Thrustmaster Tennis Duo Pack for Nintendo Wii

by Thrustmaster VG

Product Features

• Compatible with the new Wii MotionPlus
• Stringing outer edge made from Shockproof foam
• Webbed and rubber-lined grip

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B002FC6TCE
• Product Dimensions: 19 x 8.6 x 3.5 inches ; 1.8 pounds
• Media: Accessory
• Release Date: June 1, 2009
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,736 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #92 in Video Games > Wii > Hardware > Accessory Kits

Product Description

The Thrustmaster MotionPlus Tennis Duo Pack NW for Wii features two tennis rackets compatible with all tennis games for Wii. These rackets feature ideal proportions for both the stringing and the grip and boast compact, yet believable measurements. Using these balanced and well-designed rackets offers players an undisputable advantage, in particular when used in conjunction with the brand new Wii MotionPlus device, with which these are compatible. The rackets offer players enhanced positional awareness, allowing them to hone their moves at home as efficiently as on a tennis court and to deliver ultra-realistic drop shots, lifts, powerful forehands, passing shots and more. The Wii Remotes fit into the rackets' grips with ease. Great care has been taken to create ergonomic rackets, as supported by the ribbed and rubber-coated grip, which remains snugly and securely seated in players' hands, even during the longest exchanges from the back of the court. The rackets also feature a detail that often proves essential in sports implying wide, ample moves: the stringing outer edge is made from shockproof foam! The rackets' design and finish quality are worthy of top-level players. Aspiring tennis stars will be longing to get their hands on these sleek devices, one featuring a touch of blue and the other a touch of red. All gamers will enjoy playing with highly realistic accessories, which guarantee a truly immersive experience in the world of tennis.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gave these two tennis players a more realistic Wii experience..., October 23, 2009

By 

Chandler - See all my reviews
(#1 REVIEWER)    (#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Thrustmaster Tennis Duo Pack for Nintendo Wii (Accessory)

(What's this?)

I'll note first that I didn't select this Wii Thrustmaster ( I could make so many jokes about that name but I'll stop myself) Motion Plus Tennis pack for my kids....because....the only kids I have are coated in fur and can't hold a racquet in their paws.

Yep, we are two adult Wii lovers. So rather than nabbin' a new toy...we wanted to make our Wii tennis games (we have several) come to life.

And it did...so if you are looking for fun for kids or more realism for adults, I think it, therefore, crosses both boundaries.

MOTIONPLUS COMPATIBILITY: The most important aspect of this racquet vs. some others I've seen is that it allows for the motionplus sensor yet feels more closely like a real handle. All the new Wii tennis games uitilize the motionplus and it's an effect we wouldn't give up because, once you get the knack of it, the whole game is faster and more realistic to your true moves, in my opinion.

FEEL: This was the best part for us. There is a different feel and more accuracy when you have a racquet in your hand vs a tiny remote in our opinion. It also helped out within the game...if you hold your Wii remote slightly wrong with the motionplus engaged, your shot can be inaccurate; but when you hold a racquet in your hand you really tune into whether or not you are holding the remote correctly. Our moves were suddenly more fluid and more accurate and I think that also transfers over somewhat when we're on the REAL court having practiced tennis on the Wii...it's a more similar feel.

MAKE: I had looked at other racquets that seemed cheap to me...tiny and all plastic from string to racquet, or too light to feel real. These are different...they have strings and, though lightweight, the wiimote slipped inside gives it a decent weight and realism.

SHOCK ABSORBANCY: I'll admit that we have gotten so into the game before that both of us have clipped the tv a time or two during a swing with the regular remote when we got too close. Seeing as how we have a flatscreen so there is no hard glass shell to protect it...this is NOT a good thing, especially since repairs are far too costly if we wind up really messing it up. I like that this has a soft "shock absorbant" rim around out for clutzes far too "into" game play like ourselves...to save us from ourselves. This, I surmise, would also protect the racquet if you are a heated player and wanna slam the racquet to the floor when you miss a shot...your wiimote and racquet will be spared in spite of your tantrum.

ADDITIONAL: Though we'll never use this part, it may be fun for kids. The handle is open to slip the wiimote in but if you remove the wiimote and want to simply play a game of Nerf tennis, the other side of the handle comes with the game so you can close the handle to a full handle and it comes with a ball so you can get get all Wimbledon on your own living room. As we won't be doing this, we gifted the spongy Nerf ball to our Pomeranians who, therefore, enjoyed the Wii tennis set as much as we did.

