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[ari]

man, i can imagine the commercials with this thing with netflix, mario bros, pikmin 3, and other features getting used with the gamepad....yea, casuals gonna go nuts. lol

Smartglass is just the natural evolution of the 3 screens and a cloud strategy that Microsoft has been touting for the last half of a decade. They've been talking about connecting your tv, phone and computer since before anyone knew the WiiU was going to happen.

convenient timing, just like they had the idea for ipods too.

Not saying they didn't had the idea, just that its suspect...microsoft will always be credited for the ushering in of N words on my gaming console. xbox live was and is awesome.

 

[v0yce]

Since the Wii U doesn't have a blu ray drive it automatically makes it NOT the best movie companion.

 

[The Bookerman]

Smartglass is just the natural evolution of the 3 screens and a cloud strategy that Microsoft has been touting for the last half of a decade. They've been talking about connecting your tv, phone and computer since before anyone knew the WiiU was going to happen.

Yeah but it's funny that all this stuff comes to "Fruition" on Wii U's last e3 before launch, isn't it?

 

[cacildo]

Depends on the game. Nintendo isn't forcing devs to add Gamepad-only functionality into their games. But yeah, if you want to get in a quick gaming session after your movie, you could do it right from the Gamepad without having to touch the console.

That´s somehow connected to my major concern about they WiiU.

For me the BIGGEST thing the WiiU can offer is local multiplayer for big ass games.

- Say GTAV gets a WiiU release.
- They shove in a local multiplayer mode
- I play on the tablet. My girlfriend plays on the TV
- Two players, same city, simultaneous gameplay.

Possible?

Because, really, in my mind the WiiU was MADE for this kind of situation

 

[v0yce]

Yeah but it's funny that all this stuff comes to "Fruition" on Wii U's last e3 before launch, isn't it?

Don't start this. Then we'll get into the whole PS3/PSP remote play was first stuff.

 

[ari]

Since the Wii U doesn't have a blu ray drive it automatically makes it NOT the best movie companion.

good point

i don't think the OP was saying this though.

 

[bigtroyjon]

convenient timing, just like they had the idea for ipods too.

3 years ago

This isn't something that just gets cooked up in a few months in response to a competitor, especially a competitor like Nintendo that Microsoft doesn't take all that seriously.

Yeah but it's funny that all this stuff comes to "Fruition" on Wii U's last e3 before launch, isn't it?

Not really that funny as I'm pretty sure both of them made their products in response to things Apple was doing and were inspired around the same time.

 

[outunderthestars]

That´s somehow connected to my major concern about they WiiU.

For me the BIGGEST thing the WiiU can offer is local multiplayer for big ass games.

- Say GTAV gets a WiiU release.
- They shove in a local multiplayer mode
- I play on the tablet. My girlfriend plays on the TV
- Two players, same city, simultaneous gameplay.

Possible?

Because, really, in my mind the WiiU was MADE for this kind of situation

Not on a game like GTA V. It would require too much horsepower.

Since the Wii U doesn't have a blu ray drive it automatically makes it NOT the best movie companion.

I'm not even sure if DVD movie playback is supported.

 

[ari]

3 years ago

This isn't something that just gets cooked up in a few months in response to a competitor, especially a competitor like Nintendo that Microsoft doesn't take all that seriously.



Not really that funny as I'm pretty sure both of them made their products in response to things Apple was doing and were inspired around the same time.

that doesn't sound like smartglass but a clouding service. :/

 

[v0yce]

good point

i don't think the OP was saying this though.

Maybe not. But an online connected blu ray player offers a lot of really neat features for movie watching.

Sure looking at some data while a movie is playing on another screen could be cool, but it can't really compare to being able to play director commentary or overlay behind the scene footage or all kinds of other stuff that's standard "special features" for movie discs.

 

[Raistlin]

Which puts the maximum possible userbase for smartglass this at about 30 million people.

Again though, that's disregarding smartphones ... which at least for the application this thread is discussing, is just as usable.

Say I take my gamepad upstairs to watch a movie on it (with my Wii U being downstairs) and decide that after the movie is finished,

I want to get a little gaming in before going to bed. Can I play that game right on the gamepad without having to go back downstairs?

We won't have real-world range info until at or near launch, and even then it will be dependent on your house (interference, materials, layout, etc).

Based on what was discussed last year though, I'm extremely skeptical that will be doable. It was essentially billed as in-room.

Depends on the game. Nintendo isn't forcing devs to add Gamepad-only functionality into their games. But yeah, if you want to get in a quick gaming session after your movie, you could do it right from the Gamepad without having to touch the console.

