Why do you need Nintendo to play Wii? Try playing Lara Croft's Unicorn console

It has to be admitted that only after domestic game consoles thought of the HTPC route did they truly become able to attract heavy players. And relying on the powerful performance of PC hardware, HTPC-style game consoles can also bring users more different ways of playing.

The Unicorn console produced by Laura Games has a hardware combination of i3 processor + GTX950 graphics card, which provides strong support for the operation of large-scale games. In previous reviews, we can also see that the Android emulator pre-installed on the Unicorn console can also fully realize the various functions of the Android TV box.

Obviously, Laura Games is not satisfied with just making its products simulate Android. How to bring a new experience of somatosensory games to unicorn consoles? This time, they set their sights on Nintendo Wii.

System Update + New Accessories

Turn on the Unicorn console and you will see that you can now receive the system update with version number 1.5.0.2. The focus of the update is to add support for Wii motion games.

To simulate Wii to play motion games, it is natural to add some new toys to the unicorn console. This time, Laura Games directly prepared a Nintendo Wii peripheral set for players that needs to be purchased separately, including dual handles, cameras, and a Bluetooth adapter for connection.

The "Wii MotionPlus INSIDE" on the motion controller indicates its identity as a genuine Wii peripheral. The standardized components enhance the versatility of the device. It can also be said that the Lara game took a shortcut.

The somatosensing camera is connected to the console via a USB port. Together with the Bluetooth module, WLAN module and the console's original handle adapter, the four USB ports on the back of the Unicorn console are fully used. The No. 5 battery included with the handle is from Xiaomi. Perhaps it would be safer for players to prepare two more batteries of other brands.

Satisfactory physical experience

Currently, the Unicorn console provides players with a total of 5 motion-sensing games, including Wii Sports and Wii Party. The size of each game is less than 1GB. Although the number is small, they have gained a good reputation on the Wii console.

There is no doubt that the realization of Wii functions relies on the Wii emulator. The size of the Wii emulator in the Unicorn console is only 8.36M. For adaptability reasons, it must be initialized before running.

The way to connect the Unicorn console to the Wii controller is exactly the same as the original Wii console, that is, long press the 1 and 2 buttons on the controller. It supports up to four controllers, but perhaps due to the underlying Windows system, the efficiency of Bluetooth recognition is not high.

Players familiar with Nintendo must know that most Wii consoles in those days still ran at a standard definition resolution of 480P. However, with the advent of PC emulators, the picture effect under the Wii emulator can reach 720P high-definition level without any pressure. Therefore, even on today's full HD TVs, the overall picture performance of Wii games in Unicorn is completely within an acceptable range.

Taking the Wii Sports tennis game we experienced as an example, whether it is a single-player or a two-player game, the gaming process is satisfying. The smoothness of the entire 60fps is not felt at all, and the multi-controller operation recognition is accurate without conflict.

However, the Unicorn console may need to work harder on optimizing the simulator's operations. For example, we have not been able to find the correct way to exit the Wii simulator. When the simulator is running, the Unicorn console's original game controller seems to be less useful.

Summary: A cost-effective somatosensory solution for a domestic host

Compared to the XBOX Kinect which costs thousands of yuan, the Wii's current motion sensing devices which cost more than 100 yuan are much cheaper. Fortunately, even from today's perspective, their actual effects are not bad. On the one hand, we have to admire the technical foundation laid by Nintendo nearly ten years ago. On the other hand, we also have to thank the simulator for allowing the Wii's motion sensing advantages to shine in more products.

Of course, for console players who are used to playing genuine games, they must feel that the Lara Croft game's practice of copying the Wii motion sensing device "whole family" to the Unicorn console is somewhat inappropriate. However, domestic game consoles are just getting started, so one more idea and one more way of playing is not a bad thing at the moment.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.