Wii Remote Controller Protector
Manufacturer: HORI
Site: Buy from Brando
Price: $9.00

Overview : Protect your Wii Remote Controller from dust and light scratches.

Features :

• 99% Transparency
• Scratch and Dust Prevention
• Tailor made for Wii. Custom Fit

Quality/Usability : Hori has entered the scene with their first Nintendo Wii accessory. Hori is well known for their screen protectors. Their first product is a Wii Remote Controller Protector.

Applying the skin is fairly simple. Removing the skin does not damage the remote controller or leave any sticky residue. The cutouts for each button is precise and perfect.

The skin has 3 layers of film that will protect the top of your controller from scratches and any discolorations caused by UV. Those who have used HORI products before will be satisified with this product. Not to mention, the Wii Remote Controller Protector is one of few accessories out there that is Officially Licensed by Nintendo.

Conclusion : Overall, the Wii Remote Controller Protector is a great purchase. This will without a doubt protect your remote controller from scratches. For $9.00, it seems a bit pricey but it will be money well spent.

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Wii Component Cable
Manufacturer: Unknown
Site: Buy from Brando
Price: $14.00

Overview : Component Video connection from Wii to TV with component input

Features :

• Get the high-quality image your wii is capable of putting out
• Allows for a more improved picture than fro composite or S-video cables
• Provides high-definition video output, giving you incredibie graphics and images
• Length: 1.8m
• This is not an official Nintendo Product

Quality/Usability : With Nintendo own Official component cables being sold out and hard to find, 3rd party manufacturers are releasing their own.

Those who have high-definition TV sets must and I mean MUST get component cables for all their home consoles. If you have a high-def TV and still using composite cables, why even own a high-def TV in the first place?!

Component cables make a huge difference when it comes to graphics, details and color. The quality of these component cables are great. They're definitely better than composite cables that came with the Nintendo Wii console. Unfortunatley, since I couldnt get my hands on Nintendo's component cable, I can't compare.

What I did notice was that with these cables improved the quality of images just slightly. There were less jaggies and the colors were not as dark. The colors were more richer and vibrant. With the composite cables, images were blurry.

Basically the biggest difference you will notice when playing with the component cable is this difference in texture quality and clarity. Component cables really does make a difference.

As you look close to pictures, you'll notice that textures have a better clarity, colors are more defined and vibrant.

Conclusion : Overall, the Wii Component Cable is a worthy purchase. You'll definitely notice a difference in color and texture but not much. There may be other cables on the market that may improve the quality and color even better. This does make a nice spare to have at a different location is you like to move around with the Wii.

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Wii Replacement Wrist Strap
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Site: Wii Replacement Wrist Strap Form (US) / Wii Replacement Wrist Strap Form (UK)
Price: FREE

Overview : Nintendo is offering to replace the original version of the wrist straps for the Wii Remote with a newer version. Because Wii consoles shipped starting in early December already utilized the newer version of the strap, you will need to determine which version of the strap you have before ordering a replacement. To view the difference between the original and the new version of the strap, please click here.

If you have an original version of the strap, please complete the form.

Note: You must be 18 years old or older to order a replacement wrist strap.

Latin American users - Please click here for replacement information for your region

Quality/Usability : With all the fatalities to expensive TV sets, complaints of Wii remotes flying and injuries, Nintendo has set up an offer for Wii owners to fill out a form and have replacement wrist straps sent.

Offer is available to US residents and Latin Americans. European/Asian Wii owners should have the new replacement wrist strips included with their accessories and Wii system. Those in the US can fill out the form and Nintendo will send out replacement wrist straps, free of charge. It takes 5-8 business days to arrive once your order has been processed, but I was surprised that it arrived in 2 days from the day Nintendo sent out a shipping confirmation email. What also surprised me was that Nintendo not only sent four (4) wrist straps that I requested, but they sent four more straps. That makes a total of eight (8). I dont know why but I cant complain.

So putting the new wrist straps to test, I did the normal known problems. This includes flinging the Wii remote, accidentally letting go of the remote and even pulling on it. I was surprised to see who durable and strong the new straps are.

