Joystiq goes all out with Mario Kart Wii controller comparison
By Donald Melanson 
posted Apr 25th 2008 7:36PM
posted Apr 25th 2008 7:36PM
As we're all too well aware, Mario Kart can be serious business for some folks, and Mario Kart Wii will certainly be no exception, which makes the right choice of controller all the more important. Thankfully, our pals at Joystiq have now come through with a meticulous comparison of all five driving options at your disposal. That includes the Wiimote on its own, the Wiimote with Wii Wheel, the Wiimote / nunchuck combo, the Classic Controller, and the tried and true GameCube controller. Somewhat surprisingly, while the GameCube Controller and Classic Controller each helped to put in some solid times, Joystiq actually found the Wiimote / nunchuck combo to the best all around option, with it faring particularly well when using a bike. Lagging far behind, however, was the solo Wiimote (which they recommend to avoid at all costs), although the addition of the Wii Wheel did apparently did help to make things a bit more manageable. Hit up the link below for the full rundown.
Cool. I guess I'll try everything except the Wiimote by itself.
I'll see for myself which scheme I'm better at.
I believe most wiists can decide their best wiitatics without someone telling us how to wii
wow. You just used Wii as a stereotype, a verb, AND a noun. That takes skill.
El Taco -
I was gangstering in the hood as a gangsta.
why is it the white controllers all have to gang up on the black one?
massive plus.
petition to bring back 'Highest Rank' just for this guy.
test
If you're using the Wii Wheel (and probably just the wii remote) you get a much better experience by driving in automatic mode rather than the manual mode they tested in.
You don't get the power slide boosts like you do in manual, but turning feels much more natural, like a real wheel would.
Wiimote/Nunchuck combo is the best why? Cuz you dont' have to keep your hands together. You can put your hands/arms to your sides and be more comfortable.
This is a side of Wii playing that doesn't get much attention, but it's one of my favorite things about the controller. After you play long sessions of a Wii title with hands separated, it gets to be noticeably more comfortable than a one piece controller.
Playing Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess taught me that pretty quickly when I relaxed. It was hard to use a GameCube controller after that because my hands wanted to come apart.
This game will be awesome..........
Make me highest rank please?
i doesnt exist anymore
you don't exist any more?... that really sucks for you.
EXACTLY MY POINT!
you should be highest ranked for that witty comment.
but with this new, bullshit system, you arent
It "did apparently did help" did it?
They used pen and paper to track the stats, obviously this whole thing is flawed :P
typo alert
"did apparently did"
Wiimote plus Nunchuk is the best control system for most things on Wii, as your hands can act independently of each other. Exception being Brawl, that NEEDS a Wavebird.
I disagree. I think The Wii Remote / Nunchuk combo is much better than a GCN controller for Smash Bros.
I feel that the button placement makes it easier to perform different moves more quickly and the D-Pad is better than the C-stick, because in the heat of battle you can be sure that you are definitely pressing a certain direction.
To myself, CG controller is better. I have been using it for years.
Maybe my techniqe for using wii wheel is bad, but I just found that I can't clear 150cc without using a CG controller. I wish I could purchase a wavebird but its sold out...
What an awful time, i can get 5 seconds less than the time they got with the game cube controler with the wii weel... and 7-8 seconds less with the classic controller, and im not even good.
I think i would use the wheel if for no other reason than looking cool.
Wiimote/nunchuck combo for me.
You CAN get powerslides using the Wiimote (with or without wheel), but it's a MAJOR pain to achive.
Not tried a GC controller (yet), so no comment on that.
I use the classic controller with the nyko nubs added to it. It feels just like mario kart 64 to me, I love it so far.
Hi - MK racer from the UK here.
Don't write off the Wii Wheel just yet - when you get online you start off with 5000 points and gain or lose points depending on how well you fair in races.
Think is, you seem to get more points if you use the Wii Wheel as the Wii knows which control system you are using. My brother said it was double the points when using the wheel but I'm not so sure - it's definitely higher tho.
If you get gold in all the races in one player mode using the wheel, you get a nice shiny gold wheel symbol next to your name online! I saw someone from Japan who had 3 gold stars and a gold wheel next to his name, meaning he had done all the races perfectly and got 3 stars on each - surely he must have worked for Nintendo!
Nintendo had to give you some reason for using the wheel as it is unbelievably hard to get to grips with - many times i've wanted to go back to the trusty wavebird!