From inflatable racing karts to finely-crafted plastic sniper rifles, peripherals for the Nintendo Wii never cease to amaze. Whether they’re developed by third-party companies or Nintendo itself, accessories for the wireless, motion-capture Wii remotes aim to enhance that “inside the game” feeling.
Sometimes, though, they just enhance that “looking like an idiot” feeling. In a video gaming world full of fake drums, guitars, microphones and guns, the last thing we really need is a foam sword that attaches to the controller.
But then again, why not?
1. Inflatable Racing Kart from CTA Digital
Get ready to experience real kart racing (a la Mario Kart or Need for Speed) in the style and comfort of your own living room. Everyone knows that having your knees somewhere in the neighborhood of your ears is how to be legit—and there’s no worry about this being just for kids, because it supports up to 300 lbs. Just slip your Wii remote into the plastic steering wheel and you’re ready to pretend to zoom around a track. Just make sure you don’t get too enthusiastic and pop your vehicle.
2. Wii Bowling Ball from CTA Digital
One of the first glimpses we got of the Wii was through Wii Sports like bowling, tennis and baseball. This addition to the Wii opens up so that a Wii remote can be placed inside; the shape is supposed to facilitate bowling motions in popular games. So it’s like going to the bowling alley, except in your house, with a ball ten pounds lighter and made out of plastic, and without those awful shoes.
3. Wii Light-up Lightsabers from POWER A
Any game that uses a slicing motion can benefit from the awesomeness of dressing your Wii remote up like a lightsaber. The best thing? Space-age energy swords in semi-medieval settings. Move over, master sword, Link’s a Jedi now.
4. Wii Dumbbells from Company X
The WiiFit craze—probably an offshoot of arcade games like Dance Dance Revolution that gave people the crazy idea that videogames could be exercise — led to a bunch of fitness peripherals. Plenty of them are interesting (additions to the WiiFit board that elevate it, ankle and wrist weights, push-up bars) but the dumbbells were the most interesting. Two pound weights on your Wii remote—why not?
5. Wii Skateboard by Activision (Also available from CTA, Company X.)
This comes in several different forms—the Tony Hawk brand included with the new game in his franchise, the more generic brand that goes with the WiiFit balance pad or the generic board that simulates a variety of boarding sports. The idea is the same, though. You can pretend to skateboard without actually skateboarding and with a significantly smaller chance of breaking a limb! Although there IS still a chance.