Wii-Mote issues Highlighted by Cooking Mamma

[bapenguin]

Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/04/02/cooking-mama-cook-off-highlights-wii-remote-issues/) has a bit of coverage from a Gamespot Review of Cooking Mamma (http://www.gamespot.com/wii/action/cookingmamacookoff/review.html?sid=6168022&om_act=convert&om_clk=multimodule&tag=multimodule;reviews;title;9) for the Nintendo Wii. They discuss some of the issues with the game and how the game highlights a lot of the shortcomings of the Wii-mote.There are bigger stakes here than the occasional botched omelette. Over the months since launch, the unpredictable Wii Remote has led to a maddening dichotomy. Some games are too easy, while others are too hard -- for all the wrong reasons.

This is something I feared before the system launched. It's hard to get consistant feedback from something, if there's no consistant thing to base it against. While some games play like pure genious and work very well, a lot of other games appear to try to do too much and just become plain frustrating. Unfortunately for Cooking Mamma fans, this game is one of them.

[Vandenh]

I have said this many times before the Wii launched (when people were claiming the Wii-mote would be able to do almost everything). For this price, this kind of technology is going to be very hit-and miss. Hopefully developers will get a reality check and start making stuff for the Wii that actually works. The sky is sadly NOT the limit.

[WastelandDan]

I'm really disappointed that this game is getting panned, but I'm glad I found out before I went and bought it for myself. I loved the DS version but I can definitely wait for a price drop before I invest in it for my Wii.

[Kamalot]

I have played many games with completely broken controls and play mechanics. These broken games have been on every system, from PC's Mouse and keyboard, to traditional controllers, to arcade games with specialized inputs, to the Wii's motion sensing controls.

Designing a bad game with broken/unresponsive controls is nothing new.

[bapenguin]

I have played many games with completely broken controls and play mechanics. These broken games have been on every system, from PC's Mouse and keyboard, to traditional controllers, to arcade games with specialized inputs, to the Wii's motion sensing controls.

Designing a bad game with broken/unresponsive controls is nothing new.

Ya know, that's a pretty good point. I guess it's just a different kind of broken on the Wii...because the territory is all new.

[Doctor Setebos]

Ya know, that's a pretty good point. I guess it's just a different kind of broken on the Wii...because the territory is all new.And there's been enough games with fantastic controls on the Wii (the Godfather, Twilight Princess, and Elebits to name a few examples) to give merit to the idea that the remote itself is not the issue, but rather how the developer chooses to utilize the remote.

[Skyelan]

I find it interesting how more and more it's like reviews are becoming completely unreliable for controls with Wii games.

Some people have problems, but other reviewers have no problems with them.

And I've heard lots of reports on this game from people who can get it working perfectly, in the same way that I've heard from people who get frustrated.

I've heard reports on people who have trouble with Wario Ware, but I've never had a problem. Same with half of Wii sports (So many people say Boxing is a glitchy mess, but I swear to god I've never had a problem with it).

I dunno, I just find this interesting. I'd love to know what it is that's causing this divide. And I don't think it's even glitches or faulty remotes, because you can have the same reviewer play two different games on the same Wii, love one that another reviewer panned for shitty control, and hate one that another loved.

I'm not about to say the players are at fault, but it does make me curious. Is it just that some people more naturally adapt? Is it that some people just don't like re-learning how to play? Could it really just be a faulty set of motion sensors?

[Kamalot]

Ya know, that's a pretty good point. I guess it's just a different kind of broken on the Wii...because the territory is all new.
Thank you.

It will take people (developers, reviewers, consumers) a long time to adapt to Wii games. I can say that, while I have some issue with how things like some tricks work in SSX Blur, the overall experience is made more enjoyable by playing it on Wii's controls. It truly feels more immersing and engaging than just moving my thumbs. There is something innately satisfying about moving my body to enact change on the screen. It feels so good, that I am willing to overlook some of the warts on the titles as developers learn to harness the system.

