The Nyko Wing, other than looking a bit more comfortable than the Wii’s Classic Controller, brings a few other conveniences to Wii vintage gaming. First, it’s wireless. So while it still requires an active Wiimote to communicate with the system (and it uses a Wiimote dongle to do so), you won’t need to worry about wire tethering. The extra shoulder buttons may or may not come in handy (since Nintendo doesn’t allow controller remapping in most Virtual Console titles), but very thoughtfully, you can load the Wing with AAA rechargeable batteries that can be refreshed via built-in USB. Looks good, but no word on pricing or availability yet. [IGN]
There is an alternate universe much like our own, but in this universe there is no war and cows produce ice-cold milkshakes. And in this universe, you’ll also find the manifested counterparts to these wooden Wii peripheral concepts. Made of wood and featuring well-placed LED flare, the only thing better than the Wiimote and Nunchuk is this realistic Wiiglock:
It’d be a complete bitch for the TSA, but there really aren’t enough functional wooden firearms in the world. [flickr via ubergizmo]
One the games we’ve been waiting for on the Wii since it was announced eons ago is Samba de Amigo, the revival of the Dreamcast classic. Amazon has posted the first live shots of the maracas attachments for the Wiimote and nunchuck, which are spicy red, just like the ones on the Dreamcast, pre-selling them for $15 with a Sept. 23 release. If you’re getting the game, you should definitely pick up an extra pair for some multiplayer action. [Amazon via Wii Fanboy]
As its name implies, the Logitech Speed Force Wireless is a force feedback racing wheel for the Wii with a 30 ft wireless range. It is the first racing wheel accessory for the Wii that isn’t a shell accessory for the Wiimote. The 10″ wheel rotates 200 degrees and has analog gas and brake controls. Need For Speed Undercover will be the first game to take advantage of the force feedback capability, but I’m more concerned about whether or not this thing will work with Mario Kart Wii. It will hit stores in November for $100. [Logitech]
Wii Sqweeze Gives You the Upper Body Strength Of An Olympic Cyclist. This Wii Sqweeze demo by InterAction Labs supposedly does for your upper body what Wii Fit does for the lower body of the 10 people who actually managed to find one. The thing is essentially two squeezable grips (exactly like the kind you can get at sports stores now) that correspond to claws and bows and other activities on screen. It’s not a real Wii game now, but just a PC demo running off a Wiimote tied via USB to a Wii. Could it be a real Wii game? Sure, but unless it’s got Nintendo’s name and advertising attached to it, we don’t think it’s going to do that well. [Exergamelab]
Now that Nintendo’s solving their Wiimote control issues, we can finally focus our intentions on superficial improvements. It’s required some major soldering, but one modder has added all sorts of LED-based tweaks to his Wiimote. The first, seen here, Skittles-izes the player indicators by swapping out the now-drab blue LEDs for those of multiple colors. Our cup of tea? Not really. But the kids will love it. The second notable mod utilizes the Wiimote’s rumble signal and maps an LED pulse to the shaking:
For those interested in actually doing this stuff to your Wiimotes, head over to Wiimotemods for their complete guide of step-by-step projects. [Wiimotemods via MAKE]
That Nintendo Wii, what will it think up next? It’s made us smarter and fitter and stronger and just so much better. Oh, and have you heard? Now it’s creating OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALISTS. Japanese swimmer Kosuke Kitajima just took the gold in the 100-meter breaststroke, and instead of thanking God or his trainers in typical fashion, he gave another performance enhancer a shout-out:
See, Mario does the breaststroke. And thus, it’s perfect mental training for envisioning the actual Olympic hall.
Yes, that’s the power of the Nintendo Wii when it’s running Sega’s Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. Flailing the Wiimote around in jack-off motion really can make you the athlete you’d always dreamed of being.
To Kitajima’s credit, he did say that quote above jokingly. Then again, he did say it. [Hochi Yomiuri via Kotaku]
This concept for a Wiimote of the future is showing over at T3, and yes… I know what you’re thinking. I do. Honest. But my real problem with the design is that it’s for just two years away, and do we really think Nintendo is going to redevelop things so radically by then? I’m sure fans would approve… but PS2 controllers haven’t evolved much over the years, in comparison. And I know it’s supposed to interact with that brainwave headset control, and that’s groovy. But I’m sure it’d kill Wii Fit stone dead, unless you’re talking mental agility. Still… with that cyberbabe to demonstrate the gizmos, I can’t complain too much. [T3 via Yanko]
At first glance I thought that this homemade wheel mount was absolutely ridiculous—and with good reason. However, the fact that I recently played Mario Kart with my novice girlfriend leads me to believe that there could be a place for a mount like this. Using only a couple of 36-inch bungie cords and a plastic crate, you can build what is essentially a training wheel for the game that helps beginners settle down with the Wiimote and master the basic steering movements. Just don’t let any of your gamer friends catch you using it. A video of the steering wheel mount “in action” is available after the break.