Look out: Wiimote attachments cluttering the closet

by James Ransom-Wiley { Nov 21st 2006 at 7:15PM }

Not that this Hyrulian sword and shield combo is an authentic retail item, but the apparent mock-up could be foreshadowing an impending flood of first-party, third-party, and homebrewed attachments targeting Wii. What's to stop a campaign of branded plastic snap-on Link swords and Samus arm cannons from saturating the market; or Nerf-style racket and bat heads endorsed by superstar athletes?

Cheap to produce, and when marketed correctly (e.g., exclusive 'Collector's Edition' material), the sort of trinkets the kiddies (and diehards) gotta have.

[Via Aeropause]

Tags: attachment, Nunchuk, shield, sword, Wii Remote, Wiimote, WiiRemote, Zelda

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Shagi @ Nov 21st 2006 7:20PM

But can it still slice a tomato after cutting a tin can in half?

pete @ Nov 21st 2006 7:20PM

rediculos this is why people think of the wii and the wiimote as gimicky. c'mon its been received better than a lot of people thought it would, just let it be.

randomshagz @ Nov 21st 2006 7:22PM

Id rather have a gold cartridge.

Yaktastic @ Nov 21st 2006 7:26PM

I'm annoyed at the fact that my first reaction to this was not:
1. What a piece of plastic garbage consumerism
or even
2. So many parents will be rushing kids to hospitals and/or banishing the wii from a room with anything but a couch

but

"but...will it even work with the sword covering to sensor?"

Jebus, i'm such a freakin' dork.

p.s. if at this moment you are thinking "of course the be a different attachment for the hookshot, etc." welcome to the club.

McWeen @ Nov 21st 2006 7:26PM

As long as they dont require bizarre crap like that it doesnt really matter. A good game design pulls you into the fiction so that you become immersed and arent just playing a game. If things like that increase the experience great, just dont force more purchases on gamers. Micro payments are bad enough.

csc @ Nov 21st 2006 7:29PM

Come on, I cant be the only one who wants the master sword/hylian shield combo. Can I?

and the only thing putting me off a metroid arm cannon is the logistics of having it as an add on over the arm covering the buttons etc.

I think i just love zelda too much.

courtney @ Nov 21st 2006 7:31PM

I can totally see it. The Iod has over 1,000 ad-ons and Nintendo seems to be following that. I think it is pretty neat.

Mactor @ Nov 21st 2006 7:39PM

Welcome to 11 months ago.

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/zelda/now-this-is-a-zelda-revolution-controller-150257.php

Gamer @ Nov 21st 2006 7:45PM

I don’t care how cheap the plastic is. It’s all about nostalgia. If I buy this I’m going to down thrust the couch first thing.

Latin Hobbit @ Nov 21st 2006 7:55PM

Come on people, a Samus arm cannon would be nothing but pure awesome. Though that Zelda sword+shield combo is a bit lame.

number40one @ Nov 21st 2006 7:59PM

I can tell you one thing, you sure as heck won't see anything like the stuff pictured for TP. Why? It covers the IR sensor at the end of the controller. When that is blocked, the pointer function of the Wiimote is bubkis.

Zelda TP uses pointing, but that doesn't stop non-pointing games from covering the IR window with some plastic crap. Hell, even a sword fighting game could theoretically do this as long as it didn't rely on aiming the pointer at anything... ever...

AoE @ Nov 21st 2006 8:02PM

I thought that stuff like this was part of the fun of the Wii?

Honestly, I've been about the gimicky controllers since I held my first light gun; for whatever reason, they make games more fun (does anyone think DDR/Guitar Hero would have been 1/10th as popular as they are without a Dance Mat/Guitar?). I bought the Wii because the wiimote has the potential to be the ultimate gimicky controller. Snapping on a steering wheel or sword attachment, even if they don't actually alter the functionality of the Wiimote in any way, will still make the games more enjoyable (in my world at least.)

Crushed @ Nov 21st 2006 8:06PM

Some makes a Master Sword Revmote (yes, this was made WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY back in 2005, when we called it that) mockup...

...and over a year later, it's evidence that Wii will cause cheap peripheral saturation?

Ekim @ Nov 21st 2006 8:09PM

I can't believe the lack of fact checking from Joystiq. Not only can you clearly see that this fake CG image is using the old version of the Wiimote (it even says Rev on it), but this image has been circulated for months prior to the Wii's launch. Pathetic.

And where does it say on that particular link you posted that this is an actual retail item?

Spamming stuff you found on Digg isn't journalism, and it just shows how little work you guys actually do.

lordroba @ Nov 21st 2006 8:13PM

fake as it is, it's a neat concept, but methinks your screwed when you need to use the bow. (unless of course it comes a whole arsenal of attachments)

1up_clock @ Nov 21st 2006 8:18PM

#15...

The solution is simple: The Swordbow. Part sword, part crossbow.

