wraggster
August 14th, 2011, 17:32
Wii U tablet schematics found in a new Nintendo patent have confirmed several features for the company's upcoming console.
Diagrams of how the touch-screen controller will work (first spotted by NeoGAF (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=440608)) include descriptions of a magnetometer and flash memory.
Mentions of the handheld's microphone, speaker and camera functions in turn confirm yet more features.
Flash memory is similarly to be expected. The Wii Remote contains a small amount, enough to transfer Mii characters from one Wii to another. How much will the Wii U tablet contain? Enough to save game progress? Enough to save a princess?
The magnetometer meanwhile is likely for motion control calibration. Sony uses the same technology in Move and Vita. It helps keep motion-sensing devices properly orientated, which should mean no more "place your controller on a flat surface" messages current Wii Motion Plus games often require.
Other components listed include the tablet's wireless and IR communication modules - for communication with the Wii U base unit, but probably also the Nintendo 3DS (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-07-will-the-3ds-work-as-a-wii-u-controller).
There's no new information on the Wii U's mysterious central console unit, said to have at least as much horsepower (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-19-wii-u-has-plenty-of-horsepower-dev) as Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360.
Stuffed to the gills with features, how high will the Wii U controller push the console's overall cost? Don't expect to find out before 2012. Nintendo has said it will keep schtum on Wii U price and launch details (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-03-will-you-wait-for-a-wii-u-price-cut) until next year.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-12-wii-u-patent-reveals-tablet-details
Diagrams of how the touch-screen controller will work (first spotted by NeoGAF (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=440608)) include descriptions of a magnetometer and flash memory.
Mentions of the handheld's microphone, speaker and camera functions in turn confirm yet more features.
Flash memory is similarly to be expected. The Wii Remote contains a small amount, enough to transfer Mii characters from one Wii to another. How much will the Wii U tablet contain? Enough to save game progress? Enough to save a princess?
The magnetometer meanwhile is likely for motion control calibration. Sony uses the same technology in Move and Vita. It helps keep motion-sensing devices properly orientated, which should mean no more "place your controller on a flat surface" messages current Wii Motion Plus games often require.
Other components listed include the tablet's wireless and IR communication modules - for communication with the Wii U base unit, but probably also the Nintendo 3DS (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-07-will-the-3ds-work-as-a-wii-u-controller).
There's no new information on the Wii U's mysterious central console unit, said to have at least as much horsepower (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-19-wii-u-has-plenty-of-horsepower-dev) as Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360.
Stuffed to the gills with features, how high will the Wii U controller push the console's overall cost? Don't expect to find out before 2012. Nintendo has said it will keep schtum on Wii U price and launch details (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-03-will-you-wait-for-a-wii-u-price-cut) until next year.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-12-wii-u-patent-reveals-tablet-details