According to a new Digitimes report, Aptina Imaging has been selected as the exclusive supplier for CMOS sensors to be used in Microsoft’s Project Natal motion sensor system that will be bundled with Xbox 360 consoles.
The report also adds that a new Xbox 360 that will include Natal will be ready to ship by the Q3 2010.
Electronista adds that “to meet demand for the Xbox 360 game controller, Aptina plans on upping capacity at its fabrication facility in Italy that makes 8-inch wafers and look for a partner in another foundry.”
Natal is a technology that uses camera sensors to track movements made by users which is then translated to the video game playback. No controller needed.
You can learn more here: Project Natal
Result for: game controller
According to a new patent filing, Sony is developing a wireless motion sensitive controller for the PlayStation 3 that will use a new type of “ultrasonic tracking system.”
The controller itself will break apart and combine to perform different actions.
“Game interface tracks the position of one or more game controllers in 3-dimensional space using hybrid video capture and ultrasonic tracking system,” reads the summary at the US Patent & Trademark office.
“The captured video information is used to identify a horizontal and vertical position for each controller within a capture area. The ultrasonic tracking system analyses sound communications to determine the distances between the game system and each controller and to determine the distances among the controllers,” reads the document.
You can find the full filing with pictures here: US Patent & Trademark office
Result for: game controller
The blockbuster hit game Wii Fit was finally made available in the US this morning, after selling over 2 million units in Japan over only a matter of weeks. The game is available in New York right now only and then the rest of the US beginning May 21st.
Nintendo’s latest hit allows users to check their body mass index and do various routines such as strength training, aerobics, yoga, skiing, and snowboarding, all in the comfort of their homes.
“Wii Fit will get you moving whether you’ve been playing video games for years or this is your first time,” Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive VP of sales and marketing, said in an announcement. “Wii Fit is easy for anyone to try and is yet another example of how Nintendo continues to expand the world of video games to new audiences.”
The $90 USD game comes with “a hefty balance board that wirelessly communicates with the required Nintendo Wii Console. Measuring 20.5 inches by 13 inches by 3 inches, the board which is basically a complex floor-based game controller, senses the user’s weight as he steps on it and uses the information to control and synchronize the onscreen games and exercises designed to improve your balance, posture and fitness.”
Personal trainers around the world have said the game is a good way to get started on your personal fitness, especially if you are embarrassed to join a traditional gym.
