I’m a real wireless freak since my two cats seem to love to jump at all things dangling, even if they’re my $100 cables connecting to my audio equipment. When I first set up my Wii I was slightly concerned about the sensor bar as the cable is impossibly thin and has the structural integrity of a matchstick house. I knew that it was only a matter of time before one of my cats had their way with it.
Thankfully, a few minutes on eBay is all it took to save the day. To my rescue is a generic wireless Wii sensor bar. The brand itself is not important because it’s the generic model, meaning that all of the other manufacturers simply re-brand this sensor bar as their own. This little unit cost me $25, shipping included.
My sensor bar came about a week after I ordered it off of eBay (from ThumbMonkey games) and came with two main pieces of equipment:
Wireless sensor bar - The actual unit itself looks nearly identical to the OEM piece, save the lack of wires.
Four AA batteries - That was nice of ThumbMonkey to include them
Initial Impression and Usage Test
One of my major concerns was that the wireless sensor bar wasn’t going to read as well as the OEM unit. The OEM sensor bar is little more than a piece of plastic with two IR readers, but you never know. It never hurts to have a bit of caution when you are changing something as important as your Wii sensor bar.
My worries were quickly relieved once I set up the sensor bar and began playing. The auction claimed up to 30 hours of use and an effective range of 25 feet. We’ve found that the Wii OEM unit starts to mess up the signal at around 10 feet, so 25 feet should be an accomplishment. Of course we were determined to see how well it worked at that distance.
Our sensor bar has a switch on the back for turning it on and off, and there is also a timer that will beep after a certain amount of time to remind you that it’s still turned on. We have heard of other sensor bars with automatic power saving features but we haven’t been able to get our hands on one… yet.
Once we started playing we noticed that the wireless sensor bar worked better than our old OEM unit. At distances we found less signal degradation (or “jitteryness”), as our inputs were smooth as silk. Typing text on messages boards in the Wii browser was simple and painless thanks to smooth sensor operation. We couldn’t ask for more.
The only real downside to the wireless sensor bar is the fact that the batteries will need to be changed fairly often. If you play the Wii for an hour a day you’re looking at changing them once a month, and if you play it for three hours a day (as I do) you’re looking at nearly once a week. Still, if you don’t want wires running everywhere it’s a good solution, and at under $25 it’s certainly a good value.
Pros:
Looks cool
Look Ma, no wires!
Strong signal output
Reads the Wii remotes better than the OEM version
Cons:
Have to replace the batteries fairly frequently
If you accidentally leave it on all night say goodbye to your batteries
Overall: 7.5/10 - a good solution, but we’re going to stick to wired.
Is anyone as excited about the upcoming Wii game “Wii Fit” as I am? This game looks like is has everything it needs to be a smash (baby). Created by gaming genius Shigeru Miyamoto (responsible for other Nintendo hits such as Nintendogs and Pikmin), Wii Fit should be an absolute smash hit.
The game itself features over 40 different exercises, from Yoga-style poses to push ups, jogging, soccer, and more. The game accomplishes this through a special peripheral called the “Wii Balance Board“, a device that is unique designed to accomplish multiple tasks at once.
The Wii Balance Board: What is It, and How do You Use It?
The Wii Balance Board is a specialty peripheral that has been in development for more than two years at this point. It has been designed for the upcoming game “Wii Fit”, though there is no doubt in my mind that it won’t find it’s way into the programming minds of developers who will want to use it for other games. Rumor has it that Tony Hawk wants to use the Wii Balance Board for his next skateboarding game (that would be awesome).
The Wii Balance Board realistically accomplishes two main goals:
It is able to determine your body mass index (BMI). For the game Wii Fit, users will be able to track their BMI over time and compare it with other users via the game’s own Wii channel in the Wii menu.
It can measure your center of gravity. This allows it to track just about everything, from dance steps to hula-hoop motions (see the trailer video below).
