That’s right!  Accessories company NYKO is releasing a Wiimote controller for the Wii.  I’ve been pretty happy with the rest of NYKO’s accessories, and it looks like this is going to be another good one.

From Gizmodo’s article:

In testing the Wand with Wii Sports bowling and just browsing through the menus, I didn’t notice any quality/responsiveness issues (though, we probably won’t be able to judge its precise calibration until mass amounts of users post their impressions after release.) Since the Wiimote isn’t a 100% perfectly responsive device as it is, it’s tough to tell if anything has been lost in Nyko’s translation.

We’re looking forward to these!  Check out the NYKO line at Amazon - they have tons of gear for a lot of platforms.

Game Politics blog is following this developing story - someone else is trying to get some moolah out of Nintendo again for tossing their Wiimotes through their TVs.  I can’t say I’ve done it, but I guess it could happen.

From the blog:

Filed on December 2nd by Colorado resident Molly Elvig, the new class-action suit mostly picks up right where the old left off… Argued by the same lawyer… This time, Nintendo is also being accused of covering up evidence from the very Consumer Product Safety Commission with which they created the Wii Strap replacement program.

“Despite actual knowledge of hundreds of incidents involving broken televisions over time and subsequent to December 27, 2006,” reads the complaint, “Defendant failed to report the existence of even a single ‘Incident’ to the CPSC in its Monthly Reports to the CPSC.”

This doesn’t seem like a spurious accusation, either. Attached to the court filing as a matter of public record is the very evidence Nintendo allegedly tried to hide: actual, internal Nintendo documents where customer service reps received complaints of cracked televisions and broken Wiimote straps — and the corresponding Monthly Reports that Nintendo was compelled to file with the CPSC as part of their agreement…  you don’t need to be a lawyer to see that the numbers don’t add up.

More as it happens.

This gets surprisingly good reviews - Nerf-N-Strike has a bundle package with a nerf weapon for the Wiimote and apparently a bunch of fun.

Some PR for the game:

I was browsing looking for Wiimote stuff this afternoon, and I came across this gem: a Wiimote and Nunchuk completely covered in hemp fibers, and still 100% usable and playable. Check this out!!

Hacker blog Hack-n-Mod has a hack involving a little bit of skill, but with an awesome end process.  A rapid fire mode for the Wiimote!  Check it out!

Also, in case you screw up your Wiimote, which is totally not our fault nor Hack-N-Mod’s, here’s a link to a new one.

Did you hear about this?

The US Patent Office kind of balked at Nintendo’s request to patent the term Wii Remote back in March.  According to GamePolitics, there’s a small television remote control manufacturer in FL that makes a device called a “WeeMote,” geared towards children, and has owned the patent to “WeeMote” since 2000.  Nintendo had some discussions with this manufacturer, Forbis Technologies.  Nintendo walked away from those talks.  The suspension was sent November 26, or at least dated then.

I did not know that.  I learn something new every day.

Here’s a PDF link to the official suspension from the USPTO.

I found this video on Vimeo this morning - user Zhao He has figured out how to make the Wiimote and Wii Fit work in a drumset capacity.  Thanks for this, Zhao He!

Wii Drum High Tutorial from Zhao He on Vimeo.

I just stumbled across a website (thanks to Make Mag) that is a must-see for wiimote modders: Wiimotemods.com.  This site is chock full of excellent wiimote LED mods and button backlight mods - a great addition to your regular RSS feeds for Wii.

Check out this article on adding flashing LED’s to your rumbling wiimote.  Excellent step-by-step instruction with plenty of images and pointers.  Thanks, Wiimote Mods!

Make’s blog posted an article about a guy who hacked his canoe using two golf cart batteries, an Arduino, and a Wiimote to power and steer his canoe!  Check out the video below:

I just found this pair of covers for your Wiimote and Nunchuk - it’s a black silicone cover that is a little more sleek than the original covers that come with the wiimote.  I kind of like the padding that the original silicone cover has around the front - it’s a pretty thick padding.  These covers don’t seem to have that, but they are only a buck-39.

