I can’t be the only one who thinks it’s a little strange that the Wii Nunchuk doesn’t come as a wireless device right out of the box. I thought the whole point of the Wii Remote was to cut the cords and to allow players to enjoy their games without cables. What’s the point of having a wireless controller, only to have a wire dangle out the bottom of it?
If you feel the same way as me and you get frustrated with the cord that connects the Wii Remote with the Nunchuk attachment, then you might want to take a look at the Nyko Cord-Free Wireless Adapter for Wii Nunchuk. Yes, I realize it’s not the most creative of names, but it’s terribly descriptive. And it works exactly as advertised
The Cord-Free Nunchuk in a Nutshell
Let’s get one thing straight right from the get-go. The Cord-Free Wireless Adapter for Wii Nunchuk is not a wireless nunchuk on its own. Instead, it’s an empty plastic shell that will house your existing corded nunchuk. This shell can then communicate with a wireless receiver that plugs into bottom of your Wii Remote
As a result, you essentially get the experience of a wireless nunchuk from a wired one. The cables wrap around the base of this plastic shell and they can be hidden away behind the rubbery flaps. It takes a little bit of effort to keep the cord nice and tidy, but it can completely fit into the base of the Nyko Wireless Adapter. The connector then plugs into a port near the bottom.
According to the official product page, the adapter is able to provide a “lag-free wireless connection” at a distance of up to 15 feet. I don’t know anyone with a 15 foot wingspan, but there you go. It’s also nice that the sleeve is “self-standing”, making it much easier to store a nunchuk.
Real-Time Price and Stock Check – Shop Like a PRO!
Installation and Instructions
As you can imagine, synchronizing the two parts of the equation — the plastic shell that houses your nunchuk and the wireless receiver that plugs into the bottom of your Wii Remote — is an amazingly simple and straightforward process. In fact, it’s no more complicated than getting your Wii Remote to sync with your Wii.
To connect the cord-free nunchuk adapter with the wireless receiver, simply plug the receiver into the base of your Wii Remote and then hit the power/sync button in the base of the cord-free nunchuk adapter. The blinking blue light on the receiver will then become a steady blue light and you’re ready to get gaming.
The wireless receiver is the same width as the Wii Remote and it only extends the bottom by about an inch or so. By and large, you won’t even notice that it’s there. And yes, you still have access to that wrist strap. We wouldn’t want any smashed TVs, would we
In-Game Performance
While it’s obvious that the wireless receiver is drawing its power from the Wii Remote, you might be asking yourself how the nunchuk sleeve is able to communicate with the receiver. Well, a pair of AAA batteries are housed in the base of the nunchuk sleeve.
The batteries add a fair bit of weight to the bottom of the nunchuk sleeve, so waving the nunchuk around is quite a different experience. The good news is that the weight helps to keep the nunchuk in a proper upright position, but each tilt of the nunchuk is slightly more tiring than before. Be prepared for a light workout… above and beyond the workout you’re already getting on the Wii.
In terms of responsiveness, I found next to no difference between using the Nyko Cord-Free Nunchuk Adapter and having the nunchuk connected the regular way. I tried playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Wii Sports, and a few other games. I’d imagine that an extended session in Wii Sports: Boxing would feel more effortful with the wireless adapter than without, due to the extra weight
Performance is perfectly fine with this Nyko adapter, but the extra weight in the bottom (as well as the added size at the bottom) may prove to be a little uncomfortable over a longer period of time. The existing (corded) nunchuk is remarkably lightweight, so it will take some time to get used to the Cord-Free adapter.
Real-Time Price and Stock Check – Shop Like a PRO!
Conclusion
As I said in the introduction, the Nyko Cord-Free Wireless Adapter for Wii Nunchuk works exactly as advertised. Getting everything synchronized and working takes a matter of moments, and I found the performance with the faux wireless nunchuk was just as good as having the corded nunchuk plugged into the bottom of the Wii Remote directly
The pair of AAA batteries in the base of the nunchuk sleeve adds a fair bit of weight and this could prove to be uncomfortable or unpleasant for certain gamers. This will be particularly pronounced for more physically active games, but will probably be less of an issue for more sedentary titles.
Given the price of the Nyko Cord-Free Wireless Adapter for Wii Nunchuk (MSRP is $20) and the fact you still need to provided a corded nunchuk for the thing to work, it’s probably a better idea to invest the additional $15 and get your hands on a truly wireless nunchuk instead. Thankfully, Nyko sells one of those too; it’s called the Kama Wireless Nunchuk, and it’s the same size as the regular nunchuk (except it doesn’t have a cord).
As it stands, the Cord-Free adapter does what it needs to do, but I imagine the Kama does it better.
Pros
- Very easy to setup and synchronize
- Performance is up to par with corded nunchuk
- Relatively inexpensive solution
- Good build quality
Cons
- Cord management system isn’t the best
- Extra weight from batteries takes some getting used to
- Probably better off buying Nyko Kama Wireless Nunchuk instead
- No wrist strap for added safety
Overall Rating: 7.0/10.0
Discuss This Review in the Futurelooks Community Forums
Real-Time Price and Stock Check – Shop Like a PRO!