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The simplest wireless sensor bar yet
What's even easier than making your own wireless sensor bar? Ordering one. After all, even slinging some candles around takes more effort than a quick flex of your credit card. We know there's a demand for all things wireless, but will this work well enough to justify a purchase? Unfortunately, we can't give you an answer on that, nor even provide details on the manufacturers, as details are vague even on the Wireless Sensor Bar site, though we've seen a little self-promotion from these people, whoever they are (check the comments).[Via WiiNintendo.net]
Pre-built wireless Wii sensor bar for sale
Looking to cut that pesky cord off your Wii's sensor bar but unwilling to mod it, build one from scratch, or make do with candles or TV remotes? Well, it looks like the inevitable has finally happened, with the first pre-built wireless sensor bars now available for sale for the low, low price of $24.99 (plus $5.99 shipping and handling). Supposedly, it'll give you the same range as the standard Wii sensor bar and run for a full 48 hours on a single 9V battery, with an on/off switch to conserve battery life. Of course, WirelessSensorBar.com isn't exactly the most well-known video game accessory maker, so we can't vouch for their legitimacy but, for the time being at least, it looks like they're the only game in town.[Via Joystiq]
Wireless Wii sensor bar selling for $31
If you've simply got to have a wireless sensor bar for your Wii and you don't want to test your homeowners insurance policy with ye olde candles or your health insurance policy with those new fangled soldering irons, then consider spending $31 (after shipping and handling) to get one of these homemade -- but not necessarily unsightly -- wireless sensor bars for your Wii. A simple 9-volt battery earns you 48 hours of wireless Wii-ing. We're pretty sure Nintendo has at least one health and safety warning regarding 48-hour gaming marathons, so we'd urge you to spread those 48 hours out over a period of, say, three days. We can't argue with how cool wireless stuff is, but we're wondering when someone is going to make the obvious solution: a wall wart power adapter with a sensor-bar female connection. Anyone buying?[Via Game|Life]
DIY-erless Wii sensor bar (9V battery edition)
Forget about our earlier installment of DIY-erless where we encouraged you to use perforated boards, light-emitting diodes, and a fusible metal alloy to recreate the functionality of the Wii's currently wired "sensor" bar. Forget about the video where we (perhaps irresponsibly) showed you how to use candles to duplicate the "sensor" bar's functionality (note: Joystiq is not responsible for any damage to your slacks, your brand-new plasma television, or your long-haired pets and/or relatives). Instead, about $8 worth of materials from the local Transistor Hut should be all you need to make that "sensor" bar easily portable -- not to be confused with potable (note: Joystiq is not responsible for you trying to drink your video game accessory). Here's what you need to pick up: 9V battery snap connectors: $1.99 (#270-325) Crimp-on connectors, ie: butt connectors *snicker*: $1.99 (#64-3073) 9V alkaline battery: $3.49 (#23-875) Wii sensor bar (in case you trash yours or want a spare): $10 Those in hand, the folks at the AVS forum tell us it's as simple as cutting, crimping, and plugging. Voila! A do-it-yourself wireless Wii "sensor" bar, perfect for accompanying you on your evangelical missions to spread the Gospel of Wii. [Via Engadget]
How the Wii stole Christmas, or vice-versa
A word of caution: you might need to reconsider where you position your Christmas tree. One Joystiq reader -- some call him Tim -- has tipped us off to some trouble he has been having playing Twilight Princess while a light-laden Christmas tree laid lovingly next to his TV. Turns out, his cursor was jumping "ALL OVER the place" and he has sent us pictures to prove it.Continue reading for the evidence. And remember to keep your Christmas tree away from the Wiimote. It's probably good Feng Shui, anyways.[Thanks, Tim!]
Mod your Wii sensor bar to go wireless for $8
For those Wii owners with abnormally large living rooms, projector TV setups, or a particular penchant for tricking out their console just 'cause, take heed. Without the need for candles, IR hacks, PCBs, soldering, or even (visibly) voiding your warranty, you to can hack that Wii sensor bar to make it wireless for $8 (or less). Simply head to Radio Shack and snag: Five-pack of 9V battery snap connectors (~$2, part #270-325) Twenty four-pack (single pack) of 22-26 gauge wire butt connectors (part #64-3073) 9V battery Now just strip your 9V battery connector wires, crimp those to the power pins of your Sensor bar with the butt connectors (battery red to Wii red, battery black to Wii orange). We have no idea how long it'll last -- nor do we make guarantees that it'll work or won't fry your bar -- but peep AVS for some more details on this and other Wii hacks.
