Nintendo Wii Fanboy

That Kama Wireless Nunchuck we're giving away may become something of a collector's item in the near future. Nintendo has sued Nyko, manufacturer of the device, claiming that the Kama violates Nintendo's patents for the original Nunchuk, imitating the controller in "novel shape, design, overall appearance and even the color and materials used in the Nintendo Nunchuk controller."

Nyko spokesperson C.C. Swiney told Bloomberg that they do not believe that they have violated Nintendo's patents with the Kama, but that they are "still examining this." We've had a look at both controllers ourselves, and we think they're actually pretty different. If you look closely at the Nintendo Nunchuk, you can see that it has a cord coming out of it.

Could Nintendo have their own wireless Nunchuk on the way? Or have they decided to start cracking down on third-party controllers now after over 20 years for some other reason? Is the Kama really that similar to the Nunchuk?

[Via Kotaku]

There seemed to be a lot of mixed reactions when we posted about the Nyko Wireless Nunchuck. Responses were divided between excitement, cynicism, and "huh?" CNET is a fan of the product, though, as the website recently titled it as the "Best of CES" in the gaming category.

We wouldn't recommend placing too much stock in this CES decision. We're not saying that the Wireless Nunchuck is bad or useless, but CES's impressions of the product made it sound like a decent accessory rather than a must-have item. It makes us wonder if CNET made this choice based on a round of drunken roshambo (which is how we make all our decisions here at Nintendo Wii Fanboy).

If CNET is right, though, we can't say we're disappointed about having missed CES this year.

[Via GoNintendo]

Nyko has funneled the research funding for their dearly missed Party Station project into a new peripheral. Much like the Party Station had a very simple vision of enhancing every aspect of your Wii parties (except the people attending), the newest peripheral adheres to a clear ideal: removing that one cord from the Wii controller.

The Wireless Nunchuck is -- big surprise -- a wireless Nunchuk. It doesn't have autofire or a cooling fan or anything. It differs from Nintendo's product only in that it's got no wire, clear buttons and a "c" in the name. Amusingly, it'll also include its own wrist strap.

We personally don't care about having the Nunchuk tethered to the Wiimote, with one important exception. We're getting one of these specifically so we can pose that much more flamboyantly in Samba de Amigo. This should nicely substitute for the two-Wiimote control scheme that everyone constantly begs for.

Nyko will announce the pricing and release date and stuff at CES.