Thrustmaster Sports Pack + NW Review
There’s tons of accessories for the Wii, and many people claim they’re just pointless and stupid, but personally I like them. I think they add a new depth of realism to the games, they add fun really, playing tennis on the Wii is fine, but playing tennis on the Wii with a racket just seems to be more fun really. When it comes to buying these said accessories though, you really have to watch what you buy as many companies have popped up selling them, and a lot of it is junk truly. One company though does make very high quality gaming accessories and has for many years, that company is Thrustmaster. I have several of their products already and I can attest to the quality of them, it’s good stuff plain and simple truly.
Today for review I’ve got the Thrustmaster Sports Pack + NW which is a nice all around pack of accessories for people who like playing sports on the Wii. It works especially well with Wii Sports Resort as it includes Jet Ski like grips, a sword attachment, a ping paddle, a tennis racket and a gold club too. You can of course use these attachments with many games for the Wii, like you could use the sword with Red Steel 2. It’s all compatible with the MotionPlus so you’ll be able to fully take advantage or it with the accessories. So read on to check it out…
Info:
Product Name: Sports Pack + NW
Provider: Thrustmaster
Author: Kristofer Brozio
MSRP: $34.99
UPC:: 663296414915
The pack includes:
-The universal grip, featuring multiple extensions for the Wii Remote Controller
-1 “jet ski”-style silicone skin for the Wii Remote Controller and 1 skin for the Nunchuk
-1 sword extension
-1 tennis racket extension
-1 golf club extension
-1 ping pong bat extension
Plug & Play: simply insert your Wii Remote Controller in the grip then add the selected extension according to the selected game or mini-game.
Wii MotionPlus compatible
Ideal for sports games, including the new releases using the Wii MotionPlus feature (Wii Sport Resort, Grand Slam Tennis, Tiger Woods etc.)
(This review was originally posted on my other site, Wii Digest)
The Review::
So I guess we can start off with an unboxing video for you to see:
Then we can move on to the pictures:
In the pack is a semi-hard plastic handle that’s to be used with the accessories to attach them to your remote. The back or bottom is rubberized for grip. On the top is a hole with screw thread inside, that’s how you attach the accessories.
Here’s my remote in the handle:
The bottom of the handle is open so you can attach the MotionPlus to your controller.
The Ping Pong paddle is actually rather heavy and it does look and feel like the real thing:
There is also an extension that is to be used with both the golf club attachment and the sword attachment, they’re threaded so they just screw on of off.
The golf club attachment is just a head basically, and it screws onto the extension:
The sword accessory is just a pointy piece of plastic, the tips though is a soft rubber to prevent injuries.
There are also two rubber grips for the remote and nunchuck, they’re supposed to simulate the grips on a Jet Ski. They can be used for that type of game or just as a cover for your controller. They’re nice thick rubber and they seem very durable and they’re comfortable as well.
It should be noted that the MotionPlus fits inside of the rubber cover for the remote.
For testing this stuff I played games, how else would I test it right?
I played Wii Sports Resort and Tiger Woods Golf along with Red Steel 2, and it’s fun really. The accessories truly add a new dimension of enjoyment to game play.
As I mentioned in the intro I like stuff like this a lot, but I like quality accessories and not junk like a lot of the stuff out there, and Thrustmaster knows how to make a quality product. I own other Thrustmaster products and have never had a problem with them.
The tennis racket and ping pong paddle are nicely made. The tennis racket is a semi-soft plastic so it’s a little flexible, it’s made this way of course so that if you have an errant swing and smack into something it won’t break, or it won’t hurt the person you’re hitting too much..
The shaft that goes with the sword and golf club is a semi-flexible plastic as well, it’s hollow and I’ve sure if you hit something hard enough with it you’ll damage it, but you’re not supposed to be hitting things with it, and it’s not supposed to be weapons grade material either.
The rubber grips are great really, you can use them in place of the regular Wii covers, and you’ll have a nice matching set, so you don’t have to just use it for any single game. it’s a great multi-purpose cover really.
All in all if you’re into accessories then you might want to grab this kit.
The only drawback I can see with this kit is that it only includes one of each accessory and most of us have at least two controllers, so you’ll probably have to buy two of these kits to get the maximum enjoyment out of these accessories.
The price for this kit is about $35, and I think that’s just a little high, especially considering you’ll probably need two of these kits. I’d say $25 would be a good price really for this kit, but that’s just my humble opinion…
Conclusion:
The Thrustmaster Sports Pack + NW is an accessory that I think is a must have for Wii sports title fans, it’s very well made, and it will add a new depth to your gaming.
The overall quality is nice, and the assortment that’s included in the kit is one that will work with many games.
The included remote and nunchuk cover is a nice addition, not only for sports games but just for all around use.
Thrustmaster knows how to make a quality product truly, if you’re looking for accessories for the Wii then check them out first really. They do have several accessories and accessory packs for the Wii available.
| PROS | CONS |
| +Works with MotionPlus +Lots of uses for the accessories +Quality made products, they should last quite a while with care +Covers can be left on for use with any games |
-You’ll need more than one set really -Personally I think the price is a bit high |
| Scores:: | 8 out of 10 |
| Overall: |  |
| Aesthetic: |  |
| Price / Value: | |
| Quality: |  |
| Usability: | |
Disclosure:This product was given to Review the Tech for review by the company for review purposes only, and is not considered by us as payment for the review, we do not, and never will, accept payment from companies to review their products. This product may have also been bought by us for review purposes and does not influence the review.