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Both Wii and Switch are video game consoles developed by Nintendo.
Wii is a seventh-generation home game console released in 2006 and is Nintendo’s fifth major game console.
Nintendo discontinued the Wii in 2017, shortly after the release of the Switch.
The Switch is a hybrid eight-generation gaming console released in 2017. It is suitable for home use and is portable for use on the go.
Since Nintendo made both gaming consoles, some people have wondered whether Wii controllers can work on Switch.
Let’s dig deeper!
So, do Wii controllers work on Switch?
Wii controllers can work on Switch consoles but with limited functionality.
It is possible to connect your Wii controller to a Switch console. However, note that they are both far apart in age terms of technology. So, your Wii controller will not function effectively on Switch devices.
To connect your Wii controller to a Switch device, you will need some customizable adaptors.
How To Connect The Wii Controller To Switch
To connect your Wii controller to a Switch device, you will need some customizable adaptors.
Your Switch console works with Joy-Con controllers, and your Wii remote does not have many Switch features.
About The Nintendo Wii
The Wii was the successor to the GameCube and Nintendo’s first video game console that supported internet connectivity.
As a result, you could search and download games directly from the Wii shop onto your console.
There is also support for wireless connectivity with handheld consoles like the Nintendo DS.
Nintendo made the Wii backward-compatible, and so it could support virtually all games from GameCube. This feature was later removed from a revised model of the Wii.
Nintendo did not give much focus to computational power when developing the Wii.
This strategy gave the Wii a few advantages.
First, the Wii was relatively inexpensive to produce and purchase.
Second, the Wii drew the interest of a wider demographic of players through its novel gameplay.
The Wii would become one of Nintendo’s best selling games ever, registering sales of over 100 million units across the globe.
Drawback The Wii Has
Wii was a market success, but the game began to witness a massive fan exodus.
What could have been responsible for this?
The first problem had to do with storage media. With the Wii, Nintendo supported the use of standard DVDs, as did their competitors.
However, storage capacity was relatively much lower. A regular Wii disk has a storage capacity of 4.7GB, while a double-sided disk has a storage capacity of 8.5GB.
Compare that with PlayStation’s blu-ray disks with a storage capacity of 25GB.
Secondly, Wii lacked third-party game developers. Gamers lacked variety as many of the first-party Wii games appeared to be remakes of existing Nintendo titles.
About The Wii Controller
Design:
The Wii controller is also called the Wii Remote or the Wiimote. The Wii controller is so named because it assumes the design of a television remote.
This unique design enhances motion sensitivity and makes it an effective pointing device. You can use the remote on either hand. You can also turn it horizontally.
The Wii remote comes with a wrist strap. Nintendo attached the wrist strap to the bottom of the remote to prevent it from flying away from the user’s grip while playing games.
When you load your game, the system will remind you to use the wrist strap for safety reasons.
The Wii remote comes in various colors – white, black, silver, green and red.
Connectivity:
The controller connects to the console via Bluetooth radio. You can connect up to four controllers to one console. The controllers should not be farther than 30 feet from the console.
The Wii remote also uses infrared technology to communicate with the sensor bar on the console.
Sensing:
The Wii remote can sense motion on three axes.
It uses an optical sensor to determine the direction of pointing. This sensor detects light from the sensor bar on the game console.
The sensor bar on the Wii console is 7.9 inches long and has ten infrared LEDs.
Feedback:
The Wii remote has audio, and vibration feedback functions distinct from the television in-game sound effects. These features add another dimension to your gaming experience.
This feedback function is made possible by the presence of an independent speaker on the Wii remote.
Your Wii remote can give off a wheezing sound if you shoot an arrow in the same way it will happen in real life.
The speakers also function as a voice receiver for non-player characters to communicate with players via long-distance communication.
You will see this feature in games like Reel Steel and GoldenEye: 007.
Memory:
The Wii remote has a small erasable read-only memory. The system can read and write a section of the memory.
