Confirmed: Wii controller shell revealed
by Blake Snow 
{ May 9th 2006 at 1:59PM }
Looks like Wii's controller shell has been revealed, even via Nintendo's website (see url). Wiigamer writes: "Our sources have confirmed to us that this is definitely real, however several questions still remain - why is there a cable, and does the remote simply click onto the bottom of the unit? Or is it now a stand alone unit?"
Nintendo made no mention of the controller shell at today's media briefing, but hopefully we'll learn more when the E3 show floor opens tomorrow.
[Thanks, Paul]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Vitamin_K @ May 9th 2006 3:23PM
Hmmm that looks like what I'd expect if a SNES controller and a dual shock got together and had kids...
Frost of Sparta @ May 9th 2006 3:24PM
Considering the File name. Perhaps its an old design not going to be used.
Kenty @ May 9th 2006 3:26PM
Aww why did they go and stick the left control stick down there? :(
Jonn @ May 9th 2006 3:26PM
I like it. Very retro.
dru @ May 9th 2006 3:27PM
Sexy!
Kenty @ May 9th 2006 3:27PM
oh wait i get it... it's PERFECT for SNES games! :D
samson120 @ May 9th 2006 3:27PM
Translating the web page, apparently the wire plugs into the wii mote.
Kokelsmich @ May 9th 2006 3:28PM
Looks sort of like a pair of night-vision opera glasses with that stick (cord?) there. Any idea what size it is?
Dan @ May 9th 2006 3:29PM
I'm with #3. That was always my biggest gripe with the PS2 controller-- putting the analog sticks front and center like that is seriously crampy for me. I prefer the gamecube/360 layout for 3D games, but the PS2/Wii layout is better for dpad-heavy stuff.
Just like everything else with nintendo's unorthodox controllers, I will be playing wait-and-try-it-out before passing judgement.
Mammooty @ May 9th 2006 3:30PM
guess nintendo likes the dual shock layout
Prof-KOS @ May 9th 2006 3:31PM
That looks great for the retro gaming. I like it.
joshua @ May 9th 2006 3:32PM
god that thing is awful looking
David @ May 9th 2006 3:32PM
Two analoge sticks at the bottom? THEY ARE RIPPING OFF SONY!!!
Sorry...had to do it...
Scythe @ May 9th 2006 3:32PM
Could Sony and Nintendo be working together to take down the wanabe Globle Giant that is Micro$oft?
Maybe that explains why they both are going with montion sensor controls?
Exo @ May 9th 2006 3:35PM
sparta if it was an old design they wouldnt have put it up.
when it says classic, that means its for classic games
GlitchCog @ May 9th 2006 3:37PM
Nintendo should release wireless versions of the original controllers for the NES, SNES and N64. I want a wireless SNES controller already, goddamn it.
Niel @ May 9th 2006 3:37PM
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Why Nintendo Copying anything from a Sony product is Low as it gets.
JC @ May 9th 2006 3:38PM
the way i see it is that they put the D-Pad back where it's supposed to be for virtual console games
nintendofanboyssuck @ May 9th 2006 3:42PM
Haha, seems like you stupid fanboys can shut the hell up now about the PS3's motion sensors, seems that your beloved Wii has some DualShock styling going on.
oz @ May 9th 2006 3:43PM
If they would light a fire under it instead of being so nonchalant about it they may just win back legions of gamers who have been otherwise turned off by the remote.Is their marketing group living behind one-way glass? Jeez!
sturtus @ May 9th 2006 3:44PM
Carpal tunnel!
The Gamecube controller put my left wrist into serious pain after any amount of play time. Xbox no problem. N64 no problem. Gameboy no problem. Gamecube ouch.
It's their slippery thumbsticks.
Roach @ May 9th 2006 3:46PM
Should be sweet. I've tried playing some NES/SNES games on Gamecube (through the GBA thingy or stuff like the original Zelda on the promo disc with Ocarina and Majora's Mask) and in most cases the analog stick is a pain in the ass for games that were designed with the D-pad in mind.
