Nintendo Wiimote details emerge

by Blake Snow { Jul 17th 2006 at 10:30AM }

Some new information on Nintendo's forthcoming Wiimote have surfaced over the weekend from Wii developer documentation obtained by IGN. Here are the goods:

Controller will use AA batteries.
Battery life to last 30-60 hours.
Will use Bluetooth on a 2.4GHz bandwith to communicate with the console.
Features 6KB of "non-volatile" memory, possibly for speaker?
Uses a SYNCHRO button to identify Wii controllers that can be used with the console.
LEDs show which player is communicating with the console and illustrate battery life.
A built-in rumble motor can be turned on or off.

A Nintendo rep also PR'd IGN with the following statement: "There are many details that we've divulged about the console, but there is also more to learn." Console manufactures have had us talking about console specs for years, but Nintendo has seemingly changed the trend to controllers. So will this thing bounce if dropped? The speculation is killing us!

[Thanks to all that sent this in]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

J B Cougar @ Jul 17th 2006 10:42AM

A Mario shaped cookie to the first Sony Logic-fueled, typo infested comment that picks up on the AA battery thing.

darryl @ Jul 17th 2006 10:42AM

"...but Nintendo has seemingly changed the trend to controllers."

That remains to be seen... Nice try though.

ronnie @ Jul 17th 2006 10:44AM

AA batteries, yuck

Stuka @ Jul 17th 2006 10:47AM

I guess you could use rechargeable AA batteries I would rather have a rechargeable wiimote station though

marsel @ Jul 17th 2006 10:48AM

a good lithium battery would have been nice, a controller powered by the joy of children aroudn the world would have been better.

Walter @ Jul 17th 2006 10:48AM

30-60 hours of AA?
That better not be true.

Probot @ Jul 17th 2006 10:51AM

Why does everyone put non-volatile in quotes? Isn't is a pretty standard term?

I wonder how many garbage bins IGN had to dig through to obtain these developer documents.

Nothing terribly interesting here, besides the memory thing. I'd like for it to be used to save player data on the controller. I don't think 6KB is enough though.

As for using AA batteries, I know a lot of people will probably be upset, but that's pretty much the standard. Any wireless controller I've ever had used AA batteries. Never caused too much trouble.

Zacky V @ Jul 17th 2006 10:52AM

wow no rechargeable...that just adds more to why i dont want the wii

Sevon @ Jul 17th 2006 10:52AM

...why aren't they making it rechargable? that's the first negative aspect of the Wii I've heard so far, but still...having to change batteries every two days is going to get pricey, fast.

Clint @ Jul 17th 2006 10:53AM

Those batteries are going to add up in cost. After 5 years you would have saved by buying the PS3.

patrick @ Jul 17th 2006 10:56AM

you could save money by purchasing rechargable AA batteries. That would be that bad at all then.

VF @ Jul 17th 2006 10:56AM

Or, you know, you could by rechargable batteries? Just a thought.

patrick @ Jul 17th 2006 10:57AM

wouldn't*

Skytso @ Jul 17th 2006 10:59AM

But Clint, in 5 years the ps4 will be coming out and cost $3000...

leojsoap @ Jul 17th 2006 11:00AM

There are such things as rechargeable batteries, Zacky V/Clint, plunk down a little for one of the 15 minute Energizer rechargers, and you're good to go, works great for my wireless keyboard/mouse.

Jim @ Jul 17th 2006 11:01AM

Hmm funny, I was just looking at some rechargable 2500mah AA batteries today anyway.

Jim @ Jul 17th 2006 11:03AM

You wouldn't need to spend the extra money for the 15 minute charger, it comes with 4 batteries and I'm sure that's enough to have a constant supply ready.

SpliceVW @ Jul 17th 2006 11:05AM

Good thing I just bought a battery charger!! Score!! Now I just need more rechargable AA batteries..

Petrie @ Jul 17th 2006 11:06AM

I'll admit even though I'm a huge fan of the Wii, the fact that it doesn't feature a built in rechargable battery is a HUGE turn-off to me. I hadn't even considered the idea that Nintendo would go the AA route, and I do consider this a huge negative they could have avoided so easily.

