Your next data viz gear should be a Wii-U

Your next data-viz gear should be a Wii-UChristophe Guéret (@cgueret)

Data Archiving and Networked Services

DANS is een instituut van KNAW en NWO

Outline

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Why bother with gaming hardware ?

A console is a boxed big GPU

● GPUs are big matrices-processing units

● “applications runs up to 30x faster on a single PS3 than on a regular single CPU PC” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_3_cluster)

● Reaching out of consoles (NVIDIA’s CUDA)

New cool peripherals since 2006

● Can be used a discounted alternative to their professional counterparts

But what about the console (GPU and peripherals) ?

Console generations

● “Smartphones, TVs, and even computers are replaced by new models every six or twelve months. Game consoles, on the other hand, are meant to last for at least five years.” (Gizmodo)

● 9th generation to be launched in 2018-2020

● Work to start in 2-3 years from now

The 6th generation

● Gaming devices

The 7th generation

● Still mainly focused on gaming but with online content and services

Now comes the 8th

● “Bridge generation” on the way to become the only box in the living room

Video calls

● Easy and featureful calls

Social networks with in-game support

● No more about playing alone in the couch

Miiverse

PSN

Social TV and streaming

More information

● Specs of the three living-room big names○ http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu/built-in-software/○ http://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/innovation○ http://us.playstation.com/ps4/index.htm

● Some other ones, using Android○ https://www.ouya.tv/○ https://gamestick.tv/

● (and Nvidia Shield, OpenPandora, ... )

So what ?

● Console manufacturers design platforms that are ready to use by game developers

● Pre-integrated, powerful, rendering hardware packed with sensors

● Just imagine how you could use the console features for making interactive visualisations

Let’s now focus completely on Wii-U

● 300 euros => tablet + desktop PC

How do we code on it ?

The traditional way1. Buy a dev-kit (http:

//www.warioworld.com/)

2. Code in C++ with Nintendo’s APIs and compiler

3. Physically package the output

Dedicated platform, vast investment :-(

A better way

● Game engine & design studio

● 1 code, many platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, BlackBerry 10, OS X, Linux, web browsers, Flash, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows Phone 8, and Wii UMany platforms, vast investment :-(

Even better

● Based on WebKit

● Code in HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS -> runs everywhere

● “development times [...] reduced and Wii U applications can be easily developed using common Web technologies”

Many platforms, minimal investment :-D

Really ? See Wii Street U

“has been developed by a small team mostly using web technologies based on HTML5”-> no native code

Some stuff already available

● SVG, Canvas 2D Context, Session History, Web Storage, and Server-Sent Events (test)

What next ...

● Instead of targeting specific platforms, code data visualisation using Web technologies

● Buy a Wii-U and start playing around with the APIs

● Register NLeSC | AFS | KNAW as a developer to get access to more content○ https://wiiu-developers.nintendo.com/

References / Further reading● The interface of the PS4 is in WebGL !● What the Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U Tell Us About the

Future of Consoles● New development environment to support app creation

using HTML5, JavaScript and CSS● Wii U system specs● JavaScript and the Wii U Browser● Wii U brew wiki - Internet browser page● PhiloGL: A WebGL Framework for Data Visualization,

Creative Coding and Game Development