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Sunflex Snakebyte Premium Remote XL+ does integrated MotionPlus, third-party style
It looks as if we've located the proverbial "ugly stick": behold the Snakebyte Premium Remote XL+ Wii controller. It's not the first third-party Wiimote to have built-in MotionPlus, in fact, Nyko beat Nintendo's own upcoming Wii Remote Plus to market with the Wand+. Still, the Sunflex's Premium Remote XL+ has a certain lack of stylistic direction that may surpass even the drab gray Wand+ for the title of "ugliest Wiimote." The Snakebyte, which includes USB-rechargeable batteries in addition to its traditional duties, is out now for $35, $5 under Nintendo's pricetag.
Nintendo: 65.3 million Wiimotes sold in US
Nintendo announced an unusual statistic today: 65.3 million Wii Remotes have been sold in the US since the system's 2006 launch. That includes the 30.41 million Wiimotes included in system bundles sold in the country to date (according to NPD data gathered by Nintendo), along with the 12.92 million controllers sold in Wii Play bundles. Of the standalone Wiimotes, the white model has sold by far the most, at 18.56 million -- which makes sense, given it was the only option for the first three years of the system's availability. The black Wiimote, introduced in November 2009, has sold 2.44 million units; while the pink and blue versions released on Valentine's Day 2010 have sold 467,500 and 465,200 units, respectively. They will all be obsolete on November 7.
Wii Remote Plus hits Europe on 5 November
While we've already seen it get official in Japan, Europe is first from the gate with an official launch date for the new Wii Remote Plus: November 5th. Unfortunately, we've not been given a price. What we do know is that it will launch in the four colors shown above and integrate into a single Wiimote what used to required a separate Wii Remote and Wii MotionPlus add-on. Too bad Nintendo's pricing and availability announcement strategy isn't as simple.
Shinobii's table tennis bat for Wii hitting shelves soon for $70
Remember that prototype Wii tablet tennis controller that was reviewed (and adored) recently? You know -- the one that had no official maker and no official release date? Turns out that very device is made by Shinobii Technologies, and the outfit is finally coming clean with a bona fide version that's suitable for public release. The TT Champion Bat is said to be a true 1:1 replica of an actual table tennis paddle in both size and weight, and the electronics required to interact with the Wii console are all integrated; in other words, this is your Wiimote when playing a tennis or ping pong title. There's also a rechargeable battery within to keep things humming along, and best of all, it'll soon be available online and at traditional video game retailers throughout the EU and North America for $69.99. Hello, stocking stuffer. %Gallery-105235%
Wii Remote Plus and FlingSmash launch in Europe in November
Nintendo will release the Wii Remote Plus, which combines a Wii Remote and MotionPlus add-on, in Europe on November 5 -- six days before the Japanese release date. The new controller will be available in black, white, pink and blue. Nintendo has yet to announce a price, but the price in Japan is equivalent to a normal Wiimote, so it'll probably be a similar deal in Europe. If you want to get a Wii Remote Plus early, and if you have the money, a red one will be included with the Super Mario Bros. anniversary edition Wii on October 29. If you'd like to pick up a game with your Wii Remote Plus, but not a whole system, you'll be able to buy a FlingSmash bundle on November 19.
Lego Wiimote bricks your Wii faster than tainted homebrew
You love Lego don't you? Those tiny bricks of colorful acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic are what keeps you going in-between George Lucas' fits of cinematography. Then check this out, the official Lego Play and Build Remote for Nintendo Wii. Of course, only bits of the remote are suitable for Lego brick you silly silly man, otherwise it wouldn't be compatible with standard chargers and attachments like the battery cover and Wii MotionPlus. Still, if you can imagine playing Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga using nothing but The Force and this controller then you're already half way home to living the dream -- a journey you can complete on October 16th for $39.99.%Gallery-104954%
Wii Remote Plus dated for Japan, bundled with Wii Sports Resort
The Wii Remote Plus, which almost unimaginably crams MotionPlus tech into a standard-sized Wiimote, has been dated and priced for Japan. The controller will be released on November 11 for ¥3,800 ($46) -- the same price as the normal Wiimote -- and will be available in five colors: white, black, blue, red and pink. A red Nunchuk will be released, as well. The old Wiimote will ostensibly be phased out, as Nintendo will also begin bundling the Wiimote Plus with Wii systems on the same day. Additionally, Andriasang reports that the Wii Sports Resort bundle, which originally included the MotionPlus attachment, will feature the Wiimote Plus beginning on -- you guessed it -- November 11. The bundle will retail for ¥5,800 ($70).
