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Nintendo and Panasonic join forces to improve game interaction.

axisofweevils

Holy crap! Today's real megaton is that more than two people can have the same first name.
http://nintendoeverything.com/nintendo-and-panasonic-join-forces-to-improve-game-interaction/

Nintendo and Panasonic have joined forces to make easier-to-use game machines, Nihon Keizai Shimbun writes in a new report.

According to the newspaper, Nintendo made an investment in software created to recognize characters entered on the DS touchscreen through a Panasonic subsidiary called PUX. Nintendo recently purchased 27% of the PUX shares that Panasonic originally held 78% of for roughly 35 million yen, and Nintendo will be sending outside support through its own development department.

PUX has pursued new technology developed for the user interface to enhance the operation of the systems, such as new consoles. Noteworthy about the news is that Nintendo seems to want to take advantage of this new technology and add it to the company’s future development.

http://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXNASDD250K5_V20C13A9TJ1000/

Better translation via StreetsAhead:

Nikkei says PUX specilize in face and voice recognition tech.

Nintendo purchased a 28% batch of shares from Panasonic, who owned 78% of PUX. So, I think, Panasonic now owns 50% and Nintendo owns 28% of the company. Price was 35 million yen. Nintendo will deploy some of its own staff to PUX for development assistance. Will be used to develop tech that increases the usability of user interfaces for future game systems. There's 26 employees at the company. PUX started in April last year as a venture by Panasonic.
 

Aostia

El Capitan Todd
Panasonic Wii U incoming?

Panasonic-Q-Console-Gamecube+DVD+player.png
 

L~A

Member
Could we get an actual translation, instead of an article written from a Google Translate translation? I'm more confident in fellow gaffers, to be honest :p

Unless NE's translation is actually accurate, in that case, fair enough.
 

Tripon

Member
Probably for the next generation of consoles. Still, this is the type of stuff Nintendo needs to do to avoid being even more crowded out than they are right now.
 
Nikkei says PUX specilize in face and voice recognition tech.

Nintendo purchased a 28% batch of shares from Panasonic, who owned 78% of PUX. So, I think, Panasonic now owns 50% and Nintendo owns 28% of the company. Price was 35 million yen. Nintendo will deploy some of its own staff to PUX for development assistance. Nintendo will allegedly use PUX to develop tech that increases the usability of user interfaces for future game systems. There's 26 employees at the company. PUX started in April last year as a venture by Panasonic.
 

thefro

Member
http://www.panasonic.co.jp/pux/en/

Definitely sounds like Kinect-sort of things outside of the handwriting recognition. Voice recognition, image/gesture recognition. Sounds like the software can do it without the need for special hardware.

Of course they could have something else in the works that isn't a publicly available product yet.
 

sörine

Banned
Then Nintendo is going to give Panasonic the shaft and they will make their own console. History repeats itself.
Nintendo let Panasonic release a DVD playing Gamecube called the Panasonic Q. Way back in the 80s and 90s they also let Sharp release a FC & FDS combined console called the Twin Famicom and FC and SFC based integrated TV sets.

I'd love to see Nintendo licensing out their hardware to other manufacturers again. There probably wouldn't be much interest in Wii U right now, but I could see companies interested in 3DS and even cheap Wii integration yet.
 

monome

Member
http://www.panasonic.co.jp/pux/en/

Definitely sounds like Kinect-sort of things outside of the handwriting recognition. Voice recognition, image/gesture recognition.

Of course they could have something else in the works that isn't a publicly available product yet.

from Nintendo's perspective, catching on Voice/Facial while building up on their touchscreen expertise is already a good fit as regards to the basic needs they will have to fulffill with their next-gen hardwares.

You mean OP. :p

that confuses me all the time. (blush)
 

Somnid

Member
Having a good foundation of natural human interfaces is extremely important for large software companies going forward because it is a very hard task and they are essentially the future of hardware interfaces right now. There's a ton of small companies that specialize in one sort or another getting bought out constantly.
 

thefro

Member
Nintendo's got a kinect like device in early development now?

From reading up on the site... I believe a lot of this tech could be used already in future 3DS/Wii U software (as they already have front-facing cameras/mics built-in).

http://www.panasonic.co.jp/pux/en/softsensor/gesture.html

Images input from monocular cameras such as smartphone, mobile phone, and USB cameras are recognizable. That way, the recognition feature can thus be used from the camera on your terminal.

No need for a Kinect-like device.
 

Brofield

Member
Wii U game pad picks out your profile based on who is holding it. Wouldn't even really need a high megapixel camera (though I still wish it did...)
 

Meesh

Member
from Nintendo's perspective, catching on Voice/Facial while building up on their touchscreen expertise is already a good fit as regards to the basic needs they will have to fulffill with their next-gen hardwares.
I'm fantasizing of a console/handheld hybrid with motion and voice/facial recognition...would blow my mind if this is the way they went.
 
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