Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

I caught a quick glimpse of a few Wii hacks on G4’s “Attack of the Show” and just had to post links to a few of the videos. In the process, I naturally found a few others. Hackers have already turned the WiiMote into a:

• WiiTar (a motion sensitive musical controller through a PC)


• Vibrator (via GayGamer.net and SlashDong, of course created by crashing the Wii browser)—NSFW hack


• Wireless PC Mouse (A joystick emulation application - GlovePIE - uses the bluetooth in the WiiMote to control the mouse cursor in Windows XP)


• Wireless Mac Mouse


• RC car controller


• The Uber Controller (Controls home electronics through the WACI NX server emulated through a Nokia 770)

The silliest Wii related hack of all, even though it doesn’t really involve the WiiMote, is that someone actually made their Target Wii gift card blink to music. Looks like they had to hardwire it, but still pretty crafty.

Site [phl] Site [ZedoMax] Site [GayGamer.net] Site [GearFuse] Also [Engadget] And [Joystiq]

Although the Japanese game company has already begun its replacement program for the admittedly defective WiiMote wrist straps, a national class action lawsuit was apparently filed against the Washington-based Nintendo of America before the replacement program was announced. The lawsuit was filed on December 6, 2006, by class action lawsuit specialists, Green Willing LLP, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and contains language that alleges Nintendo violated the Consumer Protection Act by engaging in “unfair and deceptive practices” due to the “defective nature” of the straps.

The suit calls for an injunction that would require Nintendo to correct the defect (aren’t they doing that already) and “provide a refund to the purchaser or to replace the defective Wii remote with a Wii remote that functions as it is warranted and intended” (wouldn’t that be solved with the strap replacement?). The timing does seems to indicate that Nintendo responded by recalling the WiiMotes, though Nintendo has indicated that the lawsuit is “without merit” and they were taking action before they were alerted of the lawsuit. Hmmm…

Read [GameDaily] Read [Green Welling LLP]

Interlink Electronics, maker of “human interface” devices including navigation rings (think iPod), micro joysticks, mice and remotes, has filed a lawsuit against Nintendo concerning the WiiMote design. Filed on December 4, 2006, Interlink’s Complaint for Patent Infringement asks for a preliminary and permanent injunction, a trial, and of course, damages (times three!) for losses incurred due to Nintendo selling the WiiMote. The basis for their lawsuit is Interlink’s patent (#6,850,221) filed September 1997 and issued to Interlink February 2005.

Originally intended to be used for PCs, the patent describes their device as:

“[A] portable, trigger operated pointing device for use with an electronically responsive system, the pointing device comprising: a housing for location at least partly between a first finger and a thumb of a user’s hand.”

The diagram here (above) was one of several included in the Patent filing. If you ask me, it looks a heck of a lot more like Roku’s remote, though that doesn’t have any motion sensitivity.

Read [Kotaku] Site [Interlink]