Stix 200
© 2008 Playhut, Inc.
Designed to bring Wii-like control to a Windows computer, Stix from PlayHut ($50, www.golive2.com) is a pair of wireless, motion-sensing game controllers; plus a USB base. If you squint a bit, you'd swear you were looking at a pair of Wii Remotes, with the exception of a black, touch sensitive control pad on the front. Stix 200 ($50) offers 2D mouse-like controls. An additional package, called Stix 400 ($60) is planned for October '08 and will offer an additional accelerometer for 3D movements. After you put the two AA batteries into the controllers, you plug a receiver base into your USB port which automatically starts downloading the driver, providing you have Windows Explorer running on your computer. From this point, you can control your cursor with a flick of your wrist, from as far as 15 feet from the screen. The feeling is sluggish, in part because the cursor motion drifts on the screen, and is not mapped directly to your motion. As a result, there's a learning curve to using these controls -- if you're expecting a Wii experience, as the marketing implies, you're in for a disappointment. The left and right mouse buttons are replaced with the trigger and "A" keys, respectively. An online arcade includes a set of standard casual games that have been adapted for the motion controls, found at http://Sphere.GoLive2.com (registration required). Stix 200 is out now (August 11), and Stix 400 is planned for October 2008. The bottom line? If you're expecting a Wii experience on a Windows computer, you're likely to be disappointed, at least if your experience is the same as ours--we tested the $50 base-level kit (the Stix 200).
$5060, Windows
Teaches: a peripheral for Windows
CTR Rating: 72.5%