And as much as I love the Gamecube controller, the position of the D-pad is the one thing that ticks me off. It's simply too far down to use as a primary controller. All you can use it for is hitting it once in a while like Metroid Prime.
Jason @ May 9th 2006 3:50PM
Yeah, I thought the same thing about the "Dual Shock ripoff" at first, too, but then I realized that the original Playstation controller (pre-Dual Shock days) ripped off the SNES controller hardcore. Who really cares that companies "borrow" ideas that work well?
NetworkShadow @ May 9th 2006 3:54PM
I still think it's stupid that they'd make a new standard controller that's so off the wall that you have to buy another add-on to play some "classic style" games. If I were Nintendo I would have made sure the new "remote" controller can also be used to play anything you through at it... I do know they want to encurage new gameplay for their "remote", but then again why have this "classic style" controller too?!
greg @ May 9th 2006 3:57PM
i reckon its a fake.
the thing is, surely ull be able to use cube controllers with VC games right? so why has nobody taken apart a cube controller, moved all the wires and PCB so that it maps so the snes controller, and put it all inside an actual old snes conroller? basically ud have a snes pad with the gamecube end wire thing on it so u can plug it into the Wii
3rd parties will jump on that, u heard it here, copyright 2005 i said that
crono141 @ May 9th 2006 3:57PM
Anyone bitching about this copying sony's Dualshock:
Sony copied Nintendo's SNES controller. Analogs were added as an afterthought to dualshock after Nintendo used it on N64.
So its not really copying the competitor if the competitor copied you and you are copying their copy.
Everybody get that?
Noriaki Kakyouin @ May 9th 2006 4:02PM
Here's the real website to show that it's not old
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/e3_2006/wii/controller.html
Great design... and yes (your translation was accurate) it connects to the Wiimote.
ds3 @ May 9th 2006 4:02PM
# 15 i totally agree with you sony and nintendo are working together i mean they are both from japan
and #26 your just an idiot y would sony copy of snes 10 yrs later
greg @ May 9th 2006 4:02PM
def fake cos the new wiimote the buttons are 1 and 2, not a and b
FAKE
nintendofanboyssuck @ May 9th 2006 4:02PM
its true the playstation controller used the snes layout, thats only cos the playstation was originally designed as an ad-on to the snes so they just replaced the letters with symbols and added 2 new shoulder buttons. They completly reshaped the controller and we have our playstation. But people going on about Sony ripped off blah blah blah. Just remember Sony were the first company to use an optical disc as the main medium for their games something that has been 'stolen' by all other systems, and yes the saturn came out first but the ps1 was developped first, the saturn was rushed to try and beat the ps1
ds3 @ May 9th 2006 4:03PM
sorry bout that i meant #27
Noriaki Kakyouin @ May 9th 2006 4:03PM
It's real and it does connect to the Wii-mote
www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/e3_2006/wii/controller.html
will @ May 9th 2006 4:06PM
does anyone know if the wiimote vibrates when this thing is plugged in?
Brian @ May 9th 2006 4:07PM
The linked to site (wiigamer) appears to just automatically and completely steal other sites' content and reposts it. See all of their Joystiq post (http://www.wiigamer.com/?cat=107) which has likely created some sort of rip in time and space, as they have copied the Joystiq post referencing one of their own posts. They even hotlink every single image.
Is this the original source?
greg @ May 9th 2006 4:07PM
ok i take it all back
Andrew @ May 9th 2006 4:07PM
#27 and #30
I still have my orignal playstation controller without analog sticks. damn that thing sucked. the cord was an ungodly thickness too. would get all messed up from winding it. in other words...i agree.
Noriaki Kakyouin @ May 9th 2006 4:08PM
#34: The article doesn't say.
