Review by Lisa Shea:
In martial arts, nunchucks are a pair of short wood rods connected with a chain that ninjas whirl around their bodies With the Wii, the nunchuck is a single controller held in your off hand.

The nunchuck is not the main controller unit for the Wii. The Wii primarily uses the Wii Remote, shaped like a TV remote, for its functionality. The Nunchuck is for use in the "other hand" (i.e. your left hand if you're right handed) just for a few games. It plus into the bottom end of the Wii Remote with a cable that's about 2 1/2 feet long. Most of the time, you leave it unplugged and sitting by the console.

For example, in the sports pack that comes with the Wii, only one of the five games uses the nunchuck. This is the boxing game. You use the nunchuck to hit with your off hand, just as you use the Wii remote to punch and jab with your primary hand.

The nunchuck has the same motion sensing technology as the Wii remote does, so that you can move your hand around and the game knows what you are doing. The buttons are much simpler - there is a Z big trigger button, a smaller C trigger button above it, and then a joystick up on top. For some games, no buttons are used at all.

The cable length is designed so you don't trip yourself with it It's long enough that if you held your hands apart, you could easily ride even a wide-handled bike. It's not long enough that you could put both arms straight out to the left and right, though. I've never had any problems with the cable length hindering me. None of the games require you to have your hands far apart. In boxing, for example, your hands are always near each other and there's plenty of cable length even when you're jabbing.

The nunchuck doesn't need its own power - it plugs into the Wii remote controller when it's in use. So there's no worry about charging up or batteries.

I would definitely have at least one functional nunchuck for my Wii, and if you're really into multiplayer two-handed games like boxing matches, then having two would be important. However, for most gamers, one will probably suffice!

Review by MastrCake:
In case you are unfamiliar with the Nunchuk, it is an accessory that simply plugs into the bottom of any Wii Remote. You may have seen Nintendo saying things like "with the Wii Remote, to hit a tennis ball, simply swing the Wii Remote". This is true for some games, for many others, it is not that simple.

How would one play a game like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess without a Nunchuk? How would you control your character and swing your sword? Would you simply use the + control pad (on top of the Wii Remote) to move your character, and when you get some action, start swinging? How would you move around while in combat? Why am I asking so many questions?

This is where the the Nunchuk adds depth and variety to games like Zelda. The Nunchuk has two buttons (Z and C) and an Analog Stick. In Zelda, the Analog Stick is used for character movement, the Z button is for aiming, and the C button is used to look around. Some games use them (Zelda, Metroid Prime 3 etc.) and some don't (Boxing in Wii Sports... I think that's it). But the most innovative feature of the Nunchuk isn't ON the Nunchuck, but rather IN it.

It has a built-in accelerometer, which in human terms, means that it shares some of the motion-sensing abilities with the Wii Remote. What kind of motion-sensiing abilites you may ask? I'll give some examples.

When you shake the Nunchuk in Zelda, you do a spin-attack. When you "punch" with it in Boxing (included in Wii Sports), you punch the character you are fighting against. It may not have the pointing abilites of the Wii Remote, but it shares the core motion-sensing abilites, which it also shares with products like the iPhone and SIXAXIS PS3 controller.

To summarize, the Nunchuk attachment isn't only a cool add-on for the Wii Remote, but it is a neccessary add-on for the Wii Remote. It will set you back around , but it is better to buy it now than hear your kids endlessly nag you about it. They are very durable, very innovative, and very fun.

Review by H. Lam:
The purchase of additional Nintendo Wii Remote controllers are the basic requirement for multi-player games. Strongly consider buying a pair of high-capacity NiMH rechargeable AA batteries along with each additional controller. The Nintendo Wii Remote consumes a lot of power because of the many functions it performs -- the Wii Remote serves as a motion controller, provides power to controller attachments, and generates sound and vibration effects. The included set of disposable alkaline batteries will last less than a couple of weeks for active players (six days in my case). This compares to a battery life of a couple of months for the previous generation of Nintendo's wireless controller -- the Nintendo Wavebird controller for the GameCube.

Many games require the additional purchase of a controller attachment for multi-player mode -- the Wii Nunchuk Controller or Wii Classic Controller, both of which plug into the base of the Wii Remote. In multi-player mode, the Wii Nunchuk is used for two-handed Wii games, e.g., Red Steel or the boxing game in Wii Sports.

