Wii Remote

El mando de Wii , [a] también conocido coloquialmente como el Wiimote , es el principal regulador del juego para Nintendo 's Wii consola de videojuego . Una capacidad esencial del Wii Remote es su capacidad de detección de movimiento , que le permite al usuario interactuar y manipular elementos en la pantalla a través del reconocimiento de gestos y apuntar que se usa para la consola, usando acelerómetro y sensor óptico.tecnología. Es expandible agregando archivos adjuntos. El accesorio que se incluye con la consola Wii es el Nunchuk, que complementa el Wii Remote al proporcionar funciones similares a las de los controladores de gamepad . Algunos otros accesorios incluyen el controlador clásico , Wii Zapper y el volante de Wii , originalmente utilizado para el juego de carreras Mario Kart Wii .

Wii Remote
Wii Remote con correa original
Wii Remote con correa original
FabricanteNintendo
TipoControlador de movimiento ( controlador de videojuegos )
GeneracionEra de la séptima generación
Octava generación
Fecha de lanzamiento
  • NA : 19 de noviembre de 2006 [2]
  • JP : 2 de diciembre de 2006 [1]
  • AU : 7 de diciembre de 2006 [3]
  • UE : 8 de diciembre de 2006 [4]
AlmacenamientoChip EEPROM de 16  KiB (16,3 kilobytes )
Sonar1 altavoz
Aporte
Conectividad
Energía2 pilas AA
PredecesorMando de GameCube
SucesorWii Remote Plus

El controlador fue revelado tanto en el E3 2005 como en el E3 2006 y el Tokyo Game Show el 14 de septiembre de 2005, con el nombre "Wii Remote" anunciado el 27 de abril de 2006. Recibió mucha atención debido a sus características únicas, no admitidas por otros juegos. controladores.

La consola sucesora de Wii, la Wii U , es compatible con el mando de Wii y sus periféricos en juegos donde el uso de las funciones del Wii U GamePad no es obligatorio.

El desarrollo de un controlador habilitado por movimiento comenzó cuando el desarrollo de la consola Wii comenzó en 2001. En ese año, Nintendo obtuvo una licencia de varias patentes de detección de movimiento de Gyration Inc., una compañía que produce ratones inalámbricos para computadora con detección de movimiento . [5] Gyration había presentado previamente su idea y las patentes de un controlador de movimiento a Sony y Microsoft , quienes la rechazaron. [6] Luego, Nintendo encargó a Gyration que creara un controlador de una mano para él, [5] que eventualmente se convirtió en el "Gyropod", un gamepad más tradicional que permitía que su mitad derecha se separara para controlar el movimiento. [5] En este punto, Gyration trajo una firma de diseño separada, Bridge Design , para ayudar a presentar su concepto a Nintendo. [7] Bajo el requisito de "preservar aproximadamente el diseño de los botones de Game Cube [ sic ]", experimentó con diferentes formas "a través de bocetos, modelos y entrevistas con varios jugadores incondicionales". [7] A "finales de 2004, principios de 2005", sin embargo, Nintendo había ideado la "forma de varita" menos tradicional del mando de Wii y el diseño del accesorio Nunchuk. [8] Nintendo también había decidido utilizar un sensor de movimiento, un puntero infrarrojo y la disposición de los botones, [8] y para finales de 2005 el controlador estaba listo para la producción en masa. [8]

Durante el desarrollo del Wii Remote, el diseñador de videojuegos Shigeru Miyamoto trajo teléfonos móviles y controladores para sistemas de navegación automotriz como inspiración, y finalmente produjo un prototipo que se parecía a un teléfono celular. [8] Otro diseño presentaba tanto un stick analógico como una pantalla táctil , pero Nintendo rechazó la idea de una pantalla táctil en el controlador, "ya que la consola portátil y la consola de la sala de estar habrían sido exactamente lo mismo". [8] Casualmente, esta idea se implementaría más tarde en el controlador GamePad de Wii U , así como en Nintendo Switch .

Las fuentes también indican que el Wii Remote estaba originalmente en desarrollo como un controlador para Nintendo GameCube , en lugar de Wii. El desarrollador de videojuegos Factor 5 declaró que durante el desarrollo del título de lanzamiento Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader , tenía un prototipo inicial de un controlador de detección de movimiento. [9] El periodista de videojuegos Matt Casamassina , del sitio web de juegos IGN , declaró que creía que Nintendo había planeado lanzar el Wii Remote para GameCube, y señaló que "Nintendo dijo que esperaba que GCN pudiera disfrutar de un ciclo de vida más largo con la adición de periféricos ultrasecretos que mejorarían para siempre la experiencia de juego ". [10] Sugirió que Nintendo podría haber querido lanzar el mando de Wii con un nuevo sistema, en lugar de en GameCube, ya que "[la] Revolución aborda uno de los mayores inconvenientes de GameCube, que es que fue / se percibe como un juguete." [10] Las imágenes del prototipo de GameCube del Wii Remote, incluido el Nunchuk, se encontraron en línea en octubre de 2018 cuando uno de los prototipos estuvo disponible a través de una subasta en línea. [11]

Unidades falsificadas

A medida que la Wii ganó popularidad, surgieron informes de que los controles remotos de Wii falsificados estaban entrando en circulación. Aunque estos dispositivos pueden proporcionar la misma funcionalidad que los controles remotos de Wii oficiales, la calidad de construcción es típicamente inferior y los componentes como el paquete de vibración y el altavoz son notablemente diferentes. Tampoco está claro si los accesorios actuales y futuros funcionarán correctamente con unidades falsificadas debido a las diferencias en los componentes internos. [12] [13]

