5 must have accessories for new Wii owners

I noticed that many people I know have joined the Wii community of video gamers. Having been a member of the Nintendo Wii club for two years now, and having been a long standing member of the Nintendo fan boy club, I feel it is my duty to offer my advice on some accessories that every Wii owner should invest in.

What better way to spend some holiday cash and gift cards?

1. Wii Sports Resort
Not only does Wii Sports Resort take Wii Sports to the next level, but it includes the latest accessory, the Wii MotionPlus. The Wii MotionPlus is designed to take the Wii Remote motion to a more realistic level. Having played around with it a bit so far I can say that the difference is extremely noticeable and the possibilities for the accessory look promising.

I would expect that future Wii releases will utilize the Wii MotionPlus's capabilities in exciting ways. I envision future sports games making the most of the technology, such as more realistic passes in Madden or NCAA Football, better control of pitches in baseball games, more accurate free throw shooting in basketball games and precision passing in hockey games.

2. Wii Nunchuk Controller
The add-on to the Wii Remote is almost a requirement for the majority of Wii titles, and for under $20 there is no reason to not pick one up. The Nunchuk was one of the primary features of the Wii system and if you do not have one you will miss out on some fantastic games and experiences.

For those looking for something with a little more edge than the standard white Nunchuk, you can now get the accessory in jet black. Controllers are also available in black.

The black looks cool, but unless you have a matching Wii, it looks kind of silly. Or is it just me? I'm waiting for the day when Nintendo undoubtedly releases multi-colored versions of the Wii to match these third party nunchuks.

3. Wii Remote Battery Charger
There are a number of options available that you can choose from, but you have to have one. Playing the Wii will take a toll on your wireless Wii Remotes so unless you have an endless supply of double A batteries, or use rechargeable double A batteries, then a recharging station of some sort is a must.

4. Wii Classic Controller
Part of the allure of the Nintendo Wii is the growing virtual console library. Selected classic games once only playable (legally) on systems of yester-year like the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, NEO GEO and even the Commodore 64 are available for download via the Nintendo online store. Grab some Wii points and pick your game of choice, then hook up a classic controller to your Wii Remote to play the game the way it was intended.

The Classic controller is designed in similar fashion to previous Nintendo console controllers, with the Super Nintendo controller being the heaviest influence. The controller presents the traditional style button layout and adds analog control sticks for Nintendo 64 features primarily.

5. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board
It is the number one selling game on the Wii, it's new and improved. While the fitness game may not be your total athletic club replacement (more like a supplement) the accessory that comes packaged with the original Wii Fit and many version of the new Wii Fit Plus may be something that sees some expanded game play in the future in other games.

The Wii Fit balance board is the great grandchild of the old Power Pad. It's primary use may be for exercise but it is finding use in games like Wii Music
(used to play drums) and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (snow boarding). As time goes by expect more games to incorporate the Wii balance board for enhanced game play.