Going back to classic games reveals a LOT of turds (http://www.seanbaby.com/nes/egm16.htm) that have come out for EVERY system. Ever played Ducati World Racing (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/driving/ducatiworldracingchallenge/index.html) on the Dreamcast? Do crappy games mean the system is broken? Dreamcast also was home to Soul Calibur, a game that controls like a dream.

The move from 2D to 3D gaming was also a painful move. Some companies never managed to master the camera. (http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/sonicthehedgehog/review.html) Does that mean all 3D gaming is bad?

[Gorvi]

I think that there's two points to be made here :
1 - By the very nature of the Wii controller, not everyone is going to have the same experience controlling a game.

2 - Some people expected more of the Wiimote than it's actually capable of.

[Savok]

Took developers years to get to grips with the SNES controller and all its buttons, just what the hell do we do with them all?

This is an entirely new way of controlling stuff, some devs will never master it.

[TheFlyingOrc]

I think that there's two points to be made here :
1 - By the very nature of the Wii controller, not everyone is going to have the same experience controlling a game.

2 - Some people expected more of the Wiimote than it's actually capable of.

Both very good point, nemesis.

I don't have control problems in cooking mama except for one motion. The problem is not the hardware - the hardware knows EXACTLY what you did. The problem is software - Exactly how "level" do you have to be? How many degrees are you allowed to be off before you're no longer jabbing straight down? How far do you have to move to the left for it to count as a swing?

The problem is that user stories can't be planned consistently in 3D space - my swing might be totally different than your swing, and completely outside the boundaries of what the programmers allowed for.

The games that the Wii works at, though - it freaking works.

[Bone]

One of the biggest problems I see with users of my Wii is that they expect a magic wand when it's still clearly a game input.

For instance, when bowling, it's important to start with the Wiimote facing straight up (as the pictures show you exactly how to do). I watched a friend of mine ignore this over and over again, and wonder why he never "synced" with the bowler on screen. The device is only as good as the person using it- if you don't play along with the expected "home" position, you'll never successfully get to the "end" position.

The same goes with boxing- I find that if you come back to a resting position (again, covered in the picture instructions), each blow is very accurate. If you never come back to a resting position, you'll never be able to pass the information you want (like the infamous right hook that so many people have trouble with, that just "works" for me).

[Ph00p]

Although the homebrew and wiili type community have embraced the Wiimote itself saying its completely accurate and reliable and they've pinpointed foul ups in control to devs.

[Slack3r78]

Hrm, I guess this is the answer to the thread I posted yesterday asking how this game was.

Disappointing.

[captainspankypants]

The vast majority of games with crappily implemented motion-sensing controls are games that never should have have them in the first place (like ports of PS2 games and cartoon tie-ins) or ones that simply weren't thought out in the slightest. It seems like when the developers put at least the tiniest bit of thought into the controls, they at least work as well as they need to. Even if Cooking Mama's controls aren't perfect, they're obviously serviceable and are capable of getting the job done to a certain degree. It works for what it is. I think people's expectations are just way, way off, and the half-assed developers aren't helping things any.

And yeah, it's not like the Wii is the only platform to ever sport spotty controls.

[bitwise]

And there's been enough games with fantastic controls on the Wii (the Godfather, Twilight Princess, and Elebits to name a few examples) to give merit to the idea that the remote itself is not the issue, but rather how the developer chooses to utilize the remote.

We have a winner.

[KingGorilla]

If you hated yourself enough to actually play the shooters, or the Bow in Zelda, the limitations of the device are all too evident.

[anakin876]

Perhaps there should be a training screen for each game - something that demonstrates the movement and placement of the controller, lets the user try a couple of times, then maps the motion or positioning of the controller for each user. This might eliminate some of the problems people have where some people get it just right, and others have huge problems (like boxing - the one time I tried it was awful - but with advice from this thread I may do better next time)

[Phades]

I thought the controller worked decently enough for Zelda, although I couldn't get over the fact that I'd rather be pushing a button to activate a sword swing than have to wave the wiimote. It'd be different if it was actually matching your movements, but it wasn't. You're just substituting waving the controller for pushing a button..... so exciting. When I'd have to do multiple attacks, I feel like I had more control pushing the button rather than having to keep flailing that controller.