Demo de Wii Remote mostrado en un evento de Nintendo en el Hotel Puerta America

El mando de Wii asume un diseño basado en un control remoto con una sola mano en lugar de los tradicionales controladores de gamepad de las consolas de juegos anteriores. Esto se hizo para hacer que la sensibilidad al movimiento sea más intuitiva, ya que un diseño remoto se adapta perfectamente para apuntar, y en parte para ayudar a que la consola atraiga a una audiencia más amplia que incluye a los no jugadores. El cuerpo del Wii Remote mide 160 mm (6,3 pulgadas) de largo, 36,2 mm (1,43 pulgadas) de ancho y 30,8 mm (1,21 pulgadas) de grosor. El número de modelo del mando de Wii es RVL-003, una referencia al nombre en clave del proyecto "Revolution". El controlador se comunica de forma inalámbrica con la consola a través de una radio Bluetooth de corto alcance , con la que es posible operar hasta cuatro controladores a una distancia de hasta 10 metros (30 pies) de la consola. [14] El mando de Wii se comunica con la barra de sensores por infrarrojos, lo que proporciona la función de apuntar a una distancia de hasta cinco metros (16 pies) desde el mando de Wii a la barra de sensores. [15] El controlador se puede utilizar con cualquier mano; También se puede girar horizontalmente y usarse como un controlador Famicom / NES , o en algunos casos (incluidos Excite Truck , Sonic and the Secret Rings , Mario Kart Wii y Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing ) un volante. También es posible jugar un juego para un jugador con un Wii Remote en cada mano, como en el juego Shooting Range contenido en Wii Play .

En el E3 de 2006, se realizaron algunos cambios menores en el controlador con respecto al diseño presentado en la Conferencia de desarrolladores de juegos. El controlador se hizo un poco más largo y se agregó un altavoz a la cara debajo de la fila central de botones. El Bbotón se volvió más curvo y se asemejó a un gatillo. Los botones "Start" "Seleccionar" se cambiaron a más +y menos –, y el by alos botones se cambiaron a 1, y 2para diferenciarlos de los Ay Bbotones, al mismo tiempo que evoca el teclado de mandos a distancia de televisión típicos. Además, el símbolo en el Homebotón se cambió de un punto azul a una forma que se asemeja a una casa / casa, la forma Powerse hizo circular en lugar de rectangular, y los LED azules que indican el número de jugador ahora están etiquetados con 1 a 4 pequeños puntos en relieve. de los números del 1 al 4, que se asemejan a los puntos utilizados para marcar los cuatro puertos del controlador de la consola GameCube. El logo de Nintendo en la parte inferior de la parte frontal del mando fue reemplazado por el logo de Wii. Además, el puerto de expansión fue rediseñado, con enchufes de expansión con un diseño de encaje más pequeño. [16] La capacidad del Wii Remote de encender o apagar la consola principal de forma remota con un botón de encendido, lo que refuerza aún más la impresión de que parece un control remoto de televisión, es una característica única que ningún otro controlador de juego ha implementado.

Los LED azules también indican el estado de la batería: al presionar cualquier botón (que no sea el botón de encendido) mientras el controlador no se está utilizando para jugar, cuatro LED parpadean para indicar batería completa, tres para 75%, dos para 50% y uno por el 25% de vida restante.

Se han observado similitudes entre el Wii Remote y un prototipo de controlador de Dreamcast temprano . [17]

En el tráiler de Red Steel mostrado en el E3 de 2006, el Wii Remote tenía un sensor de imagen de forma circular más pequeño en lugar de los filtros IR opacos más grandes que se muestran en otras versiones. [18] En el video teaser inicial que reveló el controlador en el Tokyo Game Show 2005, los botones 1 y 2 estaban etiquetados como X e Y. [19]

Correa

Nueva correa (izquierda) junto al diseño original de la correa

El mando de Wii tiene una correa para la muñeca unida a la parte inferior para evitar que salga volando durante la acción del juego si no se sujeta de forma segura. La correa de muñeca está atada con un nudo de enganche de vaca . Todos los juegos de Wii contienen advertencias de seguridad sobre el uso de muñequeras durante su secuencia de inicio [20] y también al comienzo o cerca de su manual de instrucciones (incluso si el juego no usa controles de movimiento). [21] Este último es una reproducción palabra por palabra de un aviso de advertencia de correa de muñeca estándar establecido por Nintendo. [22] La muñequera también se usa para sujetar el conector del Nunchuk por su gancho, [23] desacelerando de manera segura cualquier movimiento repentino del cable del Nunchuk si el conector se desconecta a la fuerza. A pesar de los avisos de seguridad generalizados sobre las muñequeras, hay ciertos juegos de Wii, en su totalidad o en parte, que se juegan moviendo el mando de Wii de tal manera que se vería obstaculizado por una muñequera, como Let's Tap , la mayoría de los juegos de House Party. en Wii Party y el juego Treasure Twirl en Wii Play Motion . En tales juegos o modos de juego, las indicaciones en pantalla, así como el texto del folleto de instrucciones, indicarán específicamente que deben jugarse sin la muñequera. [24]

El sitio web de videojuegos IGN informó que la correa tiende a romperse con el uso intensivo, [25] lo que podría hacer volar el Wii Remote. WarioWare: Smooth Moves a veces también requiere que se caiga el mando de Wii, lo que causaría problemas en caso de que fallara la correa. En respuesta, Nintendo ha publicado pautas sobre el uso adecuado de la correa y el mando de Wii. [26] El 8 de diciembre de 2006, comenzaron a aparecer unidades con correas más gruesas en algunas áreas del mundo. [27] El 15 de diciembre de 2006, Nintendo negó los informes de un retiro del mercado de las muñequeras de Wii. Si bien Nintendo negó las afirmaciones de que se habían retirado del mercado tres millones de correas, reemplazó las muñequeras rotas sin cargo. [28] La Comisión de Seguridad de Productos de Consumo de los Estados Unidos se involucró en el "programa de reemplazo". [29] La vieja correa de 0,6 mm (0,024 pulgadas) de diámetro se reemplaza por una versión más grande de 1,0 mm (0,039 pulgadas) de diámetro. El "Formulario de solicitud de reemplazo de correa de muñeca" en línea de Nintendo permite a los propietarios recibir hasta cuatro correas gratis cuando se proporciona un número de serie de Wii y los detalles de envío.

