Nyko Action Pack

I have reviewed products from Nyko products for the Wiionce or twice. The company has put out a lot of quality video game accessories for all three “big three” consoles, and they have really made a gem with the Action Pack.

The Action Pack is a combination of the Wand with the Pistol Grip. The Wand is a glorified Wiimote. That was my declaration of it when I first saw it at CES 2009, but my opinion has changed since I have tried it out. With a few exceptions, the Wand has pretty much the same button configuration as the Wiimote, but the biggest difference is that it uses Nyko’s exclusive Trans-Port technology which allows for “a pure digital connection between the grip and the Wand for maximum compatibility with action based games”.

As for the Pistol Grip, that is something also doesn’t seem new. There are many companies that make gun controllers for the Wiimote, but what makes the Pistol Grip unique is that it actually works.

Allow me to explain. There are many FPS (First Person Shooter) games available for the Wii, and most gun-type controllers are a cheap plastic mount that does nothing but put the trigger in a place where it can be fired like a real gun.

That would be a good accessory to have it an FPS Wii game used only the B button, but many do not. Most games like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and the Tomb Raider series take full advantage of all the buttons, including the A button and the Z and C buttons on the Nunchuk. Fortunately, the Nunchuk is usually compatible with the gun controller, and moves are usually done on one hand, while shooting is devoted to the other.

Most FPS use the A button for jumping or some other necessary control. The problem comes when a player of an FPS game must somehow reach around the gun controller to access this necessity.

What makes the Pistol Grip different is that Nyko realized that the player uses all buttons on the Wiimote, and gives the player access to them all. The trigger is the usual B button, but the A button is on that tab on the back. So hitting A is like cocking a gun.

It takes only a little while to get used to this feature, but it is actually quite cool. Best of all, the Pistol Grip can be used for more than just FPS game. The user could play Super Mario Galaxy if he or she wanted to, even though there is no real shooting going on in that particular game.

In short, the Nyko Action Pak is the perfect tool for the FPS lover. It is available now on the Nyko site for about $44.99, and it is worth it for fun games like Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings.