There has been a flood of Wii controllers of late that simply change the size of things. Offerings come from most of the manufacturers you would expect. We’ve got big Wiimote, small Wiimote and extra big and small. Snakebyte offers their own line of varying sizes as well. The Wii MiniMote is their take on the smaller version of the controller.
Now I’m sure that Nintendo did a lot of research to make sure that their original controller was a one-size-fits-all deal. After all, they were really aiming their console at families and that means a variety of hand sizes all together. So what’s the difference with the MiniMote?
Well, it’s smaller (25% in size and weight), and it’s blue. So small in fact that I can practically hide the entire unit in my fist. Also so small that you can stretch your thumb back, if flexible enough, and hit all the buttons. Personally, I would have liked to see the One and Two buttons further toward the bottom so when you’re playing a game that needs a classic style grip, you are not stretching your right thumb across a third of the unit to hit them. That’s not to say it’s a stretch really but it feels lopsided as all the buttons are sort of to one side of the unit, the front, or right, depending on how you’re holding it.
Aside from the length and distance between buttons, almost everything else is exactly the same. The B trigger is stubbier than the original WiiMote though making it easy to slip off of in a heated game.
From a performance standpoint, the Snakebyte MiniMote performs just as you would expect it to. There are no added bells or whistles on it. They did move the sync button to the front face to make it easier to pair it with your Wii and it’s got an Eco mode that is said to save battery life. It’s also MotionPlus compatible. One note about overall construction. The unit does feel firm and sturdy in your hand. However, in my experience I found that one of the battery clips is not 
secured and could easily slip out of the remote. If you were to transport it with the back off, this could get lost and the unit would be useless. It’s just a metal plate with a spring on it to create a connection between the two batteries but it’s a vital piece.
The unit retails for around $25 or Euro and is available in red and blue. It helps round out the Snakebyte Wiimote line that includes the Premium Remote XL+, Remote XS and the Wireless Motion XS.
