The motion sensitive Wiimote packs a speaker in the centre...


Nintendo’s patents show a microphone hiding inside the console’s clever remote.


The list of features crammed into Nintendo’s Wii remote seems never ending. Now a patent from the games giant points towards a stealthily installed microphone, opening up VoIP and sing-along titles.


The idea isn’t too far fetched – the Wiimote already packs a speaker, and the games firm has bundled microphones with titles in the past.


Warbling along to your favourite hits would also suit Nintendo’s group gaming theme, and could challenge PlayStation’s party-based gaming titles, Buzz and SingStar.


Wii’s techy patents show two sound sources for the new console, one from the game disc, and another positioned close to a speaker, which is left mysteriously vague.


Seems Nintendo’s console still has some tricks up its sleeve, despite being thoroughly manhandled by our team at E3 earlier this month.

Thanks T3

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I was already aware of the speaker on the WiiMote but the microphone thing is new and whats this about a second sound source.

Looks like Nintendo are STILL playing their cards close to their chest.

Thanks for the info Mate

UPDATE

Nintendo’s patents point to messaging through the Wii, but the official line is there’s no microphone in that wondrous Wiimote controller.

Come Christmas we’ll all be waffling into our Wii – at least that’s what the Nintendo rumour mill reckons, following patents from the company for WiiCulture and !!M.
Several Nintendo fan sites reckon that !!M is the name of the Wii’s messaging service, and not just the logo flipped upside down.


We’re taking this with a larger pinch of salt than usual, especially given official word from Nintendo’s head honcho Shigeru Miyamoto that there’s no microphone hiding in that controller.


That leaves the options for communicating through the Wii a little thin. Of course, you could always use a DS to jot down notes to your mates, or perhaps that controller will double as a massive pen?!


We’re more inclined to believe Nintendo has a wireless keyboard up its sleeve, after all, it’s pledged more controllers for the console, and we’ll need a way of typing web addresses into the included opera browser.


Either way, the Wii’s definitely got more secrets to give up before release, and each rumour nugget we receive has us more excited than ever!

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