If you bought four controllers so you could play Smash Bros., prepare to kick yourself. Where most wireless controllers have been iffy in terms of control sensitivity and accuracy, the Wave Bird is an outstanding piece of technology.

Working on the 900Mhz RF frequency, the Wave Bird has 16 channels to ensure interference-free play. Multiple controllers will of course, need to be set to different channels, and if you have any other items that use the 900MHz frequency (such as cordless phones), you'll need to experiment with the channels.

Nintendo is conservatively saying that the controllers will work at a length of 15ft ... over twice the length of the GameCube controller cable. This is good, and should be more than adequate for most gamers. Nintendo has also said off the record that the controller should work well at distances of about 30ft. That's exceptional.

However, what I saw over the past two days blows even those estimates out of the water. Demos shown on the big screen were controlled with a Wave Bird with the GameCube behind a wall over 40ft. behind, and more than 10ft. up.

The Wave Birds never missed a step, working flawlessly with every game I played. There is a convenient LED on the receiver module that lights to tell you when it is receiving a transmission from the controller ... handy for troubleshooting. These were prototype units, missing the Nintendo logo, but should be comparable to the final version in stores June 24th.

Missing was the "Quick" switch, a feature that was supposed to increase the transmission rate for fast-paced games like Smash Bros. (at the expense of battery life). It appears that it just wasn't necessary, the Wave Bird worked fine on Virtua Striker 3, WrestleMania X8, Eternal Darkness, Burnout, Animal Crossing, and Resident Evil.

The controller isn't a whole lot heavier than a regular one. Maybe a bit, but that's all. The only real caveat is the lack of rumble, but it's for a very good reason (and it's not battery life). The Wave Bird transmits, and the receiver ... ahem, receives. In order to support rumble, both the controller and the receiver would need to be both transmitters and receivers, effectively doubling the cost of the controller. Quite frankly, while rumble is nice, it's not necessary, and can hinder precise control.

I'm really looking forward to picking these up. No cords for the puppy to chew on (much to his dismay), and I can keep the GameCube behind the entertainment center door where it can't be disturbed by puppy paws. Thanks, Nintendo!