Nyko Charge Station Quad & Kama Wireless Remote for Nintendo’s Wii

Nyko’s Kama Making Things Wireless

We added the Nyko Kama to our Wii remote and took it for a spin as well. The Kama is approximately the same size as the original nunchuck but slightly heavier due to the 2 AAA batteries that are installed. The dongle that allows the Kama to communicate with the Wii remote snaps onto the bottom of the Wiimote and requires no batteries. When we used the Wii remote protector, the fit was a little snug, but it just took some adjustment for a proper fit.

The Kama has all the standard buttons that the traditional nunchuck has including the Z and C Buttons and the analog control stick. It also has a power button and a sync button on the top. After initially syncing the Kama with a remote, the only other time we used this button was when we removed or changed the batteries.

Nyko does a really good job of improving the form factor of the nunchuck in the Kama. Besides being heavier, the Kama fits in your hand better than the original Nintendo controller. The Kama has a rubberized grip on the bottom and grooves on the top to help you hold on to while you are attempting to execute your killer moves.

After a quick syncing procedure, we were ready to roll in no time at all. The Nintendo Wii didnt have any problems at all recognizing the device and there was no extra commands you had to give the Wii for the Kama to work. It was a very easy and simple installation.

The first game we fired up to test the Kama was Mario Kart Wii and the response of the analog stick and buttons to control the various vehicles were surprisingly quick and accurate. I really couldnt tell any difference between the Kamas response and traditional nunchuck. I was really quite surprised how well the controller worked with this game.

When we fired up Wii Music, however, we started to notice a difference between the wired and wireless controllers. Wii Music is all about being on beat and having accurate timing using both controllers. For me, there was a noticeable delay, or lag, when playing certain instruments and games. The accelerometer seemed just a hair slower than the wired controller. For this particular game, we were forced to change up our timing and internal clock to act just a bit quicker to stay on beat (so that we can gain the maximum points possible).

After many hours of playing with the Kama, we have yet to receive any low battery warnings prompting us to change the batteries. Nyko claims the Kama should work up to 30 hours on the two supplied AAA batteries. It would be great if the Kama came with an optional rechargeable battery pack, but for now, we continue to use disposables.

Even though the list price of the Kama is $34.99, you can easily find the unit on sale on the internet for as low as $26 on-line. Overall, we really appreciated the ergonomics of the Kama as it fits your hand quite well and gives you the freedom to play without a bunch of cords flapping around. The small lag we got when playing certain games is certainly an inconvenience, but the anomaly didnt seem to translate to every game in our catalogue. For our household, the Kama has become the must-have accessory and is used virtually every time we power up the Wii.

Legit Bottom Line:

Even though the classic Wii Nunchuck controller has slightly better response than the $26 Nyko Kama Wireless Controller, we perfer the wireless freedom that the Kama gives by cleaning up the clutter and tangle of wires while playing. The $49 Nyko Charge Station Quad saves Wii gamers a ton of money in batteries over the long haul and is a must-have for any Wii Familii.