The Nintendo Wii Remote, dubbed “Wiimote” by many, is the main controller for the Nintendo Wii Games Console. The Controller uses motion sensing technology which changes the way “wii” play gaming. You can point, wave, twist and more with this amazing and innovative controller.
DESIGN
The Wii Remote, as the name implies, uses the shape of a Television remote to familiarise itself with non-gamers. The sleek and shiny white design not only looks great, but is designed to be simple and easy to use. With few buttons, the player hardly needs to remember any confusing combo’s. With the smart and well-thought-of design, Nintendo has created a controller that can be used by anyone, and something that makes playing games even more enjoyable. Why use an analog stick to aim when you can just point and shoot?
The
Wii remote also show’s which controller your remote is assigned to, whether you are player 1 to 4 is shown here. You can also press any button on the remote while the console is off to check the battery, the lights will flash, 2 lights mean half battery and so on.
A low quality speaker and rumble motor are also in the mix, this means that when you hit a ball in tennis, you hear the bounce sound coming from the remote, and feel a vibration.
The controller can also be used like a conventional controller, just turn it 90 degrees anti-clockwise to make it work similar to a NES controller, for use with driving games and virtual console games. This works surprisingly well considering how thin the remote is.
The remote has 4 main buttons, A, B, 1 and 2, it also has a Directional Pad, +, -, HOME and Power buttons.
Here is some information on the buttons.
A: The A button is a large circular button that is clear and positioned at the top half of the remote, just below the D-Pad and Power Buttons. It is often used as the confirm button in many games and the Wii menu itself.
B: The B button is on the back of the Wii remote, in the same area as the A button (except flipped of course). The B button is a trigger like button and is curved along the hand groove of the remote.
1: The 1 button is positioned below the speaker, in the bottom half of the controller. Just above the 2 button, which is the same small circular shape, the 1 button is usually used as a button for changing the view (Wii Sports Golf), or bringing up the map (Zelda: Twilight Princess).
2: The 2 button is exactly the same as the 1 button except placed below it. It, like 1, is small, circular and in white colour, unlike the clear look of the A button.
+: The + button is usually used to zoom in, or used as the Pause button. It is placed in the middle of the remote, to the right of the HOME button.
-: The – button is used to skip cut scenes or to zoom out. It is placed to the left of the HOME button, in the center of the controller.
HOME: The HOME button, when pressed brings up the home screen, on which you can return to the menu, reset the game that is playing, bring up instructions (for things such as the Web Browser) and change the Wii Remote settings. You can also view the Wii Remote’s battery levels on here.
D-Pad: The Directional pad can be used for many things in different games, not used to move around as it is too high up the controller (highest button other than the Power button). It can be used as a hotkey or used to scroll down a page.
POWER: The Power button is used to turn the console off… errr…that’s it.
The Controller is powered by two AA batteries, which is disappointing because it would be great if it could be rechargeable. However, you can buy 3rd party rechargeable batteries and docking chargers for quite cheap considering how much money AA batteries cost. Pretty much the only thing that is bad about the Design of this amazing item.
PRO’s: Innovative and great to use. CON’s: Non-rechargeable battery (built in).
HOW IT PLAYS
In a word, marvelously. The remote responds excellently with your movements, and if there are any problems, it’s likely to be the sensor bar’s fault! Playing Wii sports is really natural with this device, and point-and-shoot games also work better, as it is much faster to shoot those zombies!
The remote plays by sensing 5 things: Vertical Movement, Horizontal Movement, Left Tilt, Right Tilt and Point. All 5 work very well, the best being Pointing, but only if you are within 6 ft of the sensor bar. A problem with the way the remote plays is the Tilt, it works great in most games, but I have played Need For Speed Carbon and seen that the tilt of the remote (like it is a steering wheel) is not so responsive, so if you want to turn ever so slightly, you will need to move further to actually register that turn, which is slightly delayed anyway.
CONCLUSION
The remote works astonishingly and is definitely worth paying for. I suggest you get 4 controllers, 4 friends, Wii Sports and Mario Strikers Charged Football and have a great Wii Party!
Advantages: Looks and the multiple ways to use it Disadvantages: Fails in it's primary use as the reponsiveness seems haphazard and the games don't help, Price
Jun 29th, 2007
(Jun 30th, 2007)
exceptional by (7%):
very helpful by (93%):