Vincent @ Jul 17th 2006 11:13AM

Maybe they will make a cable that can charge the batteries from the Wii console itself. Many mp3 players have that option.

The problem with li-ion batteries is that they lose 10% of their capacity/year by just laying there. (under the optimal conditions of being charged by 40% and 20°C) In normal conditions you can expect an 20% capacity loss/year. (just like cell phones) So after 5 years only 33% of the original capacity stays.

I prefer AA (like my mp3 player the iaudio G3). Because every year AA-cells their capacity raises and they are cheaper/easyer to replace then li-ion batteries.

Pal @ Jul 17th 2006 11:13AM

Hmm, AA. I can see it now... A few years after the Wii's prime, it will sit in my closet, waiting to be sold. When that time comes...Oh no! I left the batteries in and they left acid all over the place. GREAT.

Ah, the future.

MetaHuman @ Jul 17th 2006 11:13AM

I don't know about anyone else, but I hate that the rumble on my GC controllers die and I can't do anything about it like my N64 Rumble Pak. So if Rumble and etc. depends on a replaceable power source it's a step up over the GC Controller, in my opinion.

baberg @ Jul 17th 2006 11:15AM

AA batteries: Cheap, easy to find, everybody knows how to replace them, safe

Rechargable batteries: Expensive (relative to AAs), impossible to find, must send in to a company to replace them, can leak

Also, for those of your saying "30-60 hours" the information I found on Slashdot said that you'd get 60 hours using just the accelerometer functions of the Wiimote, but down towards 30 hours if you used the accelerometer and pointer and rumble and LEDs. So in practice it's going to trend towards the 60 hour mark. Assuming 3 hours of gaming a day, that's 20 days. Not a big deal to me.

birdguy @ Jul 17th 2006 11:18AM

AA batteries make sense for the Wii. Since it's supposed to be aimed at casual gamers / non-gamers, it won't be used for 10hrs in a row like hardcore gamers like to do. Most people play for an hour and move onto something else, like responsibilities of real life. AA is more than enough to last months. I am a casual gamer myself (i play about 2-3 hrs a week) and it's been more than a year since I last changed my Wavebird's AA batteries. They're still going.

besides, if you really play a lot, you can just buy lithium rechargeables that are cheaper than proprietary rechargeable lithiums--like X360. Shaves off the cost of the Wii-Remote in the end.

Jeremy Wright @ Jul 17th 2006 11:19AM

Really anything more than 20 hours is gravy. That's about what I get out of my 360 and it never bothers me to plug it in. Granted, having a rechargeable option at sale point would have been nice for the Wii...

But c'mon, AA batteries are like 10$ for 20. So for 10$ you can play for something like 500 hours. That's not a bad deal, really.

Eric @ Jul 17th 2006 11:21AM

I just love how no one mentioned that the 360 controller uses AA, assuming you don't buy a rechargable battery pack.

Probot @ Jul 17th 2006 11:24AM

@baberg
"Rechargable batteries: Expensive (relative to AAs), impossible to find, must send in to a company to replace them"

Rechargable AA batteries are still pretty cheap, even if they cost more than regular AA. And they're in any store I've been that sells batteries. Wal Mart, Target, any electronic store, most grocery stores. Not hard to find at all.

And why would you "replace" them? If they stop working after a few years, just buy new ones. Buying a couple pairs of rechargable AA every couple years is a lot cheaper than buying regular AA every couple months.

peregrine @ Jul 17th 2006 11:29AM

"I just love how no one mentioned that the 360 controller uses AA, assuming you don't buy a rechargeable battery pack."

And who's to say that Nintendo won't release a rechargeable battery pack? Personally, I'd rather be able to just swap out some AAs when the batteries die than have to wait 4 hours to recharge a lithium-ion battery pack when I forget to put a spare on the charger.

