The Wii U Does Not Come with a Sensor Bar

Kotaku - The Wii came with a Sensor Bar. The Wii U does not. The logic behind that seems to be that Nintendo thinks Wii U customers already have a Wii, so they can use that Sensor Bar with the Wii U.

Those customers who do not have a Sensor Bar, Nintendo is more than happy to sell them one for ¥2,030.

[browngamer41]

Couldn't you use the controller and stand as the sensor bar?

[Jirachi]

I believe you can.

[darthv72]

the sensor bar is for the original wii-mote. And really for point at the screen type of games. The wii-mote does not use the sensor bar when you hold it sideways nor does it use the sensor bar when used with the classic controller or the nunchuck.

Games like house of the dead will need it but games like wii bowling wont.

The wii-u says it is compatible with wii accessories. It never said it came with them.

[Autodidactdystopia]

use 2 candles it works lol

[Cyb3r]

Whats a sensor bar and what does it do?

[HalfNerdHalfAmazing]

The sensor Bar it what the original Wii comes With is for the Wii remote

[HalfNerdHalfAmazing]

who cares about a sensor bar the Wii u is all about the gamepad

[Dr_Salvitor]

good thing i don't live in japan i only have one sensor bar left, the missis managed to eat my other one with the vacuum-cleaner

[Lubu]

"the missis managed to eat my other one"

I was hoping you'd stop there.

[Reverent]

You can always do the candle trick. Light up two candles in front of your tv, turn the lights off in the room, then have fun... Works surprisingly well.

Who needs real sensor bars when the
Amish can use candle sticks for the same purpose?

[BitbyDeath]

Pro controller should come before the sensor bar

[ronin4life]

I thought this strange as well.
Then I realized it doesn't come with any wiimotes either, so a sensor bar would be pretty worthless...

[Ares84HU]

Just how many add-ons does this console need so that you can use all of it's funcionality??

[thebudgetgamer]

Five hundred million.

[Shok]

The Premium model actually does include a sensor bar.

[samtheseed]

And they're selling it separate in a pack with a Wiimote.

[Ck1x]

This is how rediculous most people are depending on where you are in the world maybe it might be different. But I just watched the segment over again and Reggie clearly states that both models come with a sensor bar...

[3-4-5]

K what is a sensor bar like $20 though.

Anybody who already owns wii remotes will have one anyways, and I'm sure they won't be that hard to find.

[ChunkyLover53]

The premium model comes with the sensor bar, the basic model doesn't. The thinking is probably that casual gamer's will pick up the basic model, and since there are 100 million Wii's in the wild, they already have a censor bar.

[greenmeanie]

But what if I want to be one of 100 million wii owners who wants to move their console to the bedroom while putting the new wii u in the living room? Then I have to buy a new sensor bar? That logic seems like they want my wii to become a paper weight. Am I just to render it useless? haha

[ChunkyLover53]

Buy a new sensor bar for $10?

[Rockefellow]

Nice job leaving out part of the title for a flame war. If it weren't Kotaku, I'd swear you were just going for shallow hits.

...though Kotaku's not much better.

[mshope10]

this is only happening in Japan it comes with one here.and theres in the gamepad so when you play wii games you can put the gamepad under your TV and use it as a sensor bar.

[wanderson75]

They appended the original article title with (In Japan). Per the press release for NA: "The Wii U Basic Set includes a white Wii U console with 8 GB of internal storage, one white GamePad controller, AC adapters for both the console and controller, a sensor bar and an HDMI® cable."