GyroPod controller hints pre-Wiimote concept

Here’s a little bit of trivia to flex those neurons: Ever wondered how Nintendo came up with the Wii’s wireless, motion-sensing remote? Slides and images of a motion-sensing controller just surfaced recently, and there’s a lot of evidence here that could point fingers toward the motion-sensing experts: Gyration.

It turns out that Nintendo asked Gyration to help design a motion-sensing controller, and Gyration, holders of the most impressive motion-sensing patents, came up with one intriguing concept. At first, you could tell that the whole controller was designed to accommodate the common layout of past Nintendo controllers.

But Gyration made the controller into one with a detachable motion-sensing nub (image above, courtesy of Gizmodo), designed to become a one-handed controller for a machine. Although reminiscent of the semi-flop that was Microsoft‘s Sidewinder Dual Strike, perhaps it was this “one-handed” idea that gave rise to the Wii remote as it is today.

Gizmodo reports that this controller was fully realized way before the Nintendo Wii remote – rendered in prototype form, of course. Saying that Gyration was way ahead of its time is an understatement, for sure. But Nintendo’s interest in Gyration’s concept seems to have spurred success for the Japanese gaming giant, who’s console now leads the next-generation front.

Here’s a little bit of trivia to flex those neurons: Ever wondered how Nintendo came up with the Wii’s wireless, motion-sensing remote? Slides and images of a motion-sensing controller just surfaced recently, and there’s a lot of evidence here that could point fingers toward the motion-sensing experts: Gyration.

It turns out that Nintendo asked Gyration to help design a motion-sensing controller, and Gyration, holders of the most impressive motion-sensing patents, came up with one intriguing concept. At first, you could tell that the whole controller was designed to accommodate the common layout of past Nintendo controllers.

But Gyration made the controller into one with a detachable motion-sensing nub (image above, courtesy of Gizmodo), designed to become a one-handed controller for a machine. Although reminiscent of the semi-flop that was Microsoft‘s Sidewinder Dual Strike, perhaps it was this “one-handed” idea that gave rise to the Wii remote as it is today.

Gizmodo reports that this controller was fully realized way before the Nintendo Wii remote – rendered in prototype form, of course. Saying that Gyration was way ahead of its time is an understatement, for sure. But Nintendo’s interest in Gyration’s concept seems to have spurred success for the Japanese gaming giant, who’s console now leads the next-generation front.