Interfacing with your Wiimote using C#. and VB.NET – the Microsoft way

Microsoft Developer Network - Image 1 

Yes, that’s right: up on Microsoft Developer Network is a managed library (for all you .NET Framework coders out there) that will allow you to interface with the wireless Wiimote and handle the data sent to and received from the device. Brought to you by MSDN contributor Brian Peek, the library allows you to code your own applications (and games) to handle Bluetooth wireless input from the Wiimote.

Unfortunately, not everyone may be able to interface correctly with the Wii Remote because not all Bluetooth adapters work with the Wiimote. Plus, the adapters must also come with compatible stacks. Still, enterprises have been successful with integrating the Wiimote into their own applications, so chances are you could have a compatible adapter with you already.

Even if you don’t have the Visual Studio 2005 suite, you can still opt for educational (and, as long as you don’t program commercial apps, free!) editions of Visual C# and Visual Basic .NET, although SharpDevelop is also a good choice. The tutorial provided by Peek will guide you through a step by step process of setting up your tweaking efforts, including being able to test out API calls through the library’s Wiimote Test application.

Inside the source code of the app, you’ll find a treasure’s worth of information that the Wiimote could send, including button states and battery power remaining. Sweet. Now you can build your own robot arm and control it with your trusty Wii. If you’ve suddenly dived into the coding mood, click on the “Read” link below to hop onto the MSDN site by .NET programming vet Brian Peek.

Microsoft Developer Network - Image 1 

Yes, that’s right: up on Microsoft Developer Network is a managed library (for all you .NET Framework coders out there) that will allow you to interface with the wireless Wiimote and handle the data sent to and received from the device. Brought to you by MSDN contributor Brian Peek, the library allows you to code your own applications (and games) to handle Bluetooth wireless input from the Wiimote.

Unfortunately, not everyone may be able to interface correctly with the Wii Remote because not all Bluetooth adapters work with the Wiimote. Plus, the adapters must also come with compatible stacks. Still, enterprises have been successful with integrating the Wiimote into their own applications, so chances are you could have a compatible adapter with you already.

Even if you don’t have the Visual Studio 2005 suite, you can still opt for educational (and, as long as you don’t program commercial apps, free!) editions of Visual C# and Visual Basic .NET, although SharpDevelop is also a good choice. The tutorial provided by Peek will guide you through a step by step process of setting up your tweaking efforts, including being able to test out API calls through the library’s Wiimote Test application.

Inside the source code of the app, you’ll find a treasure’s worth of information that the Wiimote could send, including button states and battery power remaining. Sweet. Now you can build your own robot arm and control it with your trusty Wii. If you’ve suddenly dived into the coding mood, click on the “Read” link below to hop onto the MSDN site by .NET programming vet Brian Peek.

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