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[neptunes]

I saw this lying around somewhere, not sure how old it is.

but it supposedly came from a financial report.

It's amazing what you can find secreted away amongst games companies' financial reports, release schedules and trademark filings. On the whole they're as dull as a Frank Skinner sitcom, but occasionally you unearth a real gem that gives you an insight into one of many possible gaming futures.

Well that's what may have turned up today as Nintendo of Japan has recently trademarked a number of new words, titles and phrases, including "Commander", Commanderpack", Mission", Manebito/Camera, Ningen-Copy/Manebito, and Peach Hime.

Any wiser? No, nor were we at first, but at least Peach Hime is easily explicable as it means Princess Peach. A new game for Mario's number one damsel in distress? Well possibly, but Commander, CommanderPack and Mission?

Honestly we haven't the foggiest: any answers on a postcard (or more likely in the forums) headed 'Nintendo Random Speculation Department' more than welcome.

Ah, but what about Manebito/Camera and Ningen-copy/Manebito? Well, according to translation assistants, Manebito translates as "imitator", while Ningen-copy roughly equates to "person copy".

However, two images were also tantalisingly trademarked alongside those names, which you can see in the screens attached to this story.

Imitator-Camera and Person Copy Imitator Camera? Hmm, still no clue? But run a beady eye over those logos again and what's this? A camera on each and one of them pointing to what looks like a GameCube, hidden in amongst the Japanese characters.

Could this be the dawn of an new EyeToy-style peripheral for the 'Cube or maybe even the Revolution? Who knows? But it sure means something. We just haven't figured out what yet.

Excuse us, we usually deal in the hard facts and all that speculation means we need to go and lie down in a darkened room for a while. Ears to the ground, we'll have more soon.

 

[Wario64]

Yeah this was posted here pre-NeoGAF. IGN had the article first I think

 

[Matlock]

Isn't the "Nintendo Camera" concept one that's dated way back to the release of the Cube, and maybe even earlier?

 

[Optimistic]

Yes matlock. Nintendo are the innovators, the eyetoy was actually their concept, but Sony stole the blueprints and beat them to it!!

 

[neptunes]

oh not this again!

 

[Spiritreaver]

*waits for people to comment about the face again*

 

[MetatronM]

Yes matlock. Nintendo are the innovators, the eyetoy was actually their concept, but Sony stole the blueprints and beat them to it!!

Maybe they sent in the same ninja they sent to steal the Dreamcast from its heavily guarded tower in Tokyo.








It's thinking.............

 

[Wario64]

But...

They were gonna use a camera feature for Perfect Dark (N64) too where you can take a picture of your face and map the picture on a model. This didn't make it to the game for obvious reasons

 

[otheranthony-ns]

Well Frank Skinner's sitcom is fairly new....


The news is known but not too old. But since it's on a fresh new forum you shall be excused imo.


Has everyone forgoten the GameBoy Camera? That thing ROCKED. I had the printed an everything. IT ROCKED. Nintendo dropped the ball taking out the face mapping in Perfect Dark. I know the columbine Masacre had it's influence in that.

Remember folks this was before the fad that was the "camera phone" and it all worked a treat with loads of warioware-style built-in minigames that you could youse your face in. (it all still works on the GBA SP btw).


Matt will vouch for the fact that you could hook your GB and GBCamera to your N64 at one point and put yourself into PD. The mode was fully operational before being yanked out.


This was a step backwrds and i'm really happy in the way that Sony has gone about pushing the eye-toy. Nintendo opened the door. Sony, once again, stepped through it.

I have a feeling the Camera nintendo bring out will attatch to the GBA SP/DS in some way/shape/form.

 

[Matlock]

Yes matlock. Nintendo are the innovators, the eyetoy was actually their concept, but Sony stole the blueprints and beat them to it!!

Hey now, man. No need to hop off the gate and into the muck already.

I'm just saying that I thought this was old news.

 

[FortNinety]

But...

This is still seriously in my top three list of coolest things that Nintendo has ever done. I remember where there were sites dedicated to folks who made films just with their cameras. I think there was even a special PC card made so it could interface with the Camera. All of those site are long gone I'm afraid

 

[jarrod]

Isn't the "Nintendo Camera" concept one that's dated way back to the release of the Cube, and maybe even earlier?

The prototype was called 'GameEye', was used through the GBA and intended to support Stage Debut. I think the whole concept's been tweaked since EyeToy's breakout success (most likely dropping the GBA 'connectivity' restriction).

 

[hobbitx]

If Nintendo's new toy can do things like detect motion this would be the absolute best time to dig out the old Punch Out franchise. Boxing yourself would be the coolest feature ever, that's pretty much what the series has tried to make the player feel for the longest time, now it's probably going to be possible.

 

[IgeL]

This is getting interesting... I hope Microsoft and Nintendo can do quality cameras and get some games for them. Eyetoy is alright but I'd like to see the potential used more.

 

[shibbs]

I hope Nintendo can make something fun of it, the EYEtoy games are fun but bore me after an hour.

 

[sc0la]

A camera peripheral could be awesome for DS if they had some kind of video chat thing built in