In an interview with Financial Times, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata elaborated a bit more on that Wii Vitality Sensor that had the gaming press openly laughing during the keynote. I hate to gloat, but Infendo may have logged another accurate Nintendo prediction.
But first, we’ll start with the what I’ll call the “balance board theory.” Basically, this theory states that whenever Nintendo reveals anything in this day and age, people who consider themselves experts in the video game field will immediately laugh at it. Then, a few months later, Nintendo reveals that their mocked technology has led all top 10 lists in the U.S. and Europe for 12 months straight, and that the total unit sales for this accessory are almost as much as the third place company’s console sales.
Mr. Iwata, about that Vitality Sensor, if you please:
[L]et me say why we made an announcement about it at this time. Take the example of Wii Fit. When we talked about it two years ago, a lot of people thought the Wii Balance Board was crazy. They thought Nintendo would start selling a bathroom scale. But Wii Fit became a success because we saw a “blue ocean strategy.†But now a lot of companies are fighting in the red ocean of follow-up exercise games [...] The advantage for Nintendo is that we always try to do things that other companies don’t try to do. That is something that the general public appreciates. That’s why we have to introduce this Wii Vitality Sensor. A lot of people must be wondering what the hell this is about. But that’s exactly the way people felt two years ago with the Wii Balance Board.
Like I’ve said before, I’ve learned to never, ever laugh at a Nintendo project or new game announcement when it’s first revealed by Nintendo. Wii Music? Stalwart supporter even today, and even though I never plan to buy or even borrow it.
But enough BS. On to the prediction. Earlier this week, Infendo hypothesized that the senor could be used in tandem with a survival horror game; or could serve as a source of additional immersion for combat games that track vitals. Lo and behold:
SI: We have been trying a variety of different technologies and possibilities. We have found that a lot of information can be found through the pulse of a human being. The pulse is not the simple measurement of just your heartbeat. It provides a number of other signals through your body. It can show how your automatic nervous system is operating [...] By trying to sense the nerves, it can tell a lot. The pulse can include this information. You may feel totally relaxed. Maybe you will play a horror game and the sensor can tell how scared you are. Several other things can be learned from the pulse, like if you are breathing in or breathing out. We may come up with interesting new software that we sell with the new Wii Vitality Sensor, much like we sold the Wii Balance Board with Wii Fit.
Iwata-san, you sneaky git. You read Infendo, don’t you?!
But anyway, I really, seriously, cannot understand how anyone can laugh at or mock Nintendo’s quirky ideas anymore. Wii Fit is a phenomenon. The Wii wheel, which does absolutely nothing new, was responsible for making Maro Kart Wii ann evergreen console title. Even Wii Music is a million-seller. The Vitality Sensor, openly mocked as a geezer meter for retirement homes, will be packaged with something that could surprise us all (indeed, someone needs to give me a tally on the number of times Iwata, Miyamoto and Reggie said the word “surprise” this week).
And one more thing. Seems this Vitality Sensor could get a bit… freaky:
A long time ago we sold something called a Love Tester. A boy and girl would shake hands to see how passionate they were. I think boys simply wanted to touch girls’ hands. There was no science behind this. Now we may be able to do a real Love Tester.
Of course, Wii Speak will continue to be ignored, much to David’s chagrin.
Yep. That’s what Nintendo does best – creates a new interface or gameplay mechanism and then lets other companies turn the ocean red while they move on. Ironically, that’s why their periphers often languish, because it’s the initial innovation that makes the most profit.
Also they make really fun games.
The difference with the sensor, as I see it, is that while the press rolled their eyes at the balance board and Wii Music (really, though, mostly after last year’s E3, it had fairly positive coverage before then) is that they believed those would sell millions. I don’t see any of that talk going on about the sensor perhaps because there is a lack of software attached to it.
Anyway . . .
