A solid piece of hardware that does exactly as is claimed and more.

If there's one design decision that people have been semi-seriously questioning about the Wii, it's the nunchuk and its 3’ cable. Everything else makes sense in some way; the price, the parts, the controller design, etc. The only thing that's iffy is when a player can't stretch his/her arms completely because of that nagging cable.

Thankfully for Nintendo, it isn't that big a deal. Most people, or adults rather, never raise the question and if they do, it's a fleeting one at that. However, that doesn't mean that it isn't there, lurking, allowing older players who use the nunchuk to feel that annoyance which takes away from the gaming experience.



That's where Nyko steps in. They announced two solutions: the Cord-Free and the Wireless Nunchuck. We received the former and have been testing it out, and are awaiting the release of the latter, currently set for May. Both received much praise at CES 2008, with the Wireless Nunchuck winning a Best of CES award.

The difference between these two products is simple: they follow everything the same except that the Cord-Free uses a standard Wii Nunchuk, whereas the Wireless Nunchuck replaces it. The Cord-Free is simply a plastic emplacement to hold the nunchuk firmly in place while allowing it to plug into the top of the base. From there, it sends a signal to an attachment that sits on the Wiimote, connecting them cordlessly.

Fortunately, that system works perfectly. It does take some getting used to because of the added weight on the nunchuk and the sudden freedom of not having to worry about pulling the cord and possibly damaging both peripherals. In our tests, the signal remained strong and was without issue entirely.

However, the question is whether it actually benefits players compared to just plugging in the nunchuk in. Is this $20 peripheral worth it?