The only thing the Wii did much better than change

The sensor bar. Small flimsy plastic box with the longest and thinnest cable in the world. An irritation to all Wii owners who have ever had to move their console. What was it good for?

There isn’t much to the sensor bar. A small device that emits some infrared light. If the Wii Remote is pointed at one, it recognizes that it is where the TV is. It’s not high tech. Famously, its functionality can be replicated by two candles. Cheap, cheerful, reliable.

The Wii’s motion controls weren’t always implemented in a particularly complementary way. Anyone who has ever had to pull off a special move by aggressively waving the remote, or perform intricate aerial maneuvers by tilting a controller, will be happy to tell you. But did anyone have a problem with pointing?

The concept of pointing and clicking dates back to some of the earliest electronic games. Not just mouse-clicking in adventure and strategy games, but also trigger-clicking in early small-arms games and the electronic shooting ranges that inspired them. More than a decade before introducing the NES Zapper, Nintendo had already operated businesses for electronic clay pigeon shooting in abandoned bowling alleys and later produced a homemade equivalent that flying ducks projected on the player’s walls. Point and shoot is more deeply ingrained in Nintendo’s DNA than the D-Pad, representing some of its earliest work with electronic entertainment.

Although the Super Scope’s limited commercial impact and concern with presenting itself as a family brand may have prevented Nintendo from dabbling in the technology for about a decade and a half later, light pistols were massively successful in arcades at the time. through games from developers like Namco, Sega, Midway, Taito, and Konami.

The Wii’s marketing focus was on the accelerometer, but the secret ingredient was the infrared sensor.

A diverse library of titles was constantly built on technology, from the pioneering 3D design sensibilities found in games like virtual police and time crisisto live action laser disc games mad dog mccree and Who shot Johnny Rock?to later technological experiments such as silent scope and police 911. It’s a critically important part of gaming history, soon forgotten as arcades died out and consumers traded in their old CRTs for HD Ready TVs.

The Wii’s marketing focus was on the accelerometer, getting people out of their seats to bowl, dance, and generally gesticulate wildly, but the secret ingredient was the infrared sensor. It’s what made main menu navigation so intuitive, crossbow aiming so quick and satisfying in twilight princess (not to mention Link’s Crossbow Training), and brought entirely new genres to the console. Giving the controller an idea of ​​where the player’s screen was allowed for a whole new range of intricate actions, and even diehard gaming veterans became believers in the technology when they saw its application in Metroid Prime Trilogy and Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition.

Enthusiasm for the Wii Remote was so high that Nintendo re-released a variety of GameCube titles as ‘New Play Control’ versions. The success of these titles was mixed, but the generally accepted highlights of the series were the remakes of Pikmin 1 and 2which used pointer controls to aim at your Pikmin, a feature so well received that it featured heavily in the original Wii U version of Pikmin 3.

Pointer controls also encouraged ports of older titles such as small gun games, The house of the dead 2 and 3 return, ghost squadand Mad Dog McCree, and point-and-click games like broken sword and Telltale Games’ LucasArts revivals in the Monkey Island and sam and max series. Even games that were designed with a touch screen in mind, like those on the DS other code and trauma center, would receive pointer-focused sequels on the Wii. Genres that hadn’t been considered viable releases for home consoles for years have finally found a home again. The technology even led Nintendo to re-release its most iconic light gun game, duck huntingabout him virtual console wii u with support for Wii Remote.

Fast forward to 2017. The Wii U, which, let’s not forget, had a ‘sensor bar’ built into the GamePad to enable pointer-based gameplay off the TV and compatibility with the Wii library, is considered a commercial flop and a mark against the reputation of Nintendo. The Wii is now sorely out of date, and the company wants to distance itself from the brand. The Switch would not feature a sensor bar, and IR functionality was reduced to an infrared sensor at the bottom of the right Joy-Con.

Haven’t we lost something valuable there? The growing popularity of the Switch and the diversity of titles on the eShop have led to all kinds of quirky games finding specific audiences. Genres that were considered unmarketable in the 2010s are now thriving. Nintendo has brought its own game ports to the console that once featured IR pointer support. Pikmin 3 Deluxe and Super Mario 3D All-Stars‘ version of Galaxy they try to replicate the intuitive and reliable controls of their original releases via the Joy-Con’s gyroscope, but without the sensor bar they lack that real-world reference point to maintain precise tracking. Skyward Sword HD he also suffered the loss of the sensor bar to help keep the positioning of his gyro-based sword in check.

You only need to compare the aiming of the original. goo world toward change port to get an idea of ​​how much more reliable infrared technology is. Unless a bright light source interferes with the sensor bar of course, but we’re told real Players play only in dark, dank basements, so they shouldn’t worry about inconveniences like twinkling Christmas tree decorations. Or, you know, sunlight.

There are downsides to IR, then, but they just don’t outweigh the benefits. Gyro-based cursors inevitably drift, lack precision compared to the IR equivalent, and need to be reset and recalibrated frequently. Gyro controls can work well, especially when supplemented with analog aiming, as in splatoon either Metroid Prime Remastered, but your Switch doesn’t know where your Joy-Con is pointing or where your TV is. The aim of the gyroscope is a compromise.

However, maybe there is a future for pointer controls, IR or otherwise. Gyro advocates have been so persistent that even Sony is beginning to support the technology in big titles like The Last of Us Part I and god of war ragnarok. There is also a glimmer of hope for small arms fans with the PC release of House of the Dead remake receive support for the sinden light pistol, which works with modern TVs, unlike your NES Zapper and other traditional light guns. Gamers have discovered that the Switch Joy-Con can works as a substitute sensor barso while Nintendo has ditched the bar itself, it hasn’t completely forgotten about IR technology on the Switch – it’s only limited to ‘cameo’ novelty features on the switch. labo series, mind exercise, 1-2-Switchand a handful of other titles.

Nintendo has re-released older controllers in the past, and Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can pick up Bluetooth versions of the NES, SNES, and N64 pads to use on their Switch. We still don’t know exactly how Pikmin 4 controls on Switch, but we miss the precision of the old IR pointer. Maybe it’s up to us to let Nintendo know that we still care about these things. Some of us may still have the bitter taste of terms like “waggle” and “shovelware” in our mouths, but maybe we just need to…recalibrate a bit.

Let us know below if you miss the precision and slim cable of the Wiimote/Sensor Bar combo, and the games you enjoyed most with them.