bit-tech.net

Gordon Freeman says "Wiiiiiii!"

Published on 7th December 2006 by Brett Thomas

"Maybe you should drive..." - Gordon can now be controlled with the Wiimote.

Does everyone remember the river level in HalfLife 2? Did it drive you as crazy as it drove me? The controls seemed slightly less than intuitive, and it would just be nice to have a more natural way of moving the boat. Like, say, a Wiimote...which is exactly what someone has gone and done.

The video over at YouTube is pretty neat. Since the Wiimote functions with BlueTooth, someone came up with the idea to use it on the PC. Well, not just someone, this is the same guy who rigged up the Nintendo PowerGlove. The gyroscopic sensitivity of the Wiimote tilts, pans, and otherwise configures your view, while buttons have been mapped to common functions like walking.

Oh, and before you ask, yes that is a Wiimote playing on a Macbook Pro running Windows XP. What can we say, the guy likes to mix and match!

Rather than waste your time with further detail, I'll just leave you to the video, then tell us your thoughts in our forums.

30 Comments

Discuss in the forums Reply

mand0 7th December 2006, 16:27

I don't think I'll ever be able to get used to anything else but a keyboard and mouse. It's very ingrained in me and I am only 23.

:(

Tyinsar 7th December 2006, 16:44

Quote:

Oh, and before you ask, yes that is a Wiimote playing on a Macbook Pro running Windows XP. What can we say, the guy likes to mix and match!

;) I love it.

Wiimote on PC = Reason # 437 that the Wii might actually convince me to buy a console.

overdosedelusion 7th December 2006, 16:49

wiiii looks oreet doesnt it.. music leaves something to be desired though =S

will. 7th December 2006, 16:58

It looked a bit awkward to me... I imagine that with the nunchuck it would be a lot easier.

gimplish 7th December 2006, 17:12

That actually looks really fun as a game control mechanism. So my guess is that ninty will sell way more controllers than the console can take. It would be great for a game like ut2004 on linux

L2wis 7th December 2006, 17:14

This is awsome stuff! Link: http://www.wiili.org/Main_Page

overdosedelusion 7th December 2006, 17:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by gimplish
That actually looks really fun as a game control mechanism. So my guess is that ninty will sell way more controllers than the console can take. It would be great for a game like ut2004 on linux

at the rate these things are flying across living rooms? you can bet your ass they'll sell more controllers

Dr. Strangelove 7th December 2006, 17:27

That just looks funny, however I have a feeling that it makes the game harder not easier

BFGunrunner 7th December 2006, 17:49

Pretty cool but the mouse and key board still pwn!

dragontail 7th December 2006, 18:48

I think it just shows the potential of the controller. With time and experience, the second gen of Wii games could be true classics...

OtakuHawk 7th December 2006, 19:15

****, forget buying a wii, i'll just go buy one of the motes.

have they gotten the dongle thing working yet?

DXR_13KE 7th December 2006, 19:40

lets see if they get the "numchuck" thing working with the wiimote..... looks like fun :D.

THEkorean 7th December 2006, 19:47

i saw on engadget today that someone has hacked the Wii mote senor bar for the PC so now the Wiimote can have more control on the PC.

Springs 7th December 2006, 20:05

cool

Firehed 7th December 2006, 20:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by will.
It looked a bit awkward to me... I imagine that with the nunchuck it would be a lot easier.

My thoughts exactly. I'll bet about two weeks before it happens.

riggs 7th December 2006, 20:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by THEkorean
i saw on engadget today that someone has hacked the Wii mote senor bar for the PC so now the Wiimote can have more control on the PC.

Video linkage.

Not too responsive right now, but pretty impressive considering how long the machine has been out.

tbh, I'm more interested in this (yay, wireless 360 pads on PC's!)
Anyone know if/when this thing will be out in the UK?

Redbeaver 7th December 2006, 20:25

very cool :o

exavier412 7th December 2006, 20:31

Very cool.

Man, I need to get a macbook Pro. I mean, I love my powerbook and OSX, but i do miss the gaming.

And the wiili site is down i think. Probably from bit-tech :)

And that xbox 360 dongle for wireless controllers is sweet.

Kipman725 7th December 2006, 22:06

didn't look as easy as keyboard and mouse but allot better than joypad only. FPS might be fun on wii :D

Zut 7th December 2006, 22:25

If its anything like the Gyration mouse, it will be really crap for FPSes!

Stuey 7th December 2006, 23:18

Aankhen 8th December 2006, 01:00

I never believed that PC gaming was dead, but if I did, this'd convince me otherwise. :D

The PC: more power than any console, more flexibility than any console, more upgradability than any console... and now, controls that are as good as or better than the best consoles can offer.

leviathan18 8th December 2006, 04:15

the sensor bar is uselss for the pc in fact there is no comunication from the sensor bar to the wii is just infrared leds so the wii mote know where it is in fact you can use 2 candle lights or even you can use more powerful or more infradred leds to make more accurate the space for the wiimote the comunication i believe is done by BT

C0nKer 8th December 2006, 04:27

the sensor bar ain't a sensor bar, rather an emitter bar. Sensor is on the Wiimote itself.

speedfreek 8th December 2006, 04:46

So anyone else thinking about a flight simulator on the Wiimote.

And what exactly does it take to do this, just a bluetooth adaptor and away you go?

Agamer 8th December 2006, 05:03

Is it just me of is the wii linux site down?

THEkorean 8th December 2006, 05:16

i rember before the Wii was relaese there were some sample accesories, one was a rifle that can dock the Wiimote so it could be used as a gun, any ideas where that went?

thedguy 8th December 2006, 05:20

Apparently the PS3 control works as well.

http://www.ps3news.com/forums/ps3-chat/sixaxis-now-usable-under-windows-41648.html

The Wiili site is down but here is a mirror.
http://fashnek.com/Wiimote.htm

Duste 8th December 2006, 05:52

I completely lost it at the start when he said "for all you noobs", LOL.

Very good clip, though I'm wondering why they didn't get the Nunchuk's working with it as well? Surely it would be much easier.

ArcAngeL 19th December 2006, 11:43

Yeah once i learnt the wii's capabilities, i was pretty impressed i only imaged alot more console kiddies, becomming less fat cause they are movign around more.... or their hands any how... it only shows of whats to come, i sitll a wii / power glove hybrid will be the next big step... as u woudlnt loose control of it, and be able to use any atleast 5 buttons perhand...
and would be cool for boxing games...

but im thinking with a bluetooth dongle, some clever coding, they could easily learn how to program each function, then bind them in the game ur playing, similiar when your setting functions to a logitech g5. then using thoose keys in your game. id consider it to be very handy for windows media centre, esp if u had a mod case that was both a media centre and a wii console.