After seeing Johnny Chung Lee’s wildly popular Wii head tracking video we were highly motivated to add this technology to our iRT ray tracer so colleague Joaquin Madruga quickly coded this function and we hit the road for GDC 2008.

Left to Right, Joaquin Madruga (IBM), Johnny Chung Lee (CM), Barry Minor (IBM) 

At the show we demonstrated two infrared (IR) LED tracked displays. The first was a target scene, similar to Johnny’s, that we created in 3dsMax and the second was a 7 million triangle China town scene created in Maya by our partners at Threshold Studios (Thanks Threshold!!). The target scene was easily ray traced on a single Linux Playstation3 but the China town scene required some real horsepower so we deployed six QS21 Cell blades and rendered it remotely using a GigE connected blade center.

Head tracking produces a very unique virtual window effect where the monitor appears to be a portal into a virtual world. The user wears a pair of IR LED equipped safety glasses which are tracked using an IR camera attached to the Playstation3. As the user moves, the view relative to the screen is computed and ray traced in real-time producing a strong motion parallax 3D effect. The next step for this technology will be passive head tracking using face tracking technology like that demonstrated by Richard Marks in the Sony booth at GDC 2008. What we need now is a passively head tracked 150” plasma with ray traced visuals at 120 frames/sec!!

iRT Head Tracking Video (YouTube)

iRT Head Tracking Video (Quicktime 28MB) 

Not too long ago I was speaking with a friend of mine who’s a game developer, responsible for creating some very big XBox/PS2/PC titles. I was telling him about my experiences with the Wii, and he blurted out in response “I’m not much of a Nintendo guy.” He could appreciate the platform from an intellectual standpoint, but it inspired little passion in him to develop new titles for the Wii first.

Cut to Chris Hecker’s now-infamous “The Wii is a piece of @#$%” rant at GDC, where he dismissed the platform as little more than “two GameCubes stuck together with duct tape.” Putting aside the obvious childishness of a profanity-laced tirade, his point was kind of interesting - that Nintendo’s focus on gaming as “fun” undercuts the continuous efforts by developers to make gaming an “art form.” (Come to think of it - and yes, I know it was supposed to be a “rant” - anybody who wants to be recognized as an “artist” doesn’t help their cause by saying a console “sucks a@#.” To his credit, he apologized the next day.)

In any case, it’s obvious that the Wii divides large swaths of the gaming community. Nintendo has the most loyal fan base around, but at the same time the gaming “elite” crinkle their collective noses at the very idea of developing titles for a platform with less graphic and CPU horsepower.

But, of course, there’s a massive contradiction in this POV. The chips and graphics engines powering today’s Wii only have less “oomph” compared to the other next-gen consoles. But not too many years ago, they would’ve been considered the technology gold standard. Were titles built to maximize the latest technology in 2001 incapable of being “art?” Or, to put it another way, when the next next-gen comes out in 2009/2010, do the best titles developed for today’s high-end platforms somehow get demoted from the status of “art?”

The obvious answer is “no.” That’s because “art” as it applies to gaming (or anything else, for that matter) isn’t merely about utilizing the shiniest and newest tools at your disposal to create richer environments, more subtle AI, more detailed worlds. It’s about creating something that connects with people at an emotional level. It’s about bringing new people into gaming and opening their eyes to the possibilities. When you’re doing all that, you’re building something that’s “fun,” too.

And, as we all know, great art withstands the test of time.

So some friendly advice to aesthetically ambitious game developers. When you see a quote like:

“The Wii has been a big hit in an Illinois retirement home, where the inmates are organizing Wii Bowling tournaments and showing up their grandkids.”

don’t recoil in abject horror. Embrace the Wii as a platform with its own rules, limitations - and surprises and opportunities. Great “art” can be developed anywhere, for any medium. And the happiest coincidence of all is that, now that the Wii is the world’s fastest-selling next-gen console, producing great games for the Wii - games that can ascend to the level of “art” - can make you lots more money, too.

And what’s not to love about that?

I played my first game of Pong on a beaten-up coin-op unit in a somewhat seedy Mexican restaurant in West Hollywood, California. I was around eight years old, and thought it was about the coolest thing I ever saw. I kept begging my parents for another quarter so I could keep playing, my burrito-and-enchilada combo plate growing cold as I tried to master moving the blip. 