The Wii Classic Controller attachment is currently used to play games on the Wii Virtual Console. Held sideways, the Wii Remote can serve as a game controller for all current Sega Genesis, TurboGrafx 16, and Nintendo (NES) Wii Virtual Console games. A Wii Classic Controller or Nintendo GameCube controller is required to play Super Nintendo (SNES) or Nintendo 64 virtual console games.

You may want to purchase a Wii Classic Controller or Nintendo GameCube controller (this plugs directly into Wii Console itself) to play Virtual Console titles anyway. The Wii Remote is diminutive, and a Wii Classic Controller or GameCube controller both offer better handgrip and button placement. Of note, a Wii Classic controller can currently only be used for Wii Virtual Console games, while a GameCube controller can be used for Wii Virtual Console games and all Nintendo GameCube games.

Each "Wiimote" has a nice touch of interactivity, holding up to 10 Mii avatars per remote. You can take your Mii character along with you to play games like Wii Sports on other Wii consoles by taking your Wii Remote along with you.

The one improvement I would make to the Wii Remote Controller would be to add finger nubs. The Wiimote can get a little slippery during gameplay because of sweat. Third-party manufacturers offer latex rubber / silicone controller gloves that fit over the Wii Remote to improve hand grip. I find these gloves are more hassle than they are worth because they are time-consuming, both to put on and to peel back when changing the Wiimote's batteries.

Review by Lisa Shea:
The Wii Remote Controller is shaped like a standard TV remove, and has motion sensing ability. You wave it around, and your on-screen character waves their wand!

This isn't an add-on controller - this is the actual, standard controller that most if not all games on the Nintendo Wii use as their primary control unit. There is also a "nunchuck" that can be used in your off hand, but many games don't use the nunchuck.

The aim of the Wii was to make gaming as simple and intuitive as possible for the casual non gamer. Pretty much every person with a TV is comfortable using a TV remote. You point, you click. The Wii Remote Controller works in the same fashion. The motion sensors know what you are doing with the remote. If you're playing a baseball game, you swing at the ball. If you're playing a bowling game, you bring your arm back and swing it forward. Everything "makes sense". A sword swing? A light saber battle? Just move your arm and the character does the same thing.

There are only two buttons that really matter. There's an A button on the front that you push for most operations. There's also a trigger underneath that is the B button. Depending on the game, they will have you use one or the other button. There are also a few other buttons for more complex gaming. There's a D-pad. A "home" button lets you go instantly back to the main Wii menu if you're tired of playing. There's a plus and minus button, a 1 and 2 button. There's even a power button. You don't have to walk over to your Wii any more to turn it on or off. Just hit the power button on the remote and you're all set.

The remote runs on two AA batteries, so there's no USB plugging in or charging up, as with the other systems' remotes. You do get a wrist strap, though, so the Wii remote doesn't fly out of your hands while you're doing a super powerful golf swing.

There's even a speaker in the remote! This is great if you're playing a game against another player. Say I'm boxing my boyfriend and I am the winner. *My* remote says that I triumphed, to me. Neat!

I definitely love the Wii remote controller. It's light, it's super easy to use, it's intuitive and I can just pop batteries into it when it runs out, instead of having to wait for a recharge. Highly recommended. Just note that if you want to play a game that needs a nunchuck as well, that you have to buy that separately.

Review by Code Wizard:
The motion plus definitely makes the games more fun - I really enjoyed the sword fighting in Wii Resort.

That said, there is one serious issue. When I first fired up WII Resort, I thought it was interesting they kept harping on how to recalibrate the motion plus. Eveytime a game starts. Everytime you move to a new level. If it doesn't feel right recalibrate.

Well the reason for that becomes evident if you play any of the 'intenser' games, ala sword fighting. The controller quickly becomes uncalibrated. This is expecially bad in the horde sword fight levels - it simply starts getting out of sync after 5-10 enemies. I have to recalibrate it every 3-5 minutes.

And before anyone says 'hardware issue' I purchased two of them. I have two remotes. Every combination exhibits this issue - it's highly unlikely both of my motion pluses have a failure.

