Topic: Need some help catching up...

[MorningStar]

First off, let me just say that this is pretty ridiculous that I was able to find my old account from 2003 (it's too bad I couldn't find the one before this; don't remember the name I used or password). The forums haven't really changed much other than the fact that many of the "old-schoolers" seem to be missing such as: Rancid Planet, manunited4eva22, game_freak, ian sane, blkpaladin, mouse clicker, the perm, perfect cell, termin 8 anakin, paladin, hybrid hunter, the list goes on (I got these names by searching for and reading an OLD post which is also how I discovered my old name). Sorry if any of these people still post here; I didn't read many of the threads.

Anyways, I digress. I originally came back here because I needed help getting back into the Nintendo world. The last game that I was truly into and played from start to finish on the Gamecube was True Crime Streets of LA (as you can see, I've been out of the Gamecube/Nintendo world for a while). As I started college and got more into PC gaming, I completely began to ignore my Gamecube and what was going on in the console world. My question is: how does the Wii work?

I know the gist of it; it comes with the remote and it's wireless, but I've read some stuff about a nunchuck? This is where I get confused. What will come with the original packaging with the Wii? Will it be the console, remote, power supply, and AV cables? I'm just a bit confused with what I'll need to play the thing and how much I should be looking at spending if (when) I get the system.

If you're still reading, thank you. Sorry for making such a simple question so long and tedious; it's been a while since I've done the forum thing (Nintendojo's death )  

[wandering]

Look at the last person to post in the 'Wii disappointment' thread.

The Wii comes with all of what you mentioned, plus the nunchuck (analog stick, two buttons and motion sensors that aren't as advanced as the ones in the remote. you hold in your left hand.), plus a lovely little game called Wii Sports. The package costs $250.

I suppose this would be a good time to pimp PGC's Wii Faq    

[Kairon]

OH SNAP! BLKPALADIN! PERM! Where did they go?!?!?!?!

Anyways, here's the rundown: in the USA for $249.99 you get the console, av cables, ac adapter, wiimote, nunchuck, powersupply, and Wii-Sports pack-in game. If you buy it at launch, you're supposed to also be able to download the Opera Web Browser for the Wii for free.

The Wiimote and Nunchuck are like this:

All the usual inputs you see are digital, except for the analog stick on the nunchuck. The nunchuck plugs into the Wiimote to run on its power: the wiimote runs on 2 AA batteries (no rechargeable battery pack has yet emerged for the Wiimote from either Nintendo or third parties.) with a battery life of between 30-60 hours depending on use.

Both the wiimote and nunchuck accessory features motion sensors inside them.

This includes gyroscopes that detects the wiimote's:
- turning (angling left or right)
- tilting (angling up or down)
- rotation (twisting it without chaning where it's facing, even so far as twisting it completely upside down!)

This also includes accelerometers that know:
- if the Wiimote is being moved
- in what direction it's being moved
- if it's being moved slowly or quickly (though this is very rough data and the Wiimote has an upper limit to what speed/acceleration it can detect)

So far we have the wiimote with al the buttons you can see, with motion sensors. And we have the nunchuck with all the buttons you can see and the analog stick, PLUS its own motion sensors.

Finally, we have the sensor bar, which plugs into a special port on the back of the Wii and needs to be placed near the tv screen, usually stuck on below the tv screen or above it. This sensor bar actually just features a couple of infrared lights. These lights are important if we want to use the next feature of the wiimote: the pointer functionality.

This pointer functionality is something that the Wiimote has and the nunchuck does not: a little window on the front of the Wiimote that actually houses an IR camera. This InfraRed camera needs to be able to see the sensor bar's IR lights so that, by measuring the distance between the sensor bar's lights, it knows how far it is from the tv.

Why is this important? Because when we know how far the Wiimote is from the sensor bar, and when we know the angle of the Wiimote in 3D space, then we can roughly guess where the wiimote might be pointing at.

This is not exact though: the wiimote knows where it's pointing in comparison to the sensor bar, not to the tv. Thus, we can use any kind of TV, any size, but the Wiimote will still work according to how it sees the sensor bar.

Also, unlike light gun games like Duck Hunt where we can line up the controller to aim down a sight at an object on the TV, the wiimote doesn't do this... in any of the launch games. It functions more like a floating pointer mid-air mouse sort of experience instead of a light gun experience... until developers take the time to try to make it work otherwise.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[Ceric]

Talking about the Faq wasn't an update promised to address some of the new questions?  First the Faq then Lik Sang then the Podcast... Soon the Forum will break...and all reference to PlanetGamecube will fade from exisistence...  

[MorningStar]

Haha, Ian is still here. It's too bad that I was never known by that many people here; I usually stayed quiet.

Wow. Kairon, that is EXACTLY the type of information that I wanted. I'm happy to know that it does come with the nunchuck that people are talking about. What about the Wiimote (haha, I miss all this geeky internet slang), does this function as a "classic controller" that I heard someone talking about at Gamestop a few days ago? Or is it its own separate accessory?

EDIT: Ceric, is the forum on the verge of dissappearing or something?