El 3 de agosto de 2007, se encontró que se suministró una nueva correa para la muñeca, con un clip de bloqueo en lugar de una corredera móvil para evitar que la correa se afloje durante el juego prolongado; [30] la correa con clip de bloqueo se convirtió en la forma estándar.

En 2012, con el lanzamiento de Wii U, la correa para la muñeca se actualizó una vez más para permitir a los usuarios presionar el botón de sincronización a través de las nuevas cubiertas y cubiertas de la batería.

Chaqueta

Chaqueta en el mando de Wii

Nintendo anunció un accesorio gratuito para el mando de Wii, [31] la funda del mando de Wii, el 1 de octubre de 2007. La funda de silicona extraíble envuelve el mando de Wii para proporcionar un mejor agarre y amortiguación para proteger el mando de Wii si se cae. Nintendo comenzó a incluir la chaqueta con el controlador el 15 de octubre de 2007. La chaqueta de seguridad incluida con cada Wii Remote suele ser translúcida. Sin embargo, para los controles Wii Remotes negros y rojos Wii Remote Plus, la chaqueta de seguridad sería del mismo color.

El accesorio original de Wii MotionPlus también viene con una chaqueta de seguridad incorporada que no es seguro quitarse, según Nintendo. [32]

Colores

En la feria comercial E3 2006, Nintendo mostró controladores blancos, negros y azules; [ cita requerida ] las imágenes de prensa publicadas para el evento presentaban versiones en blanco, rojo, plateado, verde lima y negro. [33] La consola Wii y los controladores se lanzaron solo en versiones blancas, con Shigeru Miyamoto comentando que se proporcionarían nuevos tonos cuando los suministros estuvieran disponibles. [34]

El 4 de junio de 2009, Nintendo reveló que lanzaría versiones negras de Wii, Wii Remote, Nunchuk y Classic Controller PRO en Japón el 1 de agosto de 2009. Cada Wii Remote negro incluye una funda de Wii Remote a juego. [35] [36] Además, el Club Nintendo en Japón llevó a cabo un concurso entre el 25 de junio de 2009 y el 31 de agosto de 2009 en el que los miembros que compraran y registraran una copia de Wii Sports Resort participarían en un sorteo para ganar uno de los 5,000 blue conjuntos de controladores. Cada juego incluía un mando de Wii, Wii MotionPlus y Nunchuk, todos en un color azul cielo conocido como Mizuiro y distinto de otros mandos a distancia azules de Wii. [37] [38]

Para Norteamérica, Nintendo anunció el 1 de septiembre de 2009 que las versiones negras del Wii Remote, Wii MotionPlus y Nunchuk se lanzarían durante la temporada navideña . [39] El 16 de noviembre de 2009, el Wii Remote y Wii MotionPlus negros se lanzaron como un paquete, y el Nunchuk negro se lanzó como una compra independiente. [40]

Los mandos a distancia azul y rosa de Wii se lanzaron en Japón el 3 de diciembre de 2009. [41] En Norteamérica, los mandos a distancia azul y rosa de Wii se lanzaron el 14 de febrero de 2010 en un paquete con un Wii MotionPlus blanco estándar. [42]

In Australia, the black, blue and pink versions of the Wii Remotes were released on February 25, 2010. In addition, the black Nunchuk and black Wii MotionPlus were also released on that day as well.[43]

When Nintendo released the Wii Remote Plus in late 2010, which featured built-in Wii MotionPlus technology, it would initially be available in the same four standard Wii Remote colors, plus a special red variant that was included in red Wii consoles manufactured to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Mario series. In the years that followed, Nintendo released more Wii Remote Plus color schemes based on its first-party game franchises.

Home Menu

Accessed with the Wii Remote's Home button, the Home Menu displays information about the controller(s) currently being used, and allows the user to configure certain options. At the bottom of the menu screen, the battery life of all connected controllers is displayed. Below that is a bar labeled Wii Remote Settings. Selecting it brings users to an options screen where they can control the audio output volume, rumble settings, and reconnect the controllers, for example to connect Wii Remotes through one-time synchronization. Depending on when the Home Menu is accessed, a different number of buttons are displayed.

Wii Menu: No matter when the menu is accessed, the Wii Menu button will always be present. Selecting this will exit a game or a Wii Menu channel and return the player to the Wii Menu, where users can choose another channel. When playing certain Virtual Console titles, with the exception of the Nintendo 64 and Neo Geo, this will also create a suspend point.

Reset: In applications and games (both retail and downloadable), the Reset button is available. This performs a soft reset of that particular application, for example returning a game to its title screen or the loading screen of a Wii Menu channel, the same as what would happen if the player were to press the console's physical reset button.

Operations Guide: On Wii Menu channels, including the News Channel, Forecast Channel, Internet Channel, Everybody Votes Channel, certain WiiWare titles and Virtual Console titles, the Operations Guide button appeared on the Home Menu. The guide accessed acts as an instruction manual for the game being played.