Using the Wii Balance Board is as simple as simply stepping on to it and performing the motions naturally and as controlled as possible. Just as the Wiimote and Nunchuck combo is almost second nature to just about every Wii gamer around, the Wii Balance Board will become just as intuitive and second-nature.
Wii Fit as a Game: What’s Included?
Aside from the proprietary peripheral, Wii Fit will be shipping with around 40 different exercises. They are further divided up into four categories: aerobic exercise (lasting around 10 minutes), muscle conditioning, Yoga poses, and balance games. For those who are looking for a great way to balance their workout routine, Wii Fit should fit right in.
We don’t know which games are going to be included as of yet, but the first Wii Fit trailer (see below) shows us the following:
Yoga exercises
Push ups
Rythmic dancing
Hula hooping
Soccer (as a goalie)
Aerobics
Balance games
Don’t take our word for it (even though you should), check out this awesome trailer:
I don’t know about you, but I’m “pumped” for this game (pardon the pun). Wii Fit is expected to ship in January, 2008. The Wii Balance Board has an MSRP of $69.99, though it will likely be bundled with the game for a little bit more change.
Reviewed: Phantiq Wiimote Rechargeable Battery Pack and Charging Station
When I first got my Wii I played that sucker for a week straight, five or six hours a day. Wii Golf, Wii Boxing, Super Paper Mario (weird, but good game… see our review that’s coming soon), and so on. Both my girlfriend and I had a blast playing Tennis, and as it turns out she can (repeatedly) kick my butt in bowling. I tell you, the Wii has really changed our lives. That is, of course, until I ran out of batteries while her and I were boxing. Ever watched your girlfriend (or boyfriend) kick your butt at something and not even be able to fight back?
Thankfully, that’s all changed thanks to the Phantiq Rechargeable Battery Pack. This little beauty costs $11.99 (if you buy it now from eBay) plus around $11 shipping, so about $23 in total. That’s a screaming deal for what you get:
Wii remote charging station - Connects to your Wii via USB cable. Simply place the Wii remote into the charging station to begin charging. The system automatically stops charging once the battery is at full capacity, eliminating annoying things like overcharging.
Wii remote back covers - In order to be able to charge you will need to replace the Wii remote battery cover with the one included with your Phantiq pack.
Two rechargeable batteries - These batteries are custom designed for the Wii so that they fit into the battery slot without any issues.
Initial Impression and Usage Test
Once the item arrived (about five days after I purchased it from eBay) I quickly unwrapped it and set everything up. I didn’t bother reading any instructions since it really is stupid proof (take off Wii remote battery covers and store them somewhere, replace batteries with the rechargeable ones, plug recharging stand into Wii via USB cable, place new battery cover from Phantiq, put Wii remotes into charging station). It takes about four to six hours to get a full charge.
As you can see from the image everything is designed to fit and look OEM, and it does (to a large extent). The charging station looks pretty nifty when it’s got the Wii remotes plugged into it, and the red/green LED’s let you know if it’s still charging or if the battery pack is ready.
It’s important that you let the Wii remotes charge completely before using them. Since you’ll undoubtedly want to use your new batteries as soon as you can I recommend setting everything up just before you go to bed so that in the morning your batteries are charged and ready to go. They won’t overcharge as the charger stops charging once the batteries are full.
My only real “complaint” regarding the Phantiq package is that the color of the Phantiq battery covers don’t exactly match the color of the rest of the Wii remote- they’re off by a couple of shades. Now, since I don’t really spend much time looking at the back of my Wii remotes this doesn’t really bother me, but that’s about the only flaw I can find with this package. Aside from that incredibly minor gripe everything is as it should be.
On a full charge I get about three to four days of solid playing time (at roughly four hours a day between my girlfriend and myself). I’ve never had the battery level suddenly drop, nor has anything happened that is out of the ordinary or any different that what I was experiencing before. On the whole I must admit that this package is well put together, easy to find on eBay (I’d post a link but chances are good that the auction would be over by the time that you read this), and surprisingly high quality.
