Under Designed and Overrated

Introduction

When I bought my Wii system last year, I asked a friend of mine what accessories, if any,
I should buy to supplement the system.  He suggested buying a wireless sensor bar.  So, off I went to Wal Mart - the Center for Immediate Gratification.  I found the Nyko Wireless Sensor Bar for $15.  "Wow," I thought.  That's quite a bargain for something so...well, so I thought at the time...technogizmo and for the Wii.  And so I trotted home with it.

Now, I haven't even unpacked the wired sensor that comes with the Wii.  Why should I?  If this is the greatest accessory since peanut butter to accompany the Greatest of All Inventions (sliced bread), then I certainly would NEVER need to bother cluttering my home with that dingy OEM clutter.

Come Christmas Morning and I put everything together.  Put batteries in the Nyko Wireless Sensor Bar and turn everything on.  Works like a champ!  We really like playing the Wii, and I thought that the sensor bar performed adequately well.  There were some hiccups, though, and as the last month or so progressed, I discovered some very interesting things about the Wiimote, the Nyko Wireless Sensor Bar, and the OEM wired sensor bar.

The Great Misconception

Though it is sold as a "Sensor," the Nyko Wireless Sensor Bar is NOT a sensor per se'.  It is a transmitter.  And by that, not even a very high tech one.  Basically, the Sensor Bar has two (or two arrays) of infrared LED lights set a certain distance apart.  These invisible lights are detected by the Wiimote and its position is triangulated by an internal computer that, among other inputs, are transmitted to the Wii Console via Bluetooth.  So, that being said, a Wiimote could effectively run off of two TV remote control units set on top of the TV facing the user with a button taped down on each to transmit infrared.  I've even heard of Christmas Tree lights and candles having an effect on the Wiimote.

So now that we know exactly what the sensor bar actually does, the $15 price tag seems a bit steep.  There is no processor or computer on board (a small circuit board has a timing function - more about that later), but it doesn't sense the Wiimote and it certainly doesn't send anything to the Wii Console.

Features

Before going on, let’s talk about the little guy itself.  The bar is about twice as thick as the OEM sensor bar.  There is a switch on the back that allows you to set the automatic shut off on the unit at 1 hour, 2 hours or off.  A push button on the top turns the unit on; pressing and holding the button for approximately 2 seconds will turn the unit off.  A blue LED light indicates when the unit is on.  When the automatic shut off is set to 1 or 2 hours, a warning sound is emitted 10 minutes prior to shutting off, reminding the user to either tap it to keep it on for another hour or else shut it off.

The unit uses 4 AA batteries that are installed via a battery cover located on the bottom of the unit.

Using the Nyko Wireless Sensor Bar
 
Setup
Ever since setting up the unit at Christmas Time, I noticed that the range was very finicky.  After messing with the sensitivity on the Wii Console, I found that it was often very jittery and constantly needed adjustment.  As the batteries in the Sensor Bar would start to go out, it would require another adjustment and another tweak, a little less range and so on and so forth.  It was a constant battle.

Batteries
Now, to be fair and balanced, I did use Heavy Duty batteries in my sensor bar.  Alkalines are recommended by the manufacturer and Rechargeable NiMH are recommended by my friend.  Even so, I went through about 20 AA batteries in ONE MONTH.  I'm sure I could have stretched it further by using the auto shut off.  Very easy to leave it on and walk away.  That’s why there is an auto shut off.  But it starts warning you with about 10 minutes to go and won’t stop beeping until you do something about it.  I guess it’s not a big deal, but when you’re intensely playing a MMRPG or Wii Fit or anything else you want to concentrate on, it’s kinda irritating.  Also, the battery cover is located on the bottom of the unit, so changing batteries most likely means changing the sticky pads to keep your unit stuck in one place on the TV.

Configuration
As mentioned previously, the configuration is handled through the Wii Setup Menu on the Console.  Do this when you are standing at a place where you are most likely to play the game.  It is fairly intuitive, but just keep in mind that the sensitivity will need to be reset depending on how far you are away.  

Nyko vs OEM


So, apparently, what I should have done was take out the OEM sensor and try it first and then tried the wireless.  The OEM unit doesn’t add cords anywhere I’m not already running a video cable to and from.  The constant flow of power of the OEM unit means no batteries to change and so I can permanently mount my unit on top of, or below the TV as recommended.  When I swapped OUT the Nyko and put the OEM up, my daughter asked what happened to the sensor bar.  She looked right passed the OEM one and didn’t even see it installed.