Wii Warm Up: Positioning

by Alisha Karabinus { Aug 15th 2008 at 8:00AM }

Think back to the first games you played on your Wii. Did you have to change the way you usually sit to play games? Discount anything you play standing; we're not talking about Wii Sports or Wii Fit here, but more traditional titles. Can you sit back and slouch, one leg slung over the arm of the sofa, or do you have to sit differently? We've noticed that positioning is a big part of a relaxed Wii gaming experiences -- you've got to find the right place for your hands depending on where and how your furniture is arranged. Has this affected you at all?

Tags: position, relaxation, sensor-bar

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

lonesomefolly @ Aug 15th 2008 8:16AM

Completely out of topic, I have to say, I read these wii warm up articles with the voice of the guy who tells you how to hold the wiimote in wario smooth moves. lol

Ray Ray @ Aug 15th 2008 8:31AM

I have a certain position for only one game. For Mario Kart Wii, I sit Indian Style, in front of my Couch, for Hours at a time. The More my legs hurt, the better I get. "No Pain, No Gain"

ysdarkfact @ Aug 15th 2008 8:46AM

I put my sensor bar on the right side of my TV, instead of on my TV. It works for every game I play. As long as the remote is always pointed at the sensor bar it doesn't matter where the bar is positioned.

Seraph @ Aug 15th 2008 8:53AM

Yes, because Nintendos sensor bar is pretty crappy. I've gone from sitting reclined on my couch to leaning forward crosslegged on the floor. I'm not going to change my entire setup just for Wii.

The problem is the sesnor bar only works well if the TV is less than 10 feet away from where you sit. The IR LED's in the bar are at a fixed width so push/pull motions work differently depending on how far away you are.

My setup is a home theatre with the screen 20+ feet away from my couch. I remember launch night bringing home my Wii and finding that it wont work with my setup. I bought some 3rd party wireless sensor bars that dont help either since they #1 aren't any stronger than the offical Nintendo one and #2 still have a fixed width between the LEDs.

One of these days I'm going to build my own so I can play from my couch like I used to.

TWOO DEE @ Aug 15th 2008 10:56AM

two candles work fine :P

CubeGuy @ Aug 16th 2008 12:22PM

I'll sell you mine. I built it for a home theater that I no longer have. =P

Monica @ Aug 15th 2008 8:53AM

I sit on either my bed or the recliner in the living room. When I am on my bed, I usually sit straight when playing any TV-connected games and lay down proped on a pillow for handheld games. It depends, though, on if I am bored of the level or not, having beaten a good majority of the games I play.

Snuk the Great @ Aug 15th 2008 8:57AM

Actually, I find that playing with the two separate controllers (wiimote and nunchuck) is a lot more comfortable then the regular two-handed controller. I have been playing wiimote-nunchuck only for a while now and when I get a regular controller in my hands these days, it feels odd, dare I say, uncomfortable. You can pretty much sit in the most relaxed positions if you can move your hands separately.

So far, I think I am the only one... My friends certainly seem to like the cube controller better (where possible, think Smash and Mario Kart).

Brad @ Aug 15th 2008 9:39AM

I'm with you there. The separated arrangement is much more comfortable than any other controller I currently use. Should I want to play multiple consoles in a night, I've trained myself to play the Wii last since going from the Wiimote/nunchuck to a 360 controller yields a very constrained feeling. So much so that it's actually got me thinking about building a mod to separate my 360 controller into 2 pieces.

Sonic_13 @ Aug 15th 2008 11:11AM

I totally agree. Being able to have your hands further apart via Wii Remote and Nunchuk is much more relaxed and comfortable.

Grey Acumen @ Aug 15th 2008 5:30PM

Hear here! Totally with you on this. It used to be that I was always sitting with my elbows on my knees and hands practically tied to the gamecube controller whenever I play. Now I sprawl out all over the place. It's even moreso since I got the wireless Nunchuk adapter from Nyko. I'll be sprawled out on my couch and shift around all over the place.

