If you liked the idea of using the Wii's Nunchuk for mobile gaming, but think that the idea is a bit too farfetched to be brought to fruition, then here's a ray of hope for you. Zeetoo, the company behind the Zeemote, finally managed to get funds that will help them make the Nunchuk for mobiles a reality. More details in the full article!

It's not exactly the Wiimote, but this new remote joystick, the Zeemote, comes close enough considering it works for cell phones. It looks like a a tiny version of the nunchuk that comes with the Wiimote, with a joystick up top for the thumb and buttons up front for the other fingers.

The Zeemote communicates with cellphones via Bluetooth and can be used to play games or to navigate. The device also includes dedicated buttons for navigating through your phone's media player. It looks pretty neat and looks like it can be used to compensate for cellphones with hard to press keypads.

Some interesting devices have been popping up for the mobile gaming arena, including the PIP stress monitor; perhaps we'll actually see a motion detector in the future? Meanwhile, FinBlade, the company who developed the Zeemote, shows us a demonstrated of their game 2-player game, Fireworks:

So there's the Wiimote which detects real-time motion, the PlayStation Eye which recognizes real-time images, and the PIP which recognizes... real life stress? This little doohickey from Vyro Games is a new game input device that measures the electro conductivity of your skin to measure your stress and uses the data to play a game.

It might sound a little masochistic to play a game using stress, but the PIP - or Personal Input POD - was actually developed to help control it. It trains users to control their stress level by playing a game that can only be won by keeping their cool. The more you stress out, the more likely you lose.

PIP has been developed to work with any device with Bluetooth, and that includes the PC, mobile phones and even compatible consoles. Games are currently in development for the device: so far there are only three games available for the gadget, but they all look pretty fun.

One game has you racing a dinosaur who won't move if you stress out. Another game is like a mood ring: the device measures your stress and an image's weather will change depending on your stress levels. Last but not least (and maybe the most useful) is a lie detector.

While the Wii has its own Wiimote revolution, there are other forms of interactivity that explore other dimensions of gameplay, both figuratively and literally. Here's one of them: MobZombies. It's a mobile game that blurs the line between the real world and that of what's inside the handheld. The gameplay concept is simple, but beyond that, it becomes quite a conversation piece.

All you have to do in the game is to avoid the zombies you see on screen. The catch is, you don't move with a D-pad. You are the D-pad. Yep, the zombie mobile game comes with a special motion sensing gadget that translates your real-world steps into directions for your in-game avatar move in. Also, you get to set down some bombs and bibles to explode those undead corpses away. It's kinda hard to describe with words, you'll have to see it for yourself:

Now, let's suppose you're playing the game and hordes of zombies start coming at you until... you come face to face with a solid brick wall. How do you compensate? Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. This is probably the closest thing we can get to a true-to-life zombie scenario.

Maybe playing too much of this game - blurring the line between the real and the virtual world that much more every time you play it - could be unhealthy. Figuratively, literally, and... Mentally? I definitely wouldn't want to be seeing zombies everywhere I go. *shivers*

You can check out the official MobZombies site by clicking the "Read" link below.

Your mobile phones might be the next game controllers in the near future. Or at least that's what New Zealand's Human Interface Technology Laboratory would want to happen.

Researchers at this new Zealand lab were able to demonstrate using a pair of Nokia Series 60 phones how cellphones can be turned into motion-detection game controllers (think: Wiimote). A game called AR Tennis (AR meaning augmented reality) was played by two people by placing a piece of paper on a table that served as the framework for the virtual space. The players then swung their phones like crazy from left to right...Okay, that was exaggeration.

The players just swung their phones like they were real tennis rackets while vibration and sound coming from the phone indicated they've hit the ball.

Developers want to be able make inexpensive and compelling AR games easily available to the average consumers, and mobile phones are the ideal platform. A lot of people have cellphones nowadays, so sharing AR games and playing with other mobile phone users via Bluetooth might really be feasible.

Researchers are currently working on identifying games that are best suited for the current generation of mobile phones with slow graphics and limited processing power. Prototype AR games for next-gen phones are also being formulated by the team.

At present, AR Tennis can be played on Nokia Series 60 phones. A little more movement aside from moving your fingers when you call or send SMS to others is always welcome. Exercise is good anyway. Just make sure you don't let the phone slip from your hand when you serve that ball on the virtual court.