Wii Speak is a must buy for Animal Crossing: City Folk owners. For those without it though... (Wii Speak (Wii))

Member Name: eisbrecher

Product:	Wii Speak (Wii)
Date:	20/06/09 (11 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Makes Animal Crossing: City Folk infintely more fun on WFC, Crisp and clear audio, Looks attractive.

Disadvantages: Those without Animal Crossing: City Folk should not buy until more games are released.

Wii Speak is a peripheral that, unsurprisingly, lets you speak to others on certain games over Nintendo WFC. Currently only one such game exists, Animal Crossing: City Folk, however The Conduit which (at the time of writing) is due to be released soon which is a very good thing as the Wii Speak peripheral is very good indeed.

Look and Feel

The Wii Speak peripheral is of the same colour scheme to the Sensor Bar, with a light grey plastic body which is identical to the sensor bar, a black front, black microphone mesh and a grey cable making it look completely in place next to the Sensor Bar. It weights a bit heavier than it looks, feeling very robust and quality made. It is aesthetically pleasing, small and unobtrusive.
5/5

Robustness and Durability

As mentioned, Wii Speak feels very robust and does not feel fragile. The plastic body is very scratch resilient, with my Wii Speak falling off my television on multiple occasions yet it still looks brand new. Though, like most other microphone products, the microphone itself has a black foam covering and this is naturally susceptible to being caught by anything sharp (not that it should, being on top of a television) The main peripheral itself feels robust and durable but one cannot help but think why Nintendo could not of had a tougher microphone mesh.
4/5

Value for Money

At the time of writing, the Wii Speak peripheral only has moderate value for money. Its use in Animal Crossing: City Folk is faultless and works perfectly, coupled with its relatively cheap price for such a high quality product makes this a must buy for all Animal Crossing: City Folk owners. However for those without it this peripheral is not totally useless, Nintendo released a Wii Speak channel where you can enter a chat room with Wii friends. Also you can use Wii Speak to leave audio messages on your message board. This is not worth buying Wii Speak for though, this only gives value for money if bought for use with a game, and hopefully more games are released with support for this superb microphone.
3/5

Responsiveness

When used on Animal Crossing: City Folk (when you are in another friends town or vice versa) Wii Speak works perfectly. Even over my dubiously slow internet connection there was no lag or echo. On the receiving end, listening to someone using Wii Speak it sounds crisp and clear. It is just like talking on the phone, except this is free, I hope many other games released will support this peripheral.
5/5

Instruction Manual

The manual is rather unnecessary, with one cable going to the Wii it is very self explanatory, no buttons, no configuration, just plug in and play. The manual is in depth, maybe a bit too in depth. The manual could do with being a bit shorter though as using Wii Speak is even easier than using a controller.
4/5

Overall

Wii Speak is faultless in its look and design. It fits in perfectly with the sensor bar and is a very aesthetically pleasing shape. Currently lack of game support stops it from being a must buy, but hopefully over time this will change and Wii Speak will get the recognition it deserves.
4/5

Thanks for reading, any comments you have will be gratefully received. Also on Ciao.

Summary: Lack of game support holds it back currently, With increased game support it will be a must buy.