DUO: Great that it comes as a SET of racquets...even if you don't want to always play against a partner in your own home as we do, when someone comes over it's good to have a spare for even an occasional game buddy.

NEGATIVES: We really dig these and they have improved our game so it's hard for me to come up with much here but I suppose if you have VERY little room in your livingroom and not much swinging room, this would take up more. I do have to say though, when you get the feel of a full racquet I think, for us anyway, we seem to stand further from the tv...I can't explain why visually but I think it's saving our tv that would have been wacked a few more times...however, if you have a very enclosed space this would add, obviously, more length to your wiimote...

CONCLUSION: Added realism to our Wii tennis games and also improved our form which is exactly why we wanted em, we've compared the other racquets and do like these best for size and realism and compatibility with the motionplus which was, for us, a must.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars To Wii or Not to Wii? That is the question...My daughter has her own preference, October 20, 2009

By 

Eagle Vision (Southeastern United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Thrustmaster Tennis Duo Pack for Nintendo Wii (Accessory)

(What's this?)

The Thrustmaster Motion plus serves as a tennis racket for your Wii Controller, and it accomodates for the Wii Motion Plus add-on.

I am a big tennis fan and have EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis, Sega Superstars Tennis and Top Spin 3; in addition to playing tennis on the Wii Sports disk.

CONSTRUCTION

The construction of the device is comprised of a hard plastic for the body. The racket has soft rubber grips and nylon appearing strings. There is a solid insert that allows the user to hit a foam tennis ball around the house. The ball is too light to hit outside with wind. The base without the controller is quite flimsy and fragile in feel. Setting the Wii Remote is easy to do but it does have a little bit of movement within the Tennis Racket frame while you swing it. The Remote is more stable when you add the Wii Motion Plus attachment which connects to the bottom of the unit; this affords slightly more stability.

Weight of the Racket is quite light and not very similar to a real tennis racket. The advantage that this device has, is the ability to have a "perspective" of the position of the face of the racket during the swing, which would help novices of the game.

My reservation is the light plastic construction of the handle which I feel will not last over a long period with young children. This device, if meant to last, would be better suited to adults who are more careful with their items. This will likely break if dropped or gripped too tightly.

A design flaw is that there is no opening for the IR remote for the player to select while the remote is in the racket. This is a major inconvenience if you have the Motion Plus attached. Since you must remove the Motion Plus and pull the Wii remote out to direct the Wii cursor on the screen, it doesn't make sense (maybe I should cut out a "Window"). This has tried my daughter's patience and she doesn't play with the racket with the Wii Motion plus due to this.

REAL TIME USE

An interesting addition is the insert that fits into the handle giving this racket a more solid feel when using it without the Wii remote. A foam ball of regulation size (but not weight) allows the user to play tennis indoors. Outdoors is not practical given the light weight of the ball. The construction of the racket is not strong enough to sustain prolonged use with anything other than a lightweight foam ball (such as a conventional tennis ball or even a badminton ball).

PROS

Realistic appearance of the racket
Can be used for the Wii and for hitting the accompanying foam tennis ball
Wii Remote fits easily into the device

CONS

Lightweight construction, limiting long term durability
The Wii Remote is not entirely snug within the handle of the racket
Inability to use the "cursor" of the remote (No window for the IR transmission) - Fatal flaw

CONCLUSION

Overall, this is an innovative product but it has limitations (one of which is a fatal flaw). If this were more durable, I would give it four stars. As long as you are aware of those limitations, this racket is the most realistic in appearance of the Wii Accessories. However, my daughter does enjoy playing tennis with the foam ball and the racket insert, more than playing with it for the Wii.

If you have a workaround regarding my stated "Fatal Flaw", please enlighten me. So, as for now, we are really reserving our use of hitting the foam ball in the den. Game, Set, Match!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not Compatible with Virtua or Grand Slam Tennis, February 21, 2010

By 

John, FLL - See all my reviews

= Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Thrustmaster Tennis Duo Pack for Nintendo Wii (Accessory)

I bought these racquets with the expectation of using them for gameplay with Virtua and Grand Slam Tennis. The games are great and can be played with just the remotes alone. The ISSUE is that in both games, the Side of the remote is the face of the racquet, NOT the face of the remote. These racquets, simply put, do NOT work with these games.
They do work with the Tennis game that comes with WII Sports, but if you are expecting functionality with Virtua or Grand Slam, FORGET IT!