DS slide-sensor add-on revealed

Official online video from Nintendo Japan reveals 5,800-yen mouselike peripheral for ever-popular handheld, bundled with new game.

"Slide, slide, slippity slide..."

Earlier this week, a filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office appeared to reveal Nintendo was working on a new portable. Accompanied by images of what looked roughly like an original Game Boy, the recently granted patent was for motion-sensing technology. The tech would re-create "change caused in the actual space in a form of a game-space state change, based on at least one of an amount and a direction of a tilt, movement or impact applied to the housing."

Now, Nintendo Japan has unveiled a motion-sensing peripheral which uses far simpler technology. Last week, the company quietly launched a new motion-sensing "slide controller" add-on for its DS handheld. As by a video on the site, the add-on clips into the Game Boy Advance cart slot. Photos taken by popular Japanese-game importer NCS show the slide controller turns the entire DS into a mouse via an optical sensor on its underside (pictured).

The DS slide controller comes bundled with a new game for the handheld, Slide Adventure: Mag Kid. According to NCS, the game centers around a small robot, Mag Kid, tasked with reassembling itself in the face of attacks from rogue salvage operations. The robot can defend himself with a dashing attack and also gleans new powers from defeated enemies. The title will also feature 12 minigames which will put the Kid through his motion-sensing paces.

Slide Adventure: Mag Kid is already on the market in Japan, where it retails for 5,800 yen (around $48). Nintendo has not made public any plans to release the slide peripheral or outside its homeland. As of press time, US PR reps for the publisher had not responded to inquiries about the device or the game.

221 Comments

  • brettneo3012

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:06 pm PT

    Wow.. some people are pretty stupid to not know what this is.. like watch the video and see!

  • Joe_Combat

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:06 pm PT

    weird

  • HylianHeart

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:04 pm PT

    I'll bet Nintendo is not releasing it outside of their homeland because they want to see how well it will do. If they think it is worth it, they'll probably work on it to incorporate it more into the DS, or possibly make some handheld version of the Wii.....It will be interesting to see what Nintendo will do with it.

  • AngelsongCA

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:04 pm PT

    It allows for mouse pointer functionality. Basically, put Nintendo DS screens into the top of your lazer mouse, and that's what it is. Or, as the video shows you slide the whole DS over a flat solid colored surface to make the pointer move.

    You slide the character in the game around using sliding movements of the whole DS over a flat surface. This allows you to still use the d-pad, and buttons while at the same time using stylus-like controls.

  • gameguy6700

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:00 pm PT

    It looks interesting. If games start using it in the future I think I'm going to import it (assuming it doesn't ever get released here). I could see this getting used quite a bit with FPS games since it frees up all the buttons on the DS, whereas with a stylus only half the buttons are available for use. I hope this catches on.

  • ChronoDeus

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:00 pm PT

    I'm skeptical of the amount of use this'll actually see, but I've got to give Nintendo credit for at least trying to be innovative.

  • ruttness

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:00 pm PT

    odd. just odd

  • Kefkamania05

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 2:00 pm PT

    The game looks pretty meh, but I guess the add-on itself has potential.

  • Tking1293

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:58 pm PT

    Ok.

  • REVOLUTIONfreak

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:57 pm PT

    Meh...

  • DoctorEggman

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:55 pm PT

    ...weird...

  • smithguy1234

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:54 pm PT

    What?!

  • Poltergeist13

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:54 pm PT

    right...

  • maxxorz

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:52 pm PT

    lame.

  • xronc

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:51 pm PT

    im guessing only 1 game will use this

  • alchemist19

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:50 pm PT

    It looks okay considering that you can take the DS anywhere, but will you always have some flat surface to use this new peripheral or will you have to succumb to sliding it in your lap, causing others to give you awkward looks.

  • syncroshadow

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:50 pm PT

    pretty much a mouse right? i rather not though

  • GrimBee

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:41 pm PT

    I guess it would be ok as a FPS pointer device. But the DS produces visuals which only - say - a metroid game can make the best of.

    I would imagine this would make a great addition to the warioware games, if a new warioware game came out and this was bundled with it - i would buy it at the drop of a dime.

    But I can't see the device being used for anything more than that. It may be useful for the opera browser - but then again, the bottom slot is used for memory...

    I think a motion sensor cartridge would be more efficient. We will probably get that over here - not the mouse thing that this is.

  • pb1285n

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:41 pm PT

    To anyone who doesn't understand what it does.

    When he says it turns the DS into a mouse he meant it. You clip it into the GBA slot and the optical sensor on the bottom of the attachment senses movement (like an optical mouse). The problem this seems to cause is that it requires a solid nonreflective surface to work. Though none of this matters because we'll never see it outside Japan.

