Important - Revised Version of Existing Product: This review is for the new version of Penguin United’s Crossfire Wii Remote/Pistol, which is a vast improvement over the old one. The box for this product looks almost identical to the older version, so if you plan to purchase this pay very close attention to two things. First, look on the back of the box; the older product specifically states it is not compatible with MotionPlus. The back of the box on the new version on the other hand explicitly notes it is compatible, so make sure of which version you’re getting. Also, this product includes an adapter to make the MotionPlus fit better. You genuinely need this in order to use a MotionPlus at all with the CrossFire, but it’s ’hidden’ in the lower left corner underneath promotional text. Be careful not to cut that corner when opening the product, and be certain you get the adapter out. That said, the review begins.
’Light guns’ (in semi-quotes because that’s not truly an accurate term in the case of the Wii) and gun shells for the Wii have been popular, but also something of a coin-toss. What works for one user may not work for the other, and it often has nothing to do with the product itself but rather how the Wii reads infrared signals. This was very much the case with the old version of the Crossfire, which was basically a 50-50 shot as to whether it would work for you. But the folks at Penguin United apparently knew they had a good design, so after some refinement they have managed to make the Crossfire into a good ’light gun’ for the Wii that should work in most environments.
Unlike most gun products for the Wii, the CrossFire is an actual functioning Wii Remote substitute; it’s a Wiimote that is shaped like a pistol. Once you put in batteries and sync it up like any other controller for the Wii, you’re ready to play. In theory it can work with most games on the Wii, though it’s obviously meant for shooting games such as Link’s Crossbow Training, the shooting gallery in Wii Play, and other similar titles. This is where things get interesting, because the whole point of a ’light gun’ is to be able to point and shoot right at your target, but the way the Wii’s IR/motion sensing works, you’re never going to get a 1:1 match, no matter what.
This is actually where the previous CrossFire stumbled; it gave wildly different results depending on the environment you used it in. Sometimes it would be close enough to play on, other times it would be completely off and destroy the whole point of using a gun-shaped controller; if you can’t aim down the ’barrel’, then it’s meaningless. Fortunately, the revised CrossFire is a vast improvement in this area. There were still a few environments where it was unplayable in the review testing, but most locations, lighting conditions, and TV setups worked better this time around. Indeed, the setup in my office was pretty close to 1:1 aim; it was off slightly to the right, something I could compensate for and play just using the ’sights’ on the CrossFire without watching the on-screen cursor. And if you do use the cursor, the closer accuracy makes it such that you can indeed point and shoot in most games; this is a huge improvement over the previous CrossFire.
MotionPlus support is also a new feature for this version. This puzzled me at first since the MotionPlus attachment has little to do with the IR pointer, and thus has no obvious use in shooting games. Correspondence with the manufacturer revealed two reasons for the inclusion: Forward compatibility (such as any future shooting-oriented games that require the MotionPlus), and also for use as a backup controller with titles like Wii Sports Resort. While that does sound weird (plus having an adapter and attachment dangle out the bottom of the CrossFire’s grip is pretty odd to look at), it works. There are a few events where the shape of the control makes it impractical to play, but the majority of them are perfectly fine when using this. If you’re short on regular Wiimotes and someone wants to play a MotionPlus compatible game with you, you could easily use the CrossFire as an acceptable substitute.
The only serious flaw in the updated CrossFire is its speaker, which somehow manages to be louder by default than a regular Wiimote, and also have much worse sound quality. You can hear distinct crackling, echoing fade-outs, and so on with the sound from this controller, far worse than even the speaker in a normal Wiimote. On the other hand, this is the only serious problem I have with the product and when used with relevant games so I can live with it.
It’s worth noting that the IR pointer on this displays very similar calibration to that of the first-party Wii Remote. I had nearly identical results when testing them side by side, excepting that there will be minor differences due to the shape of the products (one is a nearly flat rectangle, the other is shaped like a pistol). This meant that in most cases I had nearly identical results; if one was suitable for ’point and shoot’ play then the other was too, and the reverse was also true in that if the CrossFire failed to be useful for this in a certain environment, the regular Wiimote failed too. This essentially makes it a Wiimote in gun shape and it provides similar results to the first-party controller.
With all these things in mind, the updated CrossFire does well at its job; it’s a gun shaped controller for the Wii, and offers good results in that role. While I can’t guarantee it will work perfectly for everyone due to technical limitations, it should work in most environments. With a good grip, smart button layout, and a fair price (around $40), I’m comfortable with recommending this for purchase to most users that want a gun controller for shooting games on the Wii.
Next: Online ordering notes and advice on improving sensor accuracy.
