Wii Zapper hands-on

What do you want? The Wii Zapper is literally just a piece of plastic that you strap your Wiimote and nunchuck into -- it doesn't add any buttons or otherwise change anything about how the controllers are used. In other words, you don't even need this thing to play the games it's intended for -- which is good, because those with larger hands might have a hard time with it as is.

Gallery: Wii Zapper hands-on

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[Homeboy @ Jul 13th 2007 5:49PM]

Now where is the Duck Hunt game for Wii?

[The Aggie CEO™ @ Jul 13th 2007 6:11PM]

LMMFAO!!!!!!!!!

CLASSIC!!!!

I want that too tho.........

3D Duck Hunt!!

[The Aggie CEO™ @ Jul 13th 2007 6:12PM]

I knew it was just plastic with a trigger extender.......but its the COOLEST Piece of plastic I have ever SEEN!!!!

WAAAAAAAAAY Better than a Credit card

[MrGam3r @ Jul 13th 2007 6:43PM]

isn't this free too? Doesn't it come with a shooting game or am i just thinking of that steering wii-l coming with mario kart wii?

[The Aggie CEO™ @ Jul 14th 2007 12:18PM]

lol............no its not free.........they SAY its suppose to come with a game for $19.99 but who knows

[Neil Christie @ Jul 13th 2007 6:18PM]

Looks like it might be a SERIOUS fiddle to get the nunchuk wire passed through the plastic and back to the remote.

[StevO @ Jul 13th 2007 6:35PM]

No it looks like it opens up for you to stick the wire in. I hope.

[rp @ Jul 13th 2007 6:22PM]

Makes me wonder why Nintendo, with all the innovation lately, is reduced to releasing this as it's zapper as if it were one of those companies making useless Wii Sports add ons. Old skool light gun FTW

[Rashan Moore @ Jul 13th 2007 6:30PM]

Wii Play has a 3D Duck Hunt

[Mark @ Jul 13th 2007 6:31PM]

One thing seemingly overlooked...this puts the nunchuk in a known position and facing relative to the Wiimote. Might be useful for something they have planned.

[chris.kozanecki @ Jul 13th 2007 7:53PM]

It actually has a cable already in it that connects to the nunchuck and the Wiimote

[Mr. Picklesworth @ Jul 13th 2007 6:39PM]

This looks really ugly.

I have a vague recollection of a much nicer looking zapper that Nintendo showed at the last E3. You just popped the regular Wii controller in and it offered its own thumb stick and buttons. (No need to also own the Nunchuk controller)

Can someone please explain to me how this hunk of plastic improves the user friendliness of a first person shooter? It looks very complicated to set up.

[StevO @ Jul 13th 2007 6:55PM]

Apparently, that one was designed for a Wiimote that DIDN't have a wrist strap. Obviously after all the drama about flying wiimotes, all of them have wrist straps now and the old zapper design looks like it wouldn't click in with the strap in the way.

[Solomon @ Jul 14th 2007 10:58AM]

Yeah, I remember the zapper from E3 2006. That thing looked damn good. See here:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/e3-2006-wii-peripherals-and-handson-gameplay-impressions-172941.php
Actually, it looks like the strap /would/ go in just fine. Or, if it is /that/ big a deal, couldn't they just leave a hole in the bottom for it?

[Mike L @ Sep 11th 2007 8:23PM]

Look again. That prototype also had a nunchuk in it.

[humpty @ Jul 13th 2007 6:52PM]

They need to make this out of anodized aluminum or carbon fibre.. for the hardcore Wii users.

[Andir3.0 @ Jul 13th 2007 7:26PM]

There are hardcore Wii users? Oh right, Pokemon, Mario and Princess. Totally Hardcore.

[Andir3.0 @ Jul 13th 2007 7:00PM]

There are hardcore Wii users? Oh right, Pokemon, Link, Mario and Princess. Totally hardcore.

[Polaris @ Jul 13th 2007 7:15PM]

Yeah man, don't you know anything? To be TOTALLY 100% HARDCORE you have to play nothing but games where heads explode every 5 seconds. GUYS IM PLAYING HALO, AM I HARDCORE YET?

[J. Chung @ Jul 13th 2007 7:21PM]

@Andir3.0// ...And Call of Duty 3, Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, Far Cry Vengeance, Medal of Honor: Vanguard, Resident Evil 4, Need For Speed Carbon, GT Pro Series and so on. Very hardcore indeed.

[Alvin @ Jul 13th 2007 7:32PM]

Wow Andir, chill out.

It's obvious that he was only kidding. I think yesterday some 3rd party manufacturer came out with an aluminum alloy steering wheel peripheral for Wii, so humpty could've very well been poking fun at that, as well.

Go watch a Blu-Ray disc, or something. Right now at least, that's pretty much all your PS3 is good for at the moment...

[Mike @ Jul 14th 2007 8:07AM]

Andir makes fun of the Wii and gets "lowest ranked". Alvin chides him for making fun of people, then hypocritically turns around and makes fun of the PS3... and gets "highly ranked"?

Looks like Engadget users are still horribly biased after all this time.

[Ed Cowden @ Jul 13th 2007 7:35PM]

What a piece of junk.

