Are there smaller sensor bars designed for close-quarters play?

[ODISeth]

This isn't specifically a Dolphin issue but more an issue with Wiimotes in general. Pointer controls are wildly inaccurate when playing at my desktop. Whether I'm playing on a real Wii, on Dolphin, or on my Wii U, if I'm playing at my desk just about 1 or 2 feet away from the sensor bar, the pointer of all Wiimotes goes crazy and it is incredibly challenging to play anything. I've tried 3 different sensor bars, two official ones and one USB one, and this is true of all three, across a variety of Wiimotes. In order to get an accurate pointer, I typically need to back about 8 to 10 feet away from the sensor bar, which makes sense, as that's about the distance the Wii was designed to be played at. However, I'm a Twitch Streamer and YouTube video maker, and I typically need to be at my desk, 1 to 2 feet away from my PC, in order to properly record.

After doing some testing with the Wii U settings menu, it looks like when I'm too close to the sensor bar, the Wiimote simply can't see the IR lights on both sides of the sensor bar, explains the eratic pointer behavior. So, I'm wondering if it's at all possible to buy a smaller sensor bar. Something with the IR lights closer together, that's designed to be played at closer distances. I've heard about the candle trick, lighting two candles and putting them closer or further apart from each other as needed, but unfortunately my apartment doesn't allow candles (and admittedly I don't think putting candles close to my monitor is a good idea in the long run anyway).

If anyone knows where I could buy a small sensor bar, or has any ideas on how I could make the regular one work up close (I don't think the sensitivity is the answer, I've messed with that a bunch and gotten no progress), please let me know!

[KHg8m3r]

Effectively you'd need 2 sources of IR light, just closer together. You could get some IR LEDS and wire them to a power source, depends on how good you are at DIY electronics

[AnyOldName3]

If you're not good at electronics, you can even carefully cut a sensor bar in two while leaving the wires inside intact, and then but the two ends closer together than they could be when it was whole.

[MayImilae]

Ok don't literally cut a sensor bar in half. If you just take some bolt cutters to the sensor bar you'll destroy it no matter how careful you are doing it!

Instead, take the shell off the sensor bar, and you'll find two PCBs with lights on them and a cable connecting the two. Take the sensor bar bits out of the shell and then you can put the two PCBs closer together and you're good. You can figure out how to make it nicer from there, like 3D printing, cutting up the shell, etc.

[AnyOldName3]

Does anyone have a large pile of sensor bars I can practice neatly bolt-cuttering? I think with enough tries I can prove May wrong on that one.

[ExtremeDude2]

Does anyone have a large pile of sensor bars I can practice neatly bolt-cuttering? I think with enough tries I can prove May wrong on that one.

I think if it takes more than 1 try, you are proving her point XD

[ODISeth]

Ok don't literally cut a sensor bar in half. If you just take some bolt cutters to the sensor bar you'll destroy it no matter how careful you are doing it!

Instead, take the shell off the sensor bar, and you'll find two PCBs with lights on them and a cable connecting the two. Take the sensor bar bits out of the shell and then you can put the two PCBs closer together and you're good. You can figure out how to make it nicer from there, like 3D printing, cutting up the shell, etc.

Thanks for the advice May! Tbh I was really hoping to avoid DIY solutions, I’ve never been good with my hands haha

But this explanation makes a lot of sense! Shame there aren’t premade things like this I can just buy. Might be a neat niche market, sensor bars with some sorta adjustable slider so you can use them at close or far distances.

[ODISeth]

Alright! Good news is taking the sensor bars apart was easy. Bad news is all the sensor bars I have are not 2 separate PCBs, but rather one long one connecting both sides, which would make disconnecting and reshaping the lights rather difficult for someone who doesn’t know… anything about wiring and whatnot. I figured the USB one was unofficial and might be different in some way, but both of the Nintendo produced ones I have are also arranged like that. Any advice? Are the sensor bars I have actually unofficial or something?

[MaziRoddy999]

Alright! Good news is taking the sensor bars apart was easy. Bad news is all the sensor bars I have are not 2 separate PCBs, but rather one long one connecting both sides, which would make disconnecting and reshaping the lights rather difficult for someone who doesn’t know… anything about wiring and whatnot. I figured the USB one was unofficial and might be different in some way, but both of the Nintendo produced ones I have are also arranged like that. Any advice? Are the sensor bars I have actually unofficial or something?

The other alternative (which could be considered the nuclear option) would be to remap all of the motion controls to individual button presses on a modern standard controller instead; however, that's if you're emulating Wii using Dolphin. Now, if you're streaming Wii gameplay by way of video capture then you'll inadvertently have to go w/ a DIY option which may require you to mod a Wii (to use unconventional controller options; here is are some links to name a few: here, here, and here).

[ODISeth]

The other alternative (which could be considered the nuclear option) would be to remap all of the motion controls to individual button presses on a modern standard controller instead; however, that's if you're emulating Wii using Dolphin. Now, if you're streaming Wii gameplay by way of video capture then you'll inadvertently have to go w/ a DIY option which may require you to mod a Wii (to use unconventional controller options; here is are some links to name a few: here, here, and here).

Unfortunately its not motion I’m trying to resolve, it’s the specific pointer functions. Unless it’s possible to use gyro controls to emulate a pointer, because I do have an 8bitdo with gyro controls. But I’d really rather get this working with my actual Wii remotes, play pointer games in Mario Party 8 and whatnot