Conclusion : Overall, the Wii Replacement Wrist Straps is a must for those who still have the old thin wrist straps. It doesnt cost anything and its better to get replacements than break your TV set and having to buy a new one. With these new wrist straps in place, hopefully there will be no more complaints or damages to TV sets. If there is, either people dont know how to follow instructions or they need to calm down.

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Wii Sports Pack Extensions
Manufacturer: PEGA
Site: Buy from Renchi
Price: $24.50

Overview : Do you have the feeling the Wii-mote is a tad short for Wii Golf? or don't have the same swing feel as a tennis racquet? or don't get the same momentum you would have thought you get during the Wii Baseball game? Fear no more with this little set of extensions for your Wiimote should improve your Wii sports experience. It's still far from a Prince or a Callaway, but you have to start somewhere.

Quality/Usability : When the Wii launched, there were pictures of attachments for Wii Sports on the web and you thought to yourself "is this for real?" or "I am getting this!". Me? I'm the latter.

With the Wii Sports Pack Extensions, it adds a whole new level to sillyness. You think the concept of the Wii remote where you move around to control is silly? Just wait until you slap these extensions on. The sports pack comes with one holder for the Wii remote controller and three extensions; tennis, golf and baseball. The attachments are made of plastic.

When I first saw images I was saying to myself, how will these attachments stay on without flying off. Well its simple. The attachments slide into the holder. Although they fit pretty snug, to add extra precaution, there is a switch type tab that you slide to lock and to secure it in place.

The holder itself doesnt add much thickness to the remote itself. Not too mention, it has an opening for the "B" button, wrist strap and even has grooves for grip. Holding the holder is comfortable. Even with the attachments on, it still feels light in the hands.

Does it improve your gameplay? I cant say for sure but I did do better in golf and baseball. With tennis, I couldnt tell but it just felt like I was holding a real racket.

Conclusion : Overall, the Wii Sports Pack is a great gimmick that works great with the new innovative control scheme of the Nintendo Wii! The sports pack adds a new uniqueness to gameplay and gives somewhat of a realistic feel..but not really. Now you dont have to feel like you're swinging at air and just make sure that you're not too close to anyone or any objects. Would of been sweet if they incorporated a boxing glove type attachment. Dont know how bowling would work out though. Not to mention, if you use a skin with your Wii controller, you'll have to remove it inorder for it to fit inside the holder.



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Penguin United Component Cable
Manufacturer: Penguin United
Site: Buy from Penguin United
Price: $9.49

Overview : Wii component video cable enables 480P (progressive) video display resolution between the Wii console and your Television. This is the highest video display resolution currently supported by the Wii console and it makes a HUGE difference on your HDTV. The cable includes five connectors, three for video and two for stereo audio. Penguin United believes in providing our customers with more reasonably priced cables at the exact same quality as what our competitors offer. We are confident that we offer the BEST price for the quality currently available on the market.

Features :

• The enclosed Wii component cable is to be used for Nintendo Wii console only and is not compatible with any other devices.
• Please ensure your TV can accept component video input connections-they are usually marked Y, Pb, Pr and are colored green, blue, and red.
• The use of this cable will allow games to be displayed in 480p progressive mode (if supported by the game).
• Please refer to the game instruction booklet and the settings selection of the Wii operation manual for details on setup procedures.
• Please see your TV owners’ manual for information on connecting a component video cable.
• Cable length 6ft/1.8m

Quality/Usability : (excerpt from our Wii Component Review)

The cables themselves look generic and normal third party cables. But once you plug them in, gameplay is a whole new experience. As a matter of fact they look almost identical to the Wii Component Review). I noticed that the quality was slightly better than composite. Images werent as blurry and colors were better. Texture of images were cleaner but you'll see some jaggies.

The length of the cable is pretty long measuring 6 feet. But it wouldnt matter how long considering your Wii is probably in close proximity of your TV set.

Conclusion : Overall, the Penguin United Component Cable looks identical to the Wii Component Cable both in cosmetic and display. I didnt see much of a difference between the two. The price factor is about $5.00. If you're looking for a spare or like to travel from place to place often, it would be a good idea to purchase a component cable and leave one at that destination so you dont have to carry it back and forth.

