Want to add some extra realism to your Wii sports games? Well this new product may be just be the thing you need.

Product on Review: Speedlink 12in1 Sports Bundle for Wii
Manufacturer and Sponsor: Speedlink
Price: prd:10848705|cat:Hardware” rel=”nofollow”>£14.99 At time review was written

We’ve all seen the TV ads for the Nintendo Wii showing how much fun can be had by family and friends. Families world-wide have embraced the Wii as a fun packed console that not only provides great entertainment for both young and old but also promotes light exercise.

Due to the nature of the games on the Wii it’s appropriate that accessories reflect those games and offer some additional functionality to enhance things for gamers. There are quite a lot of kits out there to combine with your sports games – they aren’t very costly at all and yet they can add some extra realism to the already interactive experience. So today we will take a look at a 12in1 Sports Bundle for Wii from Speedlink.

When talking about the 12in1 Sports Bundle, Speedlink say the following:

This Wii™ Remote bundle offers more fun on your Wii™. Baseball, tennis and golf games feel even more realistic with the attachments. When it comes to racing games, the racing wheel makes driving even more fun. The gamepad-style grip gives your Wiimote™ that real retro-style feel, and silicon skins for the Wiimote™ and Nunchuk™ offer optimum grip. What’s more, the wrist straps allow you to secure your Wiimote™ to your wrist. Also included in the bundle: a plastic cover and colourful sticker for the Wiimote™.

Features
• Three attachments with grip for sports games: baseball, tennis, golf
• Racing wheel for Wii racing games
• Wiimote adapter turns the Remote into a gamepad
• Silicon skins for the Wiimote and Nunchuk offer optimum grip
• Plastic cover and colourful sticker for the Wiimote
• 2 wrist straps for your Wiimote

Casting your eyes above you will soon be aware that there are a great variety of different styles of controller to take advantage of. You are spoilt for choice. Over the page we will take more of a closer look at these controllers.

12 in 1 Sports Bundle

The 12in1 Sports Bundle arrives in a box which imitates the colour scheme and style of the Wii console box. There are some clear labels giving an idea of what products are included within the box. Inside the box, there is a large tray that hosts all the accessories. From the name, it’s obvious there are 12 attachments to take advantage of, but there are a few additional items such as skins and fascia’s that are also added to the package.

Inside we have:

1. Grip for Wiimote
2. Baseball attachment
3. Tennis attachment
4. Golf attachment
5. Racing wheel for Wiimote
6. Gamepad-adapter for Wiimote
7. Wrist strap
8. Wrist strap
9. Clear plastic cover for Wiimote
10. Colourful sticker for Wiimote
11. Silicon skin for Wiimote
12. Silicon skin for Nunchuk





Each of the accessory attachments are a traditional white colour and have reasonable build quality. Essentially they are all plastic, and whilst most of them are quite rigid a few of the items don’t feel very strong such as the baseball bat. I can imagine after a good few games this might be broken if it isn’t cared for in the right manner.

The idea behind the 12in1 Sports Bundle is quite simple, the Wiimote fits into the cradle provided and then this cradle secures to each sports accessory. This adds a bit of thickness to the standard Wiimote and can at first feel a little bizarre due to the size and weight difference. It isn’t long before you become accustomed with this though.



Having the Wiimote inside the cradle does pose a problem, you cannot point the Wiimote at the sensor to navigate through menu’s. So before you start your game, make sure that the Wiimote is outside of the cradle and accessory it saves having to go through the rigmarole every time.

The attachments do take some getting used to due to the vast difference from playing with just the ordinary Wiimote. The attachments certainly enhance the games we played, and they do add a level of realism to the gaming fun just be aware (as always!) of what is around you. Tennis rackets and chandeliers do not go well together!

Conclusion

The Speedlink 12in1 Sports Bundle works well, it adds further realism to Wii gaming and doesn\’t cost the earth. At just £14.99 its very affordable and will go nicely when you have friends over for a fun evening.

The trouble comes when you have to keep removing the Wiimote from the cradle, this removes the grab n\’ play aspect that Nintendo set out with the Wii. Navigating within games on the Wii without the attachments is usually quick and easy but adding them can make this task arduous and annoying due to the fact the Wiimote has to be removed every time you want to move through menu\’s.

It\’s certainly been fun using the Speedlink 12in1 Sports Bundle and I think a lot of families out there will love the concept because it spices things up! Due to the issues outlined above I will award the Speedlink 12in1 Sports Bundle the \’Bronze Award\’.

Pros
+ Affordable
+ Adds realism to games
+ Plenty of attachments included

Cons
– Cannot navigate with Wiimote inside cradle
– Can make swapping between games tedious

We would like to thank Speedlink for providing this sample. Discuss this review on our forums