The Home Menu can be compared to the Xbox 360's in-game menu (accessed by pressing the "Xbox" button), or the PlayStation 3's mid-game XMB. It may be accessed under most circumstances during Wii operation, which pauses the on-screen action. Otherwise, a "home" symbol with a no symbol on it appears onscreen. It is also inaccessible during Nintendo GameCube play, as the Wii Remote cannot control Nintendo GameCube software.

Características

Sensing

Sensor Bar highlighting IR LEDs taken with a camera sensitive to infrared. The lights coming from the edges of the bar are not visible to the human eye, just Wii Remotes and any other equipment that can sense IR light sources, including most digital cameras.

The Wii Remote has the ability to sense acceleration along three axes through the use of Analog Devices MEMS-based three-dimensional accelerometers.[15][44]

The Wii Remote also has a PixArt optical sensor that allows it to determine where it is pointing.[45] Unlike a light gun that senses light from a television screen, the Wii Remote senses light from the console's Sensor Bar (RVL-014), which allows consistent usage not influenced by the screen used. The Sensor Bar is about 20 cm (7.9 in) long and has ten infrared LEDs, five at each end of the bar.[46] The LEDs furthest from the center are pointed slightly outwards, the LEDs closest to the center are pointed slightly inwards, while the rest are pointed straight forward. The Sensor Bar's cable is 353 cm (11 ft 7 in) in length. The bar may be placed above or below the television, centered horizontally, in line with the front of the television or the front of the surface the television is placed on. The Remote should be pointed approximately towards the Sensor Bar; precise pointing is not necessary so long as it is within the limited viewing angle of the Wii Remote.

Use of the Sensor Bar allows the Wii Remote to be used as an accurate pointing device up to 5 meters (approx. 16 ft) away from the bar.[14] The Wii Remote's image sensor[45] is used to locate the Sensor Bar's points of light in the Wii Remote's field of view. The light emitted from each end of the Sensor Bar is focused onto the image sensor which sees the light as two bright dots separated by a distance "mi" on the image sensor. The second distance "m" between the two clusters of light emitters in the Sensor Bar is a fixed distance. From these two distances m and mi, the Wii CPU calculates the distance between the Wii Remote and the Sensor Bar using triangulation.[47] Rotation of the Wii Remote with respect to the ground can also be calculated from the relative angle of the two dots of light on the image sensor.[48] Games can be programmed to sense whether the image sensor is covered, which is demonstrated in a Microgame of Smooth Moves, where if the player does not uncover the sensor the champagne bottle that the remote represents will not open.

The Sensor Bar is required when the Wii Remote is controlling up-down, left-right motion of a cursor or reticle on the TV screen to point to menu options or objects such as enemies in first-person shooters. Some Wii games that depend on infrared pointing, such as The Conduit, allow the player to calibrate the Wii Remote's pointer in-game. Because the Sensor Bar allows the Wii Remote to calculate the distance between the Wii Remote and the Sensor Bar,[49] the Wii Remote can also control slow forward-backward motion of an object in a 3-dimensional game.[50] Rapid forward-backward motion, such as punching in a boxing game, is controlled by the acceleration sensors. Using these acceleration sensors (acting as tilt sensors), the Wii Remote can also control rotation of a cursor or other objects.[51]

The use of an infrared sensor to detect position can cause some detection problems in the presence of other infrared sources, such as incandescent light bulbs or candles. This can be alleviated by using fluorescent or LED lights, which emit little to no infrared light, around the Wii.[52] Innovative users have used other sources of IR light, such as a pair of flashlights or a pair of candles, as Sensor Bar substitutes.[53] The Wii Remote picks up traces of heat from the sensor, then transmits it to the Wii console to control the pointer on your screen. Such substitutes for the Sensor Bar illustrate the fact that a pair of non-moving lights provide continuous calibration of the direction that the Wii Remote is pointing and its physical location relative to the light sources. There is no way to calibrate the position of the cursor relative to where the user is pointing the controller without the two stable reference sources of light provided by the Sensor Bar or substitutes. Third-party wireless sensor bars have also been released, which have been popular with users of Wii emulators since the official Sensor Bar utilizes a proprietary connector to connect to the Wii console.

The position and motion tracking of the Wii Remote allows the player to mimic actual game actions, such as swinging a sword or aiming a gun, instead of simply pressing buttons. An early marketing video showed actors miming actions such as fishing, cooking, drumming, conducting a musical ensemble, shooting a gun, sword fighting, and performing dental surgery.[54]

The LEDs can be seen by some digital cameras, phone cameras, and other devices with a wider visible spectrum than the human eye.

Controller feedback

The Wii Remote provides basic audio and rumble (vibration) functionality, but the Nunchuk does not. At the 2006 E3 press conference, it was revealed that the Wii Remote has its own independent speaker on the face of the unit. This was demonstrated by a developer as he strung and shot a bow in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The sound from both the Wii Remote and television was altered as the bow shot to give the impression of the arrow traveling away from the player.[55] In addition to reproducing certain in-game sound effects that reflect the on-screen action, the Wii Remote speaker can also function as a voice receiver through which non-player characters can speak to the player with long-distance telecommunication, featured in games like Red Steel, Real Heroes: Firefighter and GoldenEye 007.[56] Some party games and hotseat multiplayer games also utilize the speaker to indicate changes between player turns. The volume can be changed or muted with the "Home" button and selecting the corresponding controller icon at the bottom of the screen;[57] if the speaker is muted, any sounds intended to be emitted from the speaker will come from the television in most cases. The rumble feature can also be switched on or off using the Home Menu.[57]

