Feature "Pursuing the New Potential of Video Games"

Heading to New and Exciting Heights

Game development may be described as a journey to new and exciting heights, through the challenge of innovative design that brings hardware and software to levels never achieved before. With no maps or guides to this wonderful new place, we use the compass of our imagination to show us the way.

Ensuring Product Safety

I was involved in this project as the Project Leader for Wii MotionPlus. It was a real challenge to come up with the best way to connect Wii MotionPlus to the Wii Remote. First and foremost was the challenge of creating a design that put the highest priority on consumer protection and simplicity, so that it would be safe and easy for everyone to use.

We discussed various ideas to make the connection safe. Finally, we came to the conclusion that it would be best to offer Wii MotionPlus with a silicon jacket as a single unit. When we initially developed Wii MotionPlus, the jacket was considered a safety accessory that consumers would use to cover the Wii MotionPlus and the Wii Remote. Later, however, it occurred to us that some consumers might choose not to use the jacket, which, we decided, would be inconsistent with our safety policy. For this reason, we decided to change our plan and add the jacket to the Wii MotionPlus attachment as a consolidated unit. Furthermore, we decided to include an easy-to-understand demonstration video, a Nintendo first, for the Wii MotionPlus in all new Wii software. This, I believe, was a great solution for ensuring the safety of this wonderful product.

We had also considered the idea of strengthening the connector with an attachment that works like a splint used for the treatment of bone fractures, but we decided against it when we discovered that it would increase the weight of the Wii Remote and make it harder for small children to firmly grip.

After a great deal of discussion and experimentation, we came up with the idea of placing tabs on Wii MotionPlus that could be inserted into the concave section at the base of the Wii Remote to create a secure connection. Of course, the concept entailed a continual process of trial and error that included ongoing reviews and multiple changes in the structure and parts before we were finally able to come up with a connection that met our high standards for quality and consumer safety. But the result was worth the effort!

Working through Challenges Leads to Smiles

Besides tackling such structural design challenges, we made a series of improvements in response to requests for greater sensor accuracy from the software development team. Take the case of Wii Sports Resort, the exciting new software designed for use with Wii MotionPlus that includes a variety of sports. Our challenge with Wii Sports Resort was to enhance player enjoyment by increasing the reality of virtual play, which meant increasing the sensitivity of the sensor to include a wider range of motion. The fundamental problem was the limited range of the gyro sensor, which only enabled the detection of either quick or fine movements, but not both. Once the sensor was set to pick up the quick movements for such fast-paced games as table tennis, the device wouldn't pick up the slower movements that are made when, for example, you are aiming at a distant target in the archery game. We got around that problem by drawing on the talents of our hardware and software engineers to create two modes, a Low-Speed Mode and a High-Speed Mode, which extended the range of the Wii Remote to include vigorous as well as slower, finer movements. This opened the way for the creation of such leading-edge games as archery, which requires more sensitivity to angle and distance, and skydiving, a truly fantastic activity that responds excellently to delicate movements so as to enable users to directly feel and enjoy the features of Wii MotionPlus.

Developing the means to detect a wider range of motion, especially sensitive movement, made it possible for us to open the door to a new dimension of gaming enjoyment and expand the potential of games played with Wii MotionPlus. We are expanding that potential through the continual development of innovative games that can be enjoyed by all users, from beginners to advanced, and are committing Nintendo's resources and talent to meeting and overcoming the challenges we face, so that we may continue to succeed in contributing to society and putting smiles on the faces of everyone we touch.

Achieving Accessibility for Everyone

It is not an easy task to create a game that everyone can enjoy rather than one that targets only a specific range of users - but we did just that with Wii Sports Resort, exciting software that provides maximum enjoyment for all users, from beginners to advanced enthusiasts, and we are very proud of the results!

One of our priorities in developing Wii Sports Resort was to write the programs in such a way that even the least experienced players could enjoy the games with simple movements of the Wii Remote. There are 12 sports with 24 activities in Wii Sports Resort which include well-known favorites such as table tennis in addition to some newer and not so well-known sports such as wakeboarding. And while it may be quick and easy for most players to learn how to use the remote for the popular favorites, the less well-known sports might present challenges that lessen user enjoyment. Therefore, to make Wii Sports Resort even more accessible, we committed ourselves to making it easier for players to get started and to progress by including a practice mode that lets them gradually increase their skills when playing the more challenging games.

A Game for both Novices and Pros

But that's just the start! Besides expanding the range of people who can access the games, we also tried to boost user enjoyment as they master skills that score them points in games. Players who have honed their gaming skills or have prior real-life experience in particular sports will notice their advanced skills reflected in the game. For example, learning how to make the Frisbee curve leads to higher scores, and experienced bowlers and golfers will be thrilled to see their good ball control show up on-screen in Wii Sports Resort bowling and golf. The heightened ability to detect fine movements, enabled by Wii MotionPlus, makes it possible to faithfully copy players' sensitive movements in the games. This innovative accessory expands the potential of Wii Sports Resort, greatly enhancing the experience of both beginners and advanced players by rewarding skill mastery as they progress through increasingly challenging game levels.

The Essentials for Safe and Secure Play

While we work to enhance the pleasure that games have to offer users, we keep our sights firmly set on making our products as safe as they are enjoyable. Wii Sports Resort is an exciting virtual experience, so it's easy to imagine that players might lose themselves in the games and forget where they are as they swing vigorously to hit a ball or lean into a turn. In order to prevent such situations, we have inserted prompts during the games to warn players not to accidently hit other players or objects and remind them to use the wrist strap and take occasional breaks to rest.

Anticipating the potential danger of any program that might coax users into extreme positions or movements as they push themselves to achieve higher scores, we take special care to remove potentially dangerous situations in the program design of all our games. Wii Sports Resort golf, for example, makes ball distance a function of the correctness of the backswing and posture rather than the strength of swing. The program discourages players from swinging too hard by sending the ball off in strange directions when they do, somewhat like an actual game of golf where putting too much power into the swing causes reduced distance and control, and may add extra strokes to the player's score. Nintendo stresses a good balance between realism and safety by ensuring that none of our games allow players to enter an anything-goes world of gaming. During software development, we focus on the creation of games with ever-higher levels of excitement that can still be played safely. We are fully aware of the need to consider safety when designing our games, thereby enabling us, through all of our products, to put smiles on the faces of the people we touch.

Eguchi
There's an exciting game in Wii Sports Resort called swordplay, which lets players experience the thrill of Japanese-style sword fighting. But before it was ready for Wii Sports Resort, we had a hard time correcting some sensor misalignment that caused the virtual blade to move in unintended directions after repeated passes.

Takamoto
We found out that the misalignment was caused by players swinging the Wii Remote at a higher speed than the gyro sensor could follow and problems with the accuracy of calculations used to reflect the Wii Remote movements in the game software.

Eguchi
When a player finished a round and got set for the next one, the virtual sword on the screen failed to correspond to the position of the remote control. After a number of failed attempts at finding a workable solution to the problem, someone in the Development Department suggested that we should try to limit the number of passes the player could take during each round.

Takamoto
We were really stuck, so we brought the people from the hardware and software teams together to see what we could do to solve the problem. Unfortunately, we kept hitting a brick wall, so we decided that we needed to seek advice from another group. We needed someone with different experience, who could look at the problem from a different perspective and provide a fresh view. This strategy paid off. The individual we consulted helped us to break through the wall and come up with an impressive technique to prevent the misalignment.

Eguchi
We also discovered a defect in the connection between the remote and the Wii MotionPlus attachment while we were developing a test product for swordplay. We had no idea what the cause was, but we had to find out in a hurry because the scheduled start of production was coming up fast; the clock was ticking.

Takamoto
We were really up against the wall this time because even after putting our heads together with the software team, we walked away empty-handed. What we finally decided to do was to actually watch people playing the game to see if that would give us any ideas, and that's when we spotted the problem. As the players got involved in the game, they tended to grasp the remote unit more and more tightly, which put a significant load on the connection between the remote control and Wii MotionPlus, causing momentary contact failures.

Eguchi
When we create new software, we always set it in such a way that players can enjoy themselves without having to use too much power. But once players get involved in the game, it is natural that their muscle tension increases, right? So, as game creators, we make it a priority to allow players to let themselves go when they play, but in a free and comfortable way. It would be a big problem if the game suddenly broke down, so we really set our sights on preventing connection failures.

Takamoto
We first thought about reinforcing the connection by making it stronger, but we didn't get very far. Then it occurred to us to look at the problem from the opposite direction, and we hit the jackpot! We came up with the idea of making the connection slightly flexible to soften the impact, and it worked. This reduced the stress, which stopped the disconnections.
When I look back on the great work we did and consider the many daunting challenges we faced, it is really clear to me that the success of this project was the result of the synergistic effect of teamwork among individuals, trusting one another's judgment and expertise, and contributing their enthusiasm and effort to reach the final goal of creating an outstanding product that will bring enjoyment to the people who purchase it. No matter what obstacles you face, teamwork leads to solutions.
One of the essential components of success is, of course, communication among the many people involved in the process of creation. In the rush to meet deadlines, however, we often forget the importance of face-to-face communication, relying on quick phone calls and hurried e-mails to save time. We really need to take the time, though, to go and see, to actually sit down with the people we are communicating with, look at what they are doing and listen carefully to their ideas. It's this personal contact that helps us to clearly understand problems, and gives us the chance to notice the small things that so often turn out to be the key to solutions.

Eguchi
Good teamwork and clear communication are a winning combination. I think it is important for us to clarify and explain our goals to the people working on both the hardware and the software sides so that we can coordinate and combine our talents to solve problems together. If we try to manage problems without seeking input from everyone involved, whether we are in a hurry or think we already have the answer, or if we fail to provide important input from our side because we don't want to step on other departments' toes, we end up failing to find solutions or we find ourselves implementing incomplete or unsatisfactory solutions that, ultimately, fail to produce the outstanding products that our customers have come to expect from the Nintendo name. We must never forget that teamwork and communication lead us to achieving our goal, and that goal is to put smiles on the faces of everyone we touch.