Wait, I thought using the pad essentially as your TV screen was an OS level feature. Are you saying games don't have to support that (making this like PSP remote play was) ? If so, that's even more damning.

i don't think anyone is buying a wii u for netflix.

EDIT: what the fuck is up with the smartglass argument? people think that tablet users that is xbox live users is gonna use this shit? really?

Why would a tablet/phone owner be so much less inclined to use this versus a Wii U owner? We can't have it both ways. Either it's a cool feature on the Wii U, though a competitor(s) will offer similar functionality to a good portion of the userbase ... or it's not a compelling feature and this entire thread is moot.

 

[bigtroyjon]

that doesn't sound like smartglass but a clouding service. :/

Smartglass is connecting all your devices, mobile, computer/tablet and tv which is exactly what the article I linked is talking about.

 

[Raistlin]

Raistlin you make a lot of assumptions about the functionality considering we haven't even seen the interface yet really...

I'm going by what actually has been demonstrated. It's the people I've been countering that are making tons of assumptions or don't have a clear picture of limitations or what the competition if offering.


What am I making assumptions on?

 

[theviolenthero]

Since the Wii U doesn't have a blu ray drive it automatically makes it NOT the best movie companion.

Doesn't have a blu ray drive?
I thought when it was first announced last year blu ray was gonna be the disc of choice but it just wouldn't be able to play the movies.

 

[chickdigger802]

Doesn't have a blu ray drive?
I thought when it was first announced last year blu ray was gonna be the disc of choice but it just wouldn't be able to play the movies.

nope, some proprietary disc.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

Doesn't have a blu ray drive?
I thought when it was first announced last year blu ray was gonna be the disc of choice but it just wouldn't be able to play the movies.

uhhhh... that was exactly his point

 

[ari]

stuff..

This is a neat feature wii u have, plain and simple. I can see myself using the gamepad for netflix. I don't see a benefit to connect my tablet to xbox 360 outside of the gaming perks. :/

 

[davonaytor]

It sounds like a lot of people don't like that this is a feature of Wii U Netflix. It's certainly not the best movie companion, but I like the idea of getting movie information, movie navigation controls and the ability to browse for what to watch next on your controller. Homebrew could do a lot for the Wii U.

 

[evolution]

I think that's a cool feature, I'm not sure how far the range is on the wiipad but if it's long enough I would definitely use it in other rooms away from my main tv. lt would be even better if it worked with bluray or DVDs.

 

[Raistlin]

im positive that tv remote thing is gonna be big with the casuals. Also, Raistlin, the gamepad is a RF? universal remote. That should work with every device that has a rf receiver.

No devices have RF receivers with open protocols (and even if they did, almost no one's devices are RF anyway). So while obviously the controller itself talks to the Wii U via RF, the system itself (or the pad) has an IR blaster in order to talk to the TV.

As for it being a 'universal remote', can you point to a source for this? The controller has a dedicated TV button, and the pictures showing the remote show support for only basic TV functions. I'll gladly eat my hat if it can support other components, but I've seen nothing to indicate that. And even if it does, the devil is in the details. Universal remotes are not all created equal. If anything, that's one area of CE were the delta is especially notable.

There do seem to be some reports this may also work with cable boxes, satellites, etc. If that's the case, then it does certainly make its utility better ... but in general the points still stand. That doesn't make it a universal remote. It can only control 2 devices, and in very limited ways ... and still has the battery issues.

http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/1...dware-and-miiverse-social-network-ahead-of-e3

 

[Raistlin]

Such a me-too creation design solely because of the gamepad.

smh

I'll repost ...

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=38743631&postcount=130

Moreover, it's not like this came out of left field and is only some reaction to Wii U. It's actually the natural evolution of already existing MS products. Windows 7 has a thing known as 'Play To', which has many similarities to AirPlay (though is more robust since it does P2P not just client/server - and actually came out first IIRC lol). More pursuant to Wii U, WP7 has an app known as XBox companion that allows you to select media, etc from Live then remote control your Xbox to play it. It's a secondary screen that gives more info about what your playing and allows you to go search for more content without bringing crap up on the TV while it's playing. Regarding games, they released Halo ATLAS for not only WP7 but iOS and Android. It provides a realtime overhead map for Halo: Reach and Halo: Anniversary, showing spawn locations, health packs, etc.

The features in SmartGlass is an evolution/conflation of tech MS has had for years, and predate Wii U.