Memory

The Wii Remote contains a 16 KiB EEPROM chip of which a section of 6 kilobytes can be read and written to by the host.[52][58] Part of this memory is available to store up to ten Mii avatars, which can be transported to use with another Wii console (but it can be used to upload Miis to the Mii Parade and keep it on the console (by copying Mii to remote, moving Mii to parade from console, and then moving from remote to the console)). 4,000 bytes are available for game use before the Mii data. Pokémon Battle Revolution and Super Swing Golf also use this memory. This function is also used in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, allowing the user to save controller configuration data to the Wii Remote.[59] Monster Hunter Tri also uses this function by allowing players to save their profiles to the Wii Remote. Pokémon Rumble uses this section to store Pokémon. Club Penguin: Game Day! uses this to store the player's penguin avatar.[60]

Power source

The Wii Remote uses two AA size alkaline batteries as a power source, which can power a Wii Remote for 60 hours using only the accelerometer functionality and 25 hours using both accelerometer and pointer functionality.[52] In May 2013, Nintendo announced a rechargeable battery and dock accessory, and various third-party manufacturers market charging solutions for the controller (see Wii Remote Chargers).[61] Nintendo's industrial designer Lance Barr said that the Wii Remote's expansion port is unsuitable for internal battery charging.[62] The only type of (externally charged) rechargeable battery supported is nickel-metal hydride (NiMH).[63] A 3300µF capacitor provides a temporary source of power during quick movements of the Wii Remote when connection to the batteries may be temporarily interrupted.[58] If the Wii Remote is not used for more than 5 minutes, such as when the player is using a GameCube controller, it will shut off, and can be re-activated by pressing any button (this was also the case when using a now discontinued video-on-demand service). Games are able to determine and react to the current battery life of Wii Remotes, with certain games using unique, extra-diegetic methods of alerting the player to low battery life.[64]

Wii Remote Plus
ManufacturerNintendo
Release dateAU: October 28, 2010
EU: November 5, 2010
NA: November 7, 2010
JP: November 11, 2010
Input
  • Accelerometer
  • Gyroscope
  • Infrared sensor
  • Digital buttons
    (A, B, −, +, HOME, 1, 2, Power)
  • D-pad
Connectivity
  • Bluetooth
  • Accessory connector port
Power2 × AA Battery
PredecessorWii Remote
SuccessorWii U GamePad and Wii U Pro Controller

In September 2010, rumors were circulating of a Wii Remote with Wii MotionPlus already built in after the box art for the upcoming FlingSmash revealed it to be bundled with "Wii Remote Plus". Nintendo initially declined to comment, but later announced the device on September 29, 2010, confirming it to be a Wii Remote with MotionPlus built in, allowing players to use peripherals like the Wii Zapper and Wii Wheel and comfortably use the Wii Remote horizontally without having to remove the Wii MotionPlus attachment from the Wii Remote. Wii Remote Plus competed with Microsoft Corporation's Kinect and Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation Move with PlayStation Eye motion controllers, respectively. Nintendo later announced that the remote would be available in white, black, blue and pink. It was released in Australia on October 28, 2010, in Europe on November 5, 2010, in North America on November 7, 2010 and in Japan on November 11, 2010.[65]

Other colors

The limited edition of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was bundled with a gold-colored Wii Remote Plus

In addition to being available in the four standard Wii Remote colors, specially colored Wii Remote Plus controllers themed after Nintendo's first-party game franchises were also released in the years that followed, with one golden Legend of Zelda Wii Remote Plus and several others based on Mario characters. A red Wii Remote Plus, initially designed to celebrate the Mario series' 25th anniversary, was included in red Wii bundles released for the occasion along with a matching Nunchuk and console, Wii Sports and New Super Mario Bros. Wii.[66] The red Wii Remote Plus would also be bundled with European copies of Wii Play: Motion,[67] which is replaced with a black one in other regions. A red Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk of matching color is also included with every Wii Mini.

At E3 2011, it was revealed that a gold Wii Remote Plus with the Hylian Crest superimposed over its speaker would be released alongside The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.[68][69] It was available as part of a bundle with Skyward Sword for a limited time.[70] A matching gold Nunchuk was also available to earn for Club Nintendo members for a limited time.[71]

In 2012, the Wii Remote Plus was reissued, and branded for the Wii U, the Wii's successor. Another sync button on the battery cover was added, allowing users to sync without removing the battery cover. A year later, Nintendo began releasing Wii Remote Plus controllers that are themed after Mario characters, starting with Mario and Luigi on November 1, 2013,[72] to accompany the release of the Wii U Deluxe set. A few months later, Nintendo released a Princess Peach-themed Wii Remote Plus, on April 24, 2014.[73] A year later, Nintendo also released Wii Remote Plus controllers themed after Bowser, a Toad and Yoshi in the fall of 2015 to accompany the releases of Super Mario Maker and Yoshi's Woolly World, exclusively available at GameStop.[74]

Female (top) & male (bottom) connector.

The Wii Remote has an expansion port at the bottom which allows various functional attachments to be added. The connector, and any accessories that attach to it, use a 400 kHz I²C protocol. This expandability is similar to that available with the port on the Nintendo 64 controller. There is a female connector on Wii remotes, to which expansions with a male connector can be connected.

The multiple kinds of controllers that can connect to the Wii Remote make it into a more versatile controller, opening up new Wii controller configurations and likewise multiple control schemes. Various racing games such as Mario Kart Wii and a few Need for Speed video games, as well as some fighting games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars and the Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution trilogy take advantage of the versatility the expansion port confers to offer multiple control schemes to suit different kinds of players.