They usually said no, because they noticed something that took me a few more years for me to come to terms with: I wasn't very good. It was soon apparent even to me that I lacked the fundamental hand-eye coordination needed to succeed in the world of videogames. But the fact that the loose quarters in my pocket disappeared into the slots at an alarming rate didn't deter me. When I was old enough to walk the mile or so by myself to Westwood Village (as a side note, that was when I was around nine or ten - would parents let kids that young do that today?) I'd make a beeline to the Westworld Video Arcade, around the corner from the great Fox Village movie theater. The colors, the sounds, the action was a powerful magnet to a young boy. But while my friends would post good scores and stretch their videogame allowance, my experiences usually amounted to about one minutes' worth of blind, frustrating fury. 

It was around that time I began begging my father for an Atari 2600. My dad was particularly proud of the fact that he wasn't an early adopter - my sister and I used to joke (well, at the time we weren't laughing) that we were the last family in the neighborhood to get cable, a VCR and a microwave - so he wasn't about to shell out for a videogame console. Instead, I discovered another type of videogame at the computer lab at Emerson Junior High School. A boy named Ken Kawahara (patiently) showed me how to program and play a Star Trek-style game and a horse racing game. We'd go in after school and play for a few minutes before I walked home. But, as with the coin-op games, my interest in these games far outpaced my ability to master them.

At last, when I was 14 or so, my parents broke down and got me that 2600. But by then, I was more mature and the reality of these games never seemed to quite live up to the hype. The situation wasn't helped by the fact that the last generation of 2600 games were horrendous - bad graphics, terrible gameplay, and not a whole lot of fun. I played my 2600 avidly for several months, but my interest waned and it soon lay dormant on top of the turntable in our stereo cabinet.

Then, when I was 15, I was in an automotive accident that claimed my left arm, above the elbow. I needed to focus my energies and interests on other things - videogames weren't much of a priority. But one day, not long after the accident and bored out of my mind (we were still in the "no cable" phase of my father's stubbornness) I pulled out my old 2600.

This is where you, the reader, might expect me to talk about how videogames helped my physical recovery, leading to a lifelong love of videogames that continues to this day. Cue the violins. But the hard truth is, I was physically unable to play. Even the joystick for the 2600, with its one oversized red button, required a two-handed dexterity that was impossible to replicate with one hand (try pushing a joystick down while reaching up with a finger to press the button, and you'll see what I mean.)

Videogames quickly faded from any meaningful role in my life. A couple of years later the first NES was released, with its decidedly two-handed controller (directionals on the left, buttons on the right.) Sure, I'd watch my friends play, and even take a frustrating crack at it myself now and then, but with only a passing interest.

I only started thinking about games again when two close friends of mine joined Activision in the mid-1990s. Purchasing a console was still a non-starter for me, but I began to follow the ups and downs of the industry, believing in its potential and fascinated by the technology. And when I joined IBM, I got the opportunity to think about gaming from some very different perspectives - its influence on business and society, what it means to the future of technology, and more.

But that, of course, is very different from the simple pleasure and purpose of gaming - entertainment. And as the games have grown more complex, so have the controllers - more buttons, more joysticks, more inputs to master. Sure, there've been periodic - and much appreciated - attempts by some to build one-handed controllers, but they've looked clunky and hard to use (imagine trying to play Madden on one of those.) So, from a communications standpoint, I've been in the position of talking about consoles I've never played.

When I heard about the Wii (then code-named "Revolution"), I was intrigued. A legitimate game console I could actually play? I didn't believe it could really work as well as they claimed.  But when I got my hand on it for the first time, it was a revelation. It was as if Nintendo built a console just for me.

And that's my story. Closing in on my 40th birthday, I'm playing videogames again - for the first time in more than 25 years. Sure, it's not perfect. Games also requiring the Nunchuk controller are basically non-starters for me (so much for Zelda!) And I worry that the gamemakers, so accustomed to producing titles requiring multi-button, multi-stick inputs will increasingly depend on the Nunchuk as an excuse for not taking full advantage of the immersive controller. Nonetheless, I'm playing with my kids, and I'm having fun. I'll never be a particularly good gamer - unfortunately my hand-eye coordination hasn't improved much since that very first game of Pong - but it doesn't really matter. I no longer have to wonder whether I'll be able to game tomorrow - because now, I can play today.