[KingGorilla]

anakin867 The issue is not so much practice, it is that the sensor and the remote are not accurate enough for some of the minute activities in a lot of these mini games.

[Yellowman]

If you hated yourself enough to actually play the shooters, or the Bow in Zelda, the limitations of the device are all too evident.

Had no problem with the bow in Zelda, bout twenty times better than the analogue stick, and I have heard some good things from a lot of people about the shooters, even Red Steel if you're prepared to commit to getting good at it.

[anakin876]

anakin867 The issue is not so much practice, it is that the sensor and the remote are not accurate enough for some of the minute activities in a lot of these mini games.

That's not what some of the other posters are saying - and while you may be correct I was addressing their suggestion that some people aren't "doing it" right.

[KingGorilla]

Well, you cannot get caught up by the nintendo apologists. They are like Mac fanboys.

[bitwise]

If you hated yourself enough to actually play the shooters, or the Bow in Zelda, the limitations of the device are all too evident.

The shooters (except for Red Steel) control excellently. Far Cry never missed a single gesture I made, and I consider the bow in Zelda to be the most relevant use of the Wiimote the entire game had. Also, for me it worked flawlessly (when I remembered to point at the screen). What problems did you have?

[atariv8]

Is there enough life in the Wii to give developers time to make it work? I guess if the install base keeps growing like it is there may be a chance to perfect the Wii wand yet.

I thought the idea behind the Wii was ease of use for non-gamers.

[KingGorilla]

The shooters (except for Red Steel) control excellently. Far Cry never missed a single gesture I made, and I consider the bow in Zelda to be the most relevant use of the Wiimote the entire game had. Also, for me it worked flawlessly (when I remembered to point at the screen). What problems did you have?
Well the precise issues of the article- either it is like Call of Duty where there is no accuracy whatsoever. Or like Zelda, where it is basically auto-aim. And that is the issue. Either the game practically plays itself, or the true limitation of the lack of accuracy shows in the control scheme.
Aside from the mini games...I have yet to play a Wii Game where I did not feel a mouse and keyboard, or a gamepad would provide a vastly superior experience.

[Bone]

If you hated yourself enough to actually play the shooters, or the Bow in Zelda, the limitations of the device are all too evident.
Huh- worked great for me in Zelda, Call of Duty and Elebits (which has more in common with FPS games than you may know, until you play it). CoD was as accurate as a mouse for me. Elebits was the most accurate of them all, surprisingly. I could pinpoint pixel-sized targets and nail them after some practice.

Most problems I've encountered so far have come down to either the positioning of the sensor bar or centering yourself in front of the TV at a proper distance.

The biggest issue I've had that wasn't solved by those steps were in CoD. When you have to go melee and fight off a guard who grabs your gun, the devs didn't make it clear how exactly to move the Wiimote and nunchuck. Either that or I misunderstood the directions. My wife came over and easily got my gun away from the Nazi :o

[Bone]

Well, you cannot get caught up by the nintendo apologists. They are like Mac fanboys.I guess the same applies in reverse to people dedicated to dissing the Wii?

I have plenty of other consoles I like to play in addition to my PC; I defend the Wii based on observed facts, not puppy love. Your statements about the controller deserve to be countered by other people who haven't suffered the same problems, I think.

[TheFlyingOrc]

Most problems I've encountered so far have come down to either the positioning of the sensor bar or centering yourself in front of the TV at a proper distance.

This is a big one. I have a lot of trouble due to the fact that I'm not very far away from my television.

And I don't know what Gorilla is talking about in relation to the bow in Zelda - it was accurate, quick, and had no auto-aim whatsoever. Besides, the problem being discussed here is the motion controls, not the pointer. If your setup is correct, the pointer is accurate.

A lot of times, the problem with the controls seems to be like when I played Black and White, with its gesture based spellcasting - I would draw a box, albeit not perfectly, and it wouldn't think it was a box. The Wii stuff is exactly like that - motion control problems are very similar to when you draw a character on a PDA and it decides it's another character - it's all about the software. The problem is not the hardware.