This is a pretty glaring problem in an otherwise very cool addon - and honestly is extemely disappointing to me as the sword fighting possiblites is where I was most interested in it. I sure hope it's something that can be addressed in the future via a software patch, but I have my doubts.

Review by PT Cruiser:
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3NJPOOHGAS7ZC I've only tried the Wii MotionPlus with one game so far, Virtua Tennis 2009 but the MotionPlus enhanced the sensitivity of the Wiimote and made it more responsive when playing this game. It seems to sense the turning and direction or your hand better than the Wiimote alone and I thought it made the Virtua Tennis game more realistic and enjoyable. It gives you that little bit extra to play the game.

I recorded this short video so you can see how it attaches to the Wiimote. As you can see, when it's on you don't even notice that it's there. It isn't big or clunky like some of the add-on's to make the nunchuks wireless that I've seen.

I liked the addition of it with this one game and I'm looking forward to trying other games as they're released.

Update 6/21/09 - I had a chance to try the Wii MotionPlus with a friends new Tiger Woods Golf game and the difference between the game with and without the Wii MotionPlus is pretty amazing, probably even more so than with Virtua Tennis. It's much more fine tuned than last year's game.

Review by M. Monje:
Bought this Wii Family Pack for the new Wii Santa brought for the kids. I think it is a very good value from what I found when comparison shopping. We have used the wheels, the tennis rackets, the golf clubs, and the bat and so far so good.

Review by Priscila T:
Excellent, good quality product, great price!

I loved it and I'm having so much fun!

Review by Jonelle Williams:
It works but slightly smaller than I thought it would be. But it is a good value so I really can't complain. Some of the parts such as the golf clubs are compatible with the Wii Motion plus.

Review by Melundie:
Totally agree with the other reviewer: the pieces are quite a bit smaller than Nintendo's Wii accessories, but they do work. The pack was really well priced and overall is a good value.

Review by Kirk Matthews:
My 10 y.o. son and I have been ripping through Mario Kart Wii and love it. I bought the game and this extra controller having high hopes. I must say that after a week of playing MKW with and without the Wii Wheel, far and away we both keep going back to the wiimote and nunchuk combo. I come home from work and the boy is playing and I ask him why he is not using the wheel. He replies that it works ok, but the wiimote works better. He is not known in this house for really giving things a good try and run something through its paces. So being the dad I am and that I spent the money on the extra one. We played each evening when I got home for work and every day he kept wanting to go back to the wiimote. I too broke down and stopped using the wheel. I am not sure why I do not like it just yet. Perhaps it is the poor ergonomics. maybe the familiar comfort of the mote and nunchuk combo, I am not sure. Maybe it is just the game and with another racing game it would be great. Regardless, be warry of it. Do not buy this extra wii wheel just because you got the game and both people want to play. Try out the wheel that comes with the game and see if you like it. If you do try the mote and nunchuk combo and see which you like best. Your mileage may vary.

Review by Ramsis Lion:
With the release of Mario Kart Wii, this new Wii Remote holder is going to be a hot item, especially if you are planning on racing against others in said game on your Wii.

But lets face it, all it is, is a plastic holder that is shaped like a wheel that your remote snaps into. And thats all there is to this accessory. Its nothing more then a holder shaped like a wheel to house your remote to give you the feeling of using a steering wheel while you play a racing game. So realize that going into the purchase that its just that and nothing more.

At least though the price is right and reasonable for the most part. This is not must get though as all the games this will be for I'm sure will play just fine without it. But it will add a little extra something that the already gimic like remote provides for the Wii. This just takes that remote factor an extra step by giving the illusion and feel of a wireless steering wheel that you can hold anywhere and use to race on a screen far away.

The choice is really yours. If you want to have the feeling of playing a racing game on the Wii with a wheel in your hands, this will work quite well for that. If its not that big a deal to you and you are fine with either a classic controler or the wii remote and nunchuk, then this isn't that important a purchase to make. But I do think this adds something of a element to things that is worth the small one time investment it will be.

Again its just a personal choice. Its just a plastic mold, when push comes to shove. But I think its fun device either way that is a nice addition to the Wii family of accessories.

Review by KAM:
While the attachments are fun, some don't work as well as expected and the attachment needs to be removed so the wii will be able to read the wii remotes motions properly. When I purchased, I didn't realize the tennis racket attachment required bateries.

