Posts Tagged ‘nyko’

If you’re in the market for a new wiimote, I can certainly tell you that should be getting one of the new ones with the Wii Motion built in.  I can also tell you that Nyko has you covered on that end a well.  Nyko sent us a nice black Wand + for review, and I have to say it looks pretty slick.  (There is a reason, besides cost, that the first Ford cars were all black.)

The Wand + is virtually identical to the regular Nyko Wand, except that is has the extra motion sensors built right into it.  One very good reason to get a controller like this is that instead of buying the Wii Motion Plus add-on, you will be able to snap in all the accessories you have available.  I have one that makes the nun chuck wireless, but without a spot for the clips it is worthless.

Motion control itself is quite improved over the standard controllers, as one would hopefully expect.  The buttons themselves are wonderfully rounded and depress very easily which is something that I was worried about.  Using this is just like using a Wiimote.  The Wand + is a perfect replacement for those that do not want to buy the actual Wiimotes.  This is truly a case where you do get a great product by buying third party.  They even throw in a protective sleeve which is practically a requirement for Wii safety these days.  This is the best replicated third party product for a gaming system that I’ve seen in a while.  They even have extra technologies built in.  There is the trans-port technology that allows the buttons to be replicated on certain attachments.  No more having a mechanical trigger that simply depresses a button on the controller.  Instead, the attachments will have real buttons on them allowing better placement.

Nyko has surpassed their first party competitor Nintendo.  The Big N really needs to stop and take a look at what others around them are coming up with.  Who knows, they might better themselves which in turn will cause Nyko to have to improve to keep one step ahead of the game.  I myself certainly enjoyed the Wand + and I can’t wait to see what new products Nyko turns out.

Nyko sent us a sample of their Core Controller for the PS3 to test.  It looks and feels like the original PS2 dual-shock, but with a USB cord and velcro strap.  The controller is described as being able to “…give your game 200+ degrees of sensitivity for accurate and responsive gameplay.”  Nyko also states that, “…with its trigger styled shoulder buttons your finger will easily stay put with every pedal to the metal moment in your favorite action or racing games.”  I wanted to see if they were true to their advertising, so I gave the controller a test with 3 different styles of games; Tomb Raider: Underworld, Battlefield 1943, and Need For Speed: Pro Street.  Make yourself a note here, that is a third person game, a first person game, and a racing game.

Cracking into Tomb Raider was easy with this controller.  Of course I had to first figure out how to get the controller to turn on.  Pressing the PS button connects it to the console, which I figured out relatively quickly, but it is also in the manual if you end up looking there.  Controlling Lara is quite easy as far as movement and camera controls go.  I am quite glad that there is no need to press down on the thumb sticks as the movement is quite stiff.  It even makes the loudest noise I have heard a controller make when you do manage enough force to depress them, and it takes more than you would think it would. Using the D-pad is not too bad, but it is also lacking a bit.  Honestly I felt glad that I was not using the controller to play Gears of War or any such game like it.

Moving over to Battlefield 1943, I noticed something else quite peculiar about the thumb sticks.  It is very hard to aim properly with them.  The motions do not feel smooth and I did not feel as though I was able to move them accurately in a circle.  To me it felt more like I was moving them left/right and up/down instead of giving me 360 degrees of motion.  I was also nearly able to appreciate the fact that the L2/R2 buttons are actually triggers, something all controllers need.  All the shoulder buttons performed quite well in BF 1943.

When controlling the console itself, I noticed that I felt like I kept hitting buttons more than once to make them work.  Several times I almost accidentally canceled a software update.  Luckily the button didn’t actually depress.  On second though, I wish it had.  The buttons and the d-pad do not seem to be sensitive enough.  Perhaps they suffer the same fate as they thumb sticks in that they require quite a bit of pressure to activate.

