A new
developer has entered the third-party Wii Remote market, joining traditional
competitors Nyko and MadCatz. Third-party accessory developer Power A has
announced the MiniRemote and the MiniChuk, which will be bundled in a pack
available later this year.
Nintendo alum and current Power A vice president of product development and
marketing John Moore was nice enough to give us an early look at the new
controller, which he said was designed from the ground up to emphasize size and
comfort.
"Our
main goal was to create something that kind of disappears in your hand,"
Moore explained as we took it for a spin with Super Mario Galaxy 2.
Power A
has reduced the size of the controller by about 35 percent, and the nunchuk
about 15 percent. It features an elastomer finish with special grips, making it
less slippery and allowing it to mold more easily to the hand.
Smaller
changes include moving the power button from the left to the right, and moving
the "Home" button down from the middle of the controller toward the
"1" and "2" buttons. The buttons also glow, which is as
much to add to the overall aesthetic of the controller as it is about utility.
"We
wanted to slim it down a little bit," Moore said, "improve the
rumble, improve the speaker. I think after some time with it, you will really
hear and feel the difference."
He
compared the original to holding the very first Game Boy, which would make the
Power A controller roughly equivalent to the Game Boy Color -- sleeker and
somewhat more powerful. It's certainly more comfortable than the vanilla
version thanks to the elastomer, which allows the controller to rest easily in
your palm.
Unlike Nyko's upcoming Wand+ though, the MiniRemote doesn't include built-in
MotionPlus functionality. Moore explained that the feature was left out to keep
the price down, and that Power A may include it with the controller's second
generation.
"I
don't know that it's really necessary," he said candidly. "There
aren't a lot of games that support it at this point. I think Nintendo is
packing it in with new consoles to spur development."
The
MotionPlus attachment looks a bit large when attached to the end of the remote,
but otherwise it fits relatively snugly into the connector. However, the
MiniRemote isn't compatible with existing charging solutions, so you'll have to
invest in some AAA batteries.
Power A
is marketing it both as "fourth controller" that gets purchased for
parties and as a high-quality alternative to the regular remote. Moore even
suggested that it might spur people to play more Wii.
"We
think there are a lot of Wiis out there that are disused," he said.
"We think that a good way to get them playing again is to give them a new
controller."
The Power
A Pro Pack Mini will initially launch in black and purple colors, with pink and
teal to follow at a later date. Moore said that the response by retailers to
the new product has thus far been very positive.
Early
impressions are that it's a slick, comfortable little controller, making it a
worthy alternative to the regular remote at $49.99. Whether or not Power A can
gain enough of a foothold in the third-party controller market to truly
challenge Nyko and Mad Catz though remains to be seen.
Look for
the Power A Pro Pack Mini to be released sometime in August.