  • murlow12

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:41 pm PT

    I don't get it....

  • aashkii

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:40 pm PT

    Interesting.

  • speedracer216

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:36 pm PT

    meh... .at best.

  • bladedude49

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:36 pm PT

    this basically attaches tot he gba cartridge slot and acts as a little stand for the ds for u to play on a table. The bottom of the device has an optical laser that acts like a mouse, sooo.. effectively it turns your ds into a mouse lol. so u play your ds on a table like u would play that psychic game ouiji or ouija or w/e. lol.. interesting? i guess.

  • cfamgcn

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:35 pm PT

    Looks ok, but I won't buy it if it appears in America

  • ThickFreak

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:35 pm PT

    Will it work for the original DS or just DS Lite?

  • wiz4ha

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:34 pm PT

    So much negativity!

    Doubtful we'll see this in North America, but nifty idea. The game itself sounds fun - a few more good ideas and this device could be quite a hit.

  • GrimBee

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:32 pm PT

    That looks like it WONT be sold over here.
    I mean, for those who don't know what it is - its a thing which goes into the bottom slot, and acts as a dock for the DS. Underneath is an optical lense (like a mouse has) and you then SLIDE your DS about on a desk, and the slidy movements you make then register into the game.

    In even simpler terms - its a fancy way to stick an optical mouse to the bottom of the DS.

    Something like this seriously won't be any fun over here because you can only imagine japanese games to make good use of it.
    Heck, the touch screen is a challenge for alot of developers - so this won't probably make it over our shores.

    I am still betting on nintendo putting a rumble/sensor cartridge on the "to be made" list.
    I don't think that this has any relation to the motion sensor. Its an entirely different thing...

    Its a mouse stuck under a DS...

    I can think of only a few good games which would use this - one would be a game where you plane wood. And another would be where you vaccum things up. And maybe scanning a belly of a lady to see where the baby is...

    And thats about it

  • Ibacai

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:31 pm PT

    So you have to play it with the DS sitting on a flat surface? Sounds like that would get uncomfortable very fast, not to mention the fact that it's not possible in a lot of places.

    It doesn't seem very practical to me.

  • billysea

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:29 pm PT

    This game to DS is like Warioware Twisted to GBA.

  • ps3ruler

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:29 pm PT

    Doesn't this take the whole "take anywhere" idea out of portable gaming?

    Are you going to use the lap of the person sitting next to you on a bus as a mousepad?

  • azone12

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:28 pm PT

    okayyy sooo what does it do?

  • BornK1ll

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:28 pm PT

    It looks like another gadget to me...

  • Going666

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:26 pm PT

    Now i need an entire table top to play my HANDHELD games?

  • joeymew

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:25 pm PT

    this looks really cool

  • sonicman12

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:25 pm PT

    I still have no idea what this does, even with the article...

  • AmazoLK

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:24 pm PT

    It looks pretty cool, but what if you run out of room on the table. That would suck if you had to play with it on the floor.

  • Dolacide

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:24 pm PT

    Interesting.

  • shadow_17705

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:22 pm PT

    at least it's better than a completely new handheld. not bad.

  • TyloniusFunk

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:20 pm PT

    I think there's a pretty good reason nobody ever put a screen on a mouse before.

  • CaptainDingo

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:18 pm PT

    Good or bad? Honestly I just read the article twice and I have no clue what that thing does, so I can't say one way or the other.

  • flynsk

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:14 pm PT

    I can see some interesting homebrew coming out of this.

  • Myke_Kreed

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:12 pm PT

    It's good to see Nintendo is still BANANAS.

  • iwo4life

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:12 pm PT

    A nintendo add on. Go figure.

  • darkchaostitan

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:11 pm PT

    That sounds just as stupid as the rumble pack for the DS or the TV turner for the PSP. Somethings just look better on paper.

  • curua02

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:11 pm PT

    I can't imagine a wide application for a peripheral like this, but Nintendo's gone in odd directions before and still managed to create winners. Let's wait and see, they might surprise us.

  • 092093

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:07 pm PT

    I wonder how many games will actually use this.

  • Rect_Pola

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:07 pm PT

    Obviously this device is not involved with the technology in patent we heard about and nobody said it was. Like Nintendo said in that article, they get a lot of patents but don't always use them.

    *sigh* Japan gets all the DS peripherals.

  • ZACK860

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:07 pm PT

    wait, what?

  • PSP-topher

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:06 pm PT

    still thinking out of the box eh nintendo? well this is one idea that belongs in the box (by which i mean it sucks)

  • Phazevariance

    Posted Aug 8, 2007 1:06 pm PT

    I dont think this will make it huge in the north americas but it never hurts for them to try new things.

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