This simple transformation will make you a Wii Remote fan again.
If you own the Wii, or even if you have just played it at a friend’s house, you are well aware of the problems that Wii Remote's face. The sensor gets blocked and the controller is useless. And if the sensor isn’t blocked?
Sometimes it’s still useless.
More often than not, it is acting up. It won’t pick up slight movements and sometimes it won’t register your movement at all. It has been a debacle and a subject of complaint since Wii’s inception. So it’s no surprise that Nintendo took notice of its customer’s gripes.
Three years later.
So if you have not given up on the Wii just yet, you will be thrilled to hear that Nintendo is releasing an expansion device for the Wii Remote called the MotionPlus.
On June 8th, have a bonfire, a barbeque, make some drinks and celebrate because if the MotionPlus does what Nintendo promises it will do, you will have way more control over the preciseness of your controller movements.
How exactly does it accomplish this? Well, without very much intrusion on the controller itself.
The MotionPlus is a little rectangular attachment that plugs into the bottom of the Wii Remote extending the length of the remote a little more than an inch. The non-intrusiveness should make the transition seamless for those already so accustomed to the standard remote.
The MotionPlus employs the use of dual axis, gyroscopic sensors that are able to determine complete rotational motion which means that it allows for more precise movements, that the normal Wii Remote could not register alone.
The only drawback is that it will not be compatible with your old games and as of right now, only five games have been announced that will incorporate the new technology. However, they are all games that will benefit greatly with the MotionPlus:
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, Wii Sports Resort, Grand Slam Tennis, Virtua Tennis 2009 and Red Steel 2.
If you have played Tiger Woods or any of the tennis games, you have probably experienced some sort of difficulty with controller feedback. Sometimes your swings wouldn’t register properly and you shanked the ball off the tee directly out of bounds, or you double faulted to lose a match.
The MotionPlus should remedy this and save you from heartbreak and headaches.
Even with the lack of titles being released, it is almost certain that more and more will be released aimed at taking advantage of this upgrade in sensitivity and range of movement.
The MotionPlus will be released in the United States on June 8th and will retail for only $20.
You will also be able to get one inside a bundle package with Wii Sports Resort on July 26th. Sports Resort is sort of a beach version of Wii Sports that most of us came to love (my personal best in bowling is 248, that can’t be good) and will feature a Frisbee game, jet skiing and kendo fighting.
With the release of the MotionPlus, you will no longer be able to blame your ineptitude on the controller not being sensitive enough.
Don’t miss this Wii fans.
For more info: Contact Adam: admillios@gmail.com
Comments
I don't recognise your description of the Wii controls. They can, by no stretch of the imagination, be called a debacle. Sure, after the initial 'Wow!' it was, in some cases a little disappointing, but there are plenty of good games that use the Wiimote very well, Resident evil four, Metroid prime three (the best first person shooter controls of any game on any platform), and Boom blox for the family, just to mention three excellent examples. Having said that, I am looking forward to getting my hands on the motionplus, looks to make a great console even better.
@Steven, I think it goes from person to person. In my case, I have had nothing but bad experiences with the Wii Remotes. I think their intentions are great and I agree that a lot of games have great compatibility with them, however, a fair majority of the ones I have played either didn't feel right or were really difficult either because they required precise or really sensitive movements.
Maybe I just need more practice. But again, I think it really just comes down to personal preference.
As always though, thanks for your insight and thanks for reading!
Adam
I've never had a problem either. The Wii controls are so intuitive as to render all other controllers quaint. I can't imagine Wii Sports type games or shootemups with anything other than the Wii Remote. Sure, sometimes it doesn't interpret movement, but that adds to the skill needed. :-)
I see little value if they are not going to upgrade earlier games and applications such as Wii Fit to utilize the new remote.
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