 

[ari]

Raistlin, it was in the wii u hardware video last sunday. I take it you didn't watch it then. Clearly have a RF thingy majiggy on it. In that pic alone you can see INPUT on the screen. that wouldn't be there if the remote can't communicate with other devices. :/

 

[Alex]

I have an iPad and an iPhone and I will probably never use this Smart Glass thing. I don't really get the point, it seems like wasted development time to me unless they have their own tablet functionality going forward with the next console and its controller. Just a bit awkward for very little purpose to try and pair the things. With Wii-U its kind of a cute bullet point and comes naturally with its controller, might be a good use for kids and simple things.

Not sure how Microsoft is aping Nintendo at all here, though. :lol That's a ridiculous thing to say considering what we're talking about here.

As for it being a 'universal remote', can you point to a source for this? The controller has a dedicated TV button, and the pictures showing the remote show support for only basic TV functions. I'l

Its going to be neat for turning on the TV and swapping to the Wii-U input when you want to use the console. Using it like a genuine universal remote isn't going to happen, they won't support that enough to make it decent and no one wants a remote with a 4 hour battery life.

 

[Somnid]

The top of the Wii U Gamepad has an IR transmitter. It's also used with the Wii Fit Meter.

 

[jagowar]

I knew this was going to turn into the wiiu gamepad vs smart glass debate..... I actually am interested to see both products and how good they actually will be in use. imo its far too early to tell how well either will actually work and how many apps will use the second screen and how well they will use them. We really will not know that until this fall when they both launch.

I do think Nintendo has the better integration story since every wiiU will come with theirs and they have the buttons but ms actually has the better overall solution imo.... only because they are working across pretty much every device you own and whatever they do for the 360 should be forward compatible and we won't have to fund the added cost in the next system to include such a controller. I already have those devices.... really smart to let me use them and not make me purchase one solely to use with xbox and make it cost even more.

Also FYI the verge has done the best video demo of smartglass.... really gives better info about what it can and can't do since there seems to be quite a lot of confusion about it here (and rightfully so because ms really didn't do a very good job demoing it).... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0H9rzM5FTc&feature=player_embedded

 

[Raistlin]

Raistlin, it was in the wii u hardware video last sunday. I take it you didn't watch it then. Clearly have a RF thingy majiggy on it.

I've watched several vids and read articles, however I'm not sure which one you are specifically referring to. Mind posting a link? I don't think it's what you're talking about.

In that pic alone you can see INPUT on the screen. that wouldn't be there if the remote can't communicate with other devices. :/

Brah ... notice the chrome wrapped around that button? It says TV Input and Power. As in for switching Inputs on the TV :/


No offense, but I'm starting to think you don't have a firm grasp of what's on offer ... or remote control tech in general.

convenient timing, just like they had the idea for ipods too.

Not saying they didn't had the idea, just that its suspect...microsoft will always be credited for the ushering in of N words on my gaming console. xbox live was and is awesome.

It isn't a question of having the 'idea' ... the precursors to this were already in the wild before Wii U was announced. This isn't actually up for debate. They've been talking about this sort of interaction for years and actually released products before Wii U was known. SmartGlass is putting it all together along with some new features into one package that runs on multiple OS's.


Really the only area one could even make an argument about would be for gaming. I'd have to look into it as I don't recall when the first smartphone/tablet app that works with a 360 game was announced versus the Wii U announcement. So it's possible an actual product announcement game later (though maybe not). That said, MS most certainly has been discussing the concept well before Wii U's announcement. Hell they were talking about it before WP7 even launched. It was one of the main talking points about expanding 'XBox' outside of the actual XBox console.

Regardless, the media stuff has been around well before Wii U was a drawing on a napkin.

 

[Raistlin]

Its going to be neat for turning on the TV and swapping to the Wii-U input when you want to use the console. Using it like a genuine universal remote isn't going to happen, they won't support that enough to make it decent and no one wants a remote with a 4 hour battery life.

.

 

[PG2G]

I don't see how it could be a good feature on the wii u and useless on smart glass when they provide the exact same end result. Does the fact that one screen says Apple/Nokia/Samsung/Asus and the other say Nintendo really make that much of a difference in whether you'd use it?

 

[LuchaShaq]

Yeah but that also takes into account you own a tablet already. This is bundled with the Wii U. That said, I can't wait to own a Windows 8 tablet!

Or an ipad or an iphone or a android tablet or one of the billion android phones....

Also the battery life alone makes this a bad choice.

 

[EloquentM]

Since the Wii U doesn't have a blu ray drive it automatically makes it NOT the best movie companion.

It does have a blu ray drive

 

[outunderthestars]

It does have a blu ray drive

No it doesn't.

 

[EloquentM]

No it doesn't.

It uses blue laser technology. I never said it'd play back blu ray discs but it technically is a blu ray drive.