Lastly, I tested the controller on Need for Speed.  It was my first time playing this title as I don’t normally delve into racing games.  However, seeing as how Nyko specifically mentions racing games I decided to give it a whirl.   I had high hopes for the thumb sticks this time around giving the fact that I noted their tendencies toward side to side motions, I figured it would be a plus for racing.  Success!  The thumb sticks actually work nicely for steering a race car.  They were in fact sensitive enough that my lack of skills found me over-steering constantly.  That is a good thing, right?  I continued to play and came across a drag race.  The first step in this type of race is apparently to warm my tires by burning out.  The trick to it is to rev the engine only enough to hit the “grip zone”.  However, the trigger just was not sensitive enough to give me the amount of precision control I needed.  It seemed like by the time I was even close to hitting my mark that I almost had the trigger pulled the entire way back.  What is worse is that you also need that control to keep your engine from exploding if you do not shift.  So of course, I blew my motor.  There is no sensitivity in the pull of the trigger and I even brought out my Six-Axis to make sure I could do it right.  (I could.)

At the end of the day, the controller is good for playing games that don’t require precise controlling.  When it comes to the “200+ degrees” of control it just misses the mark.  Shouldn’t it be 360 degrees anyways if I want to rotate the thumb stick completely?  Sure my finger stays put on the trigger and the shoulder buttons, but what good is it if they don’t let me control them completely?  Everything seems a bit off with this controller as far as trying to actually play games goes.  That said, with the price tag attached to it, this would be the controller that I would get to let other people use when they come over.  The fiancé is getting this one when we want to play Wheel of Fortune.

Again, the controller is only good for general game usage, so when it comes down to requiring precision, use your Six-Axis or something else.

On the plus side, at least they did the Velcro cord strap properly, am I right?

A charging base for the PS3 arrived at my house not that long ago.  So I did what any person would do, I plugged it in.

Features:

• Rapidly charges 2 PS3 controllers simultaneously
• Store and charge your controllers in one place
• Includes 2 USB charge adapters for quick and convenient use
• Plug into any wall outlet or place conveniently in an entertainment center
• Powered by a standard wall plug; no USB port required
• Compact design
• Keep your controllers fully charged, organized and ready for use

Pros:

• USB adapters stay firmly on the controller
• USB adapters are clear and allow the controller number indicator light to be seen through it
• Charger AC/DC adapter is removable (For whatever purpose that may have)

Cons:

• Indicator lights are extremely bright
• Extremely bright indicator lights stay on even while no controllers are charging

So this charger does everything it says it does.  The USB adapter they have fits very nicely into the port and is fitted to the curve of the controller.  I was surprised that it did not feel loose at all when it was plugged in.  This is much, much better than plugging into the PS3 itself.  I would say that this device is most definitely worth its price, which itself is an added bonus!

I’m a big fan of using re-chargeable batteries and an even bigger fan of specially made re-chargeable batteries for my consoles’ controllers.  So without further ado,  I present to you the Nyko Charge Base 360, specially made by Nyko to keep your Xbox 360 controllers charged and ready to go.

Features:

• Drop-in design allows for easy and rapid recharging of wireless controllers
• 2 custom NiMH rechargeable batteries supply up to 25 hours of play time
• Rapid recharge base stores two wireless controllers
• Plugs into any wall outlet for a faster charge than USB
• LED charge indicator lights
• Design matches the décor of the Xbox 360 console and controllers

Pros:

• Setting the controllers in is really easy.
• Indicator lights display whether your controller is charging or fully charged with different colors
• Indicator lights do not stay lit when controllers are not on base
• 2 hour charge time per controller

Cons:

• Doesn’t allow for battery only charging, needs to have battery in a controller
• Bright indicator lights (only bad if you like dark rooms or don’t have an out of the way spot for it)
• 4 hour charge time for 2 controllers, wish it would charge one and then the other.

The pros for this device really do out-weigh the cons.  If you’ve got two controllers that need charging, this is a great way to always keep them ready to go.  I really, really appreciate the fact that the indicator lights don’t stay lit all the time.  During charging the lights can be bright, so if I were a person who preferred a darker room I would place this somewhere where the lights wouldn’t be intrusive.  You are almost better of charging one controller first, and then the other controller.  Sure, it is still 4 hours total charge time, but at least 1 would be ready after 2 hours.  Over all though, this is a great charger and I feel that is comes at a great price as well.