Review by Tammy L. Wilgenbusch:
When I bought this I was very excited to have a more realistic feel to playing the wii. Unfortunately, I found that it was actually easier and more comfortable to play without the accessories. There is nothing wrong with them, and some may like them. But I found them more cumbersome to use and so we have just put them way and use only the remote. Save your money, it really does not give a more realistic or comfortable feel.

Review by Nite:
If you plan on buying a Wii and going through with the virtual download, then getting the classic controller is not such a bad investment. What causes to be a bad investment however depends on what games you plan on downloading for the virtual console. Case in point, if you've got a Gamecube controller, there's a big possibility you may want to stick with that one instead.

To begin, the controller attaches to the Wii remote, so it is in fact wireless. So you don't have to deal too much with cords in the way. Although, this brings about the problem of your Wii remote batteries dying. Then your shell controller doesn't work so well either. Another interesting aspect of the classic controller is that you can use it to navigate through the Wii channels if you like.

The layout of the controller is almost an exact replica of the classic Super Nintendo Controller. The differences are two Z buttons, one next to the L button and one next to the R button, and a home button to navigate back to the wii menu. Its fantastic for playing virtual console games because the buttons are set to correspond to the same things they did on their respective controllers. Although at the same time this can be troublesome, particularly for playing Nintendo 64 games. If you plan on downloading N64 games, the Gamecube Controller works far better than the shell controller does. Mainly because the button layout just feels awkward at times. The Z buttons are small, unlike the Gamecube controller which happens to have a fairly large one. The control stick is also far better on the Gamecube Controller for N64 games and the A and B button placements are better as well.

Otherwise, if you plan on getting a Super Nintendo game, this controller is perfect! It's also perfect for NES games, although you could just use the wii remote to play those games (although, the wii remote definitely feels awkward at first). Aside from that, the classic controller works extremely well.

There are a couple of problems, however. For starters, the classic controller doesn't work for Gamecube games at all. This brings about the question as to whether the classic controller is worth buying at all. The answer is simply that it depends on what you want more of. If you plan on playing tons of Super Nintendo games on your virtual console, then yes the classic controller is a fantastic buy. It even works better than the Wii remote when playing classic NES games and TurboGrafx-16 games. However, you can't help but admit the Gamecube controller works great as well (although the Gamecube controller doesn't work quite as well with Super Nintendo games; just try playing Contra III). The classic controller is great, but until there's actually a Wii game that requires it above all else, its hard to tell people with Gamecube controllers that they'll absolutely need it. It's a great controller, but not yet a necessity.

On the positive side

+The button layout is pretty good

+Can be used to navigate the Wii Menu

+Attaches to the Wii remote so you don't have to deal with a lot of cords

+Controls are precise and corespond accordingly to each game

+Works especially well with Super Nintendo games

On the negative side

-It feels awkward with N64 games (the Gamecube controller is better)

-As of yet, there are no wii games that require the classic controller

-It's really difficult to recommend the classic controller when the Gamecube controller works just fine as well. Perhaps when a game for the Wii that requires the controller it'll be a lot easier to recommend to people.

So it really IS a good controller, but unless you plan on playing tons of Super Nintendo classics, the Gamecube controller is a better buy right now--especially if you plan on playing Nintendo 64 games.

Review by C. R. Vandenheuvel:
For all the people saying that a wireless GameCube controller is a better purchase ... I'm wondering, have you tried Super Mario World with the GameCube controller yet?

It's unplayable. I have both and I tried to play 2-player SMW. The classic controller of course works perfectly, but the GameCube one is awful. Here's why: SMW requires you to do running jumps over pits. That means you hold Y and press B to jump. Y and B are right next to each other on the classic controller, but on the GameCube controller, there is an enormous A button almost directly between them. You have to bend your thumb at a weird angle to hit B and Y but not A, because if you hit A you will do a spin jump and probably fall in the pit.

So really, one of the best Virtual Console games out right now does not work well with the GameCube controller ... the classic controller is great and works well with all of the games. (That's what it was made for, you know)

Review by T. Carey:
Just to remark on another review, the on/off switch does not control the fan. The fan stays on whenever the unit is plugged in. The switch only controls the blue light.