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XCM XFPS Storm Light Gun (PC)
Review by: TrialSword
Provided by: DCEmu Reviews
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from Play-Asia / Buy from Divineo China / Buy from Divineo France / Buy from ConsoleSource / Buy from GoldenShop / Buy from Amazon
Price: $99.00


Overview : XFPS Storm Light Gun brings first person shooters to a whole new experience. With the XFPS Storm, you can snipe your foes with precision aiming using this unique light gun. No more keyboard, no more mouse and having to rest your wrist with point and click. Simply point and shoot.

The Storm will support CRT, LCD, Plasma, DLP as well as Projector. It supports every gun shooting game on PC. Storm can be upgraded via software and is compatible with Windows XP, Window vista and Windows 7 operating system. Now you can enjoy gun shooting games with your LCD, Plasma or any other display you have.

Quality/Usability : The XFPS Storm Light Gun peripheral for the PC has one simple goal: to turn your first person shooters into a more interactive, contextual experience. With it, the player can aim, move, fire, and perform other in-game functions using an assortment of shortcut buttons and a very familiar motion tracking mechanic. Is this something to pull the trigger on, or should you check the safety first?

The Storm Light Gun sports a relatively safe design that champions utility over style. The grip is sizable and designed to hold with one hand. Attached to the side is a smaller grip that can be detached and appear very much like a nunchuk for the Wii. Shortcut buttons can be found here and on the gun itself, on both sides. This is aside from the two analog sticks, which can also be pressed in, and the trigger. The material feels sturdy but is a very benign, shiny blue plastic. Liken it to the look and feel of a shiny blue lego. Sleek is hardly the word that comes to mind, but despite the lack of flair I could not say that it is cheaply constructed.

The technology at work here is almost exactly that of the Wii. The Storm Light Gun comes packed with an IR sensor that could easily be mistaken for the same one packed with the Wii. It is intended to rest on top of your monitor, so make sure there's a home for it or that your monitor can accommodate. Both the sensor bar and the gun itself connect via USB, so two free ports are necessary to use the Storm Light Gun.

The good news is that this peripheral is completely plug and play. Once you've plugged it in, the IR tracking serves as a proxy for mouse navigation. The trigger is the left mouse click and the shortcut buttons can be remapped in-game as a regular gamepad would. The gun conveniently transfers the controls to most PC FPS games in an accurate, intuitive way: The analog stick on the nunchuk lets you move your character, the trigger fires, and you can aim your weapons by simply aiming the gun itself. If you have played any FPS on the Wii at all, one can easily gain a sense for what they will be turning their game experience on the PC into.

There are a few snags, of course. The IR sensors can be spotty at times, resulting in the player character reeling their aim into the far corners of the map, but when responding appropriately can provide a surprising degree of control and accuracy. In addition, the sensor bar requires that the player be about 3 feet from the monitor at minimum, which is further than many PC gamers are used to.

I tested the Storm Light Gun with a number of games:

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Half-Life 2

For games with relatively simple control schemes, the gun provided a fun, new experience. Half-Life 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 accomodated especially well, requiring few button shortcuts and few opportunities in which you won't be running and gunning. For all the novelty, however, it never really crossed my mind that this could be a legitimate replacement control scheme for the games I was playing. This rings especially true for the more complex games, which require more context-sensitive button presses. Having both hands full with the nunchuk and the gun's grip also makes it somewhat cumbersome to even reach the buttons at times. Chances are, a player will be dead long before they have found the time to navigate to some of these buttons.

Because the gun is essentially a plug and play gamepad with IR tracking, it does not always perform the same for every game encountered. For instance, Modern Warfare 2 requires little in the way of shortcut keys and a simple mechanic for firing/aiming that accommodate the gun very well. Games like Battlefield: Bad Company 2, however, have many contextual button presses that would be hard to map or reliably execute with the gun, such as piloting any vehicles or arming/disarming bombs.

The obvious statement to make here is that anyone attempting to use this gun for multiplayer in lieu of a traditional keyboard and mouse will always be at a disadvantage for virtually every game they'd want to play. I cannot recommend it for any level of competitive ...

Razer Imperator Gaming Mouse Mice
Manufacturer: Razer
Site: Buy from Amazon / Buy from Razer (US) / Buy from Razer (Europe)
Price: $79.99 (US) / €69.99 (EU)


Overview : The Razer Imperator is not just a mere mouse, it is an extension of your hands. Its right-handed ergonomic form factor with a contoured thumb grip delivers comfort and a better fit for gaming, whether you use a palm or fingertip grip. Be empowered to take on foes and fatigue alike - for longer gaming sessions without strain.