I’ve had this package now since July of 2007 and it works as well now (as of November 25, 2007) as it did the day that I bought it. The batteries still hold a great charge, nothing has broken or malfunctioned, and everything looks as good as it did when it was brand new.
The Phantiq Dual Wii Remote Charging Station gets my absolute recommendation. Anyone who has a Wii should have something like this, and instead of paying $40 or more for what you find in the stores you can get the whole thing shipped to your door for under $25- how’s that for a bargain?
Pros:
Inexpensive
Direct replacement
Five minutes for a five year old to install
Good charge life
Cons:
Battery pack cover slightly off-shade
Overall: 8.5/10 - go buy it!
I’d like to mention that there are many different brands available on eBay- after testing three or four different brands (among my friends and I) I have to say that all of them have greatly exceeded my expectations. Don’t worry about brand- get whichever one is affordable and convenient!
Perhaps it’s because it’s arguably the most challenging game on the Wii Sports package. It creates more frustration than any other game I’ve played. It also provides more enjoyment when a great shot is made, much like the game in real life (so I’ve heard).The trick with the game is obvious: practice, practice, practice. Wii Training has some great golf exercises, with putting probably the most helpful as it’s certainly the most difficult shot to master in the game.There are 9 holes in the game and each is a 3-D version of the NES version of Golf. The game is pretty straightforward: pick your club, aim your shot taking into account the terrain and wind, and swing the club. That’s it.I’ve noticed that there’s almost nearly no Wii Golf advice or reviews out there, so I’ll break down each of the holes as I see them. I’ve bolded the shot for each hole that I beat myself up if I don’t make. =)
(Par 4) A simple drive and iron shot should put you really close to the hole. Putt it in for the birdie.
(Par 3) The wind is extremely key here - it can make or break your chance for the birdie. Ideally you’d have about a 10mph head wind so you can easily hit past the bunker but not too far. A hole in 1 is ideal but normally you should settle for the birdie.
(Par 5) Always go for the left-most landing pad on your 1st shot, unless the wind is coming back at you 15 mph or more. Your 2nd shot can hit the green most of the time if you hit it softer than you’re used to - the strength meter doesn’t take into consideration elevation drops, so you’ll want to go about a half a dot less than you might first think. Eagles should be fairly common here with practice.
(Par 3) Just like hole 2, the wind is very important. Birdies are common but always go for that hole in 1 with your iron.
(Par 5) With a light or favorable wind, you should always aim into the trees about a third of the way up the main fairway stretch. Even if the ball hits the trees or lands in the rough, a shot to the green is very possible at this point. With a cleverly placed driver whack for shot 2, you can get the ball to bounce over the sand trap since there’s a large bump in the fairway right before it. Aim for the eagle, settle for birdie.
(Par 4) I’ve seen a chip-in on the 2nd shot here, but of course that’s as luck as a hole in 1 on the Par 3s. This one’s pretty straightforward, although the difficulty of the putting slope may push you from a birdie to a par.
(Par 4) Here you’re often faced with a situation where a sand trap’s position is advantageous to your driver shot. If you have no clear iron shot to the green after your 1st shot (often it’ll be obstructed by trees), you can actually drive the shot to the very edge of a sand trap - the sand will slow the ball down and allow it to slide onto the green perfectly. Mark it a birdie.
(Par 3) The wind will make or break you here. Most of the time, get your first shot to bounce just above the middle pathway’s end and roll onto the green. Ideally you’ll have a head wind to slow your ball down but even without it you can usually get pretty close to the pin on your 1st shot. Aim for birdie but settle for par here.
(Par 5) Most of the time, aim for the left-most island on your first shot. Then aim for the last island with your driver on the 2nd shot, aiming for the first piece of accessible land. The ball will roll very far so be careful not to overshoot it. An eagle is possible but birdies are a bit more common.
