The men over at IGN are cunning, merciless creatures who slip through the night, leaving naught but death in their wake. Through much bloodshed and carnage, they managed to procure a most valuable document: the official Wii controller documentation, giving specifics on just about every nuance of the device. While you, the magnificent reader, may peruse their ninja-like writing via following hyperlink, here are some of the highlights:- The Wii controller will run on two regular AA batteries. According to the notes, these will allow for 60 hours of battery life if only the accelerometers are used, and 30 hours if the full functionality (the sensing of the controller's relative position in space) is being is utilized.
- In addition to showing what controller corresponds to what player on-screen, the four LEDs will also give an indication of remaining battery life once the controller is turned on.
- The previous mentioned "sync" button on the console will correlate a Wii with the controllers being used. One can either accomplish this with a button inside the battery cover, or by pressing both the "1" and "2" buttons at the same time.
- The sensor bar must be placed either below or above the television set, and is about 20 centimeters in length.
- The controller contains 6 KB of non-volatile (read: flash) memory, presumably to be used for the internal speaker. However, this memory might also be used to save various personal controller configurations or data.
[Thanks to all who sent this in!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-18-2006 @ 5:43AM
angereddddddd said...
Wtf?! AA batteries?! Couldn't they just use lithium rechargable ones, like on the ds?!
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7-18-2006 @ 6:44AM
Probot said...
Li Ion batteries would have added to the cost of the controller. Plus, it loses some of their capacity every year, so it would need to be replaced after 3-5 years. (Your DS battery will need to be replaced eventually as well.)
Plus, if your battery died mid-game, you'd need to stop and charge it, or have an extra battery lying around.
Just get some rechargable AA. You can get them anywhere and they're pretty cheap. Then just get a 15 minute charger for about $30.
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7-18-2006 @ 8:18AM
vidGuy said...
Go over to joystiq to see a 70+ post argument about the batteries. After several posts complaining that the batteries are not LiOn rechargables, the consensus is that AA batteries are the best solution for the Wii.
Reasons
- easily replaced by all consumers
- easy to find
- can get rechargable version cheaper than a LiOn battery replacement (for 4 controllers, XBOX 360 batteries would cost $50 to $75, while 10 rechargable AA give an extra set for 4 Wii remotes and only costs about $30)
- can't easily use a Play-and-Charge cord because of Wii remote's motion
- Wii remote's 30 to 60 hours is much better than the 360's 20-25 hours of life on two AA
Personally, I'm pleased. All my current gen wireless controllers use AA, and that works out well. I'll invest a few bucks in rechargables and have a cheaper solution to power for the entire life of the Wii. Good move, Nintendo.
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7-18-2006 @ 3:05PM
Nick James said...
Huzzah! The crying was stopped immediately. Well done!
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