S source of news so when they go on and on about one game and then just have a quick blurb about another that's it.  Nintendo then goes quiet for another year.
 
The real issue I suppose is Nintendo being so damn secretive to the point that a game like Excitebots isn't even known about until it pretty much is on store shelves.  Meanwhile all these big PS3 and X360 games are building hype and Wii fans are scratching their heads wondering what the **** is in the pipeline.  They make us wait for a whole year to find out anything and then they focus on a bunch of bullshit that anyone who actively seeks out new information about what they're working on would never give a **** about.  The whole thing seems neglectful to their most devoted fans.
 
The target market for non-games doesn't give a **** until like the damn thing is on the shelf.  The Wii owners that want to know what going down months ahead of time are paying attention to E3.  So why not give them a bone?
 
Though the real solution may be to just get to the point and show the games instead of going on and on about how awesome and rich they are.  If they got rid of all the chart stuff then they would probably have the luxury to give each new game decent exposure.

[vudu]

E3 isn't the topic of this thread.  Feel free to create a new thread about it if you desire.

[BlackNMild2k1]

But we're vaguely talking about the Vitality Sensors presence at E3 and how that affects the entire conference.
There is no need to start thread about E3 when this is the only thing that we know for sure is gonna be there.