[Bigsby @ Jul 13th 2007 8:49PM]

it seems that Scott Ramsoomair was right with this comic here

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=165

Mr. Potatamoto DOES love our money!

[ventivent @ Jul 13th 2007 9:05PM]

How do you set it to stun?

[whatchaknow @ Jul 13th 2007 10:47PM]

eh...i think they could have improved the design of it more...but what the hell, im still buying it LOL, doenst it come with a game!?

[daniel @ Jul 13th 2007 10:55PM]

but i bet it wont cost that much.. thats why it is so simple.. every onecan get it with their lunch money..

[Ghen @ Jul 13th 2007 11:40PM]

I'm tired of the nunchuck. When will games have dual-wiimote controls?

[daviel @ Jul 16th 2007 11:10PM]

i totally agree.

Nintendo, if you read this, make a dual wiimote game!

[Sean @ Sep 12th 2007 11:43AM]

The aforementioned "Duck Hunt" on Wii Play can use two remotes for double fisted action. It is actually much harder than a single "gun".

[Drew @ Jul 14th 2007 1:23AM]

Did somebody say Resident Evil 4 for the Wii at 2 in the morning w/ a Wii Zapper blasting the hell outta zombies? Don't know why but that sounds so fun... oh lets bring back the good times...

[Drew @ Jul 14th 2007 1:23AM]

Did somebody say Resident Evil 4 for the Wii at 2 in the morning w/ a Wii Zapper blasting the hell outta zombies? Don't know why but that sounds so fun... oh lets bring back the good times...

[Drew @ Jul 14th 2007 1:24AM]

(sorry for the duplicate, accidental)

[Webwolf @ Jul 14th 2007 7:37AM]

Nintendo fanboy or not, I have serious reservations regarding the design. If it's supposed to be played with Ghost Squadron, you'd think that you'd hold the Zapper like a rifle. But with the Nunchuk in the back, and the Wiimote up front, that's a really awkward way to hold the zapper if you're right-handed. Even if you switch hands so that the right hand is in the back, you are probably going to have control issues if you have to move the joystick around. Methinks Miyamoto (who is ambidextrous) didn't get enough input from other people about the design. Either that, or they were too afraid to speak up.

[darter9000 @ Jul 15th 2007 1:44AM]

Hmm, you do have a point... the forward placement of the trigger does seem unusually, perhaps even uncomfortably, placed. Hopefully, this would be reviewed. Most guns don't place triggers near the magazine and places them as close to the user as comfortably possible.

[Tabascork @ Jul 15th 2007 10:03PM]

Ever thought that the "Z" button on the nun chuck would be the trigger? That seems to be the most likely button in this configuration shell to simulate a trigger for Right-handed players.

Personally I liked the E3 2006 Zapper better than this cheep-o shell, but this cheap-o shell may be to serve the same purpose with a cheep-o price.

Btw, WHY is my user name PSPlay when I use the password that is given to me?!

[gukarma @ Jul 16th 2007 4:23PM]

I love how a lot of Wii Games are simply gimmick mini-games that stress use of the Wiimote over gameplay. You can use the Wiimote as a gun? Great, except for the fact that that already existed with the GunCon and time Crisis 3 is a far better game than any shooter on the Wii so far.

Game-play over gimmicks, please.

[Dave @ Jul 17th 2007 5:35AM]

White balance. WHITE BALANCE.

[rouge @ Jul 17th 2007 4:08PM]

I don't know why everyone's complaining about this thing.
People are still going to buy it.

[Matajuro @ Jul 18th 2007 3:20AM]

We currently sell something that is basically the exact same thing at NFM and we have had it in stock for a good two months. Heres a link http://www.amazon.com/Joytech-Shooter-Lightgun-Attachment-Shooting/dp/B000RZQ1L0/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/104-8480223-7811124?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1184741838&sr=8-3

[jason51873 @ Jul 19th 2007 11:38AM]

Looks like a fun add on! Sux that the pictures are kinda low quality, Id like to see it a little better.

[Dan @ Aug 1st 2007 1:23AM]

I'm sure Jack Thompson will love this one.

http://www.conveniencesoftware.com/blog

[InfDaMarvel @ Aug 6th 2007 12:39AM]

For one the Wii zapper attachment connects the Nunchuck and Wiimote together if people have yet to realize yet. I probably wont be using this wii zapper thing at all. Personally, when it comes to shooters I want as much gore as possible which comes with the best graphics possible. So I think Im going to buy the xbox 360 for that. Mainly ill buy a Wii for super smash bros brawl and mario. 360 will just be for random shooters I play for like 3 weeks. Hopefully they have different colored wiis soon. I want a black one.

[Jack @ Aug 16th 2007 7:49AM]

Can You Accualy Buy This One Yet?

I Want The Adapter That Is Good With Resident Evil 4 On Wii.

Not The Cheap Crappy Ones On Ebay.

Please Help!

[Polanco @ Aug 26th 2007 10:13AM]

Well it is good that they are getting new things out for the wii. It is a way of trying to make games more fun...hopefully it will. Im seriously considering getting a 360 due to the lack of amazing titles coming out for the wii.

p.s. if any one knows any amazing titles set for release on the will email me the name of the game at [e-mail]