J B Cougar @ Jul 17th 2006 11:29AM

Eric, why use facts when you can just make shit up? Or, in this case, just leave out what feels inconvenient to your anti-Wii ranting and raving. Jeremy makes a good point too.

And when the PS3 controller suddenly has to use AA batteries in November and it only works with his kind:

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/6867637/a/AA+Batteries:+2+Pack.htm

We'll all have a good laugh and not buy it.

saboola @ Jul 17th 2006 11:31AM

Are you people seriously complaining about AA batteries? Would you rather have proprietary format batteries that cost 40 bucks to replace? AA rechargeable batteries work fine and as someone above said capacities grow double every year. Buy a 15 minute quick charger and stop the whining before I call the waambulance.

Indiana Jones @ Jul 17th 2006 11:32AM

I dont get why they dont use rechargable batties.. they use them on every game boy since the SP, you would think it is standard now.

KVN @ Jul 17th 2006 11:32AM

I agree with you Probot.Not only can you use rechargable aa batteries you can go into any store like wal-mart or k-mart and buy a 30 pack of AA batteries for like ten buck and your set they have sales like this all the time.

gameclu @ Jul 17th 2006 11:32AM

I really doubt the 6KB is for speaker memory. At a sampling rate of 6 kHz, that would only allow for one second of audio with the highest allowable frequency of 3 kHz. Which I supposed would be fine for Sinistar.

Fuzz @ Jul 17th 2006 11:35AM

Ok, you need to realize AA's are the way to go. A built in battery would mean that when it dies, you either stop gaming and wait for it to charge, grab another controller, or be stuck tethered(definatly not acceptable with the Wiimote). Or, you have a backup, which would cost way more than AA's, especially with 4 friends around.

So, go out and buy for $30.00, a charger and 8 AA's. That provides spares to charge while your playing, and enough for some extra controllers. This is MUCH cheaper than the Xbox 360's battery pack charger play and charge BS. And if for whatever reason you end up with dead rechargables, cause you forgot to charge, well, you can always borrow some from another remote. AA's are defiantly the best choice here. I have yet to here an argument for an internal battery that makes more sense overall.

J B Cougar @ Jul 17th 2006 11:39AM

Fuzz, you mean "I say AA's suck because I said so" isn't the kind of riveting argument people seem to think it is?

daniel @ Jul 17th 2006 11:40AM

nintendo have mentioned everyone having their own controller that remembers their preferences you could fit that on 6kb couldnt you

saidnamyzO @ Jul 17th 2006 11:40AM

eric you beat me to it. before i got the play and charge kit, I had to change my batteries about once every 3 wks. thats not bad but its a lot cheaper to just pay 20 bucks for a charge kit and battery. I expect nintendo to have similar aftermarket options.

Probot @ Jul 17th 2006 11:42AM

#29 gameclu

Most people speculate the memory is for sound buffer. I don't know what that means at all, but on a forum someone quote IGN about the 6KB and his only response was "Sound buffer." It sounded so confident that I had to rip it off as my own theory.

But since I'm explaning in detail my thought process, I can be absolved when epobirs comes here and explains how every component of the Wiimote will work.

saidnamyzO @ Jul 17th 2006 11:53AM

Fuzz the play and charge kit is $20 and the dual battery charger is $30. both come with a battery.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7457842&type=product&id=1126591945685
dont be a fanboy AA batteries suck.

Paul P. @ Jul 17th 2006 11:54AM

It seems to me 6KB would be plenty to personalize your controller. Put in your name, online handle, favorite color, birthdate, sensitivity settings, crap like that. 6KB would be plenty for something like that.

PsionStorm @ Jul 17th 2006 11:55AM

Re: #8

You play videogames for 30 hours a day? *blink*

The battery life of each set is an expected 30-60 hours. That's pretty amazing, if you ask me. The 360 controller doesn't get that much.

I'd venture a guess that the average gamer that Nintendo is targeting only does a few hours of gaming at a time. Let's say they play for 2-3 hours daily. You're looking at anywhere from 10 to 20 days of use before the batteries need to be replaced. Not 2 days. And that's not accounting for any anomalies, such as missing a few days of gaming, or only playing for an hour or so instead of 3.

