CES 2009: Nyko's Wand Wii controller hands-on

A few days ago we told you that Nyko has a new Wii remote in the works. Not to call anyone out, but some were quick to write it off as a poor knockoff when we ran the story. Days later, this device won CNET's "Best of CES" award for Hottest Video Game Product of 2009. To get the lowdown, Nyko had us over to check it out.

Guess what? It's pretty slick. We didn't conduct a full-blown test, but we did get to check it out and play a bit of Wii Sports. We instantly noticed an improved hand feel over the standard Wii Remote when we got our hands on it. The underside "B" button is rubberized for an improved grip and feel. And the buttons, although square, are easier to hit and feel responsive. 

The Trans-Port technology we reported on earlier promises to be pretty neat, too. We managed to get our hands on a protoype gun controller (shown in our gallery). It looks like Nyko's Perfect Shot, but upgraded for the Wand. Of course, using the Trans-Port technology, the triggers were changed from mechanical to digital, improving the feel and response time of the gun. This makes any previous mechanical-based Wii gun tech look and feel clunky in comparison. 

We'd want to play with the Wand a bit more to make a full judgement, but we like what we've seen so far. Our impressions are that this is a much better controller than the standard Wii Remote.

LAUNCH GALLERY (2 IMAGES)