Nunchuk

Wii Nunchuk
GenerationSeventh generation
Eighth generation
Release date
  • NA: November 19, 2006
  • JP: December 2, 2006
  • AU: December 7, 2006
  • EU: December 8, 2006
Input
  • Analog stick
  • 1 × analog trigger button
  • 1 × digital button
ConnectivityAccessory connector plug

The Nunchuk (model number RVL-004) is the first attachment Nintendo revealed for the Wii Remote at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show. It connects to the Wii Remote via a cord 1 to 1.2 m (3.5 to 4 feet) long. Its appearance when attached resembles the nunchaku weapon, hence the name. It also resembles the middle handle of the Nintendo 64 controller. Like the controllers of the Wii's two predecessors, the Nunchuk has an analog stick whose movement is restricted by an octagonal area. The Nunchuk also has two trigger buttons (a last-minute modification changed the two triggers to one trigger and a C button, as described below). It works in tandem with the main controller in many games. Like the Wii Remote, the Nunchuk also provides a three-axis accelerometer from STMicroelectronics for motion-sensing and tilting, but lacks any feedback features.[44] The presence of a motion sensor in the Nunchuk allows the Wii controller to recognize gestures from both of the player's hands independently, a feature that is leveraged to implement boxing controls for Wii Sports or dual wield combat in some hack and slash games, such as Prince of Persia: Rival Swords. Despite having fewer buttons, the Nunchuk can also be used as a controller itself, a feature that is leveraged by Opoona, Bust-A-Move Bash! and SpeedZone. This allows two players to share a single Wii controller, enabling the multiplayer modes of Bash! and SpeedZone to support five to eight players across the maximum four Wii controllers that can be synced to a single console.

One Nunchuk comes bundled with the Wii console. Additional Wii Remote units are sold separately without the Nunchuk.[75][76] The two shoulder buttons, formerly named Z1 and Z2 respectively, have been reshaped and renamed from the Game Developers Conference on. The circular top shoulder button, now called C, is much smaller than the lower rectangular shoulder button, now called Z.[77]

The body of the Nunchuk is 113 mm (4.4 in) long, 38 mm (1.5 in) wide, and 37 mm (1.5 in) thick.[15] The connection port also has a larger size.[78]

The Nunchuk can be connected to any microcontroller capable of I²C (e.g., Arduino's Atmel AVR), where the accelerometer, joystick and buttons data may be accessed. Todbot has created the Wiichuck, an adapter to facilitate connecting the Nunchuk to an Arduino board.[79]

In 2008, wireless Nunchuks became available from third party providers, not requiring the cord that links the Wii Remote with the Wii Nunchuk.[80]

The Nunchuk is generally available in white and black.[36][39] Cyan-colored Nunchuks were available in Japan as a prize for a contest used to promote Wii Sports Resort.[37] Red Nunchuks are bundled with the red Mario anniversary Wii console[66] and Wii Mini. A gold Nunchuk was offered to Nintendo Club members for a limited time to complement Skyward Sword's gold Wii Remote Plus.[71]

Classic Controller

Original Classic Controller

There are two versions of the Classic Controller, the original Classic Controller and the Classic Controller Pro.

At the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo Nintendo introduced the Classic Controller, which plugs into the Wii Remote via a cord in a similar fashion to the Nunchuk.[15] Unlike most accessories, the Classic Controller largely usurps the Remote's functionality, with the Remote's buttons duplicated on the Controller. The Remote is used primarily as a wireless transmitter for the Controller and where applicable retains its pointing-device functionality. It can also still be used as a valid, active controller by another player in multiplayer modes of games like Bust-A-Move Bash! and SpeedZone.

The Classic Controller is reminiscent of the controller for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, being the same size and having the A, B X, Y, L and R buttons and directional pad in the same location. It also contains two analog sticks and two extra shoulder buttons used to replicate additional components found on the Nintendo GameCube controller. The controller is primarily used for Virtual Console titles, with several titles requiring either the Classic or GameCube controller to play, being optimized for the Classic Controller. Dozens of Wii titles are also compatible with the controller to allow for a more traditional control scheme.

Wii MotionPlus

Wii MotionPlus attached to the Wii Remote

The Wii MotionPlus is an expansion device that allows the Wii Remote to more accurately capture complex motion. Incorporated with a custom version of the Wii Remote Jacket,[81][82] the Wii MotionPlus affixes directly to the Wii Remote expansion port, extending the length of the controller body by approximately 4 centimetres (1.6 in).[83] The Wii MotionPlus uses a tuning fork gyroscope[84] which supplements the accelerometer and Sensor Bar capabilities of the Wii Remote, enabling controller motions to be rendered identically on the screen in real time, according to Nintendo.[85] It is sold separately, and also included in bundles with some MotionPlus compatible games such as Nintendo's Wii Sports Resort and Ubisoft's Red Steel 2.[81][82] Black Wii Remotes bundled with the MotionPlus add-on were released in Europe in November 2009.

Wii Vitality Sensor

The Wii Vitality Sensor was a cancelled peripheral; a fingertip pulse oximeter sensor that connected through the Wii Remote. According to Nintendo, the device "will initially sense the user's pulse and a number of other signals being transmitted by their bodies, and will then provide information to the users about the body’s inner world." The Wii Vitality Sensor was announced by President and CEO Satoru Iwata at Nintendo's E3 2009 media briefing on June 2, 2009. No specific applications were revealed for the device, but when presenting the device Iwata suggested that video games may soon be used for relaxation.[86][87] According to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, more details concerning the Wii Vitality Sensor were to be revealed during E3 2010, although in the event the device was not mentioned.[88] Reggie told GameTrailers, "(E3) was not the kind of environment for a game based on relaxation", and said that they were saving news on the device for another time and place.[89] At E3 2010, Ubisoft introduced their own pulse oximeter sensor, "Innergy".[90] At E3 2011, Nintendo announced more about the Wii Vitality Sensor. Shigeru Miyamoto said that the Wii Vitality Sensor has a difficult time performing consistently across a variety of situations but still may be released.[91]

