I’ll keep this short and simple.
Situation
I wanted a wireless nunchuck for the Wii.
Step 1
I bought a “Wii Kama Wireless Controller” by Nyko for $30 from Amazon.
It wouldn’t sync.
I called the toll-free number for tech support and was shoved to a voicemail box and told to leave a message and someone would call me back.
That was two weeks ago, and I’m still waiting.
Actually, I’m not. I returned it to Amazon.
Step 2
I saw the same product for the same price at Wal-Mart.
I bought another one. (Call me an idealist.)
I couldn’t get it to sync.
I was about to return it, but asked my wife to try.
She got it to sync.
The Review
It worked OK but not great.
I tried it with The Force Unleashed for Wii and there are several points in the game when it dropped the connection (it reconnects quickly, but when you’re in battle, every second counts).
The fatal flaw is that when you have to twist the nunchuck in a specific way to fight the bad guys (and gals), the Nyko controller just could not do it.
The Verdict
Returned.
Step 3
I purchased a “Wii Wireless Nunchuck Controller” by Intec for $40.
I can hear someone complain, “But, but, but…. that’s $10 MORE than the other one!”
Yes, it’s true. But (and this “but” is so big that Sir Mix-a-Lot would like to marry it) there’s one huge difference:
It’s rechargeable.
It comes with a simple USB charger which you can plug into the back of your Wii (I had totally forgotten there were USB ports back there) and it will recharge when not in use.
(The other one uses two AAA batteries.)
AND if you would like to use a non-slip “sleeve” for the Nunchuck, the recharge port can still be accessed with the sleeve on it.
The Review
It worked flawlessly.
It synced on the first try.
It worked fine with The Force Unleashed test mentioned above.
The Verdict
I’ll probably buy another one.
Note
As of 2008-10-16 there is only one review for the Intec unit at Amazon. Someone claims that they bought two and one stopped working two days after he bought it. To me, that falls in the category of “Stuff Happens”. Return it for a replacement (I believe shipping will be free) and try again. YMMV. Caveat emptor.
Minor Nit
The Intec unit flashes constantly when it has synced. The Nyko stopped flashing when the sync was successful. There’s no reason it ought to flash when everything is OK. A flashing light ought to mean that your attention is required. A solid light ought to mean “Everything is working fine.”
Update:
The main annoyance with it after a few days is that it does not always sync after it has been idle/asleep. The base (which connect to the Wii remote) doesn’t seem to start the sync process.