Timmy P. @ Aug 18th 2008 12:56PM

I compleatly agree. I normally play in my bed with my hands resting on the blanket all bunched up. But i do have to slap the random lumps out soo they dont block the Wiimote.

EricLMcCormick @ Aug 15th 2008 9:14AM

The only game a can play and be super relaxed is guitar hero because it doesn't need the sensor bar. But pretty much any other game I have to be postioned just right specially with first person shooters.

kavmohammed @ Aug 15th 2008 9:26AM

It's very flexible i find....with stuff like Okami you can have your 2 hands in virtually any position. i have my nunchuk hand in a position where my head can almost rest on it, and the wiimote hand just practically resting there on the bed. With MP3, it took a while but eventually it was just effortless movements similar to okami but a little more direction with the wiimote.

Jeremy @ Aug 15th 2008 9:43AM

I have one of those rocking game chairs that sit on the floor that I pull out when I play. Other then that I really don't have a certain position that I am in.

Yan @ Aug 15th 2008 9:45AM

i just sit on my chair or on my bed to play wii though if the game really makes you use the wiimote extensively, i might have to stand up on position myself in front of my tv.

as for my ds, i just play on my desktop with the hori stand. works great! i also play on my bed lying down.

Hamster @ Aug 15th 2008 9:51AM

I sit on my couch perfectly relaxed, wiimote in one hand, nunchuk in the other, on my lap, as if I would playing any other console (and that's even when playing Wii Sports. I don't want to play any game standing up. I play games to relax and escape). In fact playing Wii games is a perfectly comfortable and relaxing experience. Most of the good games don't require any of the over-exaggerated movement like you see in the irritating commercials. In fact it makes me particularly annoyed at Nintendo's 'Wii Would Like To Play' style ads as they always show people standing up, jumping about, furiously waggling, which if I didn't know any better would make playing the Wii look incredibly awkward and tiresome and really put me off. It really doesn't have to be at all.

vidGuy @ Aug 15th 2008 10:18AM

I didn't have to change my position, I GOT to change it. With the separation created by the nunchuk and remote design, I am able to sit much more comfortably than before. With a traditional pad, I tend to sit in the gamer position: leaning forward, back hunched, with arms on legs and game pad centered slightly in front of my knees.

With the Wii, I can sit up straight, with my hands spread comfortably apart, and still control great. I've found aiming to be a lot easier when you support your arm with a leg. I really prefer the two-handed control design because of this position.

nastysquar3d @ Aug 15th 2008 10:19AM

I usually sit straight up on the couch with one hand and controller on one knee / thigh and the other on the other one.

For as long as I've played video games I've never played them in a slouched or relaxed position. I get way too into them and feel like I don't play as well when I'm slothing it.

Tee @ Aug 15th 2008 10:50AM

Depends if IR is being used. I find sittin on the couch,whic is directly centered with the TV and top mounted sensor bar works better, but I can play games that dont use IR pointer from the comfort of my gaming chair, just to the side of the buffet that my TV sits on. I stand for Wii Sports which still gets some play now nearly two years later.

Thanatos @ Aug 15th 2008 10:53AM

Metroid Corruption was the only game i had to change my gaming style on had to sit up cause my mote had to be pointed at the screen at all times. Oh and i almost forgot DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 2 wouldnt let me be more than id estimate 8 ft away from the screen which is annoying as hell considering that my setup was just over 10ft away from the screen.

Genome4824 @ Aug 15th 2008 11:15AM

OH YEAH DBZ was a big issue but I didn't mind since the game is so addicting I remember I bought it thinking great another dbz game and then I didn't sleep for 2 days haha

Genome4824 @ Aug 15th 2008 11:23AM

honestly I moved my couch forward about an inch. But the first time i was able to lay on the couch... with my arms like 3 feet apart in the most relaxed position possible and still play Zelda I was in love with my Wii. Whenever anyone asked me how i liked my wii I would pantamime that and say how not having to keep your arms inches together is the greatest thing in gaming

milan @ Aug 15th 2008 11:27AM

When I play No More Heroes, I sit up towards the edge of my seat... but I think that is just because I am excited to play the game.