When every aspect of your game matters, customize your game play with the unique adjustable side buttons, giving you optimum reach for easier access to mission critical keys and macros.

Ergonomic right-handed form factor with contoured thumb grip
The Razer Imperator’s right-handed ergonomic form factor maximizes comfort during intense and extended gameplay so you can outlast and outfrag the competition. The contoured thumb grip cradles your hand delivering increased control to low sensitivity gamers who often lift and swipe their mouse.

Adjustable side buttons for optimum reach
2 adjustable side buttons delivers optimum reach regardless of palm size or grip style; and for gamers who often lift their mouse or make rapid movements during gaming, the customizable buttons makes mission critical keys and macros accessible at all times.

5600dpi Razer Precision™ 3.5G laser sensor
The 5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G laser sensor arms you with gaming grade precision and reliable tracking that will keep up with your every movement. Be it a small twitch of your wrist or a long range swipe to take out your foe, the Razer imperator delivers your every instruction with pinpoint accuracy.

Technical Specifications:

• Ergonomic right-handed design
• Adjustable side buttons
• 5600dpi Razer Precision™ 3.5G Laser sensor
• Razer Synapse™ On-board Memory
• Up to 200 inches per second / 50g acceleration
• Seven independently programmable Hyperesponse™ buttons
• 1000Hz Ultrapolling™ / 1ms response rate
• On-The-Fly Sensitivity™ adjustment
• Zero-acoustic Ultraslick™ Teflon® feet

Approx. size in mm: 123(L) x 71(W) x 42(H)

Hardware requirement:

• PC/Mac with USB port
• Windows® 7 / Windows Vista® / Windows® Xp or Mac OS X (v10.4 and above)
• Internet connection (for driver installation)
• At least 35MB of hard disk space

Quality/Usability : Although this mouse is mainly for PC/Mac and PC gaming use, this review mainly revolves around console gaming with the use of XFPS 4.0 Force for PS3 and Speed for Xbox 360. This can also be used with XFPS Rateup for PS3 and XFPS Sniper Plus for Xbox 360.

The Razer Imperator's box has a cover flap and when opened, it shows the mouse behind a clear plastic box/cover. Included with the package are separate instructions for both Mac and PC, pamphlets, as well as a coaster, stickers and a seal of authenticity.

The scroll wheel is fairly big and not small. The left and right buttons have a big clickable surface where your fingers and rest easily. Underneath are two more buttons that are used to adjust sensitivity on-the-fly. On the side are two thumb buttons and can be programmed. These are adjustable for those of you who have very long or very short thumbs. These are the only buttons that are adjustable. On the bottom of the mouse is a switch. As you move this up or down, the thumb buttons also move. Also on the bottom is a button labeled "PROFILE". This button is used for on-the-fly profile switching so you don't need to minimize or ALT+TAB out of your game to open the application. This button is only useful for PC/MAC use. There are some features that will not work on console games.

A cool factor about the mouse is that the logo on the front/top of the mouse pulsates and lights up. It does serve a purpose or anything except for the fact that it lets you know the mouse is powered. The scroll wheel also lights up blue as well. The USB plug has a gold plated USB connector, as well as the 7 foot long braided cord which allows for greater durability. No matter what your setup is, the 7 foot of cord is long enough.

Since the Razer Imperator is connected to the computer, its best that you download the software since you can use it as your new mouse for your computer. I'm not going to go through the whole process of installation and settings as its like any software install and some of the features that is used for PC game does not work for console. If you're interested in knowing more about this mouse for PC gaming, please do a search on this mouse as others have reviewed this witht he focus of using it for PC gaming. However, I will discuss some functions that will work for console game and settings. You can adjust the DPI up to 5600! That insanely high. You can also adjust the acceleration and polling rate (125Hz, 500Hz or 1000Hz), toggle whether you want the light on the logo to be ON or OFF and the same goes for the scroll wheel. The software allows you to check to see if there is any new updates if you feel your mouse is not performing well or if there is a bug. ...

