While the Nintendo Wii may be selling in huge numbers every month, players wanting more precision out of their controls have been waiting for the Wii MotionPlus, the add-on peripheral for the Wiimote that will give true 1:1 control of games. Today Nintendo has announced the release date and price of the peripheral: on June 8 you can buy the add-on for $20 alone, or with Wii Sports Resort for $49.99 on July 26. The new price of a fully decked out controller with the Wiimote, Nunhuck, and MotionPlus? $80.

The peripheral will only work with games that are coded to support it, but offering the add-on with a good example of what the controls are capable of with the new Wii Sports title should whet gamers' appetites. We had a chance to try the peripheral at E3 last year, and the precision of movement is impressive. The peripheral also changes how the controller feels in your hand; it adds a significant amount of weight and length to the Wiimote, making the whole thing feel almost like the hilt of a sword.

It's somewhat odd, seeing a virtual hand on the screen move exactly with yours as you hold a virtual frisbee, although the MotionPlus may make gamers excited about the possibility of the Nintendo Wii once again. A sword-fighting game that will come in Wii Sports Resort will allow you an unlimited number of attacks, you simply wield the controller like you would a real sword, although not having the weight of the blade or much tactile feedback when you hit an object is somewhat disconcerting.

The MotionPlus also hurts the value proposition of the Wii somewhat, as we've pointed out. The controller is $40 alone. Adding the Nunchuk is another $20. The MotionPlus is yet another $20. That means that for games that require the entire setup, you'll need what amounts to an $80 controller. Multiply that by four, and you have $320 worth of controllers for your system, if any games are released that require you to have every peripheral attached to play.

It's also odd to have the standalone peripheral available weeks before the package with the killer app. Will Nintendo have other games available for us with the MotionPlus before July 26? It's possible that company could release some tech demos or even games that take full advantage of the hardware on WiiWare, or there could even be a whole channel dedicated to MotionPlus titles. This may sound unlikely, but it's doubtful Nintendo would sell hardware with no included game.

Nintendo has proven that it knows how to sell hardware to consumers, as Wii Fit still sells incredibly well on the Nintendo Wii, as do rhythm games with included drums and guitars, but the MotionPlus will succeed or fail on the strength of the games that take advantage of the hardware. Will there be titles that are worth the $20 upgrade price? We'll find out in a few short months.