The Wii MotionPlus™ accessory is a motion-sensing control for the Wii console, and is touted to provide greater movement accuracy on the Wii Remote. Designed to attach to the Wii Remote controller, Wii MotionPlus replicates every twist of the wrist or turn of the body on the TV screen. According to Nintendo, the sensor in the device supplements the accelerometer and Sensor Bar capabilities of the Wii Remote to enable actions to be rendered identically on the screen in real time. The Wii MotionPlus was announced by Nintendo in a press release on July 14, 2008, and revealed the next day at a press conference at the E3 Media & Business Summit. It was released in June 2009. The device is designed with a dual-axis “tuning fork” angular rate sensor (which is an InvenSense IDG-600 sensor developed in tandem with game development tool company AiLive) which helps the device determine rotational motion. The device was designed with a high dynamic range, high mechanical shock tolerance, high temperature and humidity resistance, and small physical size to cater to Nintendo’s specification. The Wii MotionPlus™ is said to allow for the capture of more complex movements than possible with the Wii Remote alone. The Wii MotionPlus features a pass-through External Extension Connector, allowing other expansions such as the Nunchuk or Classic Controller to be used simultaneously with the device. Each Wii MotionPlus includes a longer version of the Wii Remote Jacket to accommodate the added length. The device however, is only used by games that have been specifically developed to use its functionality. The company promises 1:1 movement accuracy with the Wii MotionPlus™, but while this can be seen in games such as Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10, EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis and Virtual Tennis 2009, as well as the Wii Sports Resort games, many third party games do not come developed for this technology. Whether the Wii MotionPlus ™ will be built-into a new Wii remote, most consumers will have to fork out $20 to purchase an attachment to be added to existing remotes. But that has yet to be seen from Nintendo.
Reviews
“Wii MotionPlus definitely provides some impressive moments in gaming; we just wish it was incorporated in the original Wii remote.” – (CNET, 2009)
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