Nyko Kama Wireless Nunchuck - Do not buy!

When I read about this wireless nunchuck, I was interested. After it's release, multiple big websites gave the Kama glowing reviews. Due to these glowing reviews (some implied that it was better than the original nunchuck), I purchased one.

I am calling out these gaming websites for not actually testing the product.

First, if you boot up Mario Kart with the dongle plugged into the Wii remote, it glitches out as if the analog stick is out of alignment. You have to unplug and re-plug the dongle each time you boot up the game. you would think any real review would test with one of the biggest games on the console. I have seen a few other forum posts around the net mentioning the same glitch.

Second, the controller's wireless connection is glitchy.

The nunchuck frequently loses synchronization with the receiver. If you sit on the floor/couch with your knees up and the Wii remote on one side of your legs and the nunchuck on the other side, games are unplayable. This can be show itself either as a lack of response (your kart doesn't turn), a delayed response (your kart turns after you wanted it to), or an extended response (your kart keeps turning after you want it to stop).

Any object between the receiver and the nunchuck will likely cause this behavior. In order to get stable gaming, you have to have both halves of the conroller directly in front of you with nothing between them. If you have to do this, you might as well be using the corded version. With the conrollers in front of me, I still get a glitch every four or five races but it is at least playable.

The glitches could be caused by interference, but if so, this is still a design problem. I have six other wireless game controllers for multiple systems that work with no problems. Also in use are Wifi networks, bluetooth devices, and a couple logitech wireless devices.

Either way, I just wanted to give everybody a heads up so they don't waste their time/money.

Nyko's marketing department should be given some credit. They sold limited editions in different colors to get the hype up, make a device that is physically impressive, and got it to reviewers well before these were on sale. To all professional reviewers who gave this a recommendation, we are watching you!

I don't mean to be crass, but you bought one, and it didn't work well. That doesn't necessarily mean the product is trash, or that the reviewers are lying. It could be you simply got a bad one.

The reviews I read clearly involved testing the product, so that allegation alone should be more substantiated.

The OP could've gotten a bad Nunchuck, but I tried it out at my friends place, and I have to say my experience is the same. Thing sucks.

I liked the OP's review. Thanks, I'd considered buying one of these.

It seems like you need to keep the nunchuck within sight of the receiver. If thats the case, what benefit does it provide? At that point, it sounds like a corded version actually gives you more freedom!

How is the battery life? Is the power consumption of the dongle noticeable? How about the nunchuck -- I assume there is a battery in it as well -- is it rechargeable or does it take an off the shelf battery?

erwos said:

I don't mean to be crass, but you bought one, and it didn't work well. That doesn't necessarily mean the product is trash, or that the reviewers are lying. It could be you simply got a bad one.

The reviews I read clearly involved testing the product, so that allegation alone should be more substantiated.

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I will go so far as to say that Nyko products, as a general rule, are complete trash. Any time you go with unlicensed controllers for a system, bad things happen. It was true with the Genesis, it was true with Playstations of all generations, it was true with the N64, Xbox, Xbox 360, and now even the Wii. Stick with Nintendo products man.. They're just better. They are also more expensive, but you get what you pay for.

There is only one exception I can think of, in regard to the unlicensed controller issue. Asciiware made some really kickass turbofire controllers for the SNES, - they held up to the test of time, abuse of young'uns, and were ergonomically superior in every way. Since then, I have yet to see a 3rd party controller product (unlicensed -- the Logitech stuff is decent) that's worth a crap.

i didnt try out the nyko wireless nunchuck... but i did try out the nyko wireless sensor bar... and that just didn't work at all... it worked within a 3-4 foot range... the wiimote couldnt sense the infrared lights very well past that range...

in hindsight, the batteries that came included with the sensor bar may have been dead... but the batteries should have been new and i doubt that to be the case... >.>

either way, the first impression i got wasnt a good one

I haven't noticed any effect on battery life on the Wii remote but just switched brands of rechargeables from Rayovak to Sanyo.

The nunchuck itself is still using the 2 AAA's that it came with. These are extremely generic and have about 12 hors of gameplay on them.

When they die, I will retract my negative review if the Eneloops fix the problems.

If anyone feels that the professional reviews adequately tested the product, go ahead and buy one instead of attacking me in this thread.

Third-party Nintendo controllers = fail. The wire on the nunchuck is pretty long as it is, and you know that it's quality. Plus, every single Nyko product I've used has been crappy, so I'm inclined to believe the OP that this one is too.

BakedA|aska said:

There is only one exception I can think of, in regard to the unlicensed controller issue. Asciiware made some really kickass turbofire controllers for the SNES, - they held up to the test of time, abuse of young'uns, and were ergonomically superior in every way.

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I think they also made a 6 button controller for the Genesis that was smaller and sturdier than the Sega controllers of the time. I remember buying one for Mortal Kombat because at that time the standard controller only had 3 buttons.