On July 5, 2013, Satoru Iwata disclosed that the Wii Vitality Sensor project had been cancelled due to its lack of widespread compatibility, with Nintendo finding that the device failed to work with approximately 10% of people it was tested on.[92] noting that the device "was of narrower application than we had originally thought."[93] Iwata also mentioned the possibility of returning to the project in the future, when the technology allows for at least a 99.9% success rate.[92]

Wii Zapper

Wii Zapper with Wii Remote and Nunchuk inserted

The Wii Zapper is a gun-shaped shell accessory for the Wii Remote. As shown in the image, the shell holds both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, and contains a trigger that actuates the Wii Remote's B button; all other buttons are still accessible while the remote and Nunchuk are in the shell. The name is a reference to the NES Zapper light gun for the Nintendo Entertainment System. According to an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, the idea of a Zapper-type expansion formed when the Wii Remote was first created. He expressed that "What we found is that the reason we wanted to have a Zapper is when you hold a Wii Remote, it can be difficult for some people to keep a steady hand. And holding your arm out like that can get your arm somewhat tired."[94] The Zapper is useful for most games primarily involving firearms, such as light gun shooters, first-person shooters, and third-person shooters.

Wii Wheel

Wii Wheel with Wii Remote inserted

The Wii Wheel accessory is designed for use in driving games: it is a steering wheel-shaped shell that a Wii Remote can be placed inside, enhancing driving games that allow for steering control by tilting the Wii Remote left and right. The Wii Wheel was first shipped alongside Mario Kart Wii[95][96] and features prominently on the game's packaging.

Third-party accessories

Since the release of the Wii console, many aesthetic, ergonomic, and functional accessories have been developed for the Wii Remote by third parties.[97]

"> Play media
Johnny Lee's WiiMote Whiteboard software used for light pen-type computer input

Since the release of the Wii console, people have been exploring different new ways in which to use the Wii Remote. Many third-party applications are currently in development through Wii homebrew.[98][99] One popular Windows program called GlovePIE allows the Wii Remote to be used on a personal computer to emulate a keyboard, mouse or joystick. Connecting the Wii Remote to a personal computer is done via a Bluetooth connection. The Bluetooth program BlueSoleil has been proven to successfully connect a Wii Remote to a PC. Still another program (like GlovePIE) is needed to utilize the Wii Remote's protocol and to use the data it offers.

The Wii Remote Bluetooth protocol can be implemented on other devices including cell phones, which often have poor usability with games. Two students have demonstrated this concept by creating driver software that has the capability to connect the Wii Remote to a Symbian smartphone. The idea behind this driver is that a mobile phone with a TV-out port can replace the game console.[100]

Programmer Johnny Lee posted video demos and sample code at his website related to the use of the Wii Remote for finger tracking, low-cost multipoint interactive whiteboards, and head tracking for desktop VR displays. He demonstrated several such applications at a TED conference. The WiimoteProject forum became the discussion, support and sharing site for Lee's Wii Remote projects and other newer developments.

Studies have been conducted to use the Wii Remote as a practice method to fine-tune surgeons' hand motions.[101] Utilizing DarwiinRemote, researchers at the University of Memphis adapted the Wii Remote for data collection in cognitive psychology experiments.[102] Autodesk released a plugin that allows the Wii Remote to control orientation of 3D models in Autodesk Design Review.[103]

The pairing of a Wiimote does not allow a passcode.

Overall reception to the Wii Remote has changed over time. The control styles provided by the controller were met with praise at its first public exhibition at E3.[104] Since then, comments have been noted by the press on its functionality. Matt Wales of IGN UK highlighted the aiming and precision of Red Steel and stated "Taking down swathes of enemies with nothing more than a twitch of the wrist proves immensely satisfying and, more importantly, incredibly involving."[105] Nintendo Power listed the Wii Remote as an innovative controller, citing it as innovative for several firsts, including the first use of motion control, the first built-in speaker, and the first Infrared Pointer.[106] This is incorrect, however; the first video game controller to make use of motion sensitivity was Le Stick for the Atari 2600 and Commodore 64, manufactured by Datasoft Inc, and released in 1981.[107]

Other publications have noted specific complaints regarding control. GameSpot expressed that some motions in Cooking Mama: Cook Off failed to transmit or meet expectation during gameplay.[108] Similar observations were made on other titles made available during the Wii launch period. ComputerAndVideoGames.com reported that "Most prominent is the first batch of games, many of which do a better job at exposing the obstacles of full motion control, rather than the benefits... Need For Speed...is near unplayable, Far Cry got it all wrong, and the motion control in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance just feels tacked on."[109]

The overall situation was described by Joystiq thus: "Over the months since launch, the unpredictable Wii Remote has led to a maddening dichotomy. Some games are too easy, while others are too hard – for all the wrong reasons...Gamers who crave a deeper challenge have to settle for battling incomprehensible controls."[110] Critics felt that fault was largely attributed to the developers' lack of experience with the Wii Remote. Jeremy Parish of the magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly compared the initial phase of control implementation to that of the Nintendo DS.[111] Matt Casamassina of IGN also presumed that the first generation of Wii games were of an experimental stage and that potential for refinement had yet to be exploited.[112]

Later-released titles have seen mixed reactions in terms of control. Of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 from Electronic Arts, Matthew Kato of Game Informer stated that the controller "has a hard time detecting your backswing. Thus, it’s harder to control. There were even times the game putted for me by accident."[113] A GamePro review for Medal of Honor: Vanguard said that the title "is an encouraging sign that developers are finally starting to work out the kinks and quirks of the Wii Remote."[114]