XCM USB Vbox2 Advanced
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from Play-Asia / Buy from ConsoleSource / Buy from GoldenShop / Buy from Amazon.com
Price: $85.00

3x RCA RGB Component Video Splitter
Site: Buy from Amazon.com

3 RCA RGB Component Video Cable
Site: Buy from Amazon.com (3.3ft Monster Cable) / Buy from Amazon.com (6ft Generic)


Overview : Enable video game play on your laptop, netbook and desktop.

Fully Compatible with Xbox 360™, Wii™, PS3™/PS2™, PSP 2000/3000 series™, Xbox™ GameCube™ or any device with component output. You can record gameplay, movie or take a screenshot of the gameplay to the hard drive so you can edit, use it as a wallpaper or record your gameplay for analysis. Compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.

Feature :

• Crystal Clear Picture Screen.
• Supports USB 2.0. Plug and play. Does not require any configuration
• Supports Streaming Video. Can be stored in multiple formats including: (MPEG-1/MPEG-2/MPEG-4/AVI/VCD/DVD/SVCD)
• Supports multiple picture file formats such as JPEG and GIF.
• Supports multiple input formats such as (NTSC/PAL/SECAM)
• Auto playback allows you to store in game action to your PC/laptop)
• Display settings can be adjusted such as Brightness/Contrast/Image Sharpness/Fullness/Color
• Supports Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP operating systems

Quality/Usability : Whether you're a game reviewer or a gamer who just wants to record their gameplay to show off to friends, post on the web or even capture the greatest moments, you would need to point your camera at your TV or connect your consoles to a capture video card on your computer. XCM has released the Vbox2 Advanced. This is an updated version of XCM V-box for the Wii. The Vbox2 Advanced works not only for the Wii but for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP 2000/3000, Original Xbox and GameCube.

The Vbox2 Advanced comes in a well built, white shell and a fairly small adapter. The USB cord is approximately 3 feet long. In order for this to work and to set it up, your computer needs to be near the consoles or you can use a laptop/netbook. This will not work on MAC's as the software works only on Windows Vista, XP and Windows 7. The driver and software can be downloaded at here. Some other system requirements are support for Direct X9.0 or higher version of AGP video card, Pentium 4 1.8GHz or higher, Centrino 1.4 GHz or higher, 256MB RAM, USB 2.0, Harddrive space (200MB for software, 1GB or more for recording space depending on length of record and file format.

Installation is very easy. Its like any other computer program. Simply download the driver from the link above and save it to you desktop. Once downloaded, extract the file. Double click on the file named "Vbox2 Advanced DRIVER.exe". Follow the prompts and at the end, it will require to restart your computer. Once your computer has rebooted from the restart, now its time to install the software. Double click on the file named "Vbox2 Advanced.msi" which is in the same folder as the driver. Follow the prompts and at the end, it will require you to restart your computer again. Once the computer has rebooted and the installation has been installed, there will now be a new icon on your desktop.

The first time you plug in the Vbox2 Advanced to the USB port on your computer, it will pop up with a message showing "Found New Hardware - USB 28165 device" and than "Found New Hardware - Your new hardware is installed and ready to use". Typical for any USB device being used for the first time. Now that the device has been found and ready to use, you can double click on the new Vbox2 Advanced icon. Double clicking on the icon will load up the software and will display the Vbox2 Advanced splash screen and sound clip. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Before disconnecting your console from your TV, be sure to set the consoles resolution to 480i/576i or 480p/576p. This is the only way the Vbox2 will recognize the signal from the console. If you dont and you just plug the cables to the Vbox2 Advanced, you'll get nothing but static or black screen.

Once you have set the correct resolution on the console, you can unplug the component cable from your TV and plug it into the Vbox2 Advanced. To display your console on the software, you will need to click on the camcorder icon (Switch to Media Viewer Mode) under viewer. A new set of toolbar icons will show underneath. Under "Select" click on "Device Options". This will show a window with "Video Format...", "Video Setting...", "Video Source", "Audio Format..." and "Audio Capture Pin...". Select "Video Source", it will show another window with "PAL", "NTSC", "480i/576i" and "480p/576p". From here, you will select the resolution of your console.

There are so many things you can do such as record your gameplay, take snapshots of your gameplay, play in full screen. You can even save a profile with your settings.

Videos below is to show you how to set up the Vbox2 Advanced with many consoles:
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