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Wii Businesses Nintendo

Nintendo To Replace Wiimote Wrist Straps 223

Posted by Zonk from the avoiding-flying-wiimotes-seems-like-a-good-thing dept.
Kotaku has word that, after much giggling and photo-taking, Nintendo is replacing all of the Wiimote straps shipped with the original release of the console. There is a strap replacement form available, to get new straps sent to you. From the article: "Once your replacement wrist strap has shipped, you will receive a confirmation email from Nintendo. We expect to begin shipping replacement straps around December 21st. It will take 5 to 9 days for delivery depending on your location. Please do not contact Nintendo regarding your replacement wrist strap until after that time period has passed. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your interest in our products." Update: 12/15 17:07 GMT by Z : I used the right term here in the text, but Edge Online notes that recall is not the right term to use here. Title corrected.
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Nintendo To Replace Wiimote Wrist Straps More

Nintendo To Replace Wiimote Wrist Straps

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  • Someone show this to Sony (Score:5, Insightful)

    by k_187 ( 61692 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @08:56AM (#17254104) Journal
    This is how a company should react when they screw up.

    • Re:Someone show this to Sony (Score:5, Interesting)

      by AnswerIs42 ( 622520 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @09:18AM (#17254400) Homepage
      But it is not really a screwup.. the straps perform perfectly with normal use.. it is the "over excited" players that break their straps. And it is also not wide spread issues.. I have only found a few (under 50) confirmed cases of the strap breaking.. and every one of the cases.. the user was whipping and throwing their arm everywhere.

      Though... Penny Arcade explained the reasons better... http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/11/29 [penny-arcade.com]

      • Beat me to it. More kudos to Nintendo. (Score:5, Insightful)

        by WidescreenFreak ( 830043 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @09:38AM (#17254704) Homepage Journal
        You're absolutely correct. It's not Nintendo's fault that people are getting too emotionally involved with their games.

        But this replacement is something else that makes Nintendo win kudos from me. Not only are they not playing the CPU/graphics/power marketing bullsh*t, they're actually going to take the time and financial expense of replacing items that as far as I'm concerned they are not responsible for replacing. They're taking the high road. In fact, they tower above those idiots at Sony. Remember their rootkit attitude? "If you don't know it's there, it shouldn't bother you. What's all the fuss about?"

        Just because of things like this, I'll be more apt to pay for things like the virtual console instead of trying to hack it to play older games for free. Actions like this deserve loyalty and honest purchases.

      • Re:Someone show this to Sony (Score:5, Insightful)

        by MobileTatsu-NJG ( 946591 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @10:20AM (#17255488)
        But it is not really a screwup.. the straps perform perfectly with normal use.. it is the "over excited" players that break their straps. And it is also not wide spread issues.. I have only found a few (under 50) confirmed cases of the strap breaking.. and every one of the cases.. the user was whipping and throwing their arm everywhere.


        I love Nintendo and I mostly agree with what you've said, but I do think Nintendo made a bit of a mis-step here. True, the owners are getting 'over excited' and they aren't using it correctly. I do feel, though, that Nintendo does share at least some of responsibility about it.

        I don't imagine my opinion will be too popular, so I'll explain my thought process a little better. (Hopefully this'll prove at least that I'm not intentionally trying to troll.) I've been thinking about this a lot over the last week after being bombarded with pictures of broken TV's and black eyes. The first question I asked myself was: "How would I feel if this were Sony in Nintendo's shoes?" The answer is: "Geez, they're hyping up natural motion of the controller and it didn't occur to them to use thicker straps?!" I'm trying to be fair, I don't want to praise Nintendo for something I wouldn't forgive Sony for.

        I think Nintendo should have included the thicker straps originally. But I have to be honest, this isn't exactly a big dramatic issue with me. If Nintendo had never responded to the breaking straps issue, I wouldn't have paid much attention to it. This is more of a 'hindsight is 20/20' thought than some opinion blown out of proportion.

