The first thing that I will comment on is the weight. I was worried that adding the adapter to the bottom of the Wiimote and the shell that the nunchuk slides in to would combine to be too hefty a control set-up. And I'm glad to report that I was wrong in my initial expectation. The thing feels light and is quite comfortable in my hands. Considering my hands are more like big cartoon mitts, this came as quite the surprise.
How about hooking it up? Also a breeze. You pop in a pair of AAA batteries into the bottom of the nunchuk shell and connect the small adapter to the bottom of the Wiimote. Then, power on the Wii, your Wiimote, then hit the power button on the nunchuk adapter and you're set. I did find one small issue with the nunchuk adapter, though.
When loading in the batteries, I noticed that Nyko decided to go with curved prongs that connect to the positive side of the battery. The negative side connects to a spring, as per the usual set-up, but with these smooth, curved prongs, it can be hard to line up the battery right. They slip around when initially installing them. Once you straighten them out, though, you're set. Another issue I had was with the adapter that plugs into the bottom of the Wiimote. You have to jam it in kind of hard to lock it, but once it's in place, it fits snug. After hooking everything up, I tried a few different games. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Super Mario Galaxy and Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition were the games I tested the peripheral with. And, on each game, it passed with flying colors. The wireless adapter works the nunchuk just like you'd expect. There's no delay in the action on-screen when pressing buttons.
It's really hard to say if this device is a better solution than the wired nunchuk. As I've said, I prefer things to be wireless, so I felt that this was a more enjoyable way to play for me. But, for you (who will have to dish out $20 for this thing), I'm not sure if you'll want to pay $20 for something that is going to neatly tuck your cord away at the price of some AAA batteries every week. It'll eat them as often as your Wiimote already eats its AA batteries.
Update: Per reader andynoz50's suggestion, I tossed in Wii Sports: Boxing (sorry, I don't have Rayman) and played with this some more. The game played the same with this, as without. It looks like the shell has no affect on how the game recognizes my inputs. So for motion-sensitive games, this thing passes the test.
Final score: 8/10
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-12-2008 @ 4:13PM
chad said...
the only time i've ever felt like that wire was in the way (not even so much in the way as just slapping me across the face) was when i was pulling off some super-sweet wrestling moves in no more heroes. but it would be hard for me to pay $20 + batteries to avoid that. also, when you're playing nmh, that slap in the face just makes it so much more real, you know?
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3-12-2008 @ 5:07PM
Brian said...
I don't really mind the wire, it is only when i play boxing on wii sports and it smacks me in the face other than that i doesn't get in the way.
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3-12-2008 @ 5:12PM
andynoz50 said...
Have you used it with any games that use a lot of nunchuck motion sensing? Wii boxing for example would be a good test or the running events in Rayman Rabbids.
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3-12-2008 @ 5:32PM
PR said...
My point exactly. RE 4 is great but doesn't use motion sensing. CoD 3 on the other hand has extensive use of motion sensing.
3-12-2008 @ 5:42PM
David Hinkle said...
Oh, Wii Sports Boxing is a good idea. I'll test it out right now.
3-12-2008 @ 5:26PM
HaloEleven said...
Looks like you wouldn't be able to use the recommended WiiMote jacket anymore. I already don't because it's not compatible with my charging station, but this might bother some people.
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3-12-2008 @ 6:01PM
stinkbug said...
No review of using it with Brawl? Uh oh!
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3-13-2008 @ 6:17AM
Feba said...
to what end? brawl doesn't use motion controls, the wire is pretty much irrelevant.
3-12-2008 @ 6:26PM
CreepersCreek said...
I bought some AAA rechargables a while back, but I couldn't remember what they were for. I know what they're for now. :)
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3-12-2008 @ 8:52PM
terronthesnake said...
The first comment out of my mouth when I got my wii, and played boxing was: "I hate this effin cord". Now all is well once I get one of these, when will they be on market??? I think it is a brilliant (unlicensed, but brilliant) peripheral!
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3-12-2008 @ 8:58PM
Rob said...
I think I'll wait for the Nyko wireless nunchuck controller to come out in May.
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3-12-2008 @ 9:46PM
Kyle Kowalsky said...
I think somebody should come out with an extencsion cord for the nunchuk. just to make it a coupld inches longer, for things like wii sports boxing. also, it would be good 4 the classic controlller if you dont want the wii mote on ur lap
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3-12-2008 @ 10:53PM
saylorsgang said...
I will be buying this, any word when the nyko nuchuk recharging station will be coming out?
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3-13-2008 @ 12:40AM
Joenz said...
I bought this yesterday because I found myself wrapping my neck dangerously tight several times with No More Heroes. Those wrestling moves require that you fling the two seperate controllers in different directions and I've nearly torn the cord from the nunchuck a couple of times. Got the Nyko wireless and I no longer have the problem. Something I really enjoy is when playing Brawl the nunchuck sits on the base like a old school joystick so sometimes just resting it on the table in front of me keeps my inputs fierce and accurate with the added balance support. Then when I just need the remote functions I leave the nunchuck sitting on a nearby surface. I love this thing.
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3-13-2008 @ 6:17AM
Feba said...
Good to know Nyko knows what they're doing in the Wireless Nunchuck department. Personally, though, I'm hoping Nintendo announces an official version before their May release date. Kyle, the extra wire length would actually be bad for some people-- the main reason I dislike the wire, for example, is that it has a tendency to snap against you during gameplay, not because of it's lack of reach. You might want to look up Nyko's Classic Controller mount, though, it looks rather good.
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3-13-2008 @ 2:28PM
Matthew said...
I have the Classic Controller mount and it works awesome. I also agree that I am probably going to wait until May and get the wireless Nunchuk.
3-13-2008 @ 3:33PM
Mike Epting said...
I wonder if the classic controller would work with Nyko's wireless nunchuk adapter? I mean just plug in the classic controller where the nunchuk should go. Makes sence right?
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3-13-2008 @ 7:17PM
JC said...
Does it come with a wrist strap? It was connecting to Wiimote, but now it is not tie to anything. Imagine someone let go the nunchuck when swing a left hook...
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3-13-2008 @ 8:41PM
RCNinja said...
Does anyone know where this will be sold? I hope it's not like the Nyko charger that was only available in GameStop's for the first 2 months or so. The only store I can find anything on it for so far is GameStop and it looks like it's coming out tomorrow.
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