Pince @ May 9th 2006 4:08PM
The good: classic SNES controller design. Its retro, works perfect for the virtual console and is comfortable both for gamers that were gamings in the SNES days, and for new-comers. Thank god for a decent d-pad again!!! Now I can finally play my sonic and megaman mega collections without having to use the damn analog or the crappy GC dpad.
The bad: The double analog at the bottom is old and tired. It makes the controller look clunky and stupid being as the rest of the face of the controller is just a flat plane with buttons. Looks uncomfortable and like the sticks are too close together (like if you press left on one and right on the other, your thumbs will collide!). I'm praying that this isnt the very final design (at least as far as the analogs are concerned).
Lastly, dont bother saying nintendo stole from sony. Having 2 analogs is a standard for console controllers now, especially those that will be playing FPS's of any kind. Anyways, there arent that many logical place to put two analogs, so either way, people are gonna gripe that Nintendo is "copying" sony or microsoft. (theyd be better off emulating the 360 controller anyways, if you ask me)
DG @ May 9th 2006 4:08PM
So how do you use N64 C buttons with that?
Princess Zelda @ May 9th 2006 4:08PM
It'll be great for the retro games.
Justin @ May 9th 2006 4:09PM
Nintendo didn't rip anything off Sony really, they just did what Sony was too lame to do - redesign the DualShock. Besides - Sony took Nintendo's motion idea (although lame compared to Wii), and in return, Nintendo one-upped Sony's controller overall.
Cloud @ May 9th 2006 4:13PM
Yeah it's the real deal. Nintendo is usually smart when it comes to releasing something comfortable to play with. I cannot wait to play old school games like kirby superstar with this!
ZaBlanc @ May 9th 2006 4:13PM
I don't like that newfangled Home button sitting between select and start. I always use my right hand to hit both select and start...and when I go for an uppercut in Mike Tyson's Punch Out, I hope I'm not then looking at the Game Selection menu whilst Glass Joe starts pounding me. :-(
soco @ May 9th 2006 4:14PM
they took a step backwards and put the analog part at the bottom like the dual shock :( :( the gamecube controller was fine, why'd you have to go swap to the sony way!?!
sam Wong @ May 9th 2006 4:18PM
WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA what's with SUPER PAPER MARIO for gamecube ????
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n10/e3_2006/gc/index.html
Momus @ May 9th 2006 4:19PM
What they gotta do is re-release the N64 controller. Nothing but that is suitable for playing an N64 game.
They can tweak the look a little, but we need a three-pronged controller for the N64 back-catalogue!
Pince @ May 9th 2006 4:19PM
Also, doesnt this now mean that the Wii controller already has like 3 or 4 methods of control. The Wii-mote as a wand, the Wii-mote held sideways as an NES controller, the nunchuky thing, this shell. I now envision Wii games requiring a team of four players just to control a single character. Maybe thats the key idea of the whole Wii>>We mantra.
But seriously, I kind of like that there are so many ways to control it. Gives the system and the games more versatility and variety in the long run. However, any more controller add-ons would be too much at once.
Unless they like made an add-on that hooked the Wii-mote up to a DDR style dance pad and in order to make your onscreen character run you had to stomp on the pad alternating feet really fast...and uh...ok I've gone too far.
Noriaki Kakyouin @ May 9th 2006 4:19PM
Consider, also, that the analog stick will not be used for more than 75% (i'd say even 85%) of the games (since this is for the majority of the classic downloadable games). So putting it lower is a smart move.
riffgod @ May 9th 2006 4:21PM
What are the button on top that we can't see?
It is very reminiscent of a SNES controller.
It hard to imagine Nintendo making it a wired controller only (especially after wavebird)...unless they plan to get you to buy all new controllers a few years down the line.
tcc3 @ May 9th 2006 4:21PM
The only way that would look more uncomfortable would be if they put steel spikes on it. And what is with the octagonal detente positions for the thumbsticks? I hated that on the GC too: it makes "in between" diagonal or circular motions awkward. I wish nintendo all the best but their controller design lately leaves much to be desired (unique properties of the Wiimote notwithstanding)