ThinkPad goes for a Wii

Darius Chang | Feb 21, 2007

Think only the Wii uses motion sensing to its advantage? Some enterprising chaps have made the ThinkPad into an all-in-one motion-sensitive gaming machine.

Turns out the Active Protection System, which detects unnatural acceleration during a fall and protects the harddisk from damage, is more fun then we first thought. Like an expensive pinball machine, tilting and shaking one of these ThinkPads will actually affect and control gameplay.

So what does it entail to convert your notebook into a Wii wannabe? According to instructions by Lenovo "Inside the Box" blog, all you need is to replace one of the files in a compatible gaming title with a hacked one. Once it's done, be prepared to play using your entire notebook as a motion-sensing controller. The image on the left shows CNET Crave working the slopes in the game Tux Racer.

Warning: Serious wrist warmup is needed to prevent permanent harm whacking away with a 2kg controller.