The nine-axis refers to the three different sensors inside the controller that each track the X, Y, and Z axes. The Wii U — like the iPhone 5 — use a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and PNI’s magnetic sensor. Three devices tracking the same three axes for nine-axis controls. The first PlayStation 3 controller, the Sixaxis, only tracked using a gyroscope and an accelerometer.
“[The gyro and accelerometer] are good at tracking relativistic change,” said Oh. “But it doesn’t tell you absolutely where you’re pointing and where the pointer is. What the magnetic sensor does is use the Earth’s magnetic field as a reference. It can always guide [the GamePad] back to what the absolute position is.”
Remember the Wii remote’s shaky cursor? This technology would eliminate that. Oh promises that her company’s technology is immune to the kinds of magnetic interference that caused those issues in the previous generation of motion sensors.
“I think games such as first-person shooters, driving games, or some type of flying game would be a good candidate for this type of technology,” Oh said. “Sony’s Sharpshooter [Move controller peripheral] did something like this, but when we played with it we saw it was not accurately tracking. There was both latency and inaccuracy. In that case, hardcore gamers would go back to using a joystick or game controllers, but if you had a very accurate way — with no latency or very little latency — to use the gun to point what you’re shooting. I think that does change the way the game is played.”
