Nintendo could be developing a motion-sensing SD card
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 at 8:43am by Jack
A new trademark filed by Nintendo indicates the DSi SD card slot might be used for more than just DLC storage.
The Japanese trademark is for a “DS Houi Sensor Card”. Houi is Japanese for “direction,” and Siliconera is speculating it could be for a motion-sensing SD card.
After last year’s Slide Mag Kid, the news is hardly a surprise, and is also perfectly in line with the company’s stated goal of expanding the way people interact with their video games. Either that, or there are going to be people swinging Wii consoles around their living rooms in the near future.
January 14th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
What use would a motion sensing SD card have?
January 14th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
@Janush:
If I had to guess, giving the iPhone’s accelerometer based gaming some competition. Some games for the iphone use tilt controls, and they are fairly well received. Think Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble for a new generation.
January 14th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
Hey Sean, if I´m not mistaken, this has already been seen in a Yoshi and Wario game?! OR will this be extra extra motion?
January 14th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
nice info! i love this site
January 14th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
@Janush: Both those GBA games had the motion control built into the cartridge. For the new Tony Hawk Motion game they included a motion cart for the GBA slot. But since it’s not feasible to include the tech. into the game card itself, the SD slot is the only other option (since there’s no GBA slot for the DSi.)
January 16th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Wow Why Don’t They Just Build The Motion Sensing Into The DSI
And A Rumble Feature
And If The Game Requires One Or The Other
It Can Use It
And What I Find Stupid About The DSI
Why Are They Taking Everything To Wireless
Why Not Offer Both?????!?!?!?!?!?
So You Can Like Choose Between Going Wireless
Or GOin With A Slightly More Expensive Wired Connection
It Would Certainly Making DS Download Play Faster
January 19th, 2009 at 9:53 am
The only reason I could see this device being used is for games like Wario Ware or maybe a racing game or something along the lines of what the iPhone has done. I think it’ll be pointless if you can’t use it to save content to though.