Besides, like it's been said before, rechargable batteries are the way to go if you want to be cost efficient and environmentally friendly. Keep a few extra pairs fully charged and you'll have no issues. What makes you think Nintendo won't release a battery pack like Microsoft did anyhow?

baberg @ Jul 17th 2006 11:57AM

@Probot

Sorry, you misunderstood me. I was talking about batteries like the iPod's or other built-in non-user-replacable rechargable batteries. Those do wear down after time and the only solution is to send the unit to the manufacturer for replacement (or just buy a new one)

Sorry for the misunderstanding.

mykie @ Jul 17th 2006 12:04PM

WAHH WAHH WAHH I WANT RECHARGEABLES BECAUSE SOMEONE SAYS AA'S SUCK MOO MOO MOOOOOOO...

Why don't people realize that AA's really are the best solution? They're cheap, ubiquitous, offer a variety of disposable/rechargeable options, and they pack a solid amount of power into them.

If you break down the componenents of the Wii-mote, there really is not much that is taking up much power. All the various inputs including attachments consume NO power at all.

Anyone who bought the first pressing of Pink Floyd's Pulse album can attest that even the old inefficient red LEDs can last about a decade on a watch battery.

Motorola sells a Bluetooth headset that gets 15 hours of continuous use from a single AAA battery.

The single mono speaker should consume about the same as a pair of headphones, and you can buy radios, CD players, and mp3 players that get 12-20 hours of continuous use out of 2 AAs.

Go into any adult "novelty" store and you can find vibrating devices that can last up to 8 hours (YOWCH!) on a single AA battery.

Any game that makes continuous use of ANY of these devices would more than likely be rejected by consumers. At any rate, there are power-saving features already built into the ICs that tie all these electronic devices. I would expect no less than 20 hours of use out of these devices, 40 average, and 60 on the high end.

As it is, I can get a full week of gameplay out of my DS Lite from a single charge. Nintendo is the king of battery life.

SquashedYoshi @ Jul 17th 2006 12:10PM

Okay, so now we can proceed with experience. Do we purchace the Wii this Xmas or the Wii SP Lithium next year?

Zell @ Jul 17th 2006 12:17PM

If we're complaining over having to use AA batteries, I fear technology's turning us all into lazy, spoiled, whiny creatures with oversized thumbs.

This surely does not affect my stance on the Wii. I still want one. In fact, I'll go out and start stocking up on Duracell now.

J B Cougar @ Jul 17th 2006 12:23PM

Zell, good point. Sony wants us to work a second job to buy their glorified pseudo-computer; why can't we also just start stocking up on AA's? I already have dozens lying around the hours to begin with just as a general rule. Much cheaper.

Laxcat @ Jul 17th 2006 12:28PM

The non volatile memory on the remote is almost assuredly not a memory buffer for the speaker. Non volatile probably means flash memory of some type which would be WAY too slow for any type of constant write-and-read scenario like a flowing cache. Storing preferences of some type is much more likely. Read more at Slashdot:

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/07/16/0045232

For any topic, I suggest for anyone who's interested in a more technical discussion to try Slashdot, not IGN. (Seriously, IGN?)

I, personally, am pretty confident Nintendo will offer some sort of battery pack and recharger solutions available at some point if not right away. In the mean time we can rock out with AA's at very little cost. More solutions = customer wins. I don't have a 360, but from what I understand this solution is really not much different. Why all the fuss, Joysiqers?

vidGuy @ Jul 17th 2006 12:39PM

I prefer AA. Actually, that is a huge benefit, IMO. You can always find AA around the house (compared to other batteries, like AAA). And I won't have charge cables to deal with or $30 - $40 batteries to buy.

I'll go get a 4-pack of rechargable batteries with the 4hour charger for $15 at Walmart and be set for one controller for the life of the Wii. Get another 6 batteries and I'll have four charged Wii remotes with a fully charged spare at all times.

Good move, Nintendo.