The remote control for Nintendo's Wii game console, and the add-on attachment known as the Nunchuk, are having their first offspring. It is named the Wii Zapper. On Monday, the games company announced that the Zapper will launch on November 19, bundled with Link's Crossbow Adventure for $19.99.

Both controllers — the Wii controller, or Wiimote, and the Nunchuk — will be combined into one housing to create the Zapper. The Nunchuk, initially demonstrated at the 2005 Tokyo Game show, was the first attachment that Nintendo released for the Wiimote.

The Zapper connects to the Wiimote by a long cord, has an analog stick like the Nintendo GameCube controller's, and sports two buttons. The Zapper has a “classic style reminiscent of arcade-style games,” Nintendo's senior vice president of marketing George Harrison said in a statement.

Crossbow and Zombies

For instance, Link's Crossbow Training, based on the Legend of Zelda series, could be useful if you're hoping for a career as Robin Hood. Assuming the role of the Link the hero and using the Zapper, players must practice and perfect their crossbow techniques. First, unmoving bulls-eyes and then moving targets are provided as tests. Then, if players' eyes are good and the wind is at their back, they will graduate to defending themselves — that is, Link — against all manner of enemies.

Lest you think that Zappers are only good for emulating crossbows, various third-party game publishers “have lined up to support” the new interface device, according to Nintendo.

In EA's Medal of Honor Heroes 2, players can use a new, Wii-exclusive Arcade Mode to make their way through World War II. The game supports single-player mode as well as a multiplayer mode for up to 32 players.

Capcom's Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles enables one or two players to use the Zapper against bunches of zombies. In the course of doing so, the back-story behind the fall of the Umbrella Corporation is unveiled.

In addition to being compatible with these titles, the Zapper can become your own personal, arcade-like light-gun in SEGA's Ghost Squad.

Wii Game Titles

The Zapper could drive sales of games as well as consoles. Already, the Wii has four of the top 10 game titles in a recent NPD report, and it is positioned to increase its strength.

A recent report published by Gaming Target said that there were now more Wii-exclusive games in development than for any other console, a position that the Xbox 360 had held since such tracking began in late 2006. According to the report, the Wii has 113 exclusives, Microsoft's Xbox 360 has 96, and Sony's PlayStation 3 only 47.

Electronic Arts, the world's largest video game publisher, has said that it is less expensive to develop for the Wii than for the graphically intensive PS3 or Xbox 360.