[McPhage]

I've got Cooking Mama, and while it's fun to play, the controls are a mess for some of the games. But it's definitely the developers, not the Wiimote.

Take the egg-cracking game, for instance. You've got to swing the wiimote, and when it feels that it has a measurement of how fast you're swinging, the egg moves (without further input from you).

But that's not really what you expect it to do. You'd expect that the location of the egg corresponds to the location of the wiimote along a swinging arc. It's conceptually very simple, and similar to how other wiimote actions work... like the bow in Zelda; simple to understand and it controls great.

Which means that's frustrating the first several times you play that minigame, since it doesn't act the way you'd expect. You move the wiimote, and the egg doesn't move--but then all of a sudden it does. And once you finally figure it out, since the egg doesn't give you any positional feedback, you don't get a good sense of how fast you're swinging it until it's too late. You just need to make sure you always move your hand at the same speed.

So it's definitely a case where the controls are wonky--not because the wiimote can't handle it, but because the developers used it in a very unintuitive fashion. It could have been a fun, if simple minigame. Instead, it's an exercise in frustration.

[KSmitty]

Aside from the mini games...I have yet to play a Wii Game where I did not feel a mouse and keyboard, or a gamepad would provide a vastly superior experience.
Monkeyball
Wario Ware

[Mighty Jesus]

Excite Truck
Godfather

[Lothair]

And I don't know what Gorilla is talking about in relation to the bow in Zelda - it was accurate, quick, and had no auto-aim whatsoever. Besides, the problem being discussed here is the motion controls, not the pointer. If your setup is correct, the pointer is accurate.


Well, you cannot get caught up by the nintendo apologists. They are like Mac fanboys.

Oh, Orc. You don't understand, do you? You see, you're a Nintendo apologist and a fanboy. Why? Because you disagree with Gorilla's personal opinion. Let me break it down for you: you may think that you've enjoyed playing these games and that the Wiimote delivered a wonderful experience, but you failed to take the single most important aspect into consideration: Gorilla's feelings. You see, the second Gorilla felt that the Wiimote was crap (roughly three years before he'd heard of it), your so called "experiences" became irrelevant. Similarly, you may have played Zelda, and noted that there was no auto aim, just like pretty much everyone else who has played Zelda. But again, you've forgotten the fact that Gorilla has asserted it on a message board, and that your experiences of having played the game are irrelevant. No matter how many people may assert a thing, or have fun with the Wiimote, it doesn't matter because KingGorilla says that it's crap.

Now, I know what you'll say, "but my feelings and experiences have relevance to this discussion." See, that's why you're a Nintendo apologist, because you seek to introduce facts which do not readily agree with KingGorilla. And because you're a Nintendo apologist, you are wrong, and everything you say is pointless. Now, I know this is going to be hard on you at first, but I'd recommend, every night before you go to bed, stop and think to yourself "how have my experiences differed from how KingGorilla sees the world?" and then do your best to change those experiences, or at least your memory of them. Ideally, you will soon be able to cast off the shackles of your oppressive "experiences" and understand the world as it really is. Which is to say as how KingGorilla asserts it to be.

[mister_slim]

As an example of similar problems in the past: The first game to intuitively and effectively implement dual analog control in a FPS was Goldeneye, for the N64. How long did it take until every console FPS had well implemented controls? Who knows, cause it hasn't happened yet. It doesn't help that implementing the Wiimote is going to have a brutal learning curve, since it's massively more data than developers are used to, and the fact that only a few Japanese arcade developers are familiar with such inputs, and it's clear it'll be a long time before every Wii game controls well. And by long I mean forever.

[anakin876]

snip snip from previous post

Oh man - that was poetry. Thanks Lothair, I wish I could add that whole thing to my sig

[Cubfan]

As an example of similar problems in the past: The first game to intuitively and effectively implement dual analog control in a FPS was Goldeneye, for the N64. How long did it take until every console FPS had well implemented controls? Who knows, cause it hasn't happened yet. It doesn't help that implementing the Wiimote is going to have a brutal learning curve, since it's massively more data than developers are used to, and the fact that only a few Japanese arcade developers are familiar with such inputs, and it's clear it'll be a long time before every Wii game controls well. And by long I mean forever.

