Topic: Sony steals Vitality Sensor Before Nintendo Releases It!!

[BlackNMild2k1]

and intends to use it in the way we were telling Nintendo to do it.


Sony Patents Biometric Controller & Handheld
http://www.siliconera.com/2011/11/01/sony-patent-reveals-biometric-ps3-controller-and-handheld

Sony’s proposed devices will measure three biometric factors: galvanic skin resistance, electrocardio data, and electro-muscular data or in plain English – how moist your skin is, your heart rhythm, and muscle movements. All of this information will be sent into a video game by simply holding a controller or handheld. How are games going to use this? Sony has a list of ideas.
 

• Weapons that change depending on how stressed you are. An increase in stress level could make a weapon more accurate or less steady, which will make it difficult to target an enemy. Sony specifically mentions a sniper situation where the weapon becomes more steady if you’re relaxed.
• Tensing up your muscles to withstand an attack or charge up a shield.
• A video game character whose facial expressions, movements, posture, and even voice changes depending on your biometric data. For example, this character will sweat when a player is nervous.
• An adrenaline style boost which will let you run faster, jump higher, and punch harder when stressed.
• A health bar that depletes more rapidly if you have a high stress level.
• An attack button that changes a character’s move depending if the player is stressed or relaxed.
• Background music and scenery that changes depending on your stress level. Matching music is one example, but Sony also proposes to change music to make a player more relaxed. Brightness of objects and the zoom level, representing a higher level of focus, are two ideas for scenery.
• A game that adapts difficulty levels depending on a players stress level.[/l][/l]

pics at the link

But good for Sony if they can pull it off better and first. Nintendo dragged their feet and appeared to want to do it the absolute cheapest way possible regardless of impractical gaming application.


I remember a bunch of us hoping that Nintendo would just incorporate it into the wiimote condom if not integrate it directly into the wiimote itself, so it sounds like somebody was paying attention.


But then again, hopefully Nintendo had already patented all this before (in a very similar fashion) so that they can still use the idea too when they are ready.[/list]

[Ceric]

If they can pull it off more power to them.

[Chozo Ghost]

Nintendo needs to get their collective heads out of their ass and stop dropping the ball. I never like it when Sony steals their ideas, but in this case its not like Nintendo was doing anything with it anyway.

[bustin98]

Could be that Sony was working on this before Nintendo, and filed before Nintendo, and Sony gave Nintendo the heads up after they talked about at E3, causing them to shut the project down until they found a way to work around the patents. The patent application Sony put in is the way Nintendo should have went in the beginning as well, as the finger clip got way too much attention.

I personally think this tech can improve gameplay in a number of genres and hope to see it on all consoles in the future.

[Ceric]

I think about 2 gens from now we'll see this type of tech being standard.  I also think by then someone will offer smell.  They really are running out of places to go.

[Chozo Ghost]

I think about 2 gens from now we'll see this type of tech being standard.  I also think by then someone will offer smell.  They really are running out of places to go.

[Ceric]

Holodecks are easily 2 Human Generations away if we don't regress when all the Baby Boomers die off.

[Silenced]

Nintendo, when will you learn?
 
The Wii basically fails in its last few years and now you lose this to Sony.

[Chozo Ghost]

Nintendo, when will you learn?
 
The Wii basically fails in its last few years and now you lose this to Sony.

Maybe this could have pumped some more life into the Wii if it had only came out. Oh well. In a way I guess its a good thing Nintendo has suffered a huge financial loss recently, because they need a kick in the pants like that to hopefully get them off their ass and doing ****.

[NWR_insanolord]

You are crazy if you think this would have had any effect on anything.

[ejamer]

Wasn't someone on this site predicting that the whole Wii Vitality thing was a red herring to make other game companies waste their resources and effort on a silly peripheral?  Not saying it worked, but none of those patent ideas sound like more than a silly gimmick if you ask me...

[nickmitch]

It would've been foolish for Nintendo to put out the vitality sensor (in any form) this late in the Wii's life. If anything, they're probably holding it for the Wii U. It would've just seemed like a last ditch effort to save the Wii. For the stuff Sony is talking about, I doubt the Wii even has the horsepower for something like that. Though, who knows how Nintendo would've ultimately used the vitality sensor.

[Ceric]

Wasn't someone on this site predicting that the whole Wii Vitality thing was a red herring to make other game companies waste their resources and effort on a silly peripheral?  Not saying it worked, but none of those patent ideas sound like more than a silly gimmick if you ask me...

Two Words:
Wii Fit

This has the potential to tap into that style of market.

[nickmitch]

The move already has a bunch of fitness games. Adding that would mean those games get real, meaningful sequels that sell the hardware, probably in spades.
"Now, it measures your heart rate and tells you how many calories you're burning and when it's time to cool off!"

[ThePerm]

theres already games out that use a 3rd party vitality sensor

[BlackNMild2k1]

Wasn't someone on this site predicting that the whole Wii Vitality thing was a red herring to make other game companies waste their resources and effort on a silly peripheral?  Not saying it worked, but none of those patent ideas sound like more than a silly gimmick if you ask me...

I was half joking about that somewhere in the vitality sensor thread I think.

One of those type of comments where I meant what I said but didn't really expect it to play out that way in the end. I would laugh my ass off if it turned out to be true though.

[Ceric]

theres already games out that use a 3rd party vitality sensor

Yeah but we all know what the general rule on peripherals and usage:

Comes With System > 1st Party Upgrade > Third Party Upgrades

With DDR Mats and Plastic instruments being the large exception.

[Mop it up]

A game that adapts difficulty levels depending on a players stress level.

Nintendo already did this one with the Nintendo 64 BioSensor and Tetris 64.

I don't really know what Nintendo was thinking with the Vitality Sensor, it seemed like Nintendo created the device before they even thought of any game ideas, and then showed it off to judge how people received it before they went forward with creating software. I don't think it could find success as a separate accessory, so the thing to do with would have been to include it in the Wii U controller. But it's probably too late for that now.

[Ceric]

A game that adapts difficulty levels depending on a players stress level.

Nintendo already did this one with the Nintendo 64 BioSensor and Tetris 64.

I don't really know what Nintendo was thinking with the Vitality Sensor, it seemed like Nintendo created the device before they even thought of any game ideas, and then showed it off to judge how people received it before they went forward with creating software. I don't think it could find success as a separate accessory, so the thing to do with would have been to include it in the Wii U controller. But it's probably too late for that now.

I didn't even know that existed.