Nintendo Wii ShockWave Wireless 2.4GHZ Controller – Silver Review
I am a Wii owner and I have two Wiimotes and two Classis Controllers. Since most Wii games are only for 1 or 2 players I never saw the need to get more than two Wiimotes. However, since the Wii is able to play Gamecube games, I had been looking at getting Gamecube controllers for some time. Super Smash Bros Brawl made me take the plunge, since getting Gamecube controllers would allow 4 person play and also allow me to play Gamecube games.
My first Gamecube controller was a used Wavebird wireless controller by Nintendo, and my second was the Shockwave wireless controller by Phantiq. I got both from a popular online auction site. Before I bought the Shockwave I was surprised how little information (i.e. reviews) there was on it. I first considered the Thrustmaster T-wireless by Hercules but was turned off by the small size and lack of analog shoulder buttons. Besides, since I already had Classic Controllers, I wanted a more authentic Gamecube button layout. The Shockwave fits the bill.
In many ways the Shockwave is a very good Wavebird copy. Overall quality is not quite up to Wavebird standards; however, it is priced very aggresively. It uses good quality plastic but unfortunately, the silver finish is painted on, so this will eventually show scratches. Phantiq should have molded the color in rather than paint it on. Initially my Z button was stiff and would not always spring back after being pressed, so I carefully removed the 7 phillips head screws to see if the button needed lubrication. While inside I noted the analog shoulder buttons mechanisms and the rumble motor, all powered by the three internal AAA batteries. It turned out the Z button was stiff because the clamshell halves were screwed together too tightly. Reassembly using less torque on the screws cured the sticky Z button problem.
The Phantiq button layout is identical to the Wavebird. Subjective button feel is pretty good. My kids and I notice no difference between the two controllers except for the rumble feature which is absent from the Wavebird. Both controllers have almost identical handle spacing, button size, and button spacing. The Phantiq D-pad is a disk instead of the Wavebird’s cross but feels and acts very similar. My older son did notice that the Phantiq’s joystick detents use the flats of the octagon cutout, whereas the Wavebird uses the points. The Phantiq joysticks are thus a bit “sloppy” and lack the precise detents of the Wavebird. This may make a difference to some. My older son prefers the Wavebird over the Phantiq for this reason. The Phantiq is less bulky than the Wavebird, because of the smaller batteries and because it lacks the “Wavebird bulge” below the D-pad and right joystick. Battery life so far is pretty good, in part because the Shockwave goes into “sleep” mode after 10 minutes of inactivity. The Wavebird has a physical on/off switch.
On the Wavebird, you select a wireless channel on both the controller and receiver. The Phantiq uses Auto-scan to eliminate this but you stil have to synch the controller and receiver. While this is easy to do, you have to do it with every power cycle (even with the Wii in Standby mode), which is somewhat of an annoyance. With the Wavebird you just turn it on and you’re ready to go.
The Phantiq wireless receiver is bigger than the Wavebird’s and offset to the side. Thus I’m required to plug the Wavebird receiver into port #1 and the Phantiq receiver into port #2 (it’s impossible to do the reverse). I’m assuming you can plug multiple Phantiq receivers into the Wii but have not tried it.
I found that leaving the Wii in standby mode also powers the Gamecube controller ports. Thus both the Wavebird and Phantiq receivers get warm while the Wii is in standby. I don’t like that and so now I have the Wii off (not in standby) when not in use, which is an annoyance especially if you use the Wii’s news or weather channels.
In summary: the Wavebird has better build quality and a solid reputation, but the Phantiq is new, has rumble and a cheaper price. Despite the minor annoyances I mention above, I feel the Shockwave is a real alternative to the venerable Wavebird, especially for the price.
Nintendo Wii ShockWave Wireless 2.4GHZ Controller – Silver Feature
- High Quality Wireless Controller for Nintendo Wii / Gamecube
- 2.4GHZ Wireless
- 100 Hours of Gameplay
- Stock Virbration with Standard Analog & Trigger Buttons
- 4 Players Compatible Games – 4 Channels at the Same time.
Nintendo Wii ShockWave Wireless 2.4GHZ Controller – Silver Overview
High Quality Wireless Controller for Nintendo Wii / Gamecube. 2.4GHZ Wireless Technology. Batteries – 100 Hours of Gameplay. Stock Virbration with Standard Analog & Trigger Buttons. 4 Players Compatible Games – 4 Channels at the Same time.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Dec 12, 2009 20:48:04
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