 

[ari]

more stuff...

the vid is the nintendo direct feed, clearly stating that the remote have a RF thingy. Which means it should work with other RF devices, no? i must admit, i don't give a shit about remote control tech so you got me there.

 

[shinra-bansho]

It has a blue-laser drive - but it doesn't actually support the Blu-ray Disc™ standard - semantics argument. Overarching point though is that it won't play Blu-ray movies.

in a thread about movie viewing it is more than semantics.

Came out wrong - I meant that I'm not sure who's technically right in terms of whether it has a Blu-ray drive.

But see above about overarching point.

 

[outunderthestars]

It has a blue-laser drive - but it doesn't actually support the Blu-ray Disc™ standard - semantics.

in a thread about movie viewing it is more than semantics. Apparently the machine cannot play dvd movies or blu-ray movies.

 

[EloquentM]

It has a blue-laser drive - but it doesn't actually support the Blu-ray Disc™ standard - semantics. Overarching point though is that it won't play Blu-ray movies.

lets argue them some more.

=}

 

[Gahiggidy]

This is a great idea and will give Nintendo a competitive advantage over Sony and Microsoft.

 

[Raistlin]

I don't see how it could be a good feature on the wii u and useless on smart glass when they provide the exact same end result. Does the fact that one screen says Apple/Nokia/Samsung/Asus and the other say Nintendo really make that much of a difference in whether you'd use it?

ding ding ding


truth

It does have a blu ray drive

troll

 

[lednerg]

the vid is the nintendo direct feed, clearly stating that the remote have a RF thingy. Which means it should work with other RF devices, no? i must admit, i don't give a shit about remote control tech so you got me there.

It's not RF, it's IR. RF is radio, IR is infrared.

But yes, it should be able to learn any device's remote you want to use it with. It will probably have an initial setup where you point your remote at the IR sensor to "train" it for the number buttons, etc. It will most likely have a guide based on your cable/satellite provider and your location (hence the guide button). The patents also mention that functionality.

 

[ari]

It's not RF, it's IR. RF is radio, IR is infrared.

But yes, it should be able to learn any device's remote you want to use it with. It will probably have an initial setup where you point your remote at the IR sensor to "train" it for the number buttons, etc. It will most likely have a guide based on your cable/satellite provider and your location (hence the guide button).

i knew i was off with the rf thingy. lol

 

[Raistlin]

the vid is the nintendo direct feed, clearly stating that the remote have a RF thingy.

An RF thingy ... don't get technical on me

Seriously, If you want me to answer this please post a link (and a time index if possible) to the specific video you're talking about. I can't really hazard to guess what you're referring to without either seeing the vid or you being a bit more specific in the terminology and what was stated.

If I had to guess though, it's what the Wii U console uses to talk to the pad. Think of it like wireless HDMI (since it's sending video to the controller), only it's 2-way since the pad sends back controller/touch input to the console

Which means it should work with other RF devices, no? i must admit, i don't give a shit about remote control tech so you got me there.

Very few CE devices use RF remotes. IR has specific, documented frequency and language. Essentially it's sending sequences of hex values over IR that a receiver picks up and executes. This is why one can make learning remotes (or even program them if you know the hex values). Everything is standardized.

RF remotes are quite different. It can use any frequency range that is legal (certain parts of the RF spectrum are 'owned' for stuff like FM/AM radio, TV, WiFi, etc). Because it can be this huge range of frequencies, there aren't universal Tx/Rx designed to utilize the full spectrum. Moreover, there is no actual standardization in the protocol itself. It's all proprietary. Someone making an RF controller for a given device can make the commands however they want to ... and it ain't published. Lastly in most (actually I'd imagine all) situations, the Tx and Rx are actually paired a la Blue Tooth. That would make learning and setup, even if all of the above was not true, a big pain in the ass. As a matter of fact Blue Tooth is RF, though unlike remote controls it does have documented protocols.

Basically when you hear about an RF universal remote ... it isn't actually talking to your devices through RF. It's talking to a dedicated RF receiver that then translates the commands to IR and uses an 'IR blaster' to hit up the devices.

 

[J.W.Crazy]

How about buying one that actually works with next generation games?

Seriously, The number of people who are going to buy a 720/Wii-U for marginally enhanced Netflix is incredibly low. Netflix is already on almost every device sold in the last two years. Nobody is going to drop $300 + to be able to look up info on movies marginally faster.

Nobody is saying this at all. People will however look at all the features when deciding which next gen console to buy and some may find the one that comes with these features out of the box more appealing than the one that requires them to already own or purchase additional devices.