That’s right - $1.39.  A dollar and thirty-nine cents.

Check out this video - a hack that includes a chopstick case, some IR LED’s, a Bluetooth adaptor, and a Wii-mote!

The great folks over at Make Magazine posted an article about a wii-mote controlled robotic arm - in this case, that is controlling that old 2-axis labrynth-marble-concentration game. Check out the video:

I just read an article in Make Magazine about a Netherlands-based composer, Tom Tlalim, who uses eight Nintendo Wii controllers to create and manipulate real-time sound. Tlalim connects his wiimotes to his body, and each controller senses a different part of his movement to his sound software “Supercollider,” as he (or she, of course!) dances, walks, or otherwise moves through space.

Check out the photo gallery on Tom Tlalim’s website.

Accessory company NYKO has produced a solution for a “problem” that apparently exists with Wii users - the really small cable that goes from the wiimote to the nunchuk. NYKO has created a wireless transmitter that takes that cable completely out of the loop and makes the Wii completely wireless. Once again, NYKO has brought  another innovative product to the world of Wii.  From the NYKO website:

The Cord-Free is a unique wireless adaptor for the Wii Nunchuk that easily converts your wired Nunchuk in to a wireless peripheral for your Wii remote. The ergonomic sleeve easily holds and organizes the Nunchuk, cable and batteries providing a compact, clean and convenient conversion system for the Nunchuk. Once the Nunchuk is inserted in the sleeve, you can now enjoy full wireless freedom with all your favorite Wii games without the hassle of any wires tethering your hands together.

Well, Wii Gamers, if you have the desire to take every single cable out of the loop between the player and the console, this new item from NYKO is your solution. What this writer has to ask about this new product, all of its awesomeness put aside: what kinds of excellent games are you playing that require no wire?

Dassault Systèmes has announced that it has released its Virtools package of prototyping and full game production tools for the Nintendo Wii, giving developers for the console access to the Behavior Engine and the VSL compilation, as well as new Wii dedicated functionalities.

Dassault says the Wii solutions are “add-on libraries of building blocks specifically dedicated to Wii game prototyping and game development. Game developers will be able to test on the console anytime during the development, using the power of Virtools 4 and its 500 building Blocks and accessing the Wii Remote information from a Virtools application running directly on the PC.”

The company says its Wii-dedicated package will aid in the prototyping and production of not just retail Wii games, but also those for its forthcoming download service, WiiWare.

It also notes that developers will be able to prototype with the WiiMote and tweak the gameplay directly on PC, as well as test output on the console at any point during game development.

“Virtools Wii solutions give the developers the opportunity to validate game design decisions much faster and focus on gameplay production and optimization, creating games with outstanding graphics and cutting edge interactivity,” said Dassault.

thanks Gamasutra!

It’s party time and you picked up some extra Wiimotes for the shindig. How do you connect them to your system? Easy.

1. Turn on your Wii.
2. While you’re on the home screen, press any button on the remote. Did the four lights on your remote blink blue? If so, your remote is not synced with the system.
3. Press the 1 + 2 buttons at the same time. If you’ve synced before, this should solve your problem.
4. Lights still blinking blue? Open the small panel on the front of the Wii console near the power button.
5. Press the small red button inside the panel.
6. Open the battery panel on your remote.
7. Press the small red button inside the battery panel.
8. Only one light should be illuminated on your Wii remote. If not, repeat steps 5 and 7 until only one light remains.

Source: How to Sync a Wii Remote Controller

Have a question that we might know how to answer? Let us know.

I was browsing looking for Wiimote stuff this afternoon, and I came across this gem:  a Wiimote and Nunchuk completely covered in hemp fibers, and still 100% usable and playable.  Check this out!!