So I just got this beautiful piece of equipment in the mail from Amazon.com last

I thought I would give it a quick review to let you all know how happy I am with it.

First of all, the packaging that the device came in was only sort of hell to get into. I naturally just used a serrated knife to cut open the evil plastic shell and expose the beautiful innards known as the Wii Retro Port SNES.

When I got the device out of the package my initial reaction was to plug it into my Wii. It easily plugged into the first Gamecube port located on the front left side of the Wii behind the removable plastic door. The connection felt pure and easy, it slid in just as simple as any Gamecube controller would plug into the Wii. I then took one of my SNES controllers and plugged it into the Retro Port. The SNES controller fit tightly, I actually had to press a little to get the poor thing all the way in.

When all of my connections were properly present I turned on one of my favorite games of all time Super Mario World. I played through about 2/3 of the game before trying my luck with Zelda, Super Metroid, and Contra 3. Needless to say all the games played flawlessly just like they would on a Super Nintendo. There were no button delays, no errors, no problems.

Then... *dramatic pause* ... I tried to play some classic NES and Sega games.

I started with Ninja Gaiden which also played beautifully with no problem... as did Kirby, Sonic 3, and Gunstar Heroes.

I also did a few experiments...

I connected a classic controller to my Wiimote at the same time of having my SNES controller connected to the Wii. No surprise here... I could switch between controllers and both of them were functioning normally as the player 1 controller. This could be fun for two people to play a one player game together, sort of like having a co-pilot or something.

Then I completely turned off my Wiimote so the only functioning controller I had was the SNES one through the retro port. This also worked with no problem, meaning that the retro port can save precious Wiimote battery life. There is no way to control the Wiimote hand, however, or access the home button without a Wiimote/Classic controller. So if you want to switch to another game you'll need to temporarily turn on your Wiimote, hit the home button, and choose the desired game that you wish to play.... Not a big deal for what it's worth.

I did not try the SNES controller with Gamecube games such as "Midway Arcade Treasures" but according to the package stuff like that should work as well.

My one complaint is that the length of the cord between the Gamecube port and the SNES port is about 12inches. I find this unncessary because the SNES controller already has a lengthy enough cord to meet most people's needs. It would be cool if they could have done something a little bit shorter but again this is not a big deal.

Overall I give the device a 9 out of 10 and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get the most out of the Virtual console. We all know that deep down inside the SNES controller is one of the most joyful pieces of technology to use. Therefore, we should use it all the time.

Here is some extra information on the device.

The Wii retroPORT SNES was designed in California by the team at RetroUSB.com.

Found on the back of the box near the lower right corner is "This product is not designed, sponsored, or endorsed by Nintendo." With a "Copyright 2006 RetroUSB" logo.

If you visit http://www.retrousb.com you will find the same Wii designed port for a NES controller and both designs for USB connection to a computer as well. You'll never have to play emulations with a keyboard again!

There are plenty of interesting things found on that site, even "Development tools for writing your own NES game including PowerPak and PowerPak Lite carts" for all of you eager programmers out there.

Well? What are you waiting for? Check it out!

(I don't mean to sound like I'm advertising for retroUSB.com or anything, I'm just very enthusiastic when it comes to retro gaming.)