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Nintendo reveals Wii Zapper
Ducks beware. Described by Reggie as the "first offspring of the Wiimote and the Nunchuk," the light gun accessory will launch later this year for a paltry $20. Games to take advantage of the new accessory is the upcoming Wii-exclusive Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Ghost Squad, and Medal of Honor (which will support up to 32 player multiplayer!). The Zapper looks suspiciously like the PS3's GunCon 3, but considering our somewhat unhealthy love of light gun games, we're okay with that.
Nintendo Wii Zapper announced
It took them a while, but Nintendo is finally busting out its Wii Zapper accessory for housing the Wiimote and Nunchaku in a FPS-friendly shell. It'll be out this year, shipping for free with a "far along" unannounced title from Nintendo, and selling stand alone at retail for $20. Other games with announced compatibility include "Ghost Squad," "Medal of Honor" with 32 person online matches, and "Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles." More pics after the break.
Wiimote mod gets NES Zapper zappin' again
It looks like the enterprising folks at Acid Mods are about as impatient for the official Wii Zapper attachment as we are. The only difference between us is skill. An admin named cyberpyrot repositioned the Wii remote's IR sensor to the front of a classic NES Zapper gun (gray-colored; none of that neon orange here, folks), and re-mapped the Wiimote's B-button to the Zapper's trigger.The result? A much slicker way to play the three mediocre FPSs currently available on the system. OH SNAP!! Some video of the construction process and mod in action after the jump.[Via Engadget]
Homemade Zapper-mote
All the weapon shells in the world couldn't match the radness of this modded Light Gun. Having already given his console wings, AcidMods' CyberPyrot affixed an IR sensor from a Wii remote into the barrel of his gray, plastic pistol, wiring the gun's trigger with the controller's. The resulting apparatus looks a bit clunky, especially when you consider that the nunchuck hasn't even been hooked up yet, but CyberPyrot claims that it vastly improved his performance when playing Far Cry. Pew pew past the post break for more photos and a video of the refitted Zapper.
Wii IR sensor finds new home in NES Zapper
While we continue to wait for Nintendo to go official with its "Zapper Style" shell for the Wiimote, enterprising hackers have some Far Cry Vengeance to smack down, and AcidMod's "cyberpyrot" is doing it old school. The hack is about as simple as they come, he merely rewired the Wiimote's IR sensor to the front of his NES Zapper, and hooked up the trigger to the Wiimote's trigger button. He plans to strap the Wiimote to his wrist, for easy access weapon changes, and while the mod is lacking in elegance, cyberpyrot claims his FPS performance has "vastly improved." Alright Nintendo, your turn. Video is after the break.
Playing easily, shooting happily
Unlike other "zapper" products like Joytech's Blaster, the Pega pistol doesn't have a cavity for you to dock the Wii's nunchuck. Instead, you connect the nunchuck's cord under the butt of the $15 gun while the remote slides and locks into its top half. We're not sure yet if this is a more cumbersome or convenient implementation, but given our experiences with cheap, third-party accessories from Chinese manufacturers, you can easily guess which side we're leaning towards. If you're wondering why we're even bothering to bring up this lackluster peripheral, it's because we love to scrutinize the packaging of these products! What's up with Splinter Cell graphics? And why is it branded with that same inapplicable Wii Sports logo we saw on Fire Bird's rechargeable controller grip? Does Pega actually expect people to play tennis with this clunky plastic attached?[Via DCEmu]
Nintendo rep comments on Zapper situation
We've been following the saga of the third party Nintendo Zappers for quite some time now, without so much as a peep coming from Nintendo HQ on the whole matter. Why, ever since teasing us at E3, there hasn't been a single word on Nintendo's own Zapper, leaving us to speculate on when it would release and what game(s) could take advantage of it. Sadly, Nintendo has finally said something on the matter, but it still doesn't help us in knowing when it will release and what game(s) will take advantage of it. In commenting to CVG, a Nintendo rep stated that "A peripheral is only as useful as the software it's supporting," leading us to believe that Nintendo hasn't said anything about their own Zapper because they haven't completed any games that will take advantage of it. This, of course, implies that they are working on something specifically for the Zapper. As for when we could see the gun from E3 on store shelves, Nintendo isn't giving up that information, stating "What was showed was a prototype, we're not announcing any further details at this time."
