Thanks to the wonderful world of modern technology, the Wavebird can send radio frequency signals to a receiver plugged into your cube, which can track down the waves from your Wavebird from up to 20ft away! I put the marvel through rigorous testing to find out if it really is as good as it sounds�

Looks:
Grey�hmm, its not the greatest of colours, especially perched next to the funky purple and very cool black controllers, but its nice nonetheless. You may also of noticed that it has an extended part at the bottom of the controller where batteries are inserted in the back and where the power switch is. At first, this does look kind of weird, but you will soon get used to it. The receiver plugged into your Cube isn't a much prettier sight either, it plugs in smoothly but just looks out of place somehow. However the Wavebird on the whole is still very stylish and manages to look good despite this and lets face it, this isn't a purchase for looks, its for what it can actually do�

Performance:
Astonishing really. It works so effectively that you could even position your Cube by the window and play outside while you catch some rays! It works even with direct obstructions, a couch can be in the way of the receiver and it will still work, so there's no worry about people walking past disrupting play. It will work through almost anything, through walls even, true you wont be playing behind a wall but its an example of how powerful it actually is. You don't even need to worry about aiming the controller to the receiver, it will pick up the signals no matter where it's facing.

Both the Wavebird and its receiver have a volume like dial, which contains 16 channels. The dial must be the same on the receiver as on the controller to work. This means 4 players can play on different channels, but why have 16 channels? Well, some appliances in your house may tamper slightly with the radio signals. For example, as most of you will probably do, I was playing first on channel1. It was working fine for over 30 minutes until my dad started using the microwave in the next room. This caused the controller to be less responsive and meant that sometimes what you pressed on the controller wasn't received. Don't worry though, after some initial experimentation you are bound to find a channel that is free from any interference at all, and changing channels is quick and efficient. You don't need to turn the Cube of or anything, just pause the game, switch the channel on your Wavebird and receiver and hey presto, everything's normal again.

The Wavebird is exactly the same weight as the normal controllers, and despite needing batteries it is actually the same size too. This means you will feel right at home, and before long you won't even notice you're using a different controller. However, having the same weight means there's a price to pay� no rumble. The batteries in the controller weigh about the same as the rumble feature inside all other controllers so it weighs satisfyingly like it should, but at first you will most certainly notice the loss of rumble. Burning a turbo and crashing over waves in Wave Race isn't the same without feeling the rumble, and I certainly missed it when I realised it was missing. Its something I think we take for granted, but it's a small loss considering what the Wavebird can do and the convenience it applies. The batteries will last for up to 100 hours of game play too!!

Price and availability:
At the present time there is no release date for the release of the Wavebird in Europe, so you're best of importing one from the U.S. Unfortunately this means ranging prices from �25 to �40 depending on where you order from. After searching around I've found that Dvdboxoffice costs �25 but they will take a very long time to ship, however at GoblinDirect pay a little more at �40 and you're looking at having a brand new Wavebird at your doorstep within a week. It's your choice.

Overall:
What it does, it does very well. Amazingly well, but you need to decide whether or not this will be of worthy purchase. If your Cube is conveniently positioned as it is with normal controllers reaching you fine then its hard to recommend the Wavebird, it would just be a novelty item. But, if you do have problems with the short wires and with people walking by all the time, the Wavebird is more than necessary and will certainly satisfy your needs. Impressive.

Score: 9.5/10

By Javid Sangra