The Tendo Project – Daily Nintendo News

House of the Dead Overkill was released for the Nintendo Wii two years ago, and it remains one of our favorite games for the system, although it's tragically overlooked. Thankfully, we're drawing close to Halloween and Sega has updated the graphics for the PlayStation 3, added some bonus content, and re-released the game with support for the PlayStation Move.

So what's new? First, the game looks much better, and there are two brand-new levels and more collectibles to find throughout the levels. The Move is a great fit for this sort of lightgun game, and the wonderfully profane writing and grindhouse-style jokes remain. This is a game that delights in its "Mature" rating, and doesn't pull any of its goofy punches in the name of good taste.

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Nintendo enjoys creating hardware that offers new ways to interact with games, such as the Wii's motion controls, or the 3D screen of the upcoming 3DS. The problem with the new portable is a distressing one, and it may become increasingly apparent as time goes on: not everyone can see the 3D images. That means that Nintendo's ability to create games that rely on that central mechanic is limited, unless they want to alienate a portion of their audience. This is the rare case of a company launching with a new technology it seems unwilling to use to its fullest capabilities.

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Using the infrared camera in the Wii remote and a head mounted sensor bar (two IR LEDs), you can accurately track the location of your head and render view dependent images on the screen. This effectively transforms your display into a portal to a virtual environment. The display properly reacts to head and body movement as if it were a real window creating a realistic illusion of depth and space. By Johnny Chung Lee, Carnegie Mellon University. For more information and software visit johnnylee.net

Technorati Tags: 3D, computer, display, games, head, immersive, interactive, nintendo, reality, remote, tracking, virtual, VR, wii, wiimote, window

Using the infrared camera in the Wii remote and a head mounted sensor bar (two IR LEDs), you can accurately track the location of your head and render view dependent images on the screen. This effectively transforms your display into a portal to a virtual environment. The display properly reacts to head and body movement as if it were a real window creating a realistic illusion of depth and space. By Johnny Chung Lee, Carnegie Mellon University. For more information and software visit johnnylee.net

Technorati Tags: 3D, computer, display, games, head, immersive, interactive, nintendo, reality, remote, tracking, virtual, VR, wii, wiimote, window

With the Nintendo DSi XL landing in the offices of the gaming press this week, Nintendo saw fit to announce its newest product in its portable line: the Nintendo 3DS. The company gave limited details via a press release in Japan; we know the system will use two screens, won't require any sort of special glasses, and will be backwards compatible with current DS and DSi games.

The system will be released before the end of the fiscal year, which means the latest we'll see it in Japan is next March. The system is expected to make an appearance at this year's E3, and we'll surely be given more information before then. For now, Nintendo has yet to release any images of the system, or how games will look, or be played.

So how will the 3D effect be displayed? We posted a video of a downloadable game that's out now in Japan that uses head tracking to simulate a 3D image, and since then we've had time to try the game on a friend's Japanese DSi during GDC. By tracking the motion of the system in relation to your eyes, you seem to be able to peer "into" the picture by turning the system this way and that. It's a surprisingly effective effect, and some iteration of this system may be used in the 3DS.

Nintendo has a history of announcing hardware upgrades and features that may seem silly at first glance before going on to become huge success. Many scoffed at the idea of the Nintendo Wii, until lines to play the system at its first E3 showing stretched around the convention. 3D is fresh in the minds of consumers after the success of Avatar, and 3D-capable televisions are expected to make a splash at retail this year. A portable system that works with all your old games and won't require glasses? It could be the right product at the right time.

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