Customer Reviews

Wii Remote MotionPlus Bundle - Black

5 star:		(465)
4 star:		(84)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(42)

 

 

The purchase of additional Nintendo Wii Remote controllers are the basic requirement for multi-player games. Strongly consider buying a pair of high-capacity NiMH rechargeable AA batteries along with each additional controller. The Nintendo Wii Remote consumes a lot of power because of the many functions it performs -- the Wii Remote serves as a motion controller, provides power to controller attachments, and generates sound and vibration effects. The included set of disposable alkaline batteries will last less than a couple of weeks for active players (six days in my case). This compares to a battery life of a couple of months for the previous generation of Nintendo's wireless controller -- the Nintendo Wavebird controller for the GameCube.

Many games require the additional purchase of a controller attachment for multi-player mode -- the Wii Nunchuk Controller or Wii Classic Controller, both of which plug into the base of the Wii Remote. In multi-player mode, the Wii Nunchuk is used for two-handed Wii games, e.g., Red Steel or the boxing game in Wii Sports.

The Wii Classic Controller attachment is currently used to play games on the Wii Virtual Console. Held sideways, the Wii Remote can serve as a game controller for all current Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx 16, and Nintendo (NES) Wii Virtual Console games. A Wii Classic Controller or Nintendo GameCube controller is required to play Super Nintendo (SNES) or Nintendo 64 virtual console games.

You may want to purchase a Wii Classic Controller or Nintendo GameCube controller (this plugs directly into Wii Console itself) to play Virtual Console titles anyway. The Wii Remote is diminutive, and a Wii Classic Controller or GameCube controller both offer better handgrip and button placement. Of note, a Wii Classic controller can currently only be used for Wii Virtual Console games, while a GameCube controller can be used for Wii Virtual Console games and all Nintendo GameCube games.

Each "Wiimote" has a nice touch of interactivity, holding up to 10 Mii avatars per remote. You can take your Mii character along with you to play games like Wii Sports on other Wii consoles by taking your Wii Remote along with you.

The one improvement I would make to the Wii Remote Controller would be to add finger nubs. The Wiimote can get a little slippery during gameplay because of sweat. Third-party manufacturers offer latex rubber / silicone controller gloves that fit over the Wii Remote to improve hand grip. I find these gloves are more hassle than they are worth because they are time-consuming, both to put on and to peel back when changing the Wiimote's batteries.

The Wii Remote Controller is shaped like a standard TV remove, and has motion sensing ability. You wave it around, and your on-screen character waves their wand!

This isn't an add-on controller - this is the actual, standard controller that most if not all games on the Nintendo Wii use as their primary control unit. There is also a "nunchuck" that can be used in your off hand, but many games don't use the nunchuck.

The aim of the Wii was to make gaming as simple and intuitive as possible for the casual non gamer. Pretty much every person with a TV is comfortable using a TV remote. You point, you click. The Wii Remote Controller works in the same fashion. The motion sensors know what you are doing with the remote. If you're playing a baseball game, you swing at the ball. If you're playing a bowling game, you bring your arm back and swing it forward. Everything "makes sense". A sword swing? A light saber battle? Just move your arm and the character does the same thing.

There are only two buttons that really matter. There's an A button on the front that you push for most operations. There's also a trigger underneath that is the B button. Depending on the game, they will have you use one or the other button. There are also a few other buttons for more complex gaming. There's a D-pad. A "home" button lets you go instantly back to the main Wii menu if you're tired of playing. There's a plus and minus button, a 1 and 2 button. There's even a power button. You don't have to walk over to your Wii any more to turn it on or off. Just hit the power button on the remote and you're all set.

The remote runs on two AA batteries, so there's no USB plugging in or charging up, as with the other systems' remotes. You do get a wrist strap, though, so the Wii remote doesn't fly out of your hands while you're doing a super powerful golf swing.

There's even a speaker in the remote! This is great if you're playing a game against another player. Say I'm boxing my boyfriend and I am the winner. *My* remote says that I triumphed, to me. Neat!

I definitely love the Wii remote controller. It's light, it's super easy to use, it's intuitive and I can just pop batteries into it when it runs out, instead of having to wait for a recharge. Highly recommended. Just note that if you want to play a game that needs a nunchuck as well, that you have to buy that separately.

About a couple years ago I heard Nintendo was planning to dish out a black Wii. I told myself I'd wait and hold off the white one, but what with all the great games already out, I couldn't resist.
As with most Wii purchasers, I added another Wii remote (or "Wiimote") and Nunchuk. The white's fine and all, but I really wanted the colored controllers as in the initial advertisements for Nintendo's Wii.
Remember the lime green and red ones?

Nevertheless, with two white controllers, I really didn't need any more. That is, until the black one finally came out.
I was initially baffled upon spotting the device because I hadn't heard anything about its release, and just happened to stumble upon some at my local Target. I asked the nearby clerk, "When did these come out?" but he didn't know (apparently they came out a week prior to this review). I rushed home and placed an order for the Wiimote and Nunchuk through Amazon.com (price-sensitive, I wanted the best deal; I could wait for Amazon.com to deliver).

The black Wiimote feels and functions superbly. Sure, it's the same as the white one albeit differently colored, but the blackness just gives it a supreme look--in my opinion, at least. The front side with the majority of the buttons has a glossy finish, which emits a radiant shine, whilst the back side with the battery door has a matte look and feel. The gloss may get dirty in the long run with fingerprints and skin oil, but for now it's staying shiny. The black rubber jackets may eventually attract dust and lint, but, again, for now they're as clean as can be.
Also, and this may just be the fact that it's still new, the speaker sounds louder and crisper than my other Wiimotes' speakers. I thought I accidentally had it on a louder setting, but when I checked my Wii it was the same setting as my white ones, so I figured Nintendo improved the sound chips.

