When I first heard that Power A is making "mini" versions of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, I thought, "What's the point?" After all, Nintendo's official versions are already the smallest controllers around. I began to understand Power A's product when I held it in my hands. The Remote and Nunchuk are not just smaller (in every dimension) but also noticeably lighter. That's partly due to the switch to AAA batteries in the Remote. The smaller battery format provides less total energy, but the controllers are also more efficient to compensate, and Power A says to expect about eight hours of play. (I always recommend using rechargeable AA/AAA batteries, which are economical, ecological, and universally compatible).

Both controllers have smoother, rounder edges than the official version. The mini-controllers also have a permanent, lightly textured coating that feels like a soft rubber (without the squeak). In other words, while your Wii Remote "jacket" won't fit this smaller version, it may not be necessary. There is a huge size difference between the unadorned mini-Remote and the jacketed official Remote.

Pro Pack Mini, modeling this season's newest purple rubber coating.

Both controllers have back-lit buttons, and the mini-Nunchuk features a fully rubberized and ribbed underside for your fingers to grip. The Nunchuk joystick has a circular range of motion instead of Nintendo's octagonal design, while the joystick itself feels like the same quality. Many third-party accessories include sub-par joysticks, so this was a nice surprise. One layout difference is that Plus, Minus, and Home have been moved to below the internal speaker; it's hard to say whether the change is good or bad, but these buttons are used sparingly in most games. It's not hard to reach them in the new position, especially given the smaller area for your thumb to navigate, but I'd want to test this layout with a game like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption that uses Plus and Minus during gameplay.

According to Power A, many components in the Wii Remote have become cheaper, smaller, and more advanced since 2006, and they wanted to take advantage of those improvements to make their controllers not only smaller, but also better. For instance, the infrared camera works at a greater distance and side angle (even with the official sensor bar), the rumble motor is a bit stronger, and the internal speaker is higher quality with less distortion than Nintendo's version. I wasn't able to verify all of these claims during the demo, but we'll take a rigorous look at these claims in the full review, coming soon.

What I can say from my brief hands-on time is that both controllers feel light and compact, very dense and solid. The smoother edges make it easier to hold the controllers tightly, even with my large hands, although the product seems even better suited for kids' smaller hands. The mini-Remote has a more uniform thickness from end to end, which should make it feel better for NES-style play. All of the digital buttons feel good, with a soft clickiness and range of motion that is quite similar to that of the official controllers. The A, 1, and 2 buttons are all considerably larger than their official counterparts, but pressing them feels the same. The D-pad has the standard shape and slightly soft feel of a normal Wii Remote (or DS Lite, for that matter).

The Pro Pack Mini is also available in blue, black, and pink.

Overall, my first impression of the miniature Wii Remote and Nunchuk is that they both feel great. If Nintendo redesigned its own controllers today, this is probably what the company would come up with. The smaller size may not be perfect for everyone, but it was totally comfortable even in my fairly large hands. I especially like the lighter feel, which could be helpful during long play sessions of first-person shooters and other games that require constant pointing and/or motion controls. While the mini-controllers are compatible with most other Wii accessories, including MotionPlus, the attachment looks and feels a bit awkward on the end of the mini-Remote, and it cancels out some of the size advantage of the new controller. (Power A said they are considering a future version that could have built-in MotionPlus, for a higher price.) As it is, the mini-Remote and mini-Nunchuk will be sold together as a package for a suggested price of $50 USD, though you might find it slightly cheaper at some retailers. They're going on sale in late July or August, and we should have a detailed hardware review by that time. As third-party controllers go, this combo feels more like an advanced first-party design.