Before you go running off to So, what's the deal? First, there is no actual microphone (a device capable of converting vibrational energy into electrical signals) found within the Wiimote. Though basic electrical engineering principals allow a standard speaker to act in such a fashion, the signal quality and frequency response would be unacceptably low. This chip actually requires an expansion device for it to be used at all. So why add it? It's only two dollars, but this rather unnecessary addition has cost the company several dozen million dollars. We can only assume that Nintendo or significant third parties are planning a title utilizing an expansion microphone, which will be presumably cheap enough to bundle with a title and incur no markup in price.
God knows the masses need a mainstream karaoke game (we know about Karaoke Revolution for the PS2, but it never really took off), and the Wii is just the system to do it. Like a Virginnnnn ... hey!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-01-2007 @ 10:20AM
UpIrons said...
Perhaps the expansion microphone could also be used for voice recognition instead of typing into the web browser.
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6-01-2007 @ 10:38AM
Chris said...
Funny how they spent the money on a chip that's not being used but attempted to justify their lackluster graphics and lack of HD with "it's not about the graphics, it's about the [somewhat crippled] experience."
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6-01-2007 @ 10:39AM
brian said...
there is going to be a microphone attachment for a game, cant remember the game.....i think EA's "boogie"
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6-01-2007 @ 11:44AM
Thomas said...
Two dollars is a LOT of money for an IC that won't be used in the majority of games. The article doesn't give a model number, but looking at Rohm's website, it looks like they manufacture a digital audio decoder that could be used for translating digital audio into an analog signal that the Wiimote's speaker can handle. It's more likely that this chip actually serves that purpose. I think the article got this wrong.
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6-01-2007 @ 11:48AM
mint400 said...
A mainstream karaoke game?
Ever heard of Singstar? I guess that game is responsible for 98% of the ps2 sales in Europe.
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6-01-2007 @ 12:00PM
dukemeiser said...
Boogie uses a microphone.
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6-01-2007 @ 12:36PM
justin said...
My daughter is a huge High School Musical fan and the game coming out for the Wii that ties in with the movie is suppose to be a sing a long game. So maybe this game will use this feature.
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6-01-2007 @ 12:47PM
flamingsquirrel said...
ummm....
WE ALREADY FREAKING KNEW THAT THERE WAS GONNA BE A MICROPHONE!The only thing this changes is that the mic will be relatively cheap, $5 or $10, instead of $20. High school musical has a mic, boogie has a mic, this is old news. Why are people calling it unused? This us tells us that the mics will be cheap, they'll have to connect to the wiimote in one way or another and that nintendo is planning on more than a few mic games.
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6-01-2007 @ 2:30PM
Charles said...
hello! did everyone forget there is a microphone expansion with games like boogie and high school musical? this must e the component for the jack to take the signal in!
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6-01-2007 @ 4:51PM
James said...
Actually, I've read several pieces (including maybe here?) that claimed Harry Potter is going to have a mic, and make you "speak" the spells -- I hope the hell that's not right. It's embarrassing enough having to play through the game so my wife can watch; I don't want the neighbors having to listen to "DAMMIT I SAID LEVICORPUS!!! LEVICORPUS!!!" every night.
(Yes, I know, wrong book, but I would try it anyway -- that would make an excellent easter egg.)
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6-01-2007 @ 6:28PM
Lukino said...
That chip IS used. It is the digital-to-analog converter, for playing sound on the built-in speaker. That's why it's right near the amplifier!
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6-07-2007 @ 9:30PM
sinfulknowledge said...
I thought the mic was always a known feature.... but the garbled audio from the remote is disappointing....
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