"Back in our day, we played the Wii by candlelight."
Well that was fun. Hardly a week ago we still believed in Santa Clause and that magickal properties lay within the Wii sensor bar. Now it turns out that not only was NORAD lying to us all this time, but the Wii sensor bar can be replaced by a couple of candles without throwing off our Zelda spin attack one bit. Those brave souls over at Joystiq dusted off their candelabra to give it a shot, after rumors of such doings emerged on the internets, and it appears that those rumors were not exaggerated. Of course, having a couple of candles obstructing the screen isn't quite an optimal Wii-ing situation, but it's always good to know that instead of reading a book by candlelight when the power goes out, we can just fire up our Wii and... wait. Damn. Well, it's kind of cool anyways. Peep the video after the break.
Joystiq video: Candles can replace Wii sensor bar
After seeing the popular, though dubious, candle video on YouTube over the weekend, we had to verify the veracity of the video's claims; luckily, a candelabra was conveniently on hand. Thrill! As we control the fairy cursor and boomerang in Zelda: Twilight Princess without the aid of the Wii's sensor bar! Marvel! As we blow out the candles and have the Wii request that we "point the Wii Remote at the screen." If you've got a projection screen, but lack the skillz (and/or motivation) to construct the DIY-erless sensor bar, grab a couple tealights to get your game on. It really works!
Today's hottest game video: A candle in the Wii
Today's hottest game video uses a low-tech wax solution to replace the Wii sensor bar. In a darkened room, light two candles (Tommy by the Who optional), and you've got an instant Wii sensor bar replacement. Simple infrared science at work, folks.You can also replace the Wii console with a block of cheese. The word is out, Nintendo ... sorry.Check out the video after the jump and stock up on fanboy scented candles. If the technical difficulty gremlins are still active, check out the video here.
The DIY wireless Wii sensor bar
Reader DoctaBu is fed up with the limitations of cords in what should be a wireless age, and he's taken matters into his own hands with this homemade improvement on the tied-down Wii sensor bar. He has no illusions about form over function for this project, either, because it's all about getting the job done. "Yes, it's ugly. Yes, it's ghetto. But, it is a wireless, battery-powered Wii Sensor Bar. And it works." Preach it, brother. He even made a video of the process for the curious, which we've included after the jump.We expect that by next week, someone will have springboarded off this idea and we'll be bringing you the Porsche edition of wireless sensor bars, complete with shimmering white finish, Jacuzzi and half-naked girls. Go to, DIYers!
DIY-erless Wii sensor bar
We had some trouble with the Wii's wired sensor bar when playing on a projection television; even if the wire is long enough, you're left with the problem of having another wire to route around your furniture. Those without high-def projectors may scoff while explaining that this really isn't the sort of problem they would mind having but, nevertheless, we mind. In the latest installment of DIY-erless -- our ongoing look at do-it-yourself wireless hacks -- we check out DoctaBu's guide for making your own wireless Wii sensor bar. Of course, we know that it's not really a "sensor" bar but a pair of infrared sources that the Wii-mote uses to triangulate the cursor's position. Using a perfboard, some IR LEDs, some wire, and four AA batteries, one can easily create their own projector-friendly Wii sensor bar.Sure, you could always wait for that rumored retail solution, but wouldn't you rather make your own to match those homemade Wii component cables you've got rigged up. Check out a video of the process after the break.[Thanks, Jonathan]
DIY wireless Wii sensor bar
As some early Wii adopters have discovered, the Wii's sensor bar turns out to be far less complicated than it seems at first glance, consisting of nothing more than a couple of standard IR emitters, with that lengthy cord cluttering up your living room supplying nothing but a trickle of power to the device. While even a couple of standard TV remotes can serve as a substitute in a pinch, for a more workable wireless solution you'll have to bring your DIY skills to bear. Thankfully, as Brian "DoctaBu" Moore explains on his LiveJournal, the process is about as simple as homebrew projects get, requiring only an inexpensive trip to Radio Shack and some minimal soldiering abilities. While it ain't pretty, the contraption pictured above will let you enjoy a game of Wii Sports bowling (at your own risk) and rid one more wire from your life at the same time. Of course, if you're still hesitant to get your hands dirty, you can bet that there'll be more than a few third-party (if not first-party) options finding their way to store shelves before too long.
