Nyko Settles Lawsuit, Announces CES Lineup, Bundles

Nintendo announced this last week that they have settled a patent and trademark infringement lawsuit with Nyko, leading accessory manufacturer.  The lawsuit came about in June this year, when a angry concerned Nintendo took notice of Nyko's Kama controller, a wireless solution/replacement for the Nunchuk controller.  The suit asserted that the controller in question "wholly appropriates the novel shape, design, overall appearance and even the color and materials used in the Nintendo Nunchuk controller."

The statements on the settlement, while not revealing all the details, reveals that Nyko will continue selling the Kama nunchuk controller in a redesigned form (see below).  Notably, according to the dating on a few press assets I've acquired, the settlement and beginning of the Kama redesign may have happened around October, but that little tidbit is entirely unconfirmed.  The redesigned Kamas should be on shelves as of this writing.

The controller's changes may not be for the worse, however.  The Kama will now be a bit wider-set, with more grip on the underside.  The joystick seems to be a copy/paste from the Wing controller, with the a similar grip for the thumb pad, great blue detailing, and a switch from an octagon-shaped bay to a circular one.  Additionally, the C and Z buttons are curved to fit players' hands better, and have the same look as the Wing's face buttons.  It seems the appeal of the redesign is to match the same quality and details as the Wing, and it seems to work well.

Nyko also recently revealed their big lineup for the Consumer Electronics Show 2009. They are premiering their Charge Station Quad for the Wii, as well as (drum roll) wired versions of the Wing and Kama controllers. As some have debated (intensely debated) before, the $30 retail price of the wireless Wing controller seemed a bit steep to them. The wired versions of these controllers will be retailing for a much more affordable price. Plus, the cord is nearly a foot longer than the Classic Controller, and isn't awkwardly jutting out the bottom.

To make things even better, Nyko informed me just yesterday that the wired Kama and Wing controllers will be sold together in the "Control Pak" bundle for $29.99.  If some of you are still unsure about throwing down the same amount on a wireless controller, this seems to be a better value than both the wireless controllers and the first-party ones they build on.  Both the Charge Station Quad and the Control Pak bundle have been shipped to stores, the former retailing for $49.99.

Check out some other angles on the redesigned Kama controller below, and expect product reviews on some of these intriguing Wii goods in the future!