Unity To Enable Nintendo Wii Games

Hello all. I just joined this forum and I was wondering if anyone knows about:

http://www.wiiflash.org/

I read on this post that some developed a hack for Unity to support the wiimote, but i didn't see a link listed to where one can get this hack. Then I remembered that someone hacked it to work with Flash and since Flash's ActionScript is based off Javascript and Unity supports Javascript I thought that it shouldn't be that difficult to port the code over to work with Unity? And also, since I'm talking about Flash and I have a lot of experience working and developing content in Flash. I have a bit of concern. You see Flash is on the verge of having full 3D support. Several items exist already such as PaperVision and Sandy3D, both of which work with Flash Player 9 and can import Collada 3D files. Adobe has also officially announced some 3D effects that will be available in Flash Player 10. There are also a few 3D based Flash games now popping up on the net. So, my concern is that once Flash fully supports 3D how will Unity compete when Flash player is already installed on 98% of all web browsers? Would it be possible to support Flash inside of Unity? For example have Unity be able to import .SWF files ? That would be awesome for GUI interface Design and developers/designers who already use Adobe's Creative Suite.

 

The question of Flash and 3D is an interesting one, I'm sure it will generate some interesting discussion. But it seems like you should start a new topic for that (in the Gossip section of the forum.)

Hope this helps,
Matt

 

Thanks Matt! I just posted the same message in the gossip section. Let's see what happens.

 

The Wii supports JavaScript extensions in its browser to allow operation via the wiimote. So Flash running inside opera on a Wii can access the wiimote using the various Flash/JavaScript interfaces.

This really has nothing to do with Unity running on a Wii (unless the Unity plugin gets ported to the Wii), and nothing to do with using a wiimote with Unity (or Flash) on something other than the Wii (unless you want to write a browser extension to emulate the Wii browser's JavaScript support for the wiimote).

 

The Unity web plug-in ported to the Wii ... now *that* would be something to get excited about.

 

Ha! Not now that Nintendo wants five dollars to use a web browser! When I had my first Wii, the browser was free!

 

According to soon-to-be Dr. Johnny Lee, the great power of the Wii as yet to be unleashed. Dr. Lee’s invention is one step shy of full hologram gaming. At the end of his head tracking presentation he makes an appeal to Wii developers for new and interesting games utilizing his technology. Wii development for Unity developers means access to this type of evolutionary gaming. The Wiimote is a brilliant device, in and of itself. The Wii as a console has barely tapped into its potential. And now, in my opinion, the estimated extent of that capacity is now many times what it was before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw

As far as the technical leap between Unity and the Wiimote, there exist a category of controller emulators called PIE for programmable input emulator. One example of which is GlovePie. I have played HalfLife2 on a PC using the Wiimote with GlovePie running. At the very least, a PIE app will allow developers to test Wiimote-based ideas before they spring for the Dev kit (“enter into negotiations with Nintendo” seems more like it).

 

I saw that video a couple weeks ago or so. It seems like a cool idea, but it will never take off. One of the main things Nintendo is trying to accomplish with the Wii is fun multiplayer experiences, or even fun times watching someone else play. When only one person can watch the screen meaningfully, you cut all of that off.

The only reason to have a console instead of a computer is for giant screens, which lend themselves nicely to more than one person playing at once. Headsets have been out for a long time that do what was done in this video. How many people actually bought them? It's a great, immersive idea. But there's no market for it.

 

I believe I understand what you are saying. Even niche markets, if approached with the right business model, can be a windfall for one or two designer/developers. Anyway, this vid caused quite a stir around my office when it was sent around; something for the simulation gaming market for sure.

More importantly, it is an emergent use of the Wiiimote, which is (on its way to being) a widely distributed main stream product.

 

That's the truth. It got me thinking...

I have already used the Wiimote and Nunchuk to control mouse + apple remote functions, and MIDI. Because it is a Bluetooth device, I wonder if we will ever see any PS3 games that use the Wii remote. I have no idea what the legal ramifications of that would be, but it would be a very interesting development.

 

Sorry for my incompetence, but what exactly is a SDK?
From what I read you can develop games for Wii with Unity for Wii, then? Do you need to burn them on a disc? What does the SDK provide more?
I always tought it was a simple Wii unit capable of giving details about the performances, variables and so on so a deep debug could be done with it.
I've seen photos of one, maybe there's more than the green Wii I saw there?
http://playsquad.commongate.com/post/wii_developer_kit_shots
If anyone would like to answer, be very detailed, as if I knew nothing of videogames developing. I'd love to read all of it. Thanks!

 

Software Development Kit. Allows you to write software for a particular "system" like a virtual machine or wii. More expanisive version here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_development_kit

 

Sorry if this has been asked a billion times already but this thread is pretty long, all I want to know is when is the wii support for unity expected to release. I wanna get my hands on it now!!!!

 

I believe it's all ready being licensed, try emailing them.

 

Please email us at sales@unity3d.com and we'll let you know all about it as we're taking customers (unless you've done that already).

 

Hi Tom and David,
Did you get my email about Wii ?