The Wii Wheel and Balance Board sold well because they were packaged with software people wanted. The Zapper and the Wii Speak have been dropped like rocks, and other than Mario Kart, I don’t see anyone supporting the Wii Wheel either. I think we have good reason to be skeptical of this because it is so far out there and so unproven. Show me a real application for it that would be a real million-seller, make it a pack-in, and then I’ll see what I think of it, but this is one bandwagon that I’m going to need some convincing to get on.
What Paul said.
People rolled their eyes at those things but still said they’d sell millions, and honestly I’ve seen several that have “laughed” at the sensor still say it will sell millions regardless of how stupid it looks and sounds.
Plus I think you’re entirely missing the point on a lot of the criticism of this and the things you’ve mentioned; Yes Wii Fit is a phenomenon…but tell me exactly what the balance board has done successfully besides it? And what’s on top for it….besides Wit Fit Plus? What’s the Wii Wheel being used for besides Mario Kart Wii? Anybody holding out for a great Wii Zapper game?
So I guess go ahead and pat yourself on the back, but I’m not really sure why you’re doing so since had you paid attention to others, they’ve already said what you said.
One thing I noticed with this design is that it takes up the nunchuk port. So using it with a game where you need the nunchuk to move won’t be possible, unless they also sell a splitter. But then you have the problem of holding the Wiimote with one hand, the nunchuk with the other, and clipping on the fingertrap . . uhmm. . your big toe?
So I wouldn’t expect to be playing this with games like resident evil.
I’m really interested to see where they go with this, though. Will it be ignored, like Wiispeak?
HA! Infendo, you sneaky gits, you are spying on my text messages! But seriously, I was texting a buddy as this press conference took place, and after he said ‘That vitality sensor seems dumb to me’, I suggested not only a survival horror title that responds to your pulse, etc., but also a trauma-center style game that reads YOUR vitals and affects your surgery performance (i.e., trembling, shaky hands, etc.), and finally, a sniping game that allows you to steady your aim by actually holding your breath!
Just a few ideas that came right after seeing the vitality sensor – imagine what kind of awesomeness Nintendo can work up with the thing actually in hand!
Also, regarding the question of using the nunchuck at the same time – because this thing has only been mentioned as a potential concept, I believe Nintendo is doing their research for a possible inclusion of this tech in a NEW nunchuck, to be included with Wii HD in a few years… Crazy? Perhaps, but imagine how great it would be to have a sensor like this already built-in on the next version of the Wii!
This is a lot of the same thing that GamesIndustry said in the email from yesterday.
“People don’t buy peripherals for their own sake – they buy games, and pick up the peripherals to play them.” Nintendo really knows how to make that ‘killer-app’ that makes you want to purchase the peripheral.
Get the rest of the newsletter at:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/newsletter/weekly_20090604142122
Seriously, I thought that the Balance Board was a good idea. I just want it standalone. The Vitality Sensor would work for a horror game, or for other games where your character’s stats are maintained by your heart rate. For example, a Hulk game. You get stressed out in real-life, and Bruce Banner transforms into Hulk. Or Mario, if your heart rate decreases, Mario tuckers out.
“Yes Wii Fit is a phenomenon…but tell me exactly what the balance board has done successfully besides it?”
Really? You can’t google it yourself and see all the games that include balance board functionality? Shaun White? Million seller. Punch-Out!! also includes functionality as well. EA Sports Active must have slipped under your radar as well. It’s ok, it’s a fast paced workout title. Very quick.
And later this year comes Wii Sports Plus.
Also, how is something simultaneously a phenomenon, yet not a phenomenon, as your comment suggests? I’m positively boggled by the logic.
The real crazy thing is that the press got all hot and bothered over Natal and Sony for the exact same reasons people attack new Nintendo concepts. So, on that note, in one year, will we all promise to say “yes, the launch software for Natal was cool, but where are the other successes?”
If it took Infendo this long to understand you dont laugh at Nintendo’s ideas, you guys are slower than I thought. (I dont think you are slow.
)
The best example ever was The Wind Waker. Every single mag was hopping on the bandwagon and hating on it for its child-like presentation…
…oh how they were wrong.