Control Your Android with your Wii Controller

Pocketnow

By Joe Levi

Published May 7, 2010

Have you ever been sitting on the couch, playing your Wii, and said to yourself "hey, this Wii controller is pretty cool, I'd like to control my Android with it!" Wait, what?! Apparently a developer did just that, and has a functional alpha-version…

Have you ever been sitting on the couch, playing your Wii, and said to yourself "hey, this Wii controller is pretty cool, I'd like to control my Android with it!"

Wait, what?!

Apparently a developer did just that, and has a functional alpha-version of an app that will actually pair your Wii controller with your Android. What's even cooler? He basically wrote a custom IME ("Soft Input Panel", or "keyboard") that pairs with the WiiMote via Bluetooth. This opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for Bluetooth input devices.

How do you use it? Turn Bluetooth on and run the app, then press the menu button and choose Keyboard Settings.

From here on out I'm basing the majority of the instructions on the post over at XDA-Developers.com.

Enable "WiiControllerIME" (this should only needed once right after installation).

Now you'll need to pair the Wii controller with your Android by "tapping the first button and at the same time put your Wii remote in discovery mode by pressing "1" and "2" simultaneously".

After that, wait for the "Connected" message to appear on your screen. The first LED will turn on on the Wii remote back in WiimoteController app tap the second button and select WiiControllerIME.

Apparently that's it! You can now fire up your games (or game console emulator) and play away (note, you only get key presses out of this app, you can't tilt the controller left and right to steer, etc.).

To disconnect, hold the power button on the Wii remote or simply turn the phone's Bluetooth off.

Also, don't forget to go into your phone's Language and keyboard settings and change your IME (keyboard) back or you won't be able to type.

What Android Devices Can I Run it On?

Right now it's reported to work on: