Japan

TECH TALK . Even cell phones love the Wii

by Kris   ⋅   May 9, 2007   ⋅   Comment now   ⋅    RSS

Oh my gooshness the Nintendo Wii is so fun! I have a long overdue review of the console or at least one of the Wii games coming up, but until then, let me whet your appetite whilst I tell you about a new line of Wii-like cellphones. This summer, in Japan (of course), a joint effort from Mitsubishi, Matsushita and Sharp produced crazy cellphones for NTT DoCoMo’s FOMA 904i-series. Motion sensing capabilities will allow lucky users to play boxing games and Namco’s Katamari Damacy(!), a Chris-n-Kris fave, amongst 68 other top notch and too-fun-to-be-practical games.

To play, users tilt and wave the entire handset or set the phone down and wave a finger in front of the camera, ensuring odd glances from the elderly or tech-less on the bullet trains I’m sure. While not entirely built like the Wii (Wii-motes use internal gyroscopes while the DoCoMo 904i calculates tilt based on digital camera images), the experience will be similar. Does that mean Wii-elbow and accidentally violent Wii-mote flinging will also be inherited? Better steer clear of anyone with a 904i.