In this package you get the Wiimote, MotionPlus, batteries, wrist strap and two rubber jackets--one to hold the MotionPlus and one to hold the Wiimote without (which I'm currently using for New Super Mario Bros. Wii). Plus, you end up saving on this bundle over the white set, which can only be purchased separately as of this review. On Amazon.com, you'll end saving $5 or so.

All in all, it's the same ol' Wiimote, but in black. It has that new, stiff button feel, which I personally like, but give it some time to break in.
If you like black, opt for this controller. This is my "special" one that no one but me will use; friends and family can use my other white ones.

Oh, and Nintendo has some blue and pink bundles coming in February 2010 (but with white jackets and MotionPluses).


EDIT 11/2/10
As many of you might know, Nintendo is releasing an updated Wii Remote with MotionPlus built in, calling it Wii Remote Plus (http://www.amazon.com/Wii-Remote-Plus-Black-Nintendo/dp/B0045FCKVI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288713131&sr=8-1). This review, published a year ago, was for the Wii Remote that came with an exterior MotionPlus, hence "Bundle."
I'll be getting the FlingSmash bundle that comes with a black Wii Remote Plus and reviewing that later.

I have to say, the Wii remote is a great controller. Really simulates swinging you arm very realistically in baseball and the other Wii games. I had no problems with it, but over a week ago it began acting up and now the motion sensing stopped working completely. Funny thing is the cursor still works. I tried all the troubleshooting steps in the manual and nothing fixed it. Luckily I'm still under the 1 year hardware warranty so I sent it back t get a replacement controller (I've only had it 6 months and I only use it for about 30 min every other day). The customer support was a helpful and sent out a new one. Hopefully this one will last a bit longer! lol

As fun as the Wii can be, it only gets better when you play head-to-head against family and friends. Since the standard Wii packaging only includes one controller, you will need to order a second device to experience the optimal level of game play.

Holding the controller reminds me most of holding a fishing pole. The thumb and index finger control the most essential functions of the players, with extra buttons only really coming into play during mode selection screens. During live action, players don't toggle between much more than two buttons.

Batteries seem to be an issue for many people, but not me. I suggest you turn off the "rumble feature" for games (the controller vibrates or pulsates during dramatic moments in games) as a way to save battery use. I've gotten about 30 hours out of each round of batteries on my Wii.

Lastly, believe what people say about collateral damage with your Wii controller. I thought the stories of people breaking TVs, windows and fish tanks by accidentally losing grip of their controller during a strong tennis swing and sending a dangerous projectile through their living rooms were exaggerations. But it happened to me...and it will happen to you.

The price for the package is wonderful. My son loves his wii, and we use that thing like a rented mule, often during playdates in which we have more than one extra child. So it was great to be able to get the wii remote and motion sensor together for a price that let everyone play without breaking the bank.

At least, I thought it was until I realized that the induction chargers would not work through the black jacket on the motion plus or on the "regular" jacket. Taking off the jacket to charge the battery = more chances for little hands to wreck the thing. Leaving the jacket off is an option, and the one we've been using, but the remote's going to look a lot less cool all scratched up, never mind that the jacket would hide the rechargeable battery pack. So, I went from thinking this was really a cool thing to thinking meh. My son feels pretty much the same, but he's glad to be able to have three friends play at once instead of having to take turns.

UPDATE: Since writing this review I have learned that the energizer induction chargers will work with the skins for these. Very good information! I have a less expensive induction charger and don't plan to upgrade any time soon, but for those who are in the market, I would recommend the energizer now over the cheaper one that I have.

The Wii motionplus bundle is a good deal for two reasons: 1) It saves you money on 3 items that would cost a lot more if each one was bought separately 2) The black remote makes its white predecessor pale in comparison in the looks department.

The motionplus add-on is a must if you play games such as Wii sports resort, EA sports active, Wii fit etc. that rely almost completely on motion tracking for gameplay. Playing fitness games without them can be frustrating when you are waving your controller frantically trying to get a response, while your character is in a world of their own. However, you can easily get away without the motionplus in other games like Metroid or The Legend of Zelda, but it's still a welcome addition nonetheless.

The controller works fine and has given me absolutely no problems so far. If you're considering skipping the motionplus to save some money, my advice is not to do so. Most of the newer games are almost required to have the motionplus and it seems to be a trend that will continue well into the future as long as the Wii console remains viable.

Bottom line is that this is a worthwile investment if you need an extra controller for your Wii console.

When I first saw the Wii remote I was very skeptical that Nintendo could pull such a thing off, then, after seeing all the hype and others who got a chance to use it say that it was easy and fun, I began to turn a new leaf. I must say that this controller is the best controller I have used in many years. The Wii remote is very sensitive which is great because all the games require a high sensitivity for then to be played to the best of their ability. I currently own Zelda Twilight Princess, Rayman Raving Rabbids, and Excite Truck, each are very unique in their own in which they use the Wii Remote and are great fun to use. They only problem I have is that I can't seem to find a place to buy a second one!

The Wiimote (WII REMOTE) is a great item. Although, when you purchase a Wii, you receive 2 Panosonic Batteries (unrechargeable). I played the Wii for 4 days. On the 4th day it had a small amount of power left. I recommend you buy rechargeable NiMH batteries, just so you won't have to keep buying, and buying batteries. This is from my experience.

NY- Anish

You can go right to the Nintendo website and buy the controllers at the MSRP. It took only 3 days for them to ship mine. Don't pay a bunch extra to these foks trying to take advantage of a "shortage"