Nintendo announces Wii Remote Plus with built-in MotionPlus tracking
As a follow-up to this morning's announcement, we now have some shots of Nintendo's colorful new Wiimote. Still no extra details, but what we do have is confirmation from Nintendo that they are indeed building the Wii Remote Plus, which combines a Wii Remote with its Wii MotionPlus gyro add-on into one Wii Remote-sized package. We spotted the controller in a FlingSmash bundle last week, the telltale "smile" text below the Wii logo, and now all we really need is a price and a launch date. Hopefully we'll be getting all of these colors when this lands in the US as well, but since this is a Japanese presentation that Nintendo is making this announcement, we can't be too sure.
Nintendo Wii Remote Plus with built-in 'Plus' tipped in FlingSmash bundle?
We've been expecting a Wiimote with built-in MotionPlus for a while now -- after all, Nyko already builds the Wand+ with those succulent MotionPlus gyros built-in. Still, Nintendo has seemed slow on the uptake, outside of a mysterious FCC berth in May, so we were surprised to see this upcoming first party, MotionPlus-required FlingSmash title arrive on a GameStop order page with "Wii Remote Plus inside!" emblazoned on the box. Interestingly, the product description still mentions attaching the MotionPlus "accessory" to your Wii Remote, but the Wiimote in the picture does look just slightly different than normal with a curved bit of text below the Wii logo, and when Eurogamer pinged Nintendo Europe about it, a spokesperson said the Wii Remote Plus "is real" but "We have nothing to announce on this at the moment." Hopefully this all clears up soon enough so that millions of Wii owners can have an excuse to buy a new game in the noble name of hardware procurement.
Wii Ping Pong paddle reviewed, loved, unavailable for purchase
We've seen our share of downright silly controllers for the Wii (we're looking at you, CTA), and we were expecting more of the same, but we'll be darned if no less an authority than self-avowed Wii Sports Table Tennis addict Paul Govan (from Gamepeople.co.uk) hasn't given the Wii Sports Table Tennis Bat high marks all around: it's weighted like a proper paddle, the build quality is decent, comes with a battery and a charger and, most importantly, it "replicates all the features of [the] Wiimote and MotionPlus perfectly." Unfortunately, the reviewer states that this is a prototype from an as yet unnamed Chinese manufacturer, and has no idea when they might become available. Way to harsh our buzz, man.
Nyko Wand+ review
For demanding gamers, initial excitement upon procuring a Nintendo Wii was quickly dampened by disappointment: the durned Wiimote wasn't nearly as precise as we'd all hoped it would be. It took a couple of years for Nintendo to step up and fix the issue, releasing the MotionPlus and finally making the Wiimote work for sword-fighting games and the like. But, that left us all stuck with a dongle hanging off the bottom, causing compatibility issues with many early peripherals. The Nyko Wand+ is the solution, putting the MotionPlus right inside a stock-size controller, as it should have been in the first place. In some ways, it's better than first-party. %Gallery-101535%
Mel B and Wii exercise accessories: 2 Become 1
How does former Spice Girl Mel B keep in shape?
Overheard @ Gamescom: A development house divided
Like many Wii games before it, the upcoming revival of Goldeneye 007 supports a number of different controllers. You'll be able to play with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the Classic Controller, a GameCube controller or even the Wii Zapper. But surely one of these myriad methods must be the preferred control scheme among the development team, right? Well, no, not really. "There's a house divided, at least amongst ourselves," said Activision production coordinator Graham Hagmaier while presenting a demo of the game at Gamescom this week. "A lot of us play with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. I prefer this particular scheme [the Classic Controller], just because I used to play a lot of FPS games on [the Xbox] 360 and PS3, and for a lot of people those are very popular formats. But it just depends on your proficiency with the controller." The team's proficiency with the Wii Zapper was left unaddressed.
Wii Classic Controller Pro gets gilded for revamped GoldenEye 007
Alright, gamers -- time to fess up. Even if you're a self-proclaimed new schooler, there's no way you're passing up the option to flash back to yesteryear in order to play GoldenEye 007 the way it was meant to be played. The Wii remake of the game actually doesn't look all that different than the original when it comes to polygon count, but for those who aren't keen on taking control of Pierce Brosnan (let us dream, okay?) with a Wiimote, there's the gilded Classic Controller Pro. The limited run controller itself is a familiar beast, but rather than being coated in a standard black hue, this one will be doused in much the same color as 007's Golden Gun. It'll reportedly ship later this year within a "Classic Edition" game + accessory bundle for $69.99 (a $20 upcharge over the software alone), but it's still unclear if it'll be available as a standalone peripheral. Not like it matters -- you know you're buying this game, anyway.