Also, Light gun games with the target reticule off... Must be very still... Damn I have to recalibrate this!

Stephen @ Aug 15th 2008 12:03PM

Bean bag and pillows makes for the most relaxed screen pointing, and just about every thing else. I use pillow with the built in armrests.

Mr Khan @ Aug 15th 2008 12:16PM

Back when i was in the basement, my sensor bar sat right in front of my Wii itself, and usually got excellent reception, but when i moved upstairs into my narrow bedroom, i've had all sorts of trouble

Taping the sensor bar to the top of the TV worked, however

SoshiKitai @ Aug 15th 2008 1:33PM

Ah, remembering back to those days where I HAD to STAND UP for all of the games.
I still do, for things like Wii Sports and Mario & Sonic.
But for the most part, I grab my computer chair and drag it in front of my TV.
Nothing feels more comfortable than being able to slouch, sit up straight, or lay back whenever I feel like it.

Oh, and not only that, I have the Wii sensor bar extender... you know, the one that can read Wiimote movement from a further distance.
People laughed and laughed about that product... always thinking and saying "Why would you ever need to be that far from your TV?"...

Now here they are, getting uncomfortable as they often hit each other when they swing the Wiimote... or even having their games not read their movements correctly.

The "super" extender bar (as I like to call it) makes it so that 4 players can play with enough space from each other that each can be doing their own thing while playing (one can be sitting on the chair in the corner, one can be lying down on the bed, one can be standing up, and the other can be getting his/her drink across the room). Not only that, but games like DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi 2 don't have problems in reading any of your movements.
So boo to the people who thought the sensor extender was a waste of money! It's been one of the best accessories I've ever bought for the Wii.

Not to mention that it can also be wireless in case you bring the Wii to a house where the sensor bar has to go up a LOT higher than usual. (big TVs hung on a wall... impossible to put the sensor bar anywhere comfortable with that short cord)

Dylan F @ Aug 15th 2008 2:39PM

The first game I played where you were likely to sit was Twilight Princess, and if I recall correctly, I was sitting while I was playing. But I always like to rest my controller in my lap. It's way more confortable that way. So first playing Wii, I was sitting, with my arms raised in front of me. And pretty much every other game I owned, I played like that. But now if I play TP, or any other game, I rest them in my lap. I don't know why I didn't consider that at the time.

bhengh @ Aug 15th 2008 3:38PM

The biggest thing I've noticed is that when I play with the GameCube controller I usually have my legs crossed in front of me and rest the controller in my lap. But if I play a game with IR (Galaxy, for example), I can't cross my legs because it blocks the Wii Remote.

On the plus side, I really like having a separate controller in each hand (Nunchuck and Remote). I can put my hands wherever is most comfortable.

techfreak713 @ Aug 15th 2008 10:36PM

according to most of these responses, nintendo really got the controller right for once (compared to the god-awful N64 controller) and i hope that they improve on it even more with Wii2's controller(s), by adding more buttons to the wiimote (like x and y) and making the nunchuk wireless out of the box.

yost @ Aug 16th 2008 6:52AM

yes, damn it ....I can't play anything that uses the wii mote sitting down even if it is something simple like shake the knun chuck to get more energy I just can't use it sitting down...

Rich @ Aug 17th 2008 12:10AM

ahhhh, yeh ive had problems with my sensor bar setup too, my couch is approx 9 feet away and it struggles with mario galaxy and some other games if i dont sit up and hold the wii remote directly out in front. really annoying.... also does anyone find sometimes its better to have the sensor bar i.e. say below the tv but in the wii setup say it is in top of the tv?

might have to try one of those wireless sensor bars if they have any increased range...anyone have any idea?