So, Nintendo had its keynote speech this morning (Australian time). After reading the transcripts I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed. All the rumours, statements and ideas about the new console have been set in stone, which is a good thing, but yet I wanted something more.

The Wiimote works like a charm, something I’ve been anticipating since I first saw the controller not so many months ago. I’m still quite skeptical about how well it works though. Does it lag? Will it tell the difference if I rotate it a quarter of a degree? How accurate is it enough to shoot at a villain that’s taking a hostage as cover? All questions will be answered when I actually get to use the system myself.

One thing that puts me off at the moment is the fact that it’s the same weight as a Nintendo DS which maybe because it has two double-A batteries in it. This may be a problem, I’ve tried swinging my DS around like a sword and after 5 seconds it started to get heavy. Maybe I’m weak (well I do sit in front of a computer 10hrs a day), or maybe it’s just a bit on the heavy side. The Nunchuk connector weighs the same as a cell phone, but that’s ok because al it does is sit in your left hand close to your body. Hopefully though, the weight issue will be fixed as it’s “still” in prototype form.

No longer a kiddies machine*wink wink*

Another interesting addition to the Wiimote is the little speaker that sits just below the palm. Why? Because Nintendo thought it would a better experience to have sound coming out of it as if you were actually holding a sword/gun/bat/knife/person/something. Imagine letting go of your bow to the sound of a light “twang”, or a loud “pop” when you press the gun trigger. Sounds very cool. Lets hope it doesn’t shorten the battery life to 2 hrs.

Virtual Debbie Does Dallas

One bizarre revelation was the Wii’s “normal” controller, where you would slot the Wiimote into this controller – so it would look like a dick and two testicles. But that’s not the disappointing part. I’m still trying to figure out why they went for the “Sony Dual Shock” layout (analogue sticks at the bottom) rather than the old Gamecube/xbox layout (left analogue stick on top of d-pad). Maybe I’m just bitching, because I’m used to pushing the stick forward, rather than an awkward tilt you will find on the Dual Shock layout. One thing is for sure though, the button colours look damn sexy.

The testicles. Kinda looks like a SUPER Super Nintendo Controller

One thing that really made the presentation über (if it weren’t for this it would’ve been severely disappointing) was the revelation of the new Zelda which will be available on the Wii’s launch day. I can’t express how excited I am. I could write on forever about the last Zelda hit, and how it was an experience of a lifetime (hmm, getting a bit geeky there).

Anyway yes. Nintendo keynote speech was ok. News about new Zelda was better.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 11th, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under Popular Culture, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.