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Asus takes on the Wiimote
New Eee Stick promises to translate physical hand motions into corresponding movements on a PC screen
If you’ve been suffering from Wii envy when you go round to your mate’s house, but don’t love Wii Sports enough to part with £180, then Asus may have the answer in the form of this new Eee Stick. The new controller promises ‘to translate physical hand motions into corresponding movements on a PC screen.’
Heck, it even looks a bit like a Wiimote and Nunchuk setup, with one half featuring an analogue joystick, and the other featuring a digital control pad, each with a wrist strap.
Asus is starting off by bundling the Eee Stick with specific models of the Eee PC and Eee box, along with a bundle of games that Asus has developed for it. Asus couldn’t tell us whether it would be available separately at a later date, but the company did say that it ‘can theoretically be used with all PCs,’ adding the caveat that the Eee Stick will ‘function best with games specially developed for it.’ Asus also points out that the Eee Stick is a standard HID (human interface device) peripheral, and it can cooperate with any other gaming peripherals, so you can mix and match parts of the Eee Stick setup with other controllers.
Included in the bundle is an Activation stick, a Navigation stick and 2.4GHz RF USB dongle. Both sticks have a rumble feature, and require two AA batteries each, which Asus claims will last for up to 72 hours of play.
Asus has developed the Eee Stick with three modes of operation in mind. The first is the 3D Motion mode, which responds to movements across all the axes, as well as flicks of the wrist, which Asus says is ideal for sports and action games. Second on the list is the Pointing Mode, which focuses on aiming and is targeted at first person shooters and light gun games. Finally, there’s the Tilt Mode, in which the Eee Stick acts a bit like a joystick, and could be used for flight sims.
Should Asus make this available outside the Eee PC bundle, or is the PC better suited to keyboard and mouse gaming? Would you rather buy a genuine Wiimote and get it working on a PC? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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And one more thing "Troll24_7".... the sites you listed arn't console sites they're just GAMING sites. OF COURSE they have sections dedicated to all gaming machines, including the PC. Maybe "Muppet24_7" would be a more appropriate name...
Comment by cyberspice1 at 3:11pm 13th August 2008
or should that be "troll24_7"? You are of course correct, you don't use every oppertunity to say consoles are better, you just use every oppertunity to put PC's down. Very subtle difference. You come on a PC website and do it. Thats why you're a troll. And in response to your initial comment, it's also fair to say that consoles have been suffering from "PC Envy" for ages. Thats why they started putting hard drives, internet access, media centre capabilities etc into consoles in the first place.
Comment by cyberspice1 at 2:40pm 13th August 2008
There're already keyboards with an embedded (crappy) mouse on sale in some stores in UK and duty free shops (seen on in Netherlands)... Pretty soon, consoles will resemble PCs that can run games only more and more... And PCs will have more console like features made for them. Mind you, joysticks and gamepads are creatures of personal computers
Comment by cookie at 8:18am 12th August 2008
i think it could be quite promising. and unlike the wii you can tweek the controls on a pc all you like. now if thay just make one thats pistol shape it will be grate fun for fps.
Comment by russel_williams at 3:05pm 9th August 2008
While you're the only one who can see that invisible text where I told everyone how superior I think the console is to the PC. Do us all a favor and find it. While your on that wild goose chase, I'll clue you in on something else. The console sites I visit embrace the PC. They have whole sections devoted to it. You can discuss ALL aspects of gaming without being flamed. I've told you this before, you have a VERY narrow minded view of this hobby. Asus could've designed their own controller, but they didn't. They chose Nintendo's design. As they say "imitation is the finest form of flattery". http://www.ign.com http://www.computerandvideogames.com http://www.1up.com
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 4:19pm 8th August 2008
I also don't think this would be an outright replacement for the kb & mouse, however it could take some of the movement & key functions from them, leaving your kb for use with secondary functions (picking up things, entering vehicles etc) so you wouldn't have to grow extra fingers or stretch your hand out over the kb to reach some function that you need. I think if they tried to replace the kb/mouse altogether, this thing would have a LOT more buttons on it!
Comment by EdArch at 1:11pm 8th August 2008
"Should Asus make this available outside the Eee PC bundle?" Yes absolutely, and if it works as well as it says it does than there'd be no need to get a Wii nunchuk and get that to work on your PC - why bother if this is designed for the PC in the first place? - It would be interesting to see if this works on applications such as Maya/3DS/GMAX. If it does (and without too much headache) it woud be a good alternative to 4D navigator joysticks that can cost hundreds of pounds
Comment by EdArch at 1:05pm 8th August 2008
i have downloaded a program which i am able to use my wiimote with my pc. it is quite fun but will cost you for some extra components to get it to work.
Comment by planem997 at 12:59pm 8th August 2008
I used a wiimote and nunchuck on my pc for a while but it just wasnt as good as the mouse, cool to play around with though. The eepc wont ever be able to play any normal games so asus might be planning simple games like on the wii. casual gaming could make the eepc more popular and draw kids towards using linux which is used on alot of the machines already nothing wrong with using what nintendo made popular, and its another controller option which is always good
Comment by arseout84 at 10:00am 8th August 2008
I don't think Warrior was stating that at all. He pointed out correctly that the Nintendo through marketing and genius created a console for this type of remote. They weren't the first but they've made it work by bundling it with a console, pushing every studio to develop for that remote. Not just a few niche games. Every one of them. He merely points out that if the Wii hadn't of existed then this controller wouldn't have and it's true. It will fail because Asus cannot force studios to rewrite their pc games to work with this thing so it will only be a few pointless games.