Another third-party Wiimote Blaster hits the scene
The Wiimote blaster love just keeps on comin', as cranking out third-party steering wheels, Wii Sports apparatuses, and full-fledged Link suits apparently isn't good enough. We all know the Zapper holds a dear place in most every gamer's heart, and judging by the variety set to be released for the Wii, accessory manufacturers are keenly aware. The latest Wii gun has popped up at GameStop, and aside from a smallish photograph and "Core Gamer" listed as the developer, we're not too sure about anything else. Of course, there's not too much to understand about how this here device will eventually work, but on or around June 26th, you can plop down your $19.99 and find out once and for all.[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]
And the third-party blasters keep on coming
When Joystiq reported on the Wii Blaster coming, we all rejoiced, having not heard a word on the thing since its appearance at E3. Turns out, that blaster isn't coming from Nintendo, rather a third-party manufacturer, much like the one coming from Joytech. Color us disappointed, as ever since we got our eyes on the official Nintendo Zapper at E3, we've been intrigued by it, almost hypnotized by its incredible aesthetic appeal. And, of course, the way it could make games more fun for us. That's always a plus.[Via Gamespot]
Wii Blaster isn't Nintendo product
At the beginning of the month we were quite excited to see on Gamestop's website what we thought would be Nintendo's 21st century answer to the Zapper -- the Wii Blaster. Well, apparently GameSpot spent the last month hitting the refresh button on that page and discovered that the Wii Blaster is actually another third-party peripheral in the same vein as Joytech's Sharp Shooter. So, back to wanting, wishing, hoping and praying for our first-party Nintendo Zapper to come.It looks like when Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley are finally unleashed on the Virtual Console we'll have to use a third-party gun to play them. That just sounds thoroughly unappealing. If Nintendo is coming out with a gun, it still hasn't popped up on our radar and there are plenty of Zapper and Super Scope titles it could be used on, which we expect to see on the VC sometime in the future.[Via Gamespot]
Wiimote and nunchuk form like Voltron
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Wiimote_and_nunchuk_form_like_Voltron'; While one could just go ahead and mod their Wiimote into a gun, Joytech is set to offer gamers a less permanent solution for their needs. Dubbed the Sharp Shooter, this little thingamabob allows one to take their Wiimote and nunchuk, confine them into this gun-like apparatus and then go ahead and play shooters or FPS titles in that way. No word on when it's going to release as of right now.We think reader BPMΩ said it best when he questioned how confining the nunchuk and Wiimote together into this thing would affect the accelerometer in both once they're essentially bundled together. It's a good point, one that is strong enough to probably break the sale for us. Then again, they could send us one to review ....[Thanks, BPMΩ!]
Wii Blaster incoming
With the announcement of Resident Evil 4 and Umbrella Chronicles for the Wii, coupled with the still unreleased Virtual Console titles Duck Hunt and Hogan's Alley, it's time to start asking, "Where's the Wii Zapper?" Gamestop has listed the Wii Blaster for $20 and what we strongly believe to be a placeholder date of May 1. Although, this isn't necessarily the most improbable date with the Resident Evil games expected to have a summer release.The Gamestop listing has no photo of the what the Zapper Blaster looks like now. The last time we saw her she was behind glass at E3 with a "work in progress" sign. We're really looking forward to having a gun, these first-person shooters just don't feel natural with a Wiimote. Now give us a game that allows for dual wielding Blasters and that's a guaranteed $50 going to that publisher!
Make your own NES Zapper
This papercraft stuff is turning into a real phenomenon. Well, at least one person's phenomenon. Personally, we wish we had the artistic capabilities to create such cool papercraft, as it would save us a bundle. Instead, we'll just keep spending exuberant amounts of money on little figurines and statues. Anyone out there going to give this a try themselves?
