Wavebird Wireless Controller - Free your mind. (and controller)
Written: Nov 20 '02 (Updated Nov 21 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: No wires=no limits. I can play Animal Crossing from the dinner table!
Cons: None really. Rumble would be nice but isn't necessary.
The Bottom Line: Cut loose with a wireless controller.
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| rice75's Full Review: Nintendo GameCube Controller for GameCube, Game Bo... |
A wireless controller? Whatever would I need that for? That was my initial reaction to the Nintendo Wavebird Wireless Controller when I saw it at my local video game store, The Trading Zone. I figured my two wired controllers worked just fine. The cord was long enough, they felt great, and I really liked them. Why mess with a good thing, right? Well you can mess with a good thing when it makes it a great thing. That’s exactly how I feel about the Nintendo Wavebird Wireless Controller
Look and Feel: 8/10
I’ve said previously that I think the Gamecube controllers just felt right. I don’t know any other way to explain it. I feared that since the Nintendo Wavebird Wireless Controller would real estate for the batteries that it would detract from the feel. I was definitely wrong. While you still notice that the controller feels a little bulkier, it in no ways detracts from the feel in your hand. It still feels right. Everything is here, right where you’d expect them. The same feel from the wired controller. The control feels the same and you don’t miss a beat from game to game.
One thing I do miss (to a certain extent) is the rumble feature. To extend battery life (2 AA batteries) Nintendo decided not to include the rumble feature. That’s ok for some games, but I like the feedback of the rumble as an added “sense” in certain games. Other games can do without it so I wouldn’t hold the rumblelessness (what?) against the Nintendo Wavebird Wireless Controller.
As far as looks are concerned, it’s Nintendo’s ever present gray. It’s not going to win a beauty contest but it isn’t pretentious and gaudy, either.
Setup: 10/10
Setting up the Nintendo Wavebird Wireless Controller couldn’t be easier. There is a receiver that plugs into the game port on your Gamecube with a little dial that selects the channel your controller will be transmitting on. Setting these to the same number is all you need to do to setup the controller. There are 16 different channels so if for some reason your controller won’t work at a certain channel, move it to the next one. Perhaps something else is interfering at that frequency. This is also necessary if you have more than one Nintendo Wavebird Wireless Controller. I personally have two and I haven’t had any problems with interference.
Since the Nintendo Wavebird Wireless Controller runs on batteries, there is a switch to turn it off when not in us. There is a power indicator LED that shines when the controller is turned on. This LED will begin to dim as your battery life comes to close so you have a way of knowing when it’s time to change batteries.
Summary
What more can be said about the Nintendo Wavebird Wireless Controller? I can comfortably play Animal Crossing for hours, lazily laying on my couch, half asleep, fishing. Since the wireless signal is sent via RF (Radio Frequency) instead of infrared, there is no need to be directly in front of the receiver. There is also a quoted range of 20 feet, but I’ve never had the need to be that far away from it. I guess you could play from the toilet, if that’s your inclination.
My only complaint is the cost. $35 isn’t chump change for most cash strapped gamers but in the end it’s worth it. I heartily recommend the Nintendo Wavebird Wireless Controller to all Gamecube owners.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rice75
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Member: Tony Rice
Location: Columbus, OH
Reviews written: 73
Trusted by: 66 members
About Me:
Resident Evil 4 will own your soul. Do not resist.
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