Nintendo Invests In Gyroscopic Motion-Sensing Controllers

Under the terms of the agreement, Nintendo will become an active investment partner by purchasing an undisclosed amount of Gyration stock. In exchange, Nintendo will gain access to Gyration research and development in the areas of motion-sensing and wireless RF technologies. Gyration plans to produce game controllers enhanced with gyroscopic motion-sensors, which the company says have a tenfold performance increase over accelerometer tilt sensors, and add the ability to sense yaw as well as pitch. Gyration says that a motion sensor can take the place of a typical thumb pressure pad, allowing one-handed game play, or can be integrated into a two-handed controller to add a dimension to game playing not possible with traditional videogame controllers. Gyration's site can be found at http://www.gyration.com.