Comment by marklitt at 7:51am 8th August 2008
What is it with you Warrior? almost every time I've seen your name appear it's to try and tell everyone how superior you think the console is to the PC, fair enough thats your opinion but coming on to a PC enthusiast web site and saying such things isnt going to go down well, it would just the same as if a PC user went on to a console site and did it.
Comment by WoodSpoon at 2:59am 8th August 2008
just for your information, you can play on ps3 using keyboard and mouse i.e. Unreal 3. There is also a rumour that a mouse is developed for x360
Comment by skyblue at 10:33pm 7th August 2008
Im calling out some PC envy too, i know a lot of people who have or who wish to hook up a kb/mouse to their 360 and ps3, so they can have the accuracy and dexterity that us as PC gamers have enjoyed since the dawn of time. "if the kb/mouse combo was the best control device this wouldn't be needed". This remote isnt 'needed', its a market experiment, Asus didnt suddenly come along and say 'oh my god, look at all those pc gamers, they need a wiimote style controller'.
Comment by russuk at 10:06pm 7th August 2008
Wait wait wait! You might be even crazier than I first thought! Are you suggesting this as a REPLACEMENT for the mouse and keyboard? Get a grip! As I conceded this is better at certain things (arbitrarily - its better at tasks designed with its use in mind) but I wouldnt have believed even the dullest of morons would have thought a wii style remote would be better suited to do the every-day tasks the mouse excels at! You honestly think a wii remote is better for fps and strategy games than a keyboard and mouse? Let alone office applications! "Besides, if the kb/mouse combo was the best control device this wouldn't be needed. THATS the point!" Do you have any idea how bad an argument that is? Let's say product A has 9 features and product B has 1 feature that product A doesn't have. You're telling me that A cant be the best of the 2 because it lacks the sole feature of B? A wii style remote, AS I SAID, is better at certain things, namely applications designed around it's use. Wow, big shocker.
Comment by borodin at 9:26pm 7th August 2008
I have already tried using the Nintendo Wiimote with my mac using DarwiinRemote(0.7), and to be honest, I'm disappointed. It's connection success rate is less than 15% for me, and I'm no newb to troubleshooting. Assuming this thing is priced decently, ($50 or less, hopefully less) I'd be happy to puck one up and play with it.
Comment by AdmiralPotato at 9:07pm 7th August 2008
It probably took so long because they may have licensed it from Nintendo (since it's almost an EXACT copy). By creating this there is no need to go thru any ridiculous configuration process to jerry rig a real Wii mote to a PC. Just buy this thing. It's also on the Eee PC and Eee box which is... wait for it...aimed at children!! There you go Darwin. Besides, if the kb/mouse combo was the best control device this wouldn't be needed. THATS the point! Yes people DO care, if they didn't then this thing wouldn't exist. Yes this is "console envy". If it weren't for the Wii then this wouldn't see the light of day.
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 6:51pm 7th August 2008
One of the strengths of the pc has always been its versatility, anything you can make for consoles you can make to work on a pc. So to me it's no suprise that this happened, if anything, the length of time it took (as you yourself mentioned articles on how to port the wiimote to pcs have been around for ages) is the suprise. Can you guess why it took so long? Because not that many people actually care. For a wide-range of tasks like sorting through lots of information quickly to things like playing strategy and first person games, the keyboard and mouse currently reigns supreme. For games designed around the use of a wii-style remote, a wii-style remote is far superior. Woah! How did you figure that one out Einstein?? So yeah, as I say, whats your point?
Comment by borodin at 6:20pm 7th August 2008
Fact already checked and noted. But the reality is that pad sucked. Sony also uses "tilt" motion or whatever. It's not who does it "first", it's who does it "best" (see AMD vs Intel). Nintendo built the Wii system around this technology and made games for it. It works. Like it or not they've changed gameplay and influenced the market in one fell swoop. The success of the Wii quells all doubters. Hmmm... I wonder why Asus didn't copy the "'motion sensing sidewinder"? Oh, thats right it sucked.
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 5:10pm 7th August 2008
you people want to check your facts before talking about 'console envy' and the like. Microsoft had developed and released a motion sensing gamepad in 1998. just google 'motion sensing sidewinder' and you'll soon see. it has nothing to do with console envy at all. it is to do with Asus wanting to make more money, just like all companies, by creating its own niche within a market.
Comment by rickykemp at 5:06pm 7th August 2008
do you think it'd be an easier way to control a media pc from the sofa than a wireless mouse?
Comment by matt___ at 5:01pm 7th August 2008
What was long suspected and discussed in console circles has come to pass. "Console Envy" has hit the PC. I first seen this popping up in PC hardware mags in the states. They would break it down and try and figure out how it worked. They published an article on how to configure one for your PC long before Asus made this. I thought the keyboard & mouse combo was suppose to be the "ultimate" control device?!! Yeah riiiiight!
Comment by Warrior24_7 at 4:41pm 7th August 2008
Nintendo already did this? Who cares? We can use the Wii remotes on our PC's anyway via bluetooth? Yawn?
Comment by Lightning_Pete at 4:42pm 7th August 2008
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