January 15, 2025, 9:31 am | Read time: 3 minutes

Although it has not been produced for more than ten years, a new controller for the Nintendo Wii has now been released. The reactions are devastating.

New Controller for Nintendo Wii Eill Be a Guitar

At first glance, a new controller for the Nintendo Wii might seem unlikely to succeed. Many in the gaming community may no longer own the hardware or have set it aside for more modern consoles. Either way, it is unlikely to still be in active use.

Nevertheless, the manufacturer Hyperkin has now presented the “Hyper Strummer Wireless Guitar” and released it for pre-orders. According to the company, this is the successor to the previous in-house Wii guitar. Hyperkin describes this as an ‘update’ to the previous model. As a Wii Remote, i.e., a conventional Wii controller, must be used, the guitar can really only be used with this console.

Supported games are the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series. However, Rock Band 1 is excluded because it did not support guitars in this style at the time. The guitar is currently priced at 76.99 US dollars. Hyperkin’s website emphasizes that the new guitar will not be available on Amazon.

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Fans Are Very Disappointed

The announcement of a new controller for the Nintendo Wii in 2025 has provoked numerous negative reactions. Beneath the post, numerous comments can be found, including ‘Shame on Hyperkin’ and ‘This is such a scam.’

In the eyes of many, Hyperkin has gambled away the trust of its customers, especially after trying to create real hype for the product announcement. Fans also suspect a rip-off because the upcoming “Hyper Strummer” guitar looks exactly like an old model from 2009. This raises the question of whether they are attempting to repackage old goods as new.

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Hyperkin Defends Itself Against Rip-Off Accusations

Hyperkin has published a statement on the matter. In it, those responsible explain that the cover is indeed the same as the previous model. However, newly manufactured internal components from 2024 have been installed underneath. As such, they are not merely leftovers from the past.

They also wanted to address a specific demand. After all, retro gaming enthusiasts have so far had little opportunity to get their hands on an affordable gaming guitar in mint condition. Instead, they had to make do with years-old second-hand products that may not have worked properly but were still expensive.

This point is perfectly valid and not a lame excuse. In fact, Kotaku, among others, reported on a study that found that the majority of global gaming time in 2023 will have been spent on titles that are six years old or older. Consequently, the resurgence of retro gaming has created a growing demand for vintage hardware. Nevertheless, Hyperkin promises “something truly groundbreaking” for the future and asks the gaming community for a little more patience. Yet, given the negative reactions to the new guitar, it remains to be seen if the gaming community will be patient.