It's been awhile since we last heard about Nintendo's Wii Vitality Sensor, which failed to make an appearance at E3 this year. A patent application exists with some details, though, and it may not mention anything about uses for "Red Steel 3," but it does explain how the device could use a light beam and photodetector to help monitor a user's stress levels.
The Vitality Sensor diagrams unearthed by Siliconera show how it would measure standards of stress and how a player would slip it on. Additionally, the application makes reference to a stretching game that uses your breathing patterns to control onscreen actions and show you how to relax, with the end goal being to maximize your "relax fluid." Breathing and controller tilting help guide a little smiley-faced UFO-looking character (with a detachable saucer section like the Starship Enterprise) through a shifting tunnel that requires navigation.
This is all fascinating, but the whole idea of a game telling me to relax and then punishing me performance-wise for not being relaxed enough kind of stresses me out just imagining what the play experience would be like. Perhaps it's much less of a catch-22 in real life though. I guess we'll never know unless Nintendo bites the bullet and finally releases this gizmo.
Would you be interested in playing the stress-reduction game from Nintendo's patent? Do you think the Vitality Sensor will have a wide range of uses for gaming? Share your impressions with us in the comment section below.