Wii Warm Up: Peripheral issues
Wii peripherals have proven a profitable business for Nintendo, and a new member, the WiiSpeak microphone, will join this rapidly growing family later this month. In our experience, these accessories mostly enhance the games they support, and that's great and all, but it has been a while since we actually perched on our Balance Boards, or waved our Wii Wheel about to Mario Kart Wii, or Zappered zombies. When was the last time you played a Wii title with something other than a naked Wiimote and Nunchuk, and what was the game?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ray Ray @ Nov 6th 2008 8:17AM
I guess I'm a rare kinda folk. I've still been playing my mario kart (Wii Wheel), I've been starting to play House of the Dead 2&3 again (Wii Zapper), and I've been playing Tetris Party with my Balance Board. I don't use any of the skins for the remotes though. They just lay around.
Mr Khan @ Nov 6th 2008 8:50AM
Only the Wii Wheel, i still haven't seen the killer app for the Balance Board (though Punch-Out!! would convince me), and i don't do enough shooters for the Zapper
WalkingCarpet @ Nov 6th 2008 9:03AM
The only peripheral that I own is the Wii Wheel, and I don't like it much. I need the precision of a joystick for my Mario Kart mastery. So, I don't really use peripherals at all...
themizarkshow @ Nov 6th 2008 9:10AM
The only one I use is the wheel... and I don't play the new mario kart all that much. It just doesn't have the same awesome experience as the older titles for some reason. Maybe its just not violent enough.... lol
But yeah, I haven't used any other periphs in ages.
Daryl @ Nov 6th 2008 9:14AM
Wii fit. The balance games are actually pretty cool, and really do improve your coordination if you work at them.
canaroo @ Nov 6th 2008 9:17AM
I attempted to use the Zapper for the new Bond game hoping that this, somehow, would enhance the game experience for me.
Ultimate fail.
I don't blame the Zapper so much as the terrible, terrible game that is the Wii version of Quantum Solace.
Maginomicon @ Nov 6th 2008 9:34AM
I've have the NES Zapper, NES PowerPad, NES PowerGlove, SNES Zapper, SNES SuperScope, SNES Mouse, and the SNES Super Advantage...
Except for the SuperScope, none of them really seemed to add a damn thing to gameplay. (I'm one of the fortunate few that have SuperScope6, Metal Combat, and Falcon's Revenge) Why they don't port the zapper/scope games to Virtual Console is a mystery for the ages.
That being said, the WiiMot+ (Wii MotionPlus) is going to be awesome. Especially for what it adds to head tracking's potential.
Mark (England) @ Nov 6th 2008 9:37AM
The present game I play without any accessories is Disaster day of crisis. Which I am only allowed to play when the wife is home so that she is able to watch the story/action.
Due to the varied gameplay you just can't use any add-ons.
Garu @ Nov 6th 2008 10:09AM
I played the version of Tetris Party where you use the balance board... and I didn't love it. However I love Tetris Party overall!
bhengh @ Nov 6th 2008 10:47AM
My Wii Remote rarely leaves the Wii Wheel. Besides Mario Kart, I use the Wii Wheel to play Tetris and Dr. Mario. I find it easier to hold than the Wii Remote alone.
Roto13 @ Nov 6th 2008 11:12AM
The only one I own is the Zapper and I only used that once. I bought it for Link's Crossbow Training.
holmes @ Nov 6th 2008 11:23AM
the plethora of wii peripherals was one of the reasons i sold about half of my wii catalog of games and used the proceeds to get an xbox 360.
i live in manhattan and i've been a nintendo boy my entire life. i got the wii on day 1. but recently i realized i had the wii, 4 controllers + nunchucks, 2 wii wheels, the wii zapper, the balance board, 2 guitar hero guitars, 2 rock band guitars and 1 rock band drum set. in a tiny manhattan apartment, this is an AWFUL lot of stuff for the space i have.
the final straw came because there was still no mention of interoperability of the rock band and guitar hero world tour instruments. i sold my wii fit (which i rarely used), i sold the entire rock band package, and i swapped my guitar hero guitars to a person at work that accidentally bought GH3 for the xbox instead of her wii and couldn't return it.
i still kept the wii wheels since i love mario kart, and i'm stuck with the zapper since i can't get any money for it. honestly, i used the wii zapper once after playing link's crossbow training, and that was for RE: umbrella chronicles, which i had gotten used and played only once before ditching it.
i have no interest in wii speak, even though i do like animal crossing on the gamecube. i just don't see myself as having enough time to play the game. plus, i fear the wii speak will become like the other peripherals that have very little support in other software titles.
Ty @ Nov 6th 2008 11:28AM
hate all of the periphs.
don't even use the rubbers.
looking forward to WiiM+
DasFoote @ Nov 6th 2008 12:51PM
I use the wheel alot. Mario Kart is nice because it's free to play on-line, unlike my Xbox, which I just can't seem to bring myself to pay the fee. It seems unfair to have to pay when all the other systems alow it free of charge, but they let you chat with friends thousands of miles away and many other features with out a fee...strange if you ask me.
I don't use the Balance Board as much as I should. When I was using it several times a week, my legs would hold up through the work day much better. It's a great peripheral and piece of software.
And like bhengh said, it is alot easier to hold your remote while in the wheel shell. That 'B' button is alot easier to hit!
Haven't used the zapper, doesn't look good at all.
Motion Plus will make the next Zelda incredible.
WiiSpeak will be great for The Conduit, except for the foul mouthed 12-year-olds that will undoubtedly scream obsenities at me through my TV speakers. I'll have to wait for my kids to go to bed before I get to use that.
leonus11 @ Nov 6th 2008 2:32PM
the only peripheral i want and will use is the MotionPlus (which as, i said before, would be stupid of DEVS to NOT use the MotionPlus if the game(s) they are developing are using Motion controls via Wiimote).
Gewurz Man got equipped with... Guitar Hero! @ Nov 6th 2008 6:39PM
Balance Board for Wii Fit:
I last used this in June... sold it last month.
Wii Wheel for Mario Kart:
It's been awhile. Probably July or August.
Classic Controller for Secret of Mana:
Last week. Yes it's a controller, but as it is not a standalone device, I'm counting it.
Wii Guitar Hero guitar for (guess!) Guitar Hero:
EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. =]
techfreak713 @ Nov 8th 2008 12:38AM
Most annoying peripheral?
I would have to say the Wiimotes and Nunchuks themselves! Several sites have proven that the internal tech of a Wiimote is only worth about $10 to produce, and they sell them for $40? Not to mention, most games require a Nunchuk too, meaning it will end up costing you $180 for 4 full controllers (including the one that comes in the box with the console), which is over half of the cost of the original console itself. Seriously, Nintendo, drop the price of the Wiimote, or make a nice bundle with Wiimote/Nunchuk for less than $60.
However, I am really excited about the MotionPlus, but am not getting my hopes up. We'll see when it releases.