From stylus to typewriter
DS gets handwriting recognition technology
With games such as Yoshi Touch & Go, Pac-Pix and Touch! Kirby heavily using the DS touchscreen, the news that Nintendo will be adding handwriting recognition features to the console makes complete sense.
It’s done a deal with Zi Corporation to let all developers for the DS use its Decuma handwriting recognition technology. Similar to that used in electronic personal organisers, this translates the scrawls you make on your DS, turning them into typed words. Nintendo hasn’t said what it will be using the technology for, although it would make complete sense in terms of extending its Pictochat software into the soon-to-be launched wi-fi gaming network so players can easily communicate with each other while gaming. Games developers will be able to use the technology as well, which means we may well be seeing some spelling-type games in the near future.
The Decuma handwriting recognition technology can deal with plenty of different languages, too, including English, French, Spanish, German and Italian to Chinese and Japanese.