The N64 had only a single analog stick :eek:

[mister_slim]

The N64 had only a single analog stick :eek:
Not if you had two controllers. :eek:

[Lon Lon Rabbit]

Awesome news to see as I sit down to my computer while opening up my new game that just arrived... Yeah, cooking mama.

I was literally opening the bubble wrapped package with one hand while scrolling down and noticing this news article with the other.

[Mr.Condescension]

The problem with the Wii controller is that it isn't a pointing device. It's a relative accelerometer. Those are two completely different things. The "at rest" problems with boxing, golf, etc., as well as the aiming problems in Zelda, Rayman, etc. stem from this. The wii has no clue whatsoever where you're pointing. We've succeeded in shooting link's bow far away from the TV and hitting our intended target on the screen. You can bowl without even facing the screen. You can swing it fast enough that it won't notice all the swings and will only use some, or none of them, as input.

The wiimote only knows where it's at in relation to where it last was, hence the controls often not being as precise as people expect them to be. In any timed situation, such as in cooking mama, if you mess up one movement (say a down chopping stroke) it's human nature to try to catch up and mess up your form, etc. If you're following the instructions and making very precise, controlled movements, things often go well, but when things start to go bad they tend to go more badly very quickly.

[Kamalot]

The problem with the Wii controller is that it isn't a pointing device. It's a relative accelerometer. Those are two completely different things.
You are right, accelerometers are different than pointing devices. The Wii remote has both.

If you're following the instructions and making very precise, controlled movements, things often go well, but when things start to go bad they tend to go more badly very quickly.

So, when you are following the instructions, and playing precisely, the games work well? But if you don't follow the instructions and play all-sloppy, things go wrong?

That sounds just like every other video game on every other system I've ever played.

Would you like a do-over?

[Doctor Setebos]

The problem with the Wii controller is that it isn't a pointing device. It's a relative accelerometer. Those are two completely different things.The wiimote only knows where it's at in relation to where it last was, hence the controls often not being as precise as people expect them to be.You have demonstrated very quickly that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. The Wiimote does indeed have an accelerometer, but it also is, in fact, a pointing device. A camera in the Wiimote picks up flashes of light from the sensor bar and the triangulation of the signal is sent to the Wii as exact coordinates.

http://fileflood.googlepages.com/themoreyouknow.jpg

Oh, Orc. You don't understand, do you? You see, you're a Nintendo apologist and a fanboy. Why? Because you disagree with Gorilla's personal opinion. Let me break it down for you: you may think that you've enjoyed playing these games and that the Wiimote delivered a wonderful experience, but you failed to take the single most important aspect into consideration: Gorilla's feelings. You see, the second Gorilla felt that the Wiimote was crap (roughly three years before he'd heard of it), your so called "experiences" became irrelevant. Similarly, you may have played Zelda, and noted that there was no auto aim, just like pretty much everyone else who has played Zelda. But again, you've forgotten the fact that Gorilla has asserted it on a message board, and that your experiences of having played the game are irrelevant. No matter how many people may assert a thing, or have fun with the Wiimote, it doesn't matter because KingGorilla says that it's crap.

Now, I know what you'll say, "but my feelings and experiences have relevance to this discussion." See, that's why you're a Nintendo apologist, because you seek to introduce facts which do not readily agree with KingGorilla. And because you're a Nintendo apologist, you are wrong, and everything you say is pointless. Now, I know this is going to be hard on you at first, but I'd recommend, every night before you go to bed, stop and think to yourself "how have my experiences differed from how KingGorilla sees the world?" and then do your best to change those experiences, or at least your memory of them. Ideally, you will soon be able to cast off the shackles of your oppressive "experiences" and understand the world as it really is. Which is to say as how KingGorilla asserts it to be.That was fucking brilliance, Lothair. My compliments to the author. :D

[Mr.Condescension]

You have demonstrated very quickly that you have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. The Wiimote does indeed have an accelerometer, but it also is, in fact, a pointing device. A camera in the Wiimote picks up flashes of light from the sensor bar and the triangulation of the signal is sent to the Wii as exact coordinates.

