Now Apple to Develop 'Wii Wand'

Patent for Apple TV controller revealed

Posted by Staff
Apple has followed Acer into the development of a Wii-like remote control, or 'Wand'.

The iPhone/iPod producer has filed a patent for a Wii-like controller for its Apple TV system. The patent is listed against Nicholas King and Duncan Kerr, both employees at the company. King, in fact, listed a patent for a Wii like device back in 2006.

According to Apple - quoted on Apple Insider -, "The wand may include an optical component for capturing images of the infrared modules, and may calculate its orientation and distance from the modules based on the captured images.

"In some embodiments, the electronic device may direct the infrared modules to identify the position of an infrared emitter incorporated on the wand, and may calculate the absolute position of the wand relative to the infrared modules."

The current patent attaches the remote to Apple's TV system rather than to a gaming device per se. However, with its recent success with iPhone and iPod Touch gaming, the possibility of an Apple games machine that could adopt the remote is... remote but not impossible.
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