Weemote

Last updated
The Weemote Weemote1.jpg
The Weemote

The Weemote was a television remote control made by Fobis Technologies that was designed for young children.

Contents

Design

The Weemote was designed for younger children to limit their ability to surf television channels, and also to partially serve as a learning tool. The remote looks like a toy with buttons that are different colors and specific shapes. Each button can be programmed to a specific television channel. [1] There are several variants of the product, Weemote 2, [2] an updated version, and Weemote Sr., intended for the elderly. [3] [4]

Trademark violation claims against Nintendo

The term "Weemote" was originally trademarked in 2000 by Fobis Technologies. [5] While spelled differently, the term "Weemote" is phonetically identical to "Wiimote", the unofficial term for the Wii Remote, Nintendo's controller for the Wii which debuted six years later in 2006. [5] [6] Fobis Technologies claims this to be trademark infringement, however Nintendo does not actually use the term "Wiimote" in official promotional materials; many retailers that sell the Wii Remote do use the term. [6] Fobis sent out up to 100 cease and desist letters to retailers and have made offers to Nintendo for them to purchase the trademark. [5] [6] Nintendo declined the offer, stating that it "does not use and does not plan to use the Weemote trademark". [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wii</span> Home video game console by Nintendo

The Wii is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, following the GameCube and is a seventh-generation console alongside Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D-pad</span> Input device for a video game controller

A D-pad is a flat, typically thumb-operated, directional control. D-Pads are found on nearly all modern gamepads, handheld game consoles, and audiovisual device remote controls. Because they operate using four internal push-buttons, the vast majority of D-pads provide discrete, rather than continuous, directional options—typically limited to up, down, left, and right, and sometimes offering intermediate diagonals by means of two-button combinations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WaveBird Wireless Controller</span> Radio frequency-based wireless controller for the GameCube

The WaveBird Wireless Controller is a radio frequency-based wireless controller manufactured by Nintendo for use with the GameCube home video game console. Its name is a reference to Dolphin, the GameCube's codename during development. The WaveBird was available for purchase separately as well as in bundles with either Metroid Prime or Mario Party 4, which were exclusive to Kmart in the US.

<i>Wii Sports</i> 2006 sports video game published by Nintendo

Wii Sports is a 2006 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month. It was included as a pack-in game with the console in all territories except Japan, making it the first sports game included with the launch of a Nintendo system since Mario's Tennis for the Virtual Boy in 1995. The game was later released on its own as part of the Nintendo Selects collection of games.

<i>WarioWare: Smooth Moves</i> 2006 video game

WarioWare: Smooth Moves is a party video game developed by Nintendo SPD and Intelligent Systems. The game was published by Nintendo for its Wii video game system in Japan in December 2006, and in Europe, North America, and Australia in January 2007. It is the fifth game in the WarioWare series of games, and the only game in the series to be physically released for the Wii. Like its predecessors, WarioWare: Smooth Moves is built around a collection of microgames that last about five seconds each, and which require that the player hold the Wii Remote in specific positions. The game offers the microgames to the player in rapid succession, by first instructing the player to hold the Wii Remote in a specific manner, and then showing them the microgame. The microgames are divided into several stages, each of which loosely connects the microgames with the help of a story. Additionally, this was the first spin-off Mario game to be released for the console.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wii Remote</span> Primary game controller for the Nintendo Wii

The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via motion sensing, gesture recognition, and pointing which is used for the console, using accelerometer and optical sensor technology. It is expandable by adding attachments. The attachment bundled with the Wii console is the Nunchuk, which complements the Wii Remote by providing functions similar to those in gamepad controllers. Some other attachments include the Classic Controller, Wii Zapper, and the Wii Wheel, which has originally been used for the racing game, Mario Kart Wii.

<i>Wii Music</i> 2008 music video game published by Nintendo

Wii Music is a music video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released in Japan and North America in October 2008, and in Europe and Australia in the following month. Wii Music is part of both Nintendo's Touch! Generations brand and the Wii series.

