Nintendo Wii, accessories, consoles, gaming, mario kart, mario kart wii, nintendo, peripheral...

Video: Hands-on With the Nintendo Wii Wheel

I got up close and personal with the Wii Wheel at last week's Nintendo Media Summit, where I (literally) played hours of Mario Kart Wii. I tried playing with the wheel attached and without, trying different configurations of play. And after spending a day with the peripheral, I can't exactly call it great, but it's not horrible either.

My first thought when this was announced last year was that I didn't need a piece of plastic to hold my Wiimote in place; I'd steer the controller by itself just fine. But last Thursday came around, and I approached the wheel cautiously, got comfortable, and even warmed up to the little white circle. While the game can certainly be played without the wheel, there's something that just feels right about holding it in your hands. There's more room to grip with your hands, and you're given a better frame of reference as to how much you're steering.

There is also an elongated, horizontal button on the back that acts as a mechanical proxy for the B trigger button on the underside of the Wiimote. Hitting the B button is a key part of the drift element in Mario Kart. Without the wheel, trying to hold the Wiimote horizontally in two hands while pressing the 2 button for gas and the B button for drift was a bit awkward. Not so much with the wheel in the hand.

However, the wheel took a little getting used to. I found myself oversteering at first, forgetting to steer later, and waving the wheel in strange directions (also exhibited in the above video by Kotaku's Michael McWhertor). But after awhile, I calmed down and found a sweet spot where I could play with a bit of skill. So the Wii Wheel may not be God's gift to racing control, but it doesn't make the experience any worse either. And as far as Mario Kart itself goes...go talk to Kotaku, they're the game freaks. [Mario Kart Wii @ Kotaku]

6:00 AM on Tue Apr 15 2008
By Adrian Covert
5,235 views
19 comments

Comments

ten10 at 06:24 AM on 04/15/08
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I like the wheel. Your hands start to cramp without them if you play long hours. It's definitely a plus.
Jirachii at 06:36 AM on 04/15/08
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I'll stick with my Wavebird Thank You!
Gonzie at 06:50 AM on 04/15/08
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how they haven't called it the WiiL yet I just don't know
myke6699 at 07:38 AM on 04/15/08
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compared my logitech G25 (for GT5P), WiiWheel looks damn silly.
Collins1 at 07:40 AM on 04/15/08
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The thing I've noticed from my 5 days with the wheel is that Mario Kart is the wrong game to release it with. They're trying their hardest to simulate a real car in a game that's as unrealistic as it is colourful.

It is easier to control the game with it, than without it. Maybe it's because my hands are like garden rakes.
Collins1 at 07:41 AM on 04/15/08
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@Gonzie: Because that's painful and I want to die now.
weatherman at 08:03 AM on 04/15/08
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Meh. My living room is flliing up with tacky white plastic accessories - one for each crappy mini-game that quickly loses its appeal. I haven't really enjoyed a game since I finished Zelda. I think it might be time to finally get that PS3...
Optimus-Prime at 08:37 AM on 04/15/08
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@weatherman:
Thank you for that non-wii-owning PS3 fan. That was real subtle.
karasu is my homeboy at 08:40 AM on 04/15/08
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Connectedness Index: 231
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@weatherman:

lol @ you for actually buying those accessories.

This looks cool, I'll give it a shot but I don't expect to like it.
theharlotfelon at 09:42 AM on 04/15/08
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Seems too gimmicky to buy... oh wait...
sodapop04 at 09:47 AM on 04/15/08
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Why is everyone making such a big deal about this peripheral? I have had one since I bought the "Cars" motion picture video game for my little brother. It's the exact same thing.
sodapop04 at 09:48 AM on 04/15/08
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Why is everyone making such a big deal about this peripheral? I have had one since the release of the "Cars" motion picture video game in 2006. Same exact thing.
smashingparadox at 11:20 AM on 04/15/08
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Does anyone actually use two hands to drive their car? And who has a steering wheel that small? Jeez!
Verdigris at 02:16 PM on 04/15/08
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Blah blah, Wii boring... gimmick gimmick boring... don't play anymore... blah blah I'm a douche.

Now that we got those comments out of the way...

Is anyone suprised that this generations Mario Kart isn't recieving the hype of every iteration on the past? I almost forgot it was coming out soon and I'm a Mario Kart fanatic.
B1663R at 02:38 PM on 04/15/08
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Uh-oh, someone didn't have their Wii strap on while playing!

its all fun and games till the wiimote flies out of your hand and into the tv.
Reilaos~ at 02:58 PM on 04/15/08
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The guy on the left was trying to play by turning the wiimote flat. There's no way that the Wiimote sensors would figure out what the heck he was trying to do.
Ashe at 03:47 PM on 04/15/08
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God, that totally looks silly. I'll stick to racing wheels or more traditional control schemes.
itchytooth at 05:06 PM on 04/15/08
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I'm still waiting for my generic steering wheels from dealextreme to come, but in the meantime, I think I prefer steering with the nun-chuck.
Bokusatsu_Tenshi at 11:59 PM on 04/15/08
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Putting the "far too expensive for a cheap piece of plastic" discussion apart, I'd like to see some review comparing this to more traditional, not too expensive, racing wheel joysticks.

Doesn't need to be a Sidewinder... but I bet that the Wii Whell would feel a lot better if it had a fixed pivot or something.

I mean, I never tried the Wii Wheel, but I'm betting the worst thing in it is too much freedom.

One can see in the video that Adrian is using the wheel in a complete different way from the guy next to him... which looks like he's driving a pizza or something. :P