Hi all - Hope you enjoy my reviews. I've been away from Ciao for almost 2 years, but now I'm back. F...
Hi all - Hope you enjoy my reviews. I've been away from Ciao for almost 2 years, but now I'm back. Feel free to message me should you need anymore info about anything i review or feel my reviews need something added. Happy Reading....
Member since:14.07.2007
Reviews:27
Members who trust:4
This contraption is an amazing piece of technology.
I don't think its much to look at, but here is a case where form followed function. It appears to be a pretty average remote control pad but it's far from that.
It consists of 8 buttons on the top: - Power on/off - Direction pad - Button A - '-' Button - Home Button - '+' Button - Button 1 - Button 2
As well as the Button B on the underside.
The majority of individual button functions obviously vary with the software you are using on the Wii at the time.
Currently I have only seen these
Wii Remotes in white, but hopefully they will be available in more colours shortly.
At the bottom end of the remote there is a port for the Wii Nunchuck, which is an additional control device which is required for other games. For further information regarding the Wii Nunchuck there are some useful reviews here on Ciao.
Also on the bottom of the Wii Remote is a wrist strap. This is to prevent accidental release of the remote whilst gaming. The reason you need a wrist strap will become apparent now as I describe the beauty of the Wii remote.
The Wii remote is a motion sensitive device. A motion sensor connected to the Nintendo Wii can pick up the motion of at least 4 controllers. (It might be able to sense more, but I've yet to see any games with more than four players available on the Wii). Essentially you can twist, swing, slice, point with your Wii Remote and thus it has numerous possibilities to represent various objects in a game. For example in Wii Sports, it is a Tennis Racquet, Baseball Bat, Bowling Ball, Golf Club and it also reflects your fist movements in Boxing.
It is extremely responsive to your movements too. There is very little saying 'i did this, but it did that' when using the Wii Remote. However, it is worth noting, that the placement of the Wii Remote motion sensor is important to achieve good responsiveness from your Wii Remote.
It has a remarkably good range. Only yesterday, a friend of mine was playing Bowling on Wii Sports through a patio door that was about approximately 10m (30ft) away from the sensor.
With you moving the Wii Remote freely of any wires it will be prone to droppages and hitting object. The first problem is prevented by virtue of the aforementioned wrist-strap. The hitting surrounding objects is catered for by a sturdy design. My friends and I have hit walls, shelves, cupboards and each other with our Wii Remotes and yet they continue to function normally.
There is an in-built speaker into the Wii Remote which can add to the gaming experience. For example, in Wii Sports Tennis, you hear a woosh as you swing the Wii Remote as your Tennis Racquet.
There is also a motor inside the Wii Remote that produces vibrations. Again this can add to the gaming experience as it produces feedback on how you might have hit something in a game.
Another option which I shall be looking forward to exploring is the facility to take your own Wii Remote and use it on someone else's Nintendo Wii. It looks as though you can upload your Mii (your personalised character for Nintendo Wii games) onto the Wii Remote and take it it with you to another Nintendo Wii. Once I find another friend who has a Nintendo Wii, I will try it and report back my findings.
The one downside of the Wii Remote is the power source. It uses AA batteries, and I have to say their life is somewhat short for the length of play you get out of the Wii Remote. It is disappointing Nintendo didn't, as standard, make these rechargeable handsets that you could dock when not in use. I highly recommend buying rechargeable batteries and a battery charger to save yourself having to fork out lots of money on new batteries all of the time.
Well apart from that downside, the Wii Remote is a truly fantastic piece of kit. Top quality through and through. I'd say you must get one for your Wii, but one comes as standard. If you have friends and multiplayer games, then you'll need more than the one. Just be sure to buy a battery charger and some rechargeable batteries.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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
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
Jul 22nd, 2007
(Jul 23rd, 2007)
very helpful by (100%):