Other tips:
If you’re in the rough and you have a strong head or tail wind (>20mph), don’t worry about overshooting into the red if you need the extra distance. The wind will take control of the ball very quickly and your hook or slice will barely matter.
In the sand trap, the game will always auto-choose your wedge. This isn’t always the best club choice, as oftentimes you won’t be able to get the distance you want without hitting into the red. Choose the iron and hit the ball super soft, and let it roll right close to or into the hole.
If you land at the edge of a green or even in a fairway near the green, sometimes it’s best to putt, especially if you have a strong wind. Wind doesn’t affect putts, nor do you hook or slice if you hit into the red.
It’s possible to at least birdie every hole - I figure with absolutely no mistakes and a little luck with the wind, the best score you could get would be about a -12 or -13. This includes one or two hole in 1s and eagles on each of the par 5s. Sounds crazy I know, but it’s doable. =) The best possible score, as in there’s no physical way you could beat it, has got to be -21. That includes nothing but eagles and hole in 1s - anytime you can hit the green, it’d have to go in.
On that note, I’ve almost double eagled all 3 par 5s - each time actually hitting the pin but the ball bounced away. I wonder if anyone’s ever made these shots…?
My best game so far is a -10. I was stuck at -9 for about 6 months until finally I pulled this one off last week.
So, months after the actual purchase of the domain and the conception of the website, we’re finally live! Can you believe it?! I almost didn’t think it would happen!Wow, that’s fantastic. Anyways, so we’re online and ready to rock and roll. I know there are plenty of Wii-related websites out and about already, but this one’s going to be a bit different. Namely, this is the only Wii related website that I’m aware of that’s designed to be viewed on the Wii! Wii users will see an entirely different look and feel of the site than computer users. Go on- check it out! The Wii page is optimized for viewing on the Wii! I know, awesome isn’t it?
Anyway, here are some of things we’re looking to do over the next few months:
Get some reviews happening - We always got the latest games, so we’ll get some reviews going on. None of this “industry typical” stuff either. We aren’t journalists, so we’re going to tell it like it is. If the game sucks, we’ll say so. If it rocks, we’ll say so. We won’t beat around the bush.
Get some hardware happening - There are tons of peripherals and add-ons for the Wii. Since we own most of them we’re going to review them ! Aha, I know, we’re awesome.
Maybe get some interviews happening - This is less likely at the moment since, you know, we’re brand new and you’re probably one of the first people reading this page. However, in the future, maybe some interviews and whatnot.
Get some forums happening - Maybe in a month or so we’ll launch some forums so all the Wii fanboys (you) can hang out and chat all things Wii.
Get some previews happening - Yea, that’s right, previews. We’ll get some of those happening soon hopefully.
Get some walkthroughs happening - Ooh, the big money right here. Check back for some rockin’ walkthroughs in the future.
Alright, so that’s that. Oh, I guess before I go I should probably introduce who Wii are (ha, get it, Wii!):
Cameron - the guy who’s writing this - I’m 21 years old, large, and in-charge baby! Nah, just hassling. I am 21, but I do enjoy the gym and some good old fashioned Wii goodness.
I own all of the current consoles (PS3, X360, Wii) and tons of older consoles (Sega Saturn, PSOne, Atari Jaguar, Panasonic 3DO). I’m also a huge car nut and I’m currently ripping around in a beat up 1997 Ford Probe GT (winter car) and a 1991 MR2 Turbo (summer car- sitting at around 350HP right now).
Feel free to post a comment and call me out. I’m game for just about anything
Dave - say what you gotta say - and more stuff goes here. yeHAW
Jon - say what you gotta say - and more stuff goes here. FANTASTIC.
Bryant - say what you gotta say - and more stuff goes here. OMGLOLZ!
Our sensor bar has a switch on the back for turning it on and off, and there is also a timer that will beep after a certain amount of time to remind you that it’s still turned on. We have heard of other sensor bars with automatic power saving features but we haven’t been able to get our hands on one… yet.
