Free Like A Bird!! A Wavebird That Is
Written: Nov 22 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Play your Gc from just about anywhere!
Cons: household appliances can interfere with performance!
The Bottom Line: Every Gamecube owner out there needs a Wavebird! Toal Freedom while playing your fave game! what could be better?
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| brett_day's Full Review: Nintendo GameCube Controller for GameCube, Game Bo... |
INTRO
'Wireless controllers?’ I hear you cry. 'We've seen them - they're rubbish - you have to point them at the console, and if you move your hands in particularly violent manor you lose the connection, and it's Game Over. Well not any more thanks to the wonderful designers at Nintendo!
THE CONTROLLER
Quite simply, the Wavebird is everything that a wireless controller should be. Whether you think the GC controller is good or not is irrelevant - you have to give respect to the big N for providing an excellent piece of kit. I've tested it through a fairly rigorous set of steps, varying distance, angle of controller relative to console, and even placing obstacles in the way (armchairs, beds, and even a wardrobe). The Wavebird kept on working through thick and thin. The fact that it's works with a radio transmitter instead of an infra-red system like wireless controllers of the past means that it keeps working through all kinds of conditions, there's no discernable shortfall from the standard wired controller. The performance of the Wavebird is exactly the same as the ordinary controller!
No longer physically tied to the machine, you're free to wander around the room you're playing in. It's a truly liberating experience for the dedicated gamer. Gone are the days when your friends can yank your lead out with their toes in order to cheat during a death match. And indeed, all 4 controller ports could be filled with Wavebird receivers -there are 16 different frequencies that the controllers can work on, ensuring that your buddies can have their own wireless epiphany at the same time.
But, of course, you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs. The Wavebird does lose the rumble functionality of the pad, in order to create space for the batteries, and ensure they last long enough (the packaging states 100 hours of play time between battery changes). While this is an acceptable loss given the gains! Although it seems like plain sailing with the WB, there are some other disadvantages as well. Firstly, if you are a perfectionist, and insist on having all controllers the same color as each other or the Gamecube itself, you are out of luck as it only comes in white! Secondly, you can get a bit of interference whilst playing from household appliances, such as a microwave. This can easily be solved though, by changing the channel, but can be quite annoying if you are playing games like super monkey ball, and are traversing a narrow ledge to avoid plummeting to your death, then the controller suddenly cuts out when the wife decides to nuke something!
Saying that though, the advantages of using the Wavebird are far out weigh the disadvantages! No more cables, it's totally portable, and one of my favorites is the fact that it can be used form 20 feet away! 20 feet! That's a long way indeed! Plus, that's only the guidelines, as you can actually use it from even further away!
OVERALL
This controller is a brilliant piece of technology! It’s excellent quality and works just a good as the normal controller. It’s defiantly the best controller you can buy and it is only a few extra bucks to splash out over the normal controller. If you’re planning on buying a new controller I suggest getting the Wavebird Trust me, its well worth it.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
brett_day
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Member: Brett Day
Location: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
Reviews written: 79
Trusted by: 25 members
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