Correct...except there's only one sensor on the front of the wiimote, which means the Wii knows where the wiimote is, but not what direction it's pointing in. It triangulates based on the next position to guess what you're aiming at. No matter where you put the sensor bar it isn't going to know where on your TV you're aiming at, especially considering TVs vary in size. This is the exact reason why usually when you turn your Wii on and point the wiimote at the TV the little hand icon isn't on the screen. It takes a little bit for it to triangulate, based on your moving the thing around, to decide where your TV is, and how large it thinks your TV is. You'll note the hand is very innacurate during this startup period. It is not an absolute pointing device, since it is guessing where you're pointing based on the last location of the front of the wiimote.

[Bone]

Uh, the reason you calibrate your Wiimote is to let your Wii understand the positional relationship- threfore making the triangulation possible. The Wii certainly DOES do positional information, in addition to accelerometer information. Move along now.

[Kamalot]

Correct...except there's only one sensor on the front of the wiimote, which means the Wii knows where the wiimote is, but not what direction it's pointing in. It triangulates based on the next position to guess what you're aiming at. No matter where you put the sensor bar it isn't going to know where on your TV you're aiming at, especially considering TVs vary in size. This is the exact reason why usually when you turn your Wii on and point the wiimote at the TV the little hand icon isn't on the screen. It takes a little bit for it to triangulate, based on your moving the thing around, to decide where your TV is, and how large it thinks your TV is. You'll note the hand is very innacurate during this startup period. It is not an absolute pointing device, since it is guessing where you're pointing based on the last location of the front of the wiimote.
I am sorry you wasted your do-over.

The Wii does not care what size your TV is. It does not ever try and determine the size of your screen. When you start up Wii, point the remote at the sensor bar, not your screen. All pointer motions are relative to the sensor bar and have nothing to do with the size of your screen.

Do you want yet another do-over?

[Mr.Condescension]

I am sorry you wasted your do-over.

The Wii does not care what size your TV is. It does not ever try and determine the size of your screen. When you start up Wii, point the remote at the sensor bar, not your screen. All pointer motions are relative to the sensor bar and have nothing to do with the size of your screen.

Do you want yet another do-over?

Then how exactly do you think it knows where the boundary of the play area is? Just mull it over for a moment.

To answer Bone, I was referring specifically to the wiimote not being an absolute pointing device. The Wii doesn't really know what you're pointing at, or even if there's a TV there. It triangulates the position, yes, but not where you're pointing. It is essentially guessing where and what you're pointing at based solely on where it thinks you were last pointing it. Does this seem very precise to you? That is the only point I'm trying to make. The machine isn't a tiny little god that knows exactly what it's pointing at. If it did it wouldn't be so easy to fake it out.

[Kamalot]

Then how exactly do you think it knows where the boundary of the play area is? Just mull it over for a moment.
Have you ever calibrated a Wii remote, with the little dots on the screen? The Wii remote has an infrared camera in the pointing-end. It has a limited field of view in which it can 'see' the sensor bar. If you point the remote so far to the left that the Wii remote can no longer 'see' the sensor bar, you have reached the edge.

[Mr.Condescension]

Have you ever calibrated a Wii remote, with the little dots on the screen? The Wii remote has an infrared camera in the pointing-end. It has a limited field of view in which it can 'see' the sensor bar. If you point the remote so far to the left that the Wii remote can no longer 'see' the sensor bar, you have reached the edge.

Actually, no, I haven't. I don't own one. I play my friend's at his house sometimes. That would probably be helpful if I owned one. At any rate, the remote is still easy to fake out by facing the camera portion away from the sensor bar. That's required in alot of the games, such as all the golf games, and rayman. Because the remote uses triangulation to determine where it's pointing it is not an absolute pointing device and it is quite fallible. That is all I was trying to say. Expecting the tech to be infallible would require sensors throughout your room, and in the TV itself.