So, I’ve had the Wii for 72 hours, and have played around with it (and two games: Wii Sports and Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz) enough to form some conclusions. So here goes…

Setup. Out of the box I was surprised just how small the unit is - especially compared to its next-gen brethren. Had to change my plans and set it up on my basement TV, because the widescreen TV in the family room has a beveled edge on the top and is set flush with the wall unit - both factors discouraging accurate placement of the sensor bar. Wonder how many people have had issues with that? Beyond that, cables were clearly marked and the instructions were simple to follow. Took just a few minutes to put it together.

Internet connection. The wireless connection found and connected to my home network automatically - no problems. The automatic updates took a few tries to download, but finally did. I downloaded the Opera browser and went online to see how surfing the Web worked. Web pages render a little oddly; it almost looks like screen captures of Internet pages up on the screen. You “type” in URLs by pointing the Wiimote at a virtual keyboard on the screen. It seems they can make the process easier by adding hotkeys for such common address phrases like “www” and “.com.” What’s more, there’s no address bar, nor any visible “breadcrumbing” feature in the browser, making navigation pretty confusing. To be fair, this is still a beta feature (and Nintendo says they’re going to improve it), but all in all, it’s not a particularly intuitive way to surf the Web - hard to see it replacing a computer with a keyboard.

Wiimote. Wow. What a beautiful piece of engineering. Small and comfortable in your hand, but heavy enough to create real presence. The “rumble” feature is subtle but vital; the little vibrations you get when the pointer passes over a button on the screen create tactile feedback that’s hard to describe; it enables you to really “feel” the pointer and connects you to the activity on the screen at a very deep level. Two quibbles, though: 1) it feels like the audio speaker on the Wiimote is underutilized; and 2) most of the activity seems to center on the “A” button on the top of the controller rather than the “B” button/trigger on the underside. It seems to me that “pulling a trigger” is a more natural feel that “pushing a button;” I’d prefer to see the “B” button more prominently featured in gameplay.

However, my biggest complaint about the Wiimote is that Nintendo only includes one with the game. The shortage of consoles currently extends to a shortage of Wiimotes, and just having one is very annoying, when you’d like to play against someone else. I think Nintendo should’ve packaged a second Wiimote with the console; hard to see how any customer isn’t going to need one. They could’ve done that and still kep the price point under $300 ($299?) - it would’ve been fairer to the consumer. Instead, it seems that the $250 price is a bit artificial, and I’m frustrated that I can’t get my hands on a second controller.

Mii Channel. How much fun is this? The ability to create your own “Miis” - personal avatars that appear in different games - is very cool and surprisingly detailed - not only can you choose different facial features, you can adjust their hieight, width and position on the face. My own avatar was a surprisingly good caricature of me, and my two girls (ages 8 and 6.5) had lots of fun creating their own images as well as characters for their friends. Nintendo cleverly designed it so each new “Mii” that’s created pops up during the Wii Sports games - in the crowd, as a player on the baseball team, etc. The kids love spotting the Miis they create when they’re playing.

Graphics. Bright, cleanly rendered environments predominate, but after being exposed to what’s being accomplished at the leading edge of XBox 360 and PS3 game design, you have to adjust your expectations. I haven’t experimented with some of the more elaborate worlds created for Wii games (like Red Steel or Zelda), so I’ll be interested in seeing what great designers can do to push the graphics envelope.

Wii Sports. You can see why Nintendo packaged this with the Wii; it’s really the best way to get a feel for the console. Some good attention to detail here; for example, it enables you to adjust for left-handedness (my oldest daughter’s a lefty), and the Mii on the screen is then shown as a lefty. Tennis is probably the most fun; I worked up a sweat playing best-of-five. My 6.5 year-old got a kick (punch?) out of the boxing; she plugged in the nunchuck and absolutely pummeled her opponent. Golf also works well, though at the advanced level some of the holes are so “tricked out” as to be a little silly, and occasionally the game didn’t respond accurately to the Wiimote’s putting stroke. I know the bowling’s popular, but my kids had some trouble mastering the motions needed for it. Baseball seemed to get a little repetitious. I really like the way the games automatically respond to how I get better by ratcheting up the quality of the computer opponents.

