Joystiq at E3

Today's most-watched YouTube game video shows more Wiimote-as-PC-input-device goodness; the simple hack drives World of Warcraft with the Bluetooth Wiimote-and-Nunchuk combination. Yes, by visiting wiili.org, you, too can become an uber-dork. (The controller hack is rooted in geekdom, but using it for WoW pushes it far into dork territory). Or try using the Wiimote to drive R.C. cars, Roombas, or a home entertainment system if that's more your style. See the video after the break. ...

Destructoid made some adorable graphics comparing the prototype Revmote with the new, and improved, Wiimote. Most notable: those kicking new curves. Sure, there's a little more junk in the Wiimote's trunk, but that's sexy, right? Underneath that small amount of bulk, we've got new features like a speaker, dongle-grabbers (laugh it up), and some new button names. Alright, the button names probably don't add much bulk, but I think most of Joystiq would agree that the Wiimote we held at E3 was awfully comfortable. Who's gonna be the first one to make a new papercraft to go along with the new Wiimote? My old one has suddenly started to reek of obsolescence. [Via digg] ...

An extra Wiimote can always come in handy, especially if you're the type to throw your "Wii Party" with no wrist straps allowed. You can back up your bold throwdown with a spare Wiimote, included in Walmart versions of Wii Party, while supplies last. The game will be released this Sunday nationwide. ...

What do you get when you cross a device designed to track IR light and a computer-controlled missile-launching toy? A Wiimote covered in impossible-to-remove tacky duct tape residue! And also a fairly cool auto-aiming missile launcher. It looks like a simple enough project (now that someone else has written all the code): just tape a Wiimote to the sort of USB missile launcher found at ThinkGeek (for example), connect the Wiimote to your computer using Bluetooth, and use the GlovePIE code found in the tutorial. Your turret will then aim at any IR light source! It's at your discretion whether or not to pelt that light source with foam darts. [Via Engadget] ...

Well it looks like the Wiimote retail box has been unveiled by who knows how on Flickr via a NeoGAF forum post. Another homey in the same thread seems to back up the Flickr image with another shot of the retail package (pictured lower left). We realize it's just an accessory box but are trying to stay consistent with every single unveiling of such an elusive console. If a single Wii is dropped from a shipping pallet come November, rest assured we'll cover it here. [Thanks, Kurt] [Update 1: Added speculative headline after being quick to suggest the above as being final Wiimote retail boxes. As both commenters and forum members point out, the above images are of promo Wiimotes given out at the Wii press event in Japan, therefore, Nintendo is likely and could easily change consumer retail versions.] ...

We've got a drawer set aside at Joystiq HQ for all the Wiimote doodads that accessory makers want us to buy. Admittedly, we haven't bought anything to put in there yet but, then again, the accessory makers haven't yet made that grappling hook accessory we've been dreaming of. That said, this "Cooking Mother" kit, custom made for all the Cooking Mamas out there, is just impractical enough to tie this Zelda junk for most useless Wiimote accessory ever. Impressive to be sure, but it's still not going into our drawer. [Via Engadget] ...

React's Wii Recharge Dock isn't just a little bit late to the party but, at $50, it's a little pricier than some of the competition. But then we got to figuring that since it charges the four included 550 mAh batteries in four Wiimotes, not just two, the proportional value is clear. And considering the Wiimote is scientifically proven to eat batteries the way Mario downs mushrooms, some of you might consider a device such as this nothing short of a necessity, what with Brawl coming soon and all. ...

Nintendo has hinted that there are still Wii functions that have yet to be revealed. One of the latest rumors suggests that one of these functions is built-in microphone support. We know that the Wiimote houses a speaker, but what if the controller also contains a microphone? And if that should be the case, could the Wiimote also double as a VoIP-supported communication device? Sure. Throw in a voice-activated phonebook and we're talkin' universal functionality (i.e. an incentive for "non-gamers" to buy in). ...

While we're not sold on using the Wiimote for traditional fighting games -- and neither is Midway, you can play the newly released Mortal Kombat: Armageddon with the classic controller or GameCube controller -- the mere thought of Wiimote-enabled fatalities has us all bloodthirsty giddy with curiosity. We perused the list of moves conveniently hosted in PDF format at JOEyGADGET, and selected our three favorites, ranked in order of offensiveness to your grandparents: Rip off Both Arms Remote & Nunchuck: Both poke, Remote toward and Nunchuck away Head Crush Finisher Remote & Nunchuck: away then toward each other (clap) Spine Rip Finisher Remote: Poke, twist clockwise Between this and Manhunt 2's Wiimote-enabled depravity, the Wii is becoming the console of choice for not only the octogenarian cruise ship crowd, but the graphic simulated violence crowd as well. ...

