DarwiinRemote - AWiimote Frontend for OSX

jeckil writes "DarwiinRemote is a tiny piece of software which reads data from and sends data to Nintendo Wii Remote. It detects all 3 axis sensors, all buttons (except power). You can modify which controller LED indicator is on, and send force feedback. Right now it only supports a basic front row control scheme but they should be releasing a better version in a few days. All the source code is available and compatible with latest version of xcode. One can only wonder ... If the latest apple rumor turns out to be true, things could get very interesting for apple. Someone has already released a modified version of this app. It seems there have been some problems detecting the remote so an alternate version that uses the Wiimote's sync button has been released."

WiinRemote

[Phroggy]

I can't read Japanese, but it looks like WiinRemote [onakasuita.org] is a similar app for Windows; this page is linked from the DarwiinRemote page.

Re:WiinRemote

[KingJoshi]

And the English page, http://onakasuita.org/wii/index-e.html [onakasuita.org]

Re:WiinRemote

[tarun713]

The guys over at wiili.org have a windows "driver" posted using an input emulator. There is also a python script linked to that can be used for linux input.

"Modified Version": IR based mouse movement

[inio]

Unfortunately the article doesn't say it, but the big deal about the "modified version" is support for sensor bar based mouse movement.

Not implemented properly yet

[0x537461746943]

Notice that you don't point where you want to aim. You point the wii remote up and your aiming reticle starts going up. When to go back to level position the aiming reticle stops instead of returning to level point like the aiming portions of zelda. It seems to only use the tilt function without the triangulation to know what part of the screen you are pointing at for aiming which is useless to me because that is what makes the wii so easy to use. Point at the section of screen you want to aim at instead of just a regular joystick type aiming.

Re:'scuse me for being a n00b...

[Phisbut]

...but can someone post some details on how to physically read the Wiimote from a PC or Mac? Is the controller connected via USB? (I don't own a Wii so I've no idea how things plug together.)

I might be wrong, but I do believe the Wiimote communicates with Bluetooth, so it's basically just a bluetooth device that your Mac or PC deals with, like a mouse or any other device.

Ya gotta love standard interfaces when stuff like that happens :-)

GlovePie

[Animaether]

alternatively...
http://carl.kenner.googlepages.com/glovepie [googlepages.com]

I wonder why it's news when it's on a Mac :)

Re:Pointer feature?

[Kufat]

No, it can send button presses and motion information, but not absolute position as determined by the IR camera. You can swing the remote to swing your sword in Zelda no matter where it's pointed, but you have to point it near the sensor bar to move the on-screen cursor.

Installed it and tried it out. . . My impressions.

[n2art2]

Well, so I bit. I downloaded the app, and installed it on my laptop. It is still obviously a little buggy, but like their site says, once you get it to connect properly, it tends to stay that way. (but this took a number of program restarts)

I don't have my IR bar accessable at the moment, so I haven't tested out the mouse functionality on it, but I'm pretty excited about it and will try it out when I get home. Just happened that today I have my wiimote at work, because I'm taking them over to a bud's house to night for a little bowling, tennis, and maybe some rabbit/carot action.

This is great though, my only concern now is that you have to reconnect the remote upon any restart of the program. Not a biggy, but this seems like an ideal situation for connecting your PC to your flat screen TV with a VGA or DVI imput (which I have) and using front row on the TV controled with the IR bar from the attached wii, and just grabbin' a wiimote to use as well.

Re:Remotes movement

[MustardMan]

uh, huh? Since when to accelerometers only detect movement relative to gravity? Here, all along i've been thinking they sense... oh, I don't know... ACCELERATION?

The real reason it doesn't detect anything when rotated is because the you're spinning about the axis of the sensor. If you rotate it instead about one end of the wiimote, it will detect the motion. Gravity has nothing to do with it.