Wii Remote MotionPlus Bundle – Black

About a couple years ago I heard Nintendo was planning to dish out a black Wii. I told myself I’d wait and hold off the white one, but what with all the great games already out, I couldn’t resist.

As with most Wii purchasers, I added another Wii remote (or “Wiimote”) and Nunchuk. The white’s fine and all, but I really wanted the colored controllers as in the initial advertisements for Nintendo’s Wii.

Remember the lime green and red ones?

Nevertheless, with two white controllers, I really didn’t need any more. That is, until the black one finally came out.

I was initially baffled upon spotting the device because I hadn’t heard anything about its release, and just happened to stumble upon some at my local Target. I asked the nearby clerk, “When did these come out?” but he didn’t know (apparently they came out a week prior to this review). I rushed home and placed an order for the Wiimote and Nunchuk through Amazon.com (price-sensitive, I wanted the best deal; I could wait for Amazon.com to deliver).

The black Wiimote feels and functions superbly. Sure, it’s the same as the white one albeit differently colored, but the blackness just gives it a supreme look–in my opinion, at least. The front side with the majority of the buttons has a glossy finish, which emits a radiant shine, whilst the back side with the battery door has a matte look and feel. The gloss may get dirty in the long run with fingerprints and skin oil, but for now it’s staying shiny. The black rubber jackets may eventually attract dust and lint, but, again, for now they’re as clean as can be.

Also, and this may just be the fact that it’s still new, the speaker sounds louder and crisper than my other Wiimotes’ speakers. I thought I accidentally had it on a louder setting, but when I checked my Wii it was the same setting as my white ones, so I figured Nintendo improved the sound chips.

In this package you get the Wiimote, MotionPlus, batteries, wrist strap and two rubber jackets–one to hold the MotionPlus and one to hold the Wiimote without (which I’m currently using for New Super Mario Bros. Wii). Plus, you end up saving on this bundle over the white set, which can only be purchased separately as of this review. On Amazon.com, you’ll end saving $5 or so.

All in all, it’s the same ol’ Wiimote, but in black. It has that new, stiff button feel, which I personally like, but give it some time to break in.

If you like black, opt for this controller. This is my “special” one that no one but me will use; friends and family can use my other white ones.

Oh, and Nintendo has some blue and pink bundles coming in February 2010 (but with white jackets and MotionPluses).
Rating: 5 / 5

The price for the package is wonderful. My son loves his wii, and we use that thing like a rented mule, often during playdates in which we have more than one extra child. So it was great to be able to get the wii remote and motion sensor together for a price that let everyone play without breaking the bank.

At least, I thought it was until I realized that the induction chargers would not work through the black jacket on the motion plus or on the “regular” jacket. Taking off the jacket to charge the battery = more chances for little hands to wreck the thing. Leaving the jacket off is an option, and the one we’ve been using, but the remote’s going to look a lot less cool all scratched up, never mind that the jacket would hide the rechargeable battery pack. So, I went from thinking this was really a cool thing to thinking meh. My son feels pretty much the same, but he’s glad to be able to have three friends play at once instead of having to take turns.

UPDATE: Since writing this review I have learned that the energizer induction chargers will work with the skins for these. Very good information! I have a less expensive induction charger and don’t plan to upgrade any time soon, but for those who are in the market, I would recommend the energizer now over the cheaper one that I have.
Rating: 3 / 5

The Wii motionplus bundle is a good deal for two reasons: 1) It saves you money on 3 items that would cost a lot more if each one was bought separately 2) The black remote makes its white predecessor pale in comparison in the looks department.

The motionplus add-on is a must if you play games such as Wii sports resort, EA sports active, Wii fit etc. that rely almost completely on motion tracking for gameplay. Playing fitness games without them can be frustrating when you are waving your controller frantically trying to get a response, while your character is in a world of their own. However, you can easily get away without the motionplus in other games like Metroid or The Legend of Zelda, but it’s still a welcome addition nonetheless.

The controller works fine and has given me absolutely no problems so far. If you’re considering skipping the motionplus to save some money, my advice is not to do so. Most of the newer games are almost required to have the motionplus and it seems to be a trend that will continue well into the future as long as the Wii console remains viable.

Bottom line is that this is a worthwile investment if you need an extra controller for your Wii console.

Rating: 5 / 5