<i>Kororinpa</i> 2006 video game

Kororinpa is a video game for Nintendo's Wii video game console. It was released in Japan on December 2, 2006 as a launch title for the Wii, then in Europe on February 23, 2007 and North America on March 20, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classic Controller</span> Game controller for the Wii by Nintendo

The Classic Controller is a game controller produced by Nintendo for the Wii home video game console. While it later featured some compatibility with the Wii U console, the controller was ultimately succeeded by the Wii U Pro Controller. In April 2014, Nintendo discontinued production of both the Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wii Balance Board</span> Accessory for the Wii and Wii U

The Wii Balance Board is an accessory for the Wii and Wii U video game consoles. Unlike the usual balance board for exercise, it does not rock but instead tracks the user's center of balance. Along with Wii Fit, it was introduced on July 11, 2007, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wii system software</span> Operating system for Nintendos Wii home video game console

The Wii system software is a discontinued set of updatable firmware versions and a software frontend on the Wii home video game console. Updates, which could be downloaded over the Internet or read from a game disc, allowed Nintendo to add additional features and software, as well as to patch security vulnerabilities used by users to load homebrew software. When a new update became available, Nintendo sent a message to the Wii Message Board of Internet-connected systems notifying them of the available update.

<i>Castlevania Judgment</i> 2008 video game

Castlevania Judgment is a 3D fighting video game developed by Konami and Eighting for the Wii. The game is based on the Castlevania series of games, and is the series' first fighting game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wii MotionPlus</span> Expansion device for the Wii Remote

The Wii MotionPlus (Wiiモーションプラス) is an expansion device for the Wii Remote, the primary game controller for the Wii. The device allows more complex motion to be interpreted than the Wii Remote can do alone. Both the Wii and its successor, the Wii U, support the Wii MotionPlus accessory in games.

AiLive Inc. is a software company based in Mountain View, California. The company was co-founded in 2000 by software programmer and developer Wei Yen and by computer engineer Xiaoyuan Tu. The company has worked closely with Nintendo on the development of motion-sensing hardware, tools and software for the Wii video game console.

Since the release of the Nintendo Wii, many aesthetic, ergonomic and functional accessories have been developed by third parties for the console’s controller, the Wii Remote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nyko Wand</span> Third-party game controllers

The Wand is a line of game controllers released by Nyko as third-party alternatives to the official Nintendo Wii Remote. The original Wand duplicated the functionality of the Wii Remote, while the updated Wand+ added internal replication of the Wii MotionPlus for more advanced motion sensing, similar to Nintendo's later Wii Remote Plus. The Wand series also adds additional functionality through the use of a proprietary extension of the standard Wii Remote expansion port.

Hillcrest Labs was a sensor processing technology company that developed free space motion-control technology and the first motion-controlled remote for television. Hillcrest also invented the first graphical zoomable interface for television and Kylo, the first Web browser optimized for television. The company, based in Rockville, Maryland, was acquired by CEVA in July 2019.

<i>TV no Tomo Channel</i> 2008 video game

TV no Tomo Channel: G-Guide for Wii was a Wii channel that featured an electronic program guide service developed by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory and operated by G-Guide.

References

  1. "Fobis Technologies Weemote Kids' Remote Control" . Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  2. Tonks, Daniel. "Weemote 2 Kids' Remote Control Review". Remote Central. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  3. Tonks, Daniel. "Weemote Sr. Remote Control Review". Remote Central. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  4. "Senior-Friendly Television Remotes". Savvy Senior. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Padgett, Tim (2008-07-18). "The Weemote vs. Wiimote Tiff". TIME.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  6. 1 2 3 "Small Firm's Weemote Came First, But Steamrolled by Nintendo's Wiimote". GamePolitics.com. 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
  7. "Nintendo Comments on Weemote-Wiimote Flap; Online Retailer Pressured". GamePolitics.com. 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2008-08-01.