Nintendo Refines Wii Controller & Adds Mic

Nintendo confused and then stunned the world with its Wii console and breakthrough controllers and now the company is looking to up the ante again.

Using E3 as its backdrop, Nintendo has dropped arguably the biggest bombshell of the event with the news it has created an accessory to completely overhaul user interaction with its remarkable creation.

The Wii 'MotionPlus' is a clip-on addition to the Wii remote which in the words of Nintendo: "allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player's arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion. Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play."

Pricing has yet to be revealed, but tech bloggers Gizmodo claim the device will be launched next Spring. A bundle pack will also be available which ships with the newly announced 'Wii Sports Resort', a follow-up to the original ground breaking title which this time around includes 'Sword Play' (fencing), 'Power Cruising' (jet skis) and 'Disc Dog' (frizbee throwing) for $49.99.

Also making an appearance at E3 is 'WiiSpeak', a microphone and speaker combo add on that connects via USB and sits neatly on top of the TV just like the sensor bar. WiiSpeak will enable online in-game chat and while I have some doubts about the clarity of such a solution compared to the standard headset route employed by the Xbox and PS3, Nintendo has surprised us before.

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