Microsoft May Unveil Wii-Like Remote in June

By Drew Nelles,  Newser Staff
Posted May 19, 2009 5:55 PM CDT
Microsoft May Unveil Wii-Like Remote in June
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer addresses the annual Microsoft shareholder's meeting Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008, in Bellevue, Wash.   (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Just-released patent applications suggest Microsoft has indeed created a so-called “Magic Wand” to rival the Wii remote, the BBC reports. It could come out at next month's industry expo in Los Angeles. The applications say the wand has "biometric sensors" that would detect "fingerprint, hand geometry, hand vein pattern, palm pattern, and grip configuration," and would have a "facial thermogram, a facial feature, a retinal feature, or an iris feature.”

Insiders speculate the Wand will be an Xbox version of the famous motion-sensitive Wii controller. "We thought they were going to show something off at the E3 Expo in 2007—some sort of waggle stick—but nothing materialized," a gaming writer says, adding that Microsoft had to "jump on the motion sensor bandwagon."
(More Microsoft stories.)

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