        • Re:Someone show this to Sony (Score:5, Insightful)

          by fistfullast33l ( 819270 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @10:43AM (#17255904) Homepage Journal
          I'll agree with you too. Nintendo might not have anticipated gamers getting really excited, but blaming players for having way too much fun playing games? Hello, it's a game. You want people to engage in physical activity, but not too much? The whole product has been billed as a way to break out of the static gaming environment of the past and into a more active setting, and yet they are surprised that people are excited and sweating and such?

          I think that they have reacted properly but let's not place the blame on anyone here. Nintendo underestimated the response, gamers were excited and engaged, an unforseen problem happened, and Nintendo resolved it. End of story.
          • Nintendo is responsible as all hell, their games are too good obviously! Why else would people be hurting themselves getting all excited over a silly game! They must be using foul technology to trigger endorphine and adrenaline release to make their games more exciting and addicting!

            They must take responsibility and lower the quality and excitement quotient of their games, obviously. /sarcasm

            FFS you shouldn't need to tell people a billion times not to chuck something. Such that when they do, and that som
        • Now, this is fascinating. (Emphases mine.)

          True, the owners are getting 'over excited' and they aren't using it correctly.

          but then you contradict yourself with

          Nintendo does share at least some of responsibility about it.

          No, Nintendo doesn't share any responsibility, especially when you admit that customers are not using the Wiimote in a manner that is appropriate. You can't have it both ways. If the people playing the games are using it responsibly and the Wiimote still flies out of their han
          • No, Nintendo doesn't share any responsibility, especially when you admit that customers are not using the Wiimote in a manner that is appropriate. You can't have it both ways. If the people playing the games are using it responsibly and the Wiimote still flies out of their hands, then, yes, I would agree that Nintendo bears responsibility. But it's ridiculous to say that Nintendo is responsble for the inappropriate behavior of its customers

            I find this response funny because it's the exact opposite that I'm

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Sure, if the controller goes flying, it is the fault of the user. But the strap still shouldn't break too easily.

        It's like any other safety feature. It's supposed to provide reasonably effective protection when things go wrong.

        If Ford decides to make my seat belt out of tissue paper, then they are partly to blame when I go flying through the windscreen... even though the actual collision was not their fault at all.

        I've never handled a Wiimote, so I can't judge whether the strap is reasonably good or not.

        B

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by MemoryDragon ( 544441 )
        I agree, I own to Wiimotes (I love the Wii btw, excellent machine and Zelda is awesome) and it is beyound me how you can break those things at all. The strap is very strong even in its thin edition. I guess only a few straps really broke, I assume that in some of those cases the strap was deliberately broken afterwards to gather the insurance money for the broken TV. After all it is hard to lose the wiimote, but possible, but loosing the wiimote and breaking the strap is really really hard, if possible at

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by ProppaT ( 557551 )
      Number one, Nintendo didn't screw up. Seriously, unless you're a pro ball player, you're not going to be able to throw that remote hard enough to get close to snapping the strap. And if you throw it enough to wear it down overtime, apparently you're not learning your lesson.

      However, I do agree that Sony should learn a lesson. One thing that Nintendo has ALWAYS excelled at is customer service. Nintendo is replacing the straps as good PR, not because they need replaced. Just as Nintendo was taking tradin
      • so all the people i've watched busting straps on youtube are pro ball players? wow. what teams do they play for?
      • Number one, Nintendo didn't screw up. Seriously, unless you're a pro ball player, you're not going to be able to throw that remote hard enough to get close to snapping the strap. And if you throw it enough to wear it down overtime, apparently you're not learning your lesson.

        So what you're saying is that pro ball players shouldn't play the Wii? I thought it was the console for everyone!

      • Most of the problem is with Bowling. The trick is this:

        1. In bowling, you try to swing as hard as possible
        2. At the bottom of your swing, you are told to release the B button. The B button is the index finger, and if you release it too much then you significantly lower the amount of grip you have.
        3. If you lose your grip at the bottom, it'll head straight for the television.

        It's still ridiculous but it's more understandable, knowing this.

    • Re:Someone show this to Sony (Score:5, Informative)

      by Megane ( 129182