Advertisement How do you prefer to interact with your computer? Sometimes a mouse and keyboard just isn’t enough. Depending on what you’re doing, a completely different interface method is required for you to get the most out of your computer. Personally, I use a trackball and keyboard, for gaming as well as standard use, and there are many Windows computer owners who prefer to do the majority of their work using a graphical tablet and stylus.
Elsewhere on MakeUseOf we’ve covered methods for connecting PS3 controllers and Xbox 360 controllers to your PC – but did you know that it is also possible to interact with your computer via the Wiimote? Once you’ve successfully established a connection, the device can then be used for various purposes. Its motion sensor enables you to use the Wiimote as a pointing device, for instance, useful for conducting presentations What You’ll Need to Get Started If you own a Nintendo Wii or have access to a Wiimote (they can be picked up relatively inexpensively from eBay or pawnbrokers) then you will be able to take advantage of the device’s wireless connectivity and use it with Windows. In order to get started, you will need the following: • Internal Bluetooth or an external USB Bluetooth dongle • A Nintendo Wiimote Begin by ensuring that your Bluetooth receiver is correctly setup. A USB device should self-install on Windows 7, although you may need to install drivers from a disc. Check the dongle’s documentation for the full procedure.
There are many programs which are mapping the Wii Remote buttons to keyboard keys, so for Windows it looks like a key is pressed. This solution is not applicable when it comes to local multiplayer games like FIFA. My driver fixes this issue, since every Wii Remote is recognized as a native game controller, as they should be.
Success with this depends on the Bluetooth receiver; some are unsuitable for accepting connections from a Wiimote. As such, you will need to do some testing. (Before proceeding, please be aware that some USB Bluetooth adaptors will be unsuitable for this task. Whether or not the following steps work will depend on the build and chipset of the device you are using. Similarly some on-board Bluetooth receivers may prove problematic.) Connecting Your WiiMote To find out whether or not your Bluetooth is capable of communication with your Wiimote you will need to attempt to establish a basic connection. When you’re ready to begin, open Start > Control Panel > Add a device and then hold the 1 and 2 buttons on your Wiimote. Windows should detect the device (as Nintendo RVL-CNT-01) and add it, before asking you to select a pairing option – you don’t need to choose a passcode to pair this type of device, however, so skip this.