First- and second-party titles have produced more favorable utilization of the Wii Remote's unique capabilities. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, in particular, was nearly universally praised for its unique control scheme, which is seen as being unrivaled by any other console game.[115] Corruption utilizes the Nunchuk for strafing and the infrared pointing capability of the Wii Remote for turning and special "gestures", which are used to select visors. Other Nintendo titles take a more minimalist approach, using mostly the pointer and buttons only, as with Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree or use the controller in a sideways configuration to resemble a Nintendo Entertainment System controller while de-emphasizing more advanced capabilities as featured in Super Paper Mario.[116]

The Wii Remote and Nunchuk combined to sell over 8.5 million units in the United States, and took the top two spots in video game accessories sales in 2006.[117] In the U.S., the Nunchuk was the best-selling video game hardware for January 2008, with 375,000 units sold, in a month where the Wii was the best-selling console with 274,000 units sold.[118][119]

According to Nintendo's Shinya Takahashi, player feedback for the Wii Remote, particularly on reducing its form-factor, led into the development of the Nintendo Switch, a console small enough and with smaller controllers to also be a portable unit.[120]

The Wii Remote has come under a number of lawsuits from several different companies.

Interlink Electronics filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against Nintendo in December 2006 over the pointing functionality of the Wii Remote, claiming "loss of reasonable royalties, reduced sales and/or lost profits as a result of the infringing activities" of Nintendo.[121] No further court documentation on this case exists as of September 2017, suggesting that either the two companies settled prior to any court action, or Interlink had dropped the case.[122]

On August 19, 2008 Hillcrest Laboratories Inc. filed a complaint against Nintendo with the U.S International Trade Commission, alleging that the Wii Remote infringed on three of its patents. A fourth Hillcrest patent (for graphical interfaces displayed on television screens) was also allegedly violated. Hillcrest sought a ban on Wii consoles imported to the U.S.[123] On August 24, 2009 Nintendo and Hillcrest reached a settlement, although the terms were not publicly disclosed.[124]

In September 2011, ThinkOptics Inc. filed a lawsuit against Nintendo in United States District Court of the Eastern District of Texas over their controller, the Wavit Remote, claiming that the Wii violated its patent for a "handheld vision based absolute pointing system", a "Handheld Device for Handheld Vision Based Absolute Pointing System", and a "Handheld Vision Based Absolute Pointing System", which make up the basis for the Wavit Remote. They also said that the Wii U infringes on their patents as well and claims that Nintendo was aware of the fact that the Wii allegedly violates ThinkOptics' patents. The lawsuit sought an injunction against violating products, royalties, attorney’s fees, and damages for lost profits.[125][126] The lawsuit was dismissed by ThinkOptics in August 2014.[127]

Starting in December 2012, iLife Technologies sued several large companies over patent infringement over a set of patents they held related to "systems and methods for evaluating movement of a body relative to an environment", principally aimed at the medical field; Nintendo was sued by iLife in December 2013 for the Wii Remote's infringement on their patents, with the lawsuit seeking $144 million in damages, based on a $4 fine for the 36 million Wii and Wii U units it had sold to date.[128] A jury trial was heard in August 2017, and the jury ruled in favor of iLife Technologies and Nintendo was forced to pay US$10.1 million in damages.:[129] While Nintendo attempted to appeal this ruling, the United States Court of Appeals upheld the jury's decision in December 2017.[130] However, in January 2020, a federal court overturned the judgement and ruled that iLife's patent was too broad.[131]

Wrist strap issues

The wrist strap of the Wii Remote has also been an issue.

In mid-December 2006, the law firm Green Welling LLP filed a class action lawsuit against Nintendo for its "defective wrist straps". A few days later, Nintendo issued a product recall for the wrist straps and issued a new version of the strap with an improved securing mechanism for the wrist, leading to the lawsuit to be dropped sometime thereafter.[132][133]

A second class-action lawsuit was filed by a mother in Colorado in December 2008, claiming the updated wrist straps were still ineffective.[134] This suit was dismissed by September 2010, finding for Nintendo that the wrist straps were not knowingly faulty under Colorado consumer protection laws.[135]

Trademark issues

In 2000, the term "Weemote" was trademarked by Miami based TV remote manufacturer Fobis Technologies and was later used as the name of their remote designed for young children.[136][137] While spelled differently, the term "Weemote" is phonetically identical to "Wiimote", the unofficial term for the Wii Remote.[136][138] Sales of the Weemote, which totaled less than one million as of 2008 had fallen due to confusion with the Wiimote.[139] Fobis Technologies claims this to be trademark infringement, however Nintendo does not actually use the term "Wiimote" in official promotional materials; but many retailers that sell the Wii Remote do use the term.[138] Fobis sent out up to 100 cease and desist letters to retailers and have made offers to Nintendo for them to purchase the trademark.[136][138] Nintendo declined the offer, stating that it "does not use and does not plan to use the Weemote trademark".[140]

The trademark application for the Wii Remote was initially rejected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office after the trademark was filed in March 2008. The USPTO claimed that the word "remote" is commonly used, and therefore should not be trademarked. The USPTO said they would accept Nintendo's trademark filing if the company disclaims exclusive rights to the word "remote" in the term and if the word “Wii” would always precede the word “remote” in marketing and manuals. The USPTO accepted the “Wii Remote” trademark in July 2012.[141][142]

  • List of Nintendo controllers
  • List of Wii games
  • Wii Balance Board
  • Wii Speak
  • PlayStation Move
  • Razer Hydra

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