NPD numbers are out for accessories in November, and big surprise -- Wii wins. Is there anything we're not winning these days? More than half of all console buyers picked up an extra controller; full sales numbers for the Wii weigh in at 476,000 for last month, and 270,000 Wiimotes were sold. Only 153,000 nunchuks sold, however. Looks like Wii Sports is multiplayer king for now (but what about the boxing?) Rolling in at second is the Xbox 360 controller, with 251,000, and the PS3's vaunted Sixaxis controller slides in near the bottom with only 98,000 controllers moving off the shelves. More people bought PS2 controllers than PS3. It's interesting to note that we don't even have the Wii Play/Wiimote bundle here in the States yet, and even so, Wiimotes are selling like crazy. Of course, extra controllers are necessary for some of the console's best moments, but it'll be interesting to see how many controllers sell when there's the bonus of a game for only a few dollars more. ...

A recently published report in the Water Resources Research academic journal describes an experiment undertaken by a team tasked with measuring evaporation rates by monitoring water levels. How is this related to our favorite hobby? Well, rather than use a hypersensitive monitor or a high tech ballast system, they used a Wiimote. According to the report, the scientists pointed the Wiimote's IR LEDs at reflectors attached to a float in a water pan, and then used the reflected light (usually used to see where the sensor bar is relative to the controller) to check and see how quickly the water was evaporating. The results were pretty amazing, actually -- not only did the Wiimote pick up even slight changes in the water level, but it was able to compensate for other movement, due to waves or water displacement. That's impressive for a little $30 game controller. We've already seen Kinect do some pretty impressive things as well, including recreate a Minority Report-style interface, and recognize sign ...

A poster on the GameTrailers message board uploaded images of what he says is a Mad Catz Wii-mote. He writes, "I'm an employee of the Wal-Mart electronics department, just recently we got a shipment of Wii accessories from Mad Catz and on the back of one of the product boxes it shows off their version of the Wii remote. I took some pics with my camera phone to show you guys." You can see the uploaded images after the break. This wouldn't be the first time a Mad Catz product accidentally leaked to the public without an announcement. There is no mention of this Wii-mote on Mad Catz's website or in press releases. We've gone ahead and contacted our Mad Catz rep to find out any information regarding existence, release date and price -- but it is Sunday of a long weekend in the U.S. (Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday). A contoured alternative to the Nintendo Wii-mote would be nice, especially if the internal speaker is less tinny. Also, at this point, we'd give anything to end this Wii-chuk and Wii-mote ...

Following a recent post of a television becoming collateral damage in the console wars, we have received similar reports. Now is a good time to go over some basic Wii-mote concepts: Please make sure to always use the provided strap and adjust it to the size of your wrist. If your hands get profusely sweaty so to potentially cause slippage, there are non-surgical options available -- such as powder -- to keep your hands dry. The Wii-mote only requires semi-subtle movements to operate properly. Full-motion movement can only increase the probability of an incident. Don't Wii angry and don't Wii drunk! Every snapping incident we've heard of so far has been caused by loss of grip and unnecessary force. We hope these tips help save just one television or prevent a grandma's ashes from being knocked off the mantle place. Please Wii responsibly. ...

Since this blogger purchased a Wavebird controller back in late 2002, the batteries have been replaced only twice. In that time there have been at least 2,300 games of Smash Bros Melee played, as well as five completions of Resident Evil 4 and several other diversions here or there. However, after two weeks of playing Twilight Princess and Wii Sports, I am halfway through the second set of AA's in both of my Wiimotes. We know that both Microsoft and Sony controllers also suffer from less-than-ideal battery lives, but we expected a little more from Nintendo, whose GameBoy lineup has been noted for its exceptionally long use of two AA's. After creating officially-licensed 1GB SD cards, the big N should consider doing the same for rechargeable AA batteries. Or how about Wiimote Lite? C'mon, Nintendo, you're missing a golden opportunity here. PS3 delights vs. PS3 annoyances Wii delights vs. Wii annoyances Xbox 360 delights vs. Xbox 360 annoyances ...

This is going to be hard for some of you to hear, so we're just going to come right out with it. This new video shows off how the Wiimote is used in upcoming Wario Land Shake and it doesn't look ... well, it doesn't look fun, OK? There, we said it. Maybe we're putting too much pressure on Wario after his delightful minigame outings, but we really expect Nintendo to be able to come up with something better than "Tilt the Wiimote to tilt the cannon." We should also point out that the above video is completely in Japanese, so there's every chance the announcer could be saying "This isn't at all what you'll be doing" or "We've intentionally made this look not fun so you won't expect the fun when it arrives." ... But we doubt it. ...