Summing up. The Wii seems to accomplish something that has been a long-sought objective of the gaming industry - to break out of the traditional “gamer” box and appeal to a much wider set of customers. That’s a major achievement in its own right. Beyond that, I’d love to see much more experimentation with what’s possible with the Wiimote. I think Nintendo’s on to something very powerful here - a new way to interact with information and activity occuring in a virtualized setting. This could have significant ramifications for how high-end simulations are constructed, and much more. But that’s another conversation. The bottom line is that the Wii is a smartly designed, well-thought-out, incredibly fun gaming system. And with that, the golf course awaits…

A perception seems to be developing that since the Nintendo Wii isn’t focused on exploiting the top end of the CPU power scale, it’s somehow underpowered compared to its next-gen competitors. Stories like this one often seem to position Wii as being all about “fun,” while XBox 360 and PlayStation 3 are all about “realism.” But as with many assumptions, it takes a fact and draws the wrong conclusion.

The “Broadway” chip inside Wii is a custom-built Power Architecture-based processor using Silicon-on-Insulator technology at 90 nanometers, and is built at our state-of-the art fab in East Fishkill (the same fab where our chips for XBox 360 and PlayStation 3 are made.) Some sophisticated advancements enable “Broadway” to deliver much higher performance while achieving a 20 percent reduction in power usage from earlier Nintendo processors.

Nintendo and IBM have collaborated for many years, going back to 1999 when IBM designed and built the chip for the first GameCube. Nintendo came to IBM with a very clear understanding of what they wanted to accomplish when they created the technical specs for Wii, and IBM worked with them to build a chip that met those objectives precisely. Many of the traits that make Wii as interactive and fun as it is are directly related to what’s inside the box.

Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo each have their own vision for the next generation of video games, and developed their technology in keeping with that vision. We’re insanely proud that we could work with all three of them, and help define the future of gaming. And if we’re asked which of our next-gen chips we “prefer,” the answer is simple: we love all our children equally!

Technorati tags: Wii, Nintendo, IBM

IBM has started shipping the microprocessor for the eagerly anticipated Nintendo Wii game console. The shipment marks another milestone illustrating IBM’s lead in consumer electronics, a market requiring high performance, low energy chips.

This new chip is being produced at IBM’s state-of-the-art 300mm semiconductor development and manufacturing facility in East Fishkill, N.Y.

Under terms of an agreement with Nintendo, IBM is producing millions of fully tested, Power Architecture-based chips with silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology at 90 nanometers, or 90 billionths of a meter. The technology is providing Nintendo a generous improvement in processing power while achieving a 20-percent reduction in energy consumption.

“The IBM team has worked long and hard to design, develop and deliver this customized Power microprocessor for the worldwide launch of Nintendo’s new system,” said Ron Martino, director, PPC standard products, IBM Technology Collaboration Solutions. “When millions of gamers take the controls of Wii this holiday season, the IBM logo will once again be front and center on this innovative new product.”

A history of working together

Earlier this year, IBM and Nintendo quietly signed a multi-year, microchip production agreement to support the Wii video game console, but the relationship goes back much further. In May of 1999 IBM and Nintendo launched a comprehensive technology agreement to support Nintendo’s home video game console, at that time code-named “Dolphin”.

IBM also designed and manufactured the central microprocessor, known as “Gekko,” for what became the Nintendo GameCube system. According to Wikipedia, Nintendo has sold more than 21 million GameCubes worldwide.

IBM leads across the industry

IBM has fast become the leader in designing and producing microprocessors for the new generation of interactive games and devices. As a result, IBM has a firm grasp on the so-called “Triple Crown” of gaming, designing and producing chips for all three major game platforms — Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3.

East Fishkill and New York’s Hudson Valley have emerged as a center of innovation for a new generation of Power microprocessors that are changing the way the world works and plays.

Article contributed by Rick Bause