Hey, if they can make a gun with a chainsaw on it, I don't see why my idea is impossible.

KLink @ Nov 21st 2006 8:27PM

I so want one now.
And Yaktastic, it will work as long as there is clear plastic in certain areas to allow for IR receiving.

bluto @ Nov 21st 2006 8:27PM

Hooray for news!Ransom(dash)Wiley Do a barrel roll!

Mr Ridley @ Nov 21st 2006 8:45PM

A message to all the suckers who waited for a Wii at launch: I picked 6 Wiis up today with 0 people in line at the EB games where a 1000 people waited for hours on end to get one or (not) at the Universal CityWalk on Monday. Literally walked in and out with all of them, will be selling them for hefty profit the week before X-mas. It seriously amazes me how stupid 'gamers' are.

1up_clock @ Nov 21st 2006 8:47PM

#19

Some gamer you are.

Newmiracle @ Nov 21st 2006 8:48PM

Yeah. You're linking to a site where a guy found an old image of an idea. Kinda stretching it.

Moving on, however- yeah, there will probably be lots of crap like this.

The upside is that you'll be paying for plastic instead of a whole new controller. Hopefully, if you just buy a plastic steering wheel that the wiimote fits into- it will be cheaper than buying a fully wired steering wheel controller. Perhaps my hope for manufacturers 'passing down the savings' may be a little too optimistic, but at least it's plausable.

Newmiracle @ Nov 21st 2006 8:50PM

Mr Ridley, I have your metal hook right here. You know, so you can put your flame bait on it.

RomeoDude @ Nov 21st 2006 9:01PM

Marketed correctly you say? Is it possible you're making a refrence to: A Master chief Helmet????

Kevin @ Nov 21st 2006 9:14PM

I wonder if there's gonna be attachments through the nunchuk port. i.e. Microphone on the bottom of the wiimote.

Wolfrider @ Nov 21st 2006 9:52PM

I would look like such a goon swinging that thing around.

Shogan @ Nov 21st 2006 9:59PM

These things sound almost like a good idea at first. I mean, a sword and shield for Zelda? Awesome! But you aren't using a sword and shield all the time... so it's pointless.

The Wii gives a real enough experience you don't need these things. A steering wheel for racing games...maybe, but it's still a gimmick. A baseball bat for Wii Sports... you will knock someone out with that, or break the thing immediately.

MikeP @ Nov 21st 2006 10:02PM

Really, what's the point of this article? Bashing Nintendo fans? Bashing children? Why not use this photo to predict a resurgence in the craft of blacksmithing? You don't even give any proof, any reason to expect this "impending flood" you refer to. I know Joystiq is kind of a mishmash, but I expect a lot better than this.

samfish @ Nov 21st 2006 10:02PM

I'm not one to buy into tons and tons of pointless accessories for anything, really...but there is no force great enough on this Earth that would stop me from buying a Master Sword and Sheild add-on of the Wiimote if it actually existed!

brad drac @ Nov 21st 2006 11:36PM

Hate to tell you, but it's already begun:
http://3gnmedia.com/2006/11/18/wiimote-acccessories/

I want that master sword/hylian shield setup. It'd work, you'd just have to have the blade of the sword coming out below the wiimote sensor. Don't think I'd be bothered actually using it more than once, though...

ackmondual @ Nov 21st 2006 11:51PM

360 fans get modded cases and countless faceplates, ranging from the mass produced $15 variety to the $36,000 solid cast 24K gold faceplates.

I'd say this sword would be a waste of $$, but at least it's actually functional over the 360 faceplates.

Of course, one could just pretend Link's sword in the game is just a lightsaber, as the blades have no weight and be done with this gimmicky, but oh so nostalgic collecting item.

bogsnogger @ Nov 21st 2006 11:58PM

Somebody get your geek on!

CanadiansAreSoPowerful @ Nov 22nd 2006 1:41AM

Might as well put your genitals in the closet. Won't be needing those ever again. At least, not for your friends to use.

Deuce @ Nov 22nd 2006 3:22AM

What's to stop it? You mean other than the fact that that garbage would block the wiimote's signal?

Shawn McLeod @ Nov 22nd 2006 12:43PM

Well, the only problem I see is that the Wiimote is basically useless (for pointing at the screen) if being blocked by anything. I tried to lay back in my chair, plop my feet up and play some Rayman and my stupid toes kept cutting out my aim. So if companies are planning to stick a blade on the end of the 'mote, it better be easy to get off for slingshot mode.

Rayman sure kicks butt though.

Esch @ Nov 22nd 2006 3:59PM

Part of the genius of the Wiimoe is that it encapsulates all the hard stuff about making a wireless motion-sensing controller in a single, small unit; the auxiliary unit can just leech off the functionality provided by the Wiimote, at a hopefully cheaper price to manufacture. The only question is whether the price of accessories will remain sane, given that most of the work of wireless/power/etc. is done for them.