EA's 'NHL Slapshot' packs Gretzky-approved Wiimote hockey stick
Believe it or not, this isn't the first hockey stick accessory for the Wiimote -- the folks from CTA naturally have you covered there as well -- but it is the first to be bundled with a game, and garner the glowing recommendation of Wayne Gretzky himself. The game in question here is EA's forthcoming NHL Slapshot, which comes with the pint-sized hockey stick pictured above (just one, it seems) that holds both the Wiimote and nunchuck -- it also thankfully has a foam blade that should prevent any TV disasters. Just a gimmick, you say? Not according to Gretzky, who says that it's actually "very realistic" and "almost like playing in the NHL" -- yes, really. Interestingly, the game's creator also seems to have hinted at future versions for Natal and PlayStation Move, saying that the Wii version is "going to be a really good test." Look for it to be available on September 7th.
Undulating Flux project uses Wiimotes, Arduino boards to transmit dancer's movements
Undulating Flux is UC Irvine student David Resnick's attempt at creating a "sensory augmentation system" that uses a dancer (or "vibrationist") to "transduce music into tactile sensations." In layman's terms, a dancer's movements are sent via Wiimote to an Arduino-equipped chair. The chair's vibrations correspond to the dancer's movements, allowing an observer to see, hear, and "feel" the dancing. There's a lot more to it than that, actually -- feel free to hit up the source link for all the nitty gritty, and make sure you peep the video after the break.
Wii Weighted Gloves turns gamer into virtual badass, actual outcast
We're beginning to encounter an odd psychological effect of too much exposure to CTA's wild and wacky game accessories. It's almost as if we've developed some strange variant of Stockholm Syndrome that's tricked us into believing that the Weighted Gloves for Wii are worth twenty bucks. At least the premise makes sense -- strap your Wiimote and Wii Nunchuk into these weighted gloves and start in on your fave boxing game. The space-age velcro fasteners will hold your controllers tightly in place as you throw punches and dodge jabs with the best of 'em. And if you really want an out-of-this-world experience, try it while wearing wings! Get a closer look after the break.
Nintendo Wiimote RVL-036 mysteriously clears the FCC
We can't say for sure what's new here but that wireframe outline is most definitely a Wiimote. The Nintendo-branded Bluetooth device just passed through the FCC courtesy of Hon Hai Precision, aka Foxconn. There's very little in the way of detail here other than a new RVL-036 model number reminiscent of the console's "revolution" roots. Perhaps the new Wiimote finally integrates the MotionPlus add-on? Who knows, but it certainly makes sense given Miyamoto's recent comments. At least we can be certain that it's exactly 12 times better than the model RVL-003 Wiimote shipping today. Another FCC document grab after the break.
Wii Rowing Machine aims to sculpt abs, achieves belly laughs (video)
CTA strikes again! The company known for its unorthodox (and rather silly) game controllers is back with a plastic drawbar / foot pedal combo that is supposed to be "very similar to a rowing machine you would find at the gym," although we highly doubt it. Designed for games like Wii Sports Resort and Jillian Michaels' Angry Sports Resort, this is something that would probably only enter your home as an ill-considered Christmas gift before gathering dust in the back of a closet, alongside your Bowling Ball and Football controllers. But we must admit, even if the company's products are dubious, its infomercials are an endless source of entertainment. See for yourself after the break. As for the rowing machine, it's up for pre-order now at Amazon, as if you care.
Student moves quadriplegics with Wiimote wheelchair control (video)
There were certainly a couple whiz kids at Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair this year, but high school senior John Hinckel's a regular MacGyver: he built a wheelchair remote control out of a couple sheets of transparent plastic, four sliding furniture rails and some string. A Nintendo Wiimote goes in your hat and tells the whole system what to do -- simply tilt your head in any direction, and accelerometer readings are sent over Bluetooth. The receiving laptop activates microcontrollers, directing servo motors to pull the strings, and acrylic gates push the joystick accordingly to steer your vehicle. We tried on the headset for ourselves and came away fairly impressed -- it's no mind control, but for $534 in parts, it just might do. Apparently, we weren't the only ones who thought so, as patents are pending, and a manufacturer of wheelchair control systems has already expressed interest in commercializing the idea. See the young inventor show it off after the break.
