and All Consoles

The Nintendo Wii has establish itself as a ground-breaking system, which is mainly because of it’s accessories that have change the way you can play games. You’ll no longer restricted to the couch with the little controller in your hand; now you can jump all over the room, serving up those bowling swings for real, and taking a roll of the ball in real-time.

Here are some of the new accessories that are available for the Nintendo Wii:

Wii Nun-chuck controller: This controller isn’t designed for kung-fu games, although it can be used for fighting games. The nun-chuck works similar to the Wii-mote. You hold it in your hand, and it is installed with a motion sensor technology so wireless play is intended. It’s designed to fit your hand well and can be used for either right or left.

What’s great about the nun-chuck is that, for some of the games, you use the analogue stick to control the characters basic movements and your wave the nun-chuck around to perform special actions, such as lobbing a ball or shooting a weapon.

The nun-chuck is notably smaller than the standard remote controller, and is fitted with less buttons. It is similar in design and intended for certain games only.

Wii Component Cables: The cables that are supplied with Wii are useful for various needs. You have the option of connecting your Wii to an HDTV for improved graphics. Or, you can hook up the Wii to your stereo system for better sound. The component cable basically offers you the chance to hook your Wii up and pimp it out.

Gamers have been delighted with these in view of the better graphics offered. The only set back is that Nintendo have not really made them that easy to purchase, they currently only available of online sale.

Wii LAN Adapter: Although the Wii has WiFi installed, you may want to get wired up, that’s what the LAN adapter is for. It is fitted with a USB port so that you can get a wired connection going through your Nintendo Wii. Many users tend to prefer a wired connection to a wireless when hooking up to the internet.

The start with, the LAN adapter was only available in Japan, and it came to the stage at one point when you couldn’t even purchase them off Play-Asia anymore. They just couldn’t keep up with the demand. Nintendo has now released this accessory worldwide.

Wii Controller Glove: The controller glove is extremely comfortable and stylish, but it’s more important positive point being that it makes gaming safer. Once you begin playing your Wii with the remote, it’s all becomes too easy to get into your game a little too much, and to watch the remote go flying. With the controller glove, it will help to keep the remote where it actually belongs – in your hand, and not flying across the room towards your television screen.

Although, the controller glove aims to make gaming safer, you still need to be careful. Last year, gamers were complaining about the thin straps breaking. Nintendo has stated that the newer one in production will be more durable, but try not to get too out of control.

Published by Darren Lintern

Although the Nintendo Wii is great, no system is perfect. Here are some of the main problems that users have experienced since the release of this gaming console late last year.

Interference from Bright Lights:

It seems that many users who have experienced the Nintendo Wii, have noticed some kind of interference from light sources. It was reported that the consoles was unable to respond to the remote control while certain lights were on. Some gamers quickly discover that if they played on the other side of the room from the lights, there problem quickly went away.

This is a result of the sensor bar on the Wii console, a part of the unit that will detect changed in the position of the remote, which gets thrown out of whack by bright lighting. This is the reason that playing the console too near to a bright light source will mess with the remote control movement.

Nintendo’s response to this was to advice that the Wii remote may not work when played too close to a bright light source. It’s not an actual problem with the technology or design, they said, and suggested moving away from bright light while playing. Also, it is important to keep bright lights away from the TV, as this can also potentially interfere with the signal there as well.

Slowing Down and Crashing Wii’s:

A further technical problem noted by Wii gamers is their games slowing down. This only seems to occur after 10 or more hours of straight game play. The simple solution to this is to turn the console off and back on again, but the unit should really be playable for longer than 10 hours at once. The reason for the console slowing down is likely to be slight overheating, so if this does affect you, make certain that the warm air is able to escape and the fans are working correctly. It is recommended that if the stand that comes with the console is used, the warm air will be able to get out.

However, this problem does not seem to be affecting the Nintendo Wii nearly as much as the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 consoles, so it doesn’t seem to be a mayor problem.

Trouble with Online Connection:

Some users have reported trouble when attempting to establish an online connection with their Wii’s. It seems that the Wii doesn’t too well to on-bar connections, and results in a slow dial up process. The online connection used on the Wii is wireless, so is likely to suffer from all other problems associated with wireless systems. If it starts to get too annoying, you can always purchase an adapter from Nintendo and run a line.

Strap Related Accidents and Injuries:

The most notably problem with the Wii is not technical, but physical. It has been widely reported the number of Nintendo Wii related accidents. The main culprit, apart from the overactive gamers, comes down to the wrist straps on the controllers. The wrist straps, that are intended to keep the controller from flying across the room, apparently break easily. This becomes more of a problem, as the gamers hands become sweaty, which makes it easy for the controllers to slip. The result from this is lots ob damaged TV’s, broken glass, wrecked light fixtures, cut and bruises.

Nintendo is now actually facing a class-action lawsuit because of these strap related accidents and injuries. They claim that it is the users fault for not keeping hold of the controller properly. Still, the complaints have prompted Nintendo to recall millions of the original straps and offer an exchange for a thicker version.

In view of these problems, the Nintendo Wii will certainly continue to sell well, and is being enjoyed by gaming fans worldwide.
Published by Darren Lintern

A lot of the interest surrounding the Nintendo Wii comes down to its new remote controlled technology, but if you prefer more at home with the old school controller, they also offer the “Classic Controller”

As it been named the “classic” controller, it’s ideally suited for the good old Nintendo games of yesterday. It is intended to be used for the games where you aren’t able to use the innovative Wii remote, the nun-chuck, or any other fancy control, although it can be used with any game. This is the controller of choice if you really want to keep it simple.

The design has similarities to the Super Nintendo game pad. Its oval in shape and the buttons are shaped like a diamond. It has the usual D-Pad and a start and select button. The buttons included on the front are the good old A, B, X and Y buttons, and finally it does include the four buttons across the top edge of the controller.

The classic controller is a much smoother ride over the Super Nintendo control. The D-Pad has a much more comfortable feel than the SNEC, and the controller fits right into your hand better. The analog sticks will move like a dream compared to the old ones. For some, the A, B, X and Y buttons may pose a problem, as they are spaced further apart. It will take a little thumb stretching to use, but you will quick get over this. Although, it still may be tough to do some of those combinations moves on games like Street Fighter.

The classic controller has obviously been designed with maximum gaming comfort in mind. The controller buttons are rounded to be that much easier on the fingers. The previous controllers had indented buttons, while easier to grip, can get tiresome after extended play.

On drawback to the classic controller is that it can’t be used to play games on the GameCube system. If that’s what you were expecting, you be advised to get something else.

The left analog stick on the classic controller is use to control the cursor when you are in the Wii’s channel menu. If you intend to play the classic Nintendo games from the Virtual Console, than this controller is a necessity.

That’s the true purpose of the Nintendo Wii classic controller: to play all of those classic games that are being made available for the Wii. As cool as the Wii remote is, you simple can’t play Mortal Kombat or any of the thousands of other games that Nintendo are intending to release. It is expected, that shortly the Virtual Console will allow you to access all the excellent games of yesteryear, and the classic controller is that perfect, retro controller to enjoy them with.

The Wii classic controller will need to be purchased separately for $19.99, and there are places all over the internet where you can grab one.

Published by Darren Lintern