Wii sensor bar hax0red
We're sure most of you Wii users are too busy Googling Zelda walkthroughs or chucking your Wiimote at the TV right now to give this hack much notice, but if you're the type that just has to know how something works and then destroy it utterly (you know who you are), then you might want to have a looksee at this one. Apparently some enterprising hax0rs tore apart their Wii sensor bar, only to find a couple of standard IR emitters. It turns out the "sensor" bar doesn't actually sense at all, it just sends out a pair of IR beams which can then be triangulated by the Wiimote. This of course opens up the possibility of DIY sensor bars and other related (performance enhancing?) hacks, but it still won't do much to help you through that extended "intro" phase in Twilight Princess, so sorry. Click on to view the vid of a custom-rigged sensor bar in action.[Via Joystiq]
Rumor: wireless Wii sensor bar from Nyko
Maxconsole has picked up on a rumor that Nyko is developing a cable-free Wii sensor bar using 2.4GHz wireless technology, with a 30-foot range. The device is expected to retail for $30 and, if it does hit the market, could be the solution to our dilemma (see Update 3). Our bet's on Nintendo snipping the cord for a future sensor bar model too.
Sunlight: Wii's biggest foe [update 1]
Nintendo Wii's sensor bar goes awry when confronted with natural light, according to a report by a "Warpstar Knight" on the Nintendo NSIDER Forums. The impressions, from OMBRENOIR17's September 14 visit to the Nintendo World Store (soon to be posted on Nintendo Gal), reveal that Mother Nature's carcinogen forced Metroid Prime 3 kiosks under curtains and completely shut down Wii Sports Tennis and Shooting Game. The kiosks returned to normal as soon as the bright star took a few steps back.It is as of yet unclear how garlic affects Wiimote functionality or load times.[Via Engadget][Update 1: A representative for Nintendo told 1UP, "our testing thus far shows no great risk of light interference when playing a game that relies on the pointer and sensor bar."]
Sunlight disables Wii sensor bar?
It's hard to think of that cute little Wii box harboring vampiric tendencies, but beyond its Nintendo-confirmed aversion to halogen lights, the Wii sensor bar apparently can't handle your garden variety sunlight either. This little "quirk" was discovered by OMBRENOIR17, an official Warpstar Knight over at the Nintendo NSider Forums, who experienced an hour of downtime at a recent Wii demonstration at Nintendo World when the Sun hit the showroom and shrouded the display units in light. According to trusty ol' Wikipedia, "sunlight" is apparently quite commonly encountered by the Earth's surface dwellers, and might even pose a problem to the console's casual target market, but we don't foresee it posing much of a threat to Engadget HQ bunkers. Threat averted.[Via digg]
Wii-cessory photos
As plays on the name go, "Wii-cessory" is probably not going to catch on, but y'know ... we're okay with that. It's so hard to come up with new witticisms when we're gazing upon the smooth, silky cables, so dark and lustrous. We can imagine how they'll slide through our fingers as we lovingly unwind them from their cruel and twisty knot of torture. The flat expanse of the sensor bar, just waiting, waiting for its place of honor atop our televisions. Ah, the pristine white shimmer of the nunchuk, so fresh and unspoiled by our grubby jam-hands. Oh, Wii. Why must we wait so long to be with you?[Thanks to creamsugar for the tip. The original site seems to be experiencing intermittent downtime, so we're linking to Go Nintendo's pictures. Look out for some severe watermarking, however.]
Official Wii controller documentation unveiled
The men over at IGN are cunning, merciless creatures who slip through the night, leaving naught but death in their wake. Through much bloodshed and carnage, they managed to procure a most valuable document: the official Wii controller documentation, giving specifics on just about every nuance of the device. While you, the magnificent reader, may peruse their ninja-like writing via following hyperlink, here are some of the highlights: The Wii controller will run on two regular AA batteries. According to the notes, these will allow for 60 hours of battery life if only the accelerometers are used, and 30 hours if the full functionality (the sensing of the controller's relative position in space) is being is utilized. In addition to showing what controller corresponds to what player on-screen, the four LEDs will also give an indication of remaining battery life once the controller is turned on. The previous mentioned "sync" button on the console will correlate a Wii with the controllers being used. One can either accomplish this with a button inside the battery cover, or by pressing both the "1" and "2" buttons at the same time. The sensor bar must be placed either below or above the television set, and is about 20 centimeters in length. The controller contains 6 KB of non-volatile (read: flash) memory, presumably to be used for the internal speaker. However, this memory might also be used to save various personal controller configurations or data. Some other tidbits about communication bandwidth frequency, interference from outside sources, rumble functionality, and a mysterious "eye" (camera?) are also mentioned. Check out the link for the goods, but proceed with caution. Assassins lurk in the shadows.[Thanks to all who sent this in!]