[KingGorilla]

Then how exactly do you think it knows where the boundary of the play area is? Just mull it over for a moment.

If I say magic can we get off of this subject and back to me bashing the Wii controls?

[Kamalot]

Actually, no, I haven't. I don't own one. I play my friend's at his house sometimes. That would probably be helpful if I owned one. At any rate, the remote is still easy to fake out by facing the camera portion away from the sensor bar. That's required in alot of the games, such as all the golf games, and rayman. Because the remote uses triangulation to determine where it's pointing it is not an absolute pointing device and it is quite fallible. That is all I was trying to say. Expecting the tech to be infallible would require sensors throughout your room, and in the TV itself.

The remote uses the IR sensor and sensor bar for pointing, which has nothing to do with the accelerometers. When you take a swing in golf or tennis, you aren't 'faking out' the system. The game is reading accelerometer data at that point, and not utilizing the pointer. You DO NOT NEED sensor bars around your room. To even hear such a statement is completely perplexing.

When the system is using the pointer, it IS absolute. It knows what the field if vision is from the IR camera, where the sensor bar is in relation to the IR sensor, and how many pixels are on the screen (640x480). Using all of that, it can determine where your cursor appears on screen, if you are close/far from the sensor bar, and how many degrees the remote has been turned around the axis of the IR camera.

Either get a Wii or spend a LOT more time on your friend's trying to figure out how it works. Perhaps there is an article on 'How Things Work' that does a better job of explaining it. I'm honestly not trying to come of as condescending, but please learn a bit more about the subject before coming into a thread and stating something wrong, several times. The time it takes to set the record straight is cramping KingGorilla's bashing. :)

[Doctor Setebos]

Here, read this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_Remote) and stop pretending you know what you're talking about. :rolleyes:

[Kamalot]

Here, read this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_Remote) and stop pretending you know what you're talking about. :rolleyes:
Just what the Doctor (Setebos) ordered!

From the wiki:

The use of the Sensor Bar allows the Wii Remote to be used as an accurate pointing device up to 5 meters (approx. 16 ft) away from the bar.[5] The Wii Remote's one-megapixel image sensor[23] is used to locate the Sensor Bar's points of light in the Wii Remote's field of view. The known real-world dimensions of the spacing between the LEDs on the bar allows the Wii Remote to calculate its distance from the bar,[25] while the tilt and rotation of the Wii Remote with respect to the ground can be calculated from the relative angle of the Sensor Bar (which sees the bar as two bright dots) and the data sensed by the accelerometers. Furthermore, the game can be programmed to sense whether the image sensors are covered, which is demonstrated in a minigame of Smooth Moves, where if the player does not uncover the sensor, the champagne bottle that the remote represents will not open.

The Sensor Bar is required when the Wii Remote is controlling up-down, left-right motion of a cursor or reticle on the TV screen to point to menu options or objects such as enemies in first person shooters. Because the Sensor Bar also allows the Wii Remote to calculate the distance between the Wii Remote and the Sensor Bar,[26] the Wii Remote can also control slow forward-backward motion of an object in a 3-dimensional game.[27] Rapid forward-backward motion, such as punching in a boxing game, is controlled by the acceleration sensors. Using these acceleration sensors (acting as tilt sensors), the Wii Remote can also control rotation of a cursor or other objects.[28]

The use of an infrared sensor to detect position can cause some detection problems when other infrared sources are around, such as incandescent light bulbs or candles. This can be easily alleviated by using fluorescent lights around the Wii, which emit little to no infrared light.[7] Innovative users have used other sources of IR light as Sensor Bar substitutes such as a pair of flashlights and a pair of candles.[29] Such substitutes for the Sensor Bar illustrate the fact that a pair of non-moving lights provide continuous calibration of the direction that the Wii Remote is pointing and its physical location relative to the light sources. There is no way to calibrate the position of the cursor relative to where the user is pointing the controller without the two stable reference sources of light provided by the Sensor Bar or substitutes.

The position and motion tracking of the Wii Remote allows the player to mimic actual game actions, such as swinging a sword or aiming a gun, instead of simply pushing buttons.