1) Don't call this device you use to go hunting on the Wii a "gun," even if you hold it like one. 2) Don't make it look like one either.
Those are some of the notes that the creators of the "hunting controller" for the June-targeted Wii game Bass Pro Shops The Hunt worked with while developing a peripheral for their virtual animal-shooting experience. Pscylone Games' Chip Pedersen, who demoed The Hunt for Kotaku in New York City yesterday, explained that Nintendo prefers that gun-controllers for the Wii aren't called gun controllers (the Wii-maker's own is called the Zapper). And stores and moms, Pedersen said, would prefer the thing doesn't even look like a gun.
So we've got the sci-fi looking rifle instead, an unusual gaming peripheral that lets players take aim at virtual deer in a game that is otherwise largely built for authenticity. Consider that this first-person shooter, which requires the patient hunting of animals and includes authentic fauna and hunting techniques, even lowers your in-game rifle when your character runs, a hunting standard if not a video game one.
As you can see in the video, the Wii's Remote and Nunchuk are embedded in the casing of The Hunt's controller, allowing players to feel the shape and heft of a hunting rifle, if not the kick.
The Hunt's gun controller may look odd, but it's hard to object to this type of design in light of a recent tragedy that involved a Wii gun controller that looked like a real gun.