Charles Caleb once said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In this case, the Wii’s remarkable success has planted a seed in the minds of businesses and marketers who are hoping to catch on to the newest big hit. The Wii has certainly exceeded the expectations of many, and is currently the best selling video game system this generation. Because of this, businesses are cashing in on the Wii’s features and appearance. While not all rip-offs are noticeable, there are a few products that seem to be a clear copy of the Wii . Without further ado, here are the top 5 products that seem to have taken an apparent liking to Nintendo’s hot system.
Top 5 Wii related rip-offs
5. “Tilt” Games
Right off the bat, it’s clear that the Tilt Games Wiimote clone has some problems. The screen is much too small for any type of a real gaming experience and the screen doesn’t even have a backlight. Just imagine trying to play Zelda on a small piece of plastic. Yeah, not an engrossing experience. I want to know, how can anyone even see that thing? And haven’t we moved past the absent backlight age for items like these? Nonetheless, in spite of these obvious issues, the Tilt game manages to copy the Wii controller very well and even has the ability to turn on motion controls (then again, it’s not as if this thing is any good.) It’s worth mentioning that the Tilt gadgets come in a variety of flavors, of which include baseball and racing. The sad thing about this whole product however, is that I would not be surprised if a grandmother went into Walmart and bought this instead of a Wii controller, thinking that it was the real deal.
Retail price: $6.88, though honestly, I don’t think it’s worth even $.50.
4. 3D iJoy
Does slightly modifying an already established controller make something different? No, not really. The 3D IJoy was conspicuously attempting to mimic the Nintendo Wii, from the game controller to the games available on the product. Another slap in the face – and to round out iJoy’s parallelisms – is the iJoy’s wrist strap. Yes, a wrist strap. The copycat controller was bad enough, but by adding a wrist strap to the controller, it makes the rip-off much too explicit. Sure, I can understand that the company wouldn’t want people to damage their home appliances. However, is it truly necessary considering .01% of the population will actually be getting their game on this thing?
Retail price: unknown
3. Vii 2
Media attention and what I assume to be decent sales helped the Vii to come roaring back with a follow-up to its original as Vii 2. Vii 2 stepped up to the plate by introducing a variety of colors and completely reworked its model. The controller is still fairly reminiscent of the Wii remote, although the system itself looks more like a NES than a Wii. Apparently, the functionality of Vii 2 is almost identical to its predecessor, only allowing for add-ons, a “porwer button,” and additional expansion ports. Still, what you’re getting with the Vii 2 remains the same: A not-as-responsive and awkward control scheme when compared to Nintendo’s system.
Retail price: $140 – Pay another $90, and you’ll have yourself an actual Wii
2. La Foir’Fouille
Most products are generally assumed to originate in China, yet this unnamed Wii rip-off console was advertised to the French casual gamer. The company who developed this product seems to be trying to hop on the Wii Sports bandwagon by offering four out of the five games that can be found on Nintendo’s pick-up-and-play title, Wii Sports. This machine isn’t such a blatant Wii rip-off (as compared to other products on this list), but anyone who has seen a Wii before will pick up on the subtle differences between the two almost immediately.
Price: 39.99€
1. Vii
Vii. Does that look or sound familiar? It probably should, because this is the closest Wii replica you’ll find without it actually being the Wii. Arguably, the Vii initiated the entire Wii rip-off trend by taking nearly every aspect about the Wii, and only modified its characteristics slightly, right down to the name itself, Vii. More specifically, the build of the gaming machine looks identical to the Wii with a slight color change and the Vii comes with a very similar controller. For crying out loud, even the Vii’s marketing tactics are comparable. Surprisingly, the Vii does have a decent line-up of games to try out, but that’s not to say the games are any good. I’m certain that the gaming experience with the Vii does not come even remotely close to the enjoyment you’ll find on the real console.
Retail Price: 986 Chinese dollars (Estimated)