[King of Twitch]

FYI-dinosaurs and wooly mammoths are extinct now

[Smoke39]

Quote
Originally posted by: MorningStar
Ceric, is the forum on the verge of dissappearing or something?

Yes.  I'm about to eat it with my mouth.

[Kairon]

Quote
Originally posted by: MorningStar
Haha, Ian is still here. It's too bad that I was never known by that many people here; I usually stayed quiet.

Wow. Kairon, that is EXACTLY the type of information that I wanted. I'm happy to know that it does come with the nunchuck that people are talking about. What about the Wiimote (haha, I miss all this geeky internet slang), does this function as a "classic controller" that I heard someone talking about at Gamestop a few days ago? Or is it its own separate accessory?

EDIT: Ceric, is the forum on the verge of dissappearing or something?

ARGH! I missed something...

Well... the Wiimote can be turned on it's side to simulate an NES controller...

But when people talk about the classic controller, they're talking about this, which plugs into the Wiimote in exactly the same manner that the nunchuck does. That is to say, the classic controller will NOT be it's own thing, but it NEED's to be connected to the wiimote.

As you can see, the classic controller looks like a SNES controller with dual analog sticks attached. It has two shoulder buttons (though these will probably be digital, and not analog  or clickable like the GC's shoulder triggers, I'm not sure), and either one or two smaller buttons located on the inside of these shoudler buttons to mimick the Z-button funtionality like the Z-button on the GC controller did (again, we're not sure if there will be 1 or 2 of the smaller inner buttons).

The slots on the underside of the classic controller have an unknown function. It's also assumed that the classic controller does NOT have rumble. Finally, this classic controller will NOT be bundled with the Wii Console.

Why does the classic controller exist? It exists to suit the needs of people who will go on the Wii's virtual console and buy N64, Sega Genesis, SNES games, and more. Since Nintendo is letting you dl old games, it needs a controller that can almost act universally for all those old systems, from TurboGraFX-16 to the Sega Master Drive to the SNES to the N64. The VC controller is Nintendo's answer, compromise, etc.

Likely, the VC controller will NOT be supported by most new Wii games. It may feature as an option for additional control schemes, but it seems to be positioned as merely something you can buy to play old titles you've downloaded.

For further information, here's a U.S. MSRP price list for the controller and its accessories:
$39.99 Wiimote
$19.99 Nunchuck accessory
$19.99 Classic Controller Accessory

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[MorningStar]

Well, the sarcasm's still here. Gotta love it

[GoldenPhoenix]

Quote
Originally posted by: MorningStar
Haha, Ian is still here. It's too bad that I was never known by that many people here; I usually stayed quiet.

Wow. Kairon, that is EXACTLY the type of information that I wanted. I'm happy to know that it does come with the nunchuck that people are talking about. What about the Wiimote (haha, I miss all this geeky internet slang), does this function as a "classic controller" that I heard someone talking about at Gamestop a few days ago? Or is it its own separate accessory?

EDIT: Ceric, is the forum on the verge of dissappearing or something?

Yeah they are on death's door, and I single handedly  killed both this board and the other systems forum as well!

[Ceric]

Yep...  There seems to be this threat to change domains..

[MorningStar]

Kairon, why would you want to simulate an NES controller if you cant even use it for the VC? Unless they make a strictly 2D game, I don't see how you can use it in a 3D world...

[Mario]

I thought you could use the normal Wii controller for the VC? The classic controller is only an option for more comfort, at least I hope.

Hybrid Hunter and Termin8anakin still lurk a bit (I think) and game_freak is actually still here under some new stupid generic name.

[Arbok]

Quote
Originally posted by: Mario
...and game_freak is actually still here under some new stupid generic name.

He needs to change back to his old white tiger avatar though... or back to the Yoshi-Iwata boat, that never gets old.

[IceCold]

I expect Rancid Planet will drop by again one of these days and do his usual raid - too bad he doesn't come more often..

Quote
Kairon, why would you want to simulate an NES controller if you cant even use it for the VC? Unless they make a strictly 2D game, I don't see how you can use it in a 3D world...

In certain games, you tilt the controller while holding it sideways like that; the controller can sense what you do. For example, in Excite Truck, you can hold and turn it like a steering wheel. It's used this way for such games as Sonic Wildfire and, I believe, Tony Hawk.

[Kairon]

Quote
Originally posted by: MorningStar
Kairon, why would you want to simulate an NES controller if you cant even use it for the VC? Unless they make a strictly 2D game, I don't see how you can use it in a 3D world...

Really? I was always under the assumption that the VC controller wouldn't be required for VC games. Just that it would be implicitly necessary for anything not using a NES or GC type setup...

I was planning to not buy VC controllers at launch and instead just buy NES VC games for my retro fix... tell me... am I now forsaken?

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

[couchmonkey]

I don't know if Nintendo has really said anything about what controllers will work with the VC games.

It would make too much sense to use the Wiimote as an NES controller ... so Nintendo might not do it.

[AnyoneEB]

Depending the game, the WiiMote might also be fine for an SNES controller. I am thinking of RPGs where you pretty much need a D-pad, menu select, and menu back.