Nintendo Okie

Howdy:

• Thicker than standard wheel
• Nice rubberized texture makes it easier to hold.
• Comes in multiple colors

See Ya’:

• Pointer can get lost while the remote’s in the wheel.
• Big button too small

NERF has made a number of different accessories for a number of different gaming systems including cases for the DS, gun peripherals and more.  This next one is an alternative to the first party Wii Wheel and I have it works quite well.

This NERF alternative to the first party Wii Wheel, first and foremost just feels better in my hands.  It is about an inch thicker than the one that comes packed in with Mario Kart or ExciteBots and has a rubberized texture that gives you a bit more to hold onto while you’re racing around the mushroom kingdom.  The first party wheel always felt a little small to me, but NERF has added just enough extra padding to make their wheel a bit more comfortable.  The extra bulk doesn’t add any weight to the controller as it is made of foam.  It feels like it weighs about the same as the standard peripheral.  I also like the fact that you can get it in a number of different colors without having to resort to spray paint and mess.

That’s not to say that the control is perfect and in fact it has a couple of faults that may need to be addressed if they decide to update the product.  The first is that the pass through for the IR pointer has a tendency to get in the way and because of it the pointer on the screen can disappear when you’re pointing towards the most upper edge of the screen.  That’s not going to be an issue in most cases, but it’s something that shouldn’t even happen to begin with.  The second is that the B button is about half the size it should be to be effective.  On the standard wheel you can reach the B button from a normal position and you’re finger rests on that button.  With the NERF version of the wheel you have to adjust your hand just slightly to reach the trigger.  It’s not that big a deal but it may mean the difference between getting hit with a shell and avoiding it.

I really like using the Wii Wheel when I’m playing racing games.  Overall the controller itself is a great product and one that I would recommend to anyone looking for something different or you just want to add a bit of color to your controller.  Functionally the NERF wheel works just as well as the first party version of the peripheral and you’ll find they’re pretty much identical.  The only difference being the slight increase in size with the NERF controller and the assortment of colors it comes in.  It’s fairly comparable in price, with some outlets selling it for a couple dollars less than Nintendo’s.

Final Score: 4/5 Above Average

Review product provided by PDP, Moses Anshell.