Memorex is a new comer when it comes to accessories for Nintendo products. What they lack in time, they make up for with build quality.
Racing Wheel
I’ve felt many Wii plastic wheels before, including the official Wii Wheel that I own two of. Generally since it’s a piece of plastic I don’t give it much thought, until I got my hands on a Memorex Racing Wheel.
The build quality alone made me rethink all the cheap accessories I’ve looked at and handled before for the Wii. Although it still is plastic, they’ve given it a decent weight and added gloss for a slick appearance and feel. Colored grips which are available in four different colors, break up the gloss so your hand doesn’t slip off the wheel. Installing a controller is fairly simple and just requires you to slide a portion of the accessory off in order to gain access to the plug.
What sets apart the Racing Wheel from the competition is the ability to store the Wii MotionPlus accessory into the back. So the controller isn’t too bulky, Memorex has put a slot for MotionPlus in the back and wired it so it’s still connected, but not directly connecting with the Wii Remote itself.
Induction Chargers (Quad/Dual controller Charging Kit)
A growing trend in the accessory business lately seems to be induction charging. Memorex had their own version of course and has two varieties, dual and quad, which are practically the same, the only difference being size. The stands have a scooped surface so Wii Remotes can sit level while charging. When the charger is in use and the battery needs charging, the indicator light is red, when finished, it comes blue.
The kits all come with NI-MH rechargable battery packs. This was disappointing to me as I’m a huge fan of lithium ion batteries, however since Memorex is trying to keep costs down for the consumer, it’s understandable. On the surface of the battery cover is a comfort grip, though it didn’t seem to provide all that much extra grip in my hands. A small gripe, but considering when holding a Wii Remote, I don’t generally lose my grip anyway it can be excused.
It’s a decent charging system at least to the eye and it’s tempting to give these a spin for my own home setup.
Wireless Sensor Bar
There are many sensor bars on the market for Wii. Currently I own a Nyko Wireless Sensor Bar and while it’s effective at the job it performs, I have a few gripes with it, one of which is the style. Enter Memorex’s solution, a stylish black sensor bar. The Bar is wireless and I was told provided an extended range. When I examined the bar, it had few buttons, but most notably has a sleep function which will shut off the bar when it’s not in use. This is a welcome function considering in the last few weeks I’ve gone through countless batteries from accidentally leaving on the bar.
It also doesn’t look like something that would be out of place in front of a flat panel TV. The Bar has curved ends that smooth out which complement the shiny black finish. At the Memorex booth, because it was mostly white, it seemed slightly out of place, but in front of a TV at home with black sets and darker environments, I can imagine it will look complimentary.
Wii Remote
Memorex is also introducing their own Wii Remote and just like their other products, it doesn’t seem to skimp on the quality. First off, the controller has built in Wii MotionPlus, which doesn’t seem to effect the overall weight. When placed in the hand, one of the first things I noticed was that the D-pad was circular and rolled around in my thumb when pressed. I’m not sure how this will feel with platformers that need to have precise D-pad work.
As for the rest of the remote, the A button is indented slightly so your thumb naturally rests on it and feels natural. The B button underneath has a good click when pressed. When examining the rest of the buttons, they had a decent feel, though perhaps the 1 and 2 buttons felt ever so slightly mushy.
This seems like it could be a contender for a decent 3rd party controller. The black finish and blue LEDs in the sample I saw would definitely compliment any black Wii systems out there as well.
Wireless Nunchuk
Just like the Wii Remote, the Wireless Nunchuk was presented in black with blue LED lights. It has good weight to it and doesn’t feel cheap or flimsy. The analog stick has a good circular motion to it and is smooth, while the Z and C buttons have a decent click feeling.
Two AAA batteries are required to power it, but if you’re worried about drained batteries, there is a physical switch to turn it on and off with. A sync button is next to the on/off switch for ease and the LED lights on the front of the controller light up and blink when it’s trying to sync.
As a note, I didn’t see an adapter so I am fairly certain these two are being sold as a set.
While the most of the products I checked out here are already available at retail, the Wii Remote and Wireless Nunchuk are due this fall.