So really, it's remote control aspects are only useful when you're using Wii U or basically have nothing else hooked up and just use OTA TV.

You're ignoring something that is pretty important. Nintendo and especially Microsoft and Sony don't want you to use any other devices in your living room. They want their machine to be an always on go to hub for everything you do. You don't need to control anything but the TV and the console.

I don't see how it could be a good feature on the wii u and useless on smart glass when they provide the exact same end result. Does the fact that one screen says Apple/Nokia/Samsung/Asus and the other say Nintendo really make that much of a difference in whether you'd use it?

I don't think anyone is saying smartglass is useless, just that they won't in fact provide the exact same end result. One is fully integrated from the ground up, the other is a tacked on feature late in the consoles lifespan. Even if smartglass is fully integrated with the 720 the tablets and smart phones still won't be designed to work as effectively as the Wii U gamepad.

Not on a game like GTA V. It would require too much horsepower.

They'd could just do it they same as most split screen multiplayer. Drop the graphics quality.

 

[Raistlin]

But yes, it should be able to learn any device's remote you want to use it with.

It should? Based on what? (serious question).

I've seen nothing to indicate it working beyond channel and volume for a TV and possibly cable/sat box. It would certainly be an improvement, though that still doesn't address the other issues.

 

[PG2G]

I don't think anyone is saying smartglass is useless, just that they won't in fact provide the exact same end result. One is fully integrated from the ground up, the other is a tacked on feature late in the consoles lifespan. Even if smartglass is fully integrated with the 720 the tablets and smart phones still won't be designed to work as effectively as the Wii U gamepad.

Wii U : Launch Netflix -> Select Movie -> Play Movie -> See Additional Info on 2nd Screen
Xbox 360 : Launch Smart Glass App -> Launch Netflix -> Select Movie -> Play Movie -> See Additional Info on 2nd screen

So... unless you're really hung up on launching an app... I don't see how there is any difference.

 

[Raistlin]

You're ignoring something that is pretty important. Nintendo and especially Microsoft and Sony don't want you to use any other devices in your living room. They want their machine to be an always on go to hub for everything you do. You don't need to control anything but the TV and the console.

They don't want you to use a stereo, or the numerous other devices that aren't competitors to its content (video processors, pre-pros, video selectors, audio selectors, etc)?

If that's the case, why does it even have channel selection? You seem to be ignoring something that's pretty important. Many people have a number of devices hooked up that aren't competing with Wii U that require control from anything being called a 'universal remote'. And even if they don't, there are still problems with using this just for your TV and Wii U as a remote replacement.

 

[lednerg]

It should? Based on what? (serious question).

I've seen nothing to indicate it working beyond channel and volume for a TV and possibly cable/sat box. It would certainly be an improvement, though that still doesn't address the other issues.

Based on it having an IR receiver/transmitter. I don't know if they will use IR learning or not, but it should be possible.

 

[watership]

Wow, that's very impressive.

This was also demoed with Smartglass (w/ Live Marketplace, admittedly) .

What? Now I hate it.

Brilliant.

 

[J.W.Crazy]

It should? Based on what? (serious question).

I've seen nothing to indicate it working beyond channel and volume for a TV and possibly cable/sat box. It would certainly be an improvement, though that still doesn't address the other issues.

If the rumors of Nintendo trying for an iPhone style app store are true there's nothing (except Nintendo's stubbornness) to stop 3rd party remote apps with greater functionality from coming along. That does negate the whole out of the box argument though.

I still think it's important to note that the ultimate goal is to eliminate competition for TV usage and become the device of the living room.

 

[PSGames]

Expect it, as explained in the Wii U speculation threads, the Wii U is tailored for multi-tasking (in terms of memory reserved for the system features, the OS, etc. + functions documented and that third-parties are aware of).

Would be really cool to be able to use Netflix to stream two different movies/shows on two different Upads.

 

[Raistlin]

Based on it having an IR receiver/transmitter. I don't know if they will use IR learning or not, but it should be possible.

Well of course it could be used from a technical standpoint. What I'm asking is there any evidence that it will be at this point? Have they discussed using this as a true universal learning remote? Have though shown screens demonstrating this? Have they talked about an online database for remote commands? Have they shown screen customization? Macro support? Does Nintendo have a history of expertise in this sort of domain?

At this point they haven't demonstrated anything beyond simply input, volume and channel selection for the device one (possibly 2) device that they do 'support' to my knowledge. Though the channel guide will be cool if it works with cable/sat.

As I've been saying throughout this thread ... there's a lot of hyperbole about the functionality here, and little of it is based on actual confirmed features. Much of it isn't even considering known limitations of the tech.