Wii's Original Design Revealed as Two GameCubes Connected, According to New Model
Nintendo's GameCube, despite its compact size and vibrant games like Super Smash Bros. Melee and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, also served as an early cradle for the Nintendo Wii remote, as a prototype has been unveiled in a recent Yahoo Auctions listing from Kuriaisu1122.
The prototype device sports a wired design, with a proprietary GameCube controller cable, and carries distinguishable features. Beneath the two bottom buttons, labeled 'B' and 'A' respectively, showcases Nintendo's initial vision of players holding the remote sideways for Virtual console games. A large, unlabeled white button adjoins the directional pad, while the 'Start', 'Select', and 'Home' buttons maintain traditionally recognizable labels. Multiple revisions led to the final design's characteristics. Interestingly, an Ethernet jack at the base was used to connect accessories—an eventual embodiment of the "Nunchuk interface," albeit a preferred feature among modders.
Similar to the "indispensable" Mario Party 6 microphone, the prototype Wii's IR sensor bar communicated through the GameCube memory card port. A size comparison photo of the prototype sensor bar revealed it to be approximately four inches wider than the final design, and it lacked the small speaker that seemed almost secondary in function.
Veracity for the controller was endorsed in a tweet by WayForward's James Montagna, who remarked on Twitter, "Wow, it's the prototype Wii Remote & Nunchuk! I remember seeing these back when it was still known as the Nintendo Revolution!" Montagna further shared photos of the Wii remote from E3 2006, which showcased 'Back' and 'Pause' buttons where the plus and minus buttons eventually took residence on the final design. These photographic remnants serve to illuminate the evolving design process at Nintendo, fleshing out the timeline of the Wii remote's development.
For further insight on the console formerly named the Nintendo Revolution, look no further than our website's feature on an incredible Wii console mod nestled within an Altoids tin.
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The early prototype of the Nintendo Wii remote, as seen in the Yahoo Auctions listing, showcases technology that would later be incorporated into modern gadgets like the Wii remote. The prototype Wii remote, with its IR sensor bar and wired design, shares some similarities with the gaming gadgets of today.