Another memory section can store Mii avatars, which are customizable avatars used by many Nintendo consoles.
This memory also saves your profile and your Wii remote’s configuration data.
Power:
The Wii remote makes use of two AA batteries as a power source. These batteries can last up to 60 hours with only the accelerometer function.
With both the accelerometer and the pointing function, the battery can last for up to 25 hours.
About The Nintendo Switch
Nintendo unveiled the Switch in 2016 as a successor to the Wii U.
The Wii U recorded poor sales relative to its predecessor – the Wii.
Nintendo decided to bring innovation to a new gaming console to boost its market share and remain competitive.
The Switch was the product of this plan. After months of anticipation, Nintendo rolled out the first Switch units in 2017.
The Switch was a market success. Nintendo sold three million units in the first months of the Switch’s release.
The Switch eventually outsold the Wii U within one year, recording more than 14 million sales.
As recently as March 2021, available data indicates that Nintendo has sold more than 84 million Switch units.
The game is yet to outsell the popular Wii, but it has helped Nintendo regain lost ground after the poor performance of the Wii U.
Features Of The Switch Console
The Switch is a hybrid gaming console. Being a portable device, the Switch is adequate for both home and outdoor use.
A complete Switch package contains the console, two Joy-Con controllers and a dock.
The console took the shape of a tablet with a dimension of 6.81 × 4.02 × 0.55 inches and weighed 297 g.
The console features an LCD screen that has a diagonal measurement of 6.2 inches.
The console supports a 3.5 mm audio jack, stereo speakers, USB Type-C port and a kickstand.
There’s also provision for a cartridge-based game card and a MicroSD slot.
You can play Switch games in three modes – TV, tabletop and handheld modes.
The Switch Controllers
The Switch features two controllers or the Joy-Con – the Joy-Con R and the Joy-Con L.
The Joy-Cons attach to the console via side rails. A locking mechanism at the side rails enables the attachment and detachment of the controllers.
You can use the Joy-Con singly or in pairs. You can connect up to eight Joy-Cons to a Switch console.
When detached from the console, the Joy-Con units work independently, connecting to the console via Bluetooth.
Lithium-ion polymer batteries power the Joy-Con. You can charge them by connecting them to a charging console.
Joy-Con controllers come in various colors – black, slate grey, neon blue and neon red.
The Joy-Con supports motion tracking using accelerometer and gyroscope technologies.
Similarities Between The Wii And Switch Controllers
Although the controllers are of different generations of gaming consoles, they have a few similarities.
- Both controllers use Bluetooth technology to connect to their respective gaming consoles.
- You can use both controllers as pointing devices.
- Both controllers support multiple connections to the console.
- You can use both controllers in multiple ways – a steering device, a pointer, or a racket.
- Both the Wii remote and Joy-Con also have the wrist strap accessory for safety.
- Both controllers use infrared connectivity.
Differences Between The Wii And Switch Controllers
The Wii remote and the Joy-Con differ from each other in many respects.
- The Switch can connect with eight Joy-Con devices, while the Wii console supports connection for a maximum of four Wii remotes.
- The Wii remote takes on the shape of a TV remote, while the Joy-Con has a more traditional gamepad shape.
- The Switch uses a lithium-ion polymer battery, while the Wii remote uses an AA battery.
Final Note
Both Wii and Switch are video game consoles developed by Nintendo.
Wii is a seventh-generation home game console released in 2006 and is Nintendo’s fifth major game console.
The Switch is a hybrid eight-generation gaming console released in 2017. It is suitable for home use and is portable for use on the go.
Since Nintendo made both gaming consoles, some people have wondered whether Wii controllers can work on Switch.
Wii controllers can work on Switch consoles but with limited functionality.
Connecting a Wii controller to a Switch console may be possible, but the technological gap and build variations between them will limit usage.
The Wii and Switch controllers both use infrared and Bluetooth technology.
While the Wii remote takes on the shape of a TV remote, the Joy-Con has a more traditional gamepad shape.
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