E3 06: Wii wielding gun

LOS ANGELES--One of the biggest attractions at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo is Nintendo's Wii, which features the motion-sensing controller many have nicknamed "the Wii-mote," because it looks like a television remote control. Gamers aren't limited to just that controller, though. Additional peripherals can be used in its stead or even attached to it.

A separate analog-joystick attachment has been known about for a while, and Nintendo revealed the classic controller yesterday, a pad that has two analog sticks, as well as a more-traditional button setup.

Today in the Wii section of Nintendo's booth, a new, unannounced peripheral was shown off in a display case. Dubbed "The Zapper," the new addition to the Wii family is a casing that houses the Wii-mote and the analog joystick in a configuration that looks like a gun.

The purpose seems simple--instead of holding both attachments in one hand (the analog joystick controls movement and the Wii-mote controls aim), one hand can control both.

Old school gamers will recognize the Zapper name. In 1985, the Nintendo Entertainment System was sold with a light gun named the Zapper, which was used to shoot hapless ducks and snickering dogs in Duck Hunt.