WiiMotion Plus Fine Tunes Wii Controller

Nintendo's latest addition to the Wii aims at improving the WiiMote's accuracy.

Nintendo’s E3 press conference may still be hours away, but the company wasted no time in building hype yesterday with the announcement of a new controller add-on. The WiiMotion Plus has been designed to boost the accuracy of the controller, helping make on-screen interaction more precise.

The relatively small add-on will slide into the base of the current WiiMote, and improve movement calculations by combining data from the remote’s internal accelerometers with the IR-based sensor bar that goes on top of a TV. According to Nintendo, this will give “true 1:1 response” in gameplay, which may open new doors for games where the WiiMote’s precision has been lacking, like first person shooters.

The company hasn’t mentioned just how much the accessory will cost, or when it will debut, but the official press conference on Tuesday morning may shed more light, and perhaps highlight some upcoming games that will make use of it.