Let's start by discussing one of the most iconic aspects of this console: The controllers.
The main device is no other than the Wii Remote (also called 'Wiimote'), a gadget with a similar shape of a TV remote that contains many types of input controls:
- For starters, it has a set of physical buttons which are used like any conventional controller.
- It also contains an accelerometer to detect orientation changes, this is the main component used to achieve motion sensing.
- Finally, it includes an infrared camera that, combined with the accelerometer and some Wii processing, can be used to point at the screen.
- This sensor requires the Sensor Bar (included with the console). The bar contains two sets of infrared LEDs which the camera can sense, the Wii uses triangulation to calculate the position of the Wiimote from the TV.
The remote is powered by Broadcom's BCM2042 , a chip that includes all the necessary circuitry to become an independent Bluetooth device (CPU, RAM, ROM and, of course, a Bluetooth module). While the Wiimote is programmed to follow the 'Bluetooth HID' protocol to be identified as an input device, it doesn't comply with the standard method of exchanging data (possibly to disallow being used on non-Wii systems).
Lastly, the Wiimote also includes 16 KB of EEPROM to store user data and a small speaker limited to low-quality samples (3 kHz 4-bit ADPCM or 1.5 kHz 8-bit PCM).
Expansions
Nintendo shipped this system with another controller to be used on the opposite hand, the Nunchuk, this one comes with its own accelerometer, joystick and two buttons. It's connected to a 6-pin proprietary port on the Wiimote.
Nunchuk and Wiimote , respectively.
Other accessories were also built for this port, each one provided different types of input.