wsmunch's Full Review: Nyko Perfect Shot Gun for Nintendo Wii (7438408703...
I loved House of the Dead 2 in the arcades, and since it was available on the Nintendo Wii I decided I was going to have that same fun in the comfort of my own home. The only problem was that I needed (personally desired without exception) some pistol grips first. I didn't want to use the Wii-Zapper because of the impracticality of one-handed use. I wanted something that was small, simple, and as close to an arcade-style light gun as possible. After a short amount of online shopping, I found a local Gamestop that had a pair of Nyko Perfect Shots in stock.
*** Ergonomics ***
While the severity of handling may depend on the orientation of the player versus the Wii's sensor bar, wielding the Wiimote like a TV remote to shoot at enemies on the screen ends up being rather uncomfortable for extended periods of time. The wrist has to turn in ever so slightly, and then down to a greater extent. If wrist rests are important to reduce or eliminate carpal tunnel for typing and mousing, then the Perfect Shot is necessary for Wii games that involve hand-eye coordinated shooting.
The Nyko Perfect Shot completely eliminates all soreness and discomfort that one may endure in the wrists while playing any shooting games. You hold it exactly like you would any other gun, so you maintain the body's natural, neutral position. The only fatigue that comes from using this adapter is by the few extra ounces of weight as the hours of gaming tire the trigger finger, forearm, and shoulder. But we would have done that in the arcade anyway, right? :)
*** Use ***
The Perfect Shot is pretty easy to use. The Wiimote slides in snugly and has a padded orange bar to softly pin the front end in place. The wrist strap has to be removed from the Wiimote first. There is no way to insert the Wiimote with the strap attached (I've tried) without bending or breaking the Perfect Shot. Removing the Wiimote is not as simple as just reversing the motion to plug it in. There are two little plastic rails on the inside of the Perfect Shot that lock into the grooves on the sides of the Wiimote. Contrary to my initial impression, they're not meant to guide the Wiimote in; they're meant to help secure the Wiimote in place. The Wiimote has to be pulled up enough so these plastic rails gently pop out of the groove. Only then can the Wiimote be separated with ease. One concern about removing the Wiimote is the possibility that too much force pulling it up will damage or snap off the Perfect Shot's connector plug. There is only a 3/8" lip of plastic covering the end of the Wiimote, so little will prevent that careless someone from pulling up too hard and breaking both the Wiimote and the Perfect Shot. I've tried testing this as far as I would dare, and I am confident enough that full force could ruin both pieces. It has to be pulled out and away once the plastic rails are disconnected.
The symmetric Perfect Shot has a great feel that is comfortable in either hand. It's fantastically lightweight, but it doesn't provide any counter-balance in the pistol grip. This means that the heft is pretty much all from the Wiiimote, so it's a little front-end heavy instead of having an even equilibrium. All this really means is that instead of the the center of balance being in the middle of the palm, which is where I prefer to control the weight, it's slightly forward past the trigger. It's a subtle yet noticeable detail. I haven't held enough actual firearms to compare to "real life", but I can say that most light guns used in the arcade are evenly weighted by comparison. The bottom of the Perfect Shot has a connector for the nunchuck controller, so there are no worries about missing out on any gaming experiences that require it. Otherwise, it's meant to be one-handed.
The trigger has 1/8" of play that generates a small amount of clicky-noise during use. The mechanism doesn't initially touch the B-button, so pulling the trigger is a two-step process of the B-button being hit followed by being pressed. The 1/8" movement happens in a split-second, so I haven't suffered any effective problem with "trigger delay". The sound that comes from the Wiimote speaker during game-play usually drowns out clicky-noises anyway. The Perfect Shot has a built-in sight, and accuracy is only as good as how well one calibrates the controller. For the most part, the Perfect Shot is meant for gaming comfort, as it's the Wiimote that determines accuracy and response while playing.
I haven't found any real comfortable way to use the Perfect Shot with the sensor finger trick. For those who have never practiced this little trick to reloading, you simply cover the gun's sensor to mimic shooting off-screen. It lets you reload without having to reset aim. Cheesy? Maybe. Until Nintendo corrects the accuracy and tracking speed of the Wiimotes, it's still a neat method to get away with fast reloading.
*** Quality ***
At first, the trigger from one of my Perfect Shots squeaked. 15+ hours of use fixed it, as the plastic pieces have worn themselves smooth and silent. The construction is light plastic with screws holding it all together. I've dropped it a few times, with the Wiimote included, and it hasn't suffered any damage. I would be more concerned about the condition of dropping the Wiimote, since all the weight (and most of the cost) is in that part. Aside from the potential for breaking the connector piece (as previously mentioned), it seems that next likely part to break would be the front-end screw threads. Pulling the trigger also pushes the Wiimote up, but since the Wiimote is pinned down by the padded bar the pressure pushes the two halves of the Perfect Shot apart. It really isn't that much, but I did notice it on both of my Perfect Shots. The separation is no more than a hairline crack along the seam, but future repetition could lead to wearing down the screw threads since the plastic material is rather light (could be argued as "cheap" too). This only happens when the trigger is pulled as far back as it can go, which is more than necessary to press the B-button. It's easy to get caught up in having too much fun and excitement while playing, so any extra force may not even be noticed.
I wonder if the continual insertion/removal will wear down the Perfect Shot's plastic rails and render them ineffective. If so, it would only make it easier to insert and remove a Wiimote. The padded orange bar rotates and doesn't have any active mechanism forcing it to move. It is a vital part to keeping the Wiimote in place, though, so great caution must be taken to prevent dropping the Perfect Shot and breaking the bar. There is no hole to loop the Wiimote's hand-strap on to the Perfect Shot, which is slightly disappointing.
The Perfect Shot is easy to clean. Most of the dirt will accumulate around the hand grip and the trigger. I just dip a cotton pad in alcohol and rub it down, wiping away any sweat or grime. Cleaning the trigger is a little more annoying, since it's concave and dirt will collect in the little corner, requiring something thin to loosen it out. I've used a metal nail-file without problem. The Perfect Shot has a pattern of stylistic cuts on both sides of the gun that serves no purpose except to collect "stuff" in it. So far the biggest offenders have been my kids, who ran a purple crayon over it and jammed crayon-wax in those holes. The nail-file cleaned those parts out too.
*** Summary ***
Overall, I am more than pleased with the Nyko Perfect Shot. I couldn't imagine trying to play any hand-eye coordinated shooting game without it. While I am aware of the Wii-Zapper and some other models of Wii gun casings, I chose the Perfect Shot because it's simple, small, and effective without any unnecessary parts. It was also readily available to purchase locally. I wanted something I could use one-handed in either hand. I purchased two, because sometimes it's more fun to go at games like you're monopolizing an entire arcade console. The Perfect Shot delivers.
Get into the game like never before with the Perfect Shot for Wii. The Perfect Shot is ideal for shooting games on and is designed for one handed oper...More at vpgames.com
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