Robert Adler, co-inventor of the TV remote, passes away
Robert Adler, the man who in 1997 gained an Emmy for his contribution to the invention of the television remote, has passed away. In his 93 years he claimed over 180 patents (the most recent of which was filed on February 1), but his greatest achievement was to invent the first practical wireless television remote control. Way back in the mid-50s when he was working for Zenith Electronics Corp., Adler produced a remote control that communicated with a tuner using four prongs that produced ultrasonic sounds. Unlike earlier solutions -- like Eugene Polley's "Flashmatic" remote -- Robert's remote wasn't prone to interference, didn't require a wire, and, unlike current remotes, didn't require a power source. The original name of the first effective wireless TV remote? The Zenith Space Command remote control. As a tribute to Mr. Adler, we'll be calling our zappers this name for the next few days: we hope you'll join us in yelling "where's the Zenith Space Command remote control?" the next time you lose the little bugger. Rest in peace Robert.
Handheld germ zapper uses nanotechnology to nix parasites
If you're the type who rocks latex gloves everywhere you go, or you're just tired of toting around that messy liquid hand sanitizer, Hammacher Schlemmer has your solution. Posing as a flip-phone wannabe, this handheld germ-eliminating light reportedly eradicates "99.99-percent of E-Coli, staphylococcus, salmonella, and germs that cause the flu and the common cold." Aside from resembling a bevy of Nokia handsets, the device purportedly utilizes "UV-C light and nanotechnology" in order to "disinfect workplace keyboards or telephones (or mice), as well as items in the home that sustain germ vitality such as toothbrushes and cutting boards." Notably, it must be held just so above the germ-infested area in order to sterilize it, but an internal timer signals when the process is complete. So while we aren't apt to load down our knapsacks anymore with something so petty, the highly susceptible out there can get their own portable germ-slaying handheld now for $79.95.[Via Slashgear]
Nintendo Culture: the zapper tummy tat
Sure, we're Nintendo fans to the, well ... Nth degree, but we probably wouldn't go so far as to get a pair of Nintendo zappers tattooed on our stomach (or any other part of our body for that matter). Regardless of how we feel about tattoos on our own body, this is the kind of support Nintendo fans show. We go the extra mile and aren't afraid to boldly show our colors. We salute this guy above for ensuring that every time he changes his shirt in the gym or goes swimming in someone else's pool, he's advertising Nintendo.
NES Zapper tats
Ooh, the orange model. Looks like we got ourselves a Captain N fan.
Duck Hunt, others get ESRB's thumbs-up, zapper imminent
The ESRB has approved and rated another pile of Nintendo's Virtual Console throwbacks, including: Duck Hunt (E) Hogan's Alley (E) Kid Icarus (E) Kirby's Adventure (E) PilotWings (E) Pro Wrestling (E) Punch-Out (E) Wild Gunman (E) With Duck Hunt, Hogan's Alley, and Wild Gunman making appearances, the Zapper can't be far behind. Think the E3 prototype fits the bill?[Thanks, Spindash54]
Migraine zapper stops headaches before they start
The BBC reports that a group of researchers lead by Dr. Yousef Mohammad of Ohio State University Medical Center have developed a device that can stop migraine pain at the first signs of a headache -- and, no, it doesn't work by clobbering someone over the head with it. The device, called the TMS, actually works by creating a short-lived electromagnetic field that interrupts the "aura phase" of a migraine before it leads to a serious headache. The researchers also say that they device can be effective in treating nausea, and noise and light sensitivity, but that further study is necessary before the device gets put into widespread use. Still, the early results look fairly encouraging, with 69% of the patients treated with the TMS reporting mild or no pain, compared to 48% of those in the placebo group. Stranger still, however, is the 2% of the control group who experienced exploding-headitis when using this device. Eh, go figure.
Rumor: Nintendo holding back more controllers
According to Dagbladet, Nintendo was hiding controllers from us all along! In addition to the zapper, Virtual Console gamepad, and different colored Wiimotes, Nintendo was showing replica Genesis, N64, SNES, TG16, and NES controllers that were compatible with the Wii behind closed doors during E3. This is a rumor at the moment, but honestly sounds like a good idea, that is if they have some sort of adapter available for the original controllers for these systems and don't make it mandatory for the consumer to purchase a new retro controller to be used for each system.What say you fine readers?[Via Gamers Reports]