I have made an adjustment in my charging center to get the switch to control both the light and the fan.

In order to do this you must:

1) Remove the sticky feet and the 4 screws underneath them

2) Remove the circuit board (2 screws) that the fan wires goto.

3) Unsolder the fans black wire (+) from the bottom of the curcuit board

4) Solder the fans black wire to the on off switch where the red wires from the blue light are already soldered.

5) re-screw the circuit board

6) rescrew the 4 screws under the feet

7) Put back on the sticky feet.

Now the on/off switch will control both the fan and the blue light.

I rated this an overall rating of 3 because this is a stupid design and the on/off switch should have controlled both without me having to modify it.

Doing this modification was simple.

I am not a great solderer so was worried at first, but when I took it apart I saw how easy it would be.

The modification took less then 10 minutes and could be done easily by anyone.

If this modification was done by the factory, I would have given this unit a 5 star review, but since I had to mod it, I am giving it a 3.

Review by Spindler:
I purchased this thinking it would be good since it does not require an additional power cord and has the two charger docks and batteries. When I received it I found that the on/off switch does not control the fan just the light and the base charging units. I also have some issues with the charging docks. They are too deep for the remotes. The wrist strap gets in the way when you insert them and I have problems with the remotes making contact to charge. I read the other reviews and sure, if I take the wrist straps off the remotes would fit better but I have two young children that are not going to take the time to do that. If the on/off switch controlled the fan as well and the docking stations were not as deep it would be a great charging station for the Wii. Over all I am keeping it but I am going to follow the other review on modifying it to have the on/off switch control the fan. If the remotes making contact to charge becomes too much of an issue I will purchase a different type of unit. Until this item is modified by the manufacturer I would not recommend it unless you need to save the money and have the time to fool with it. It is a great design idea I just think it needs a few modifications.

Review by Jamey Carter:
Some people are reviewing that they can tell the difference between the standard A/V cable that comes with the Wii (Red/White for audio signal, yellow for video signal) and this component cable (same Red/White for audio signal, but three separate video signal cable)...

So I thought I'd explain quickly the different. With one loan video signal cable (stand Wii, out of the box) your highest attainable resolution is 480i. The "i" stands for interlaced. What it means is that the video signal is interlaced into odd and even number vertical lines. You TV displays the odd lines first from top to bottom, then on a second pass, displays the even numbered lines from top to bottom. Then the cycle continues to repeat, refreshing the lines odd, even, odd even and you see "motion." All CRT TV (ones that have a Tube) the display is always interlaced video.

Now, in 480p, the "p" stands for progressive. In a progressive scan the entire image is refreshed top to bottom every pass. Today's LCD and Plasma screens always display progressive video. Because it only takes one pass to complete the entire video image, progressive scanned video tends to have slightly higher refresh rates. In video gaming, this can translate to slightly better image quality and less lag between the controller and the results on the display.

So here is the kicker: for a CRT to accept an incoming progressive video, it has to translate it (internally) to interlaced video. This translation takes time, which in turn adds lag and can slow down the reaction time in gaming. Because of this, any Wii hooked up to a CRT (or Tube) TV should be set to 480i. EVEN if you use component cables.

For LCD and Plasma TVs, any interlaced video incoming to the TV must be translated to progressive video. Like the reverse for CRT TV's this translation takes time and adds lag. The only way to get the Wii to send a direct progressive scan signal to a Plasma or LCD TV is to use a component video cable (2 audio connections, 3 video connections). But once this cable is attached, you must change the Wii options to send in 480p resolution. Once that has been done, you fancy flat display will not need to translate interlaced to progressive.

I've simplified this quick explanation. For the true tech geeks out there (like myself)... please accept that I have tried to put this in non-geek speak (best I could) without going into great detail.

Review by D. Garber:
I decided to give these cables a shot since they were half the price of the official Nintendo component cables, and audio/video cables are a product well-known for some companies (you listening, Monster?) seriously trying to rip off consumers. I found these cables to work wonderfully; despite some other opinions, I think they make a significant improvement in picture quality, well worth fifteen bucks if you have an HDTV to hook your Wii up to. When compared to the composite cables that come with the system, object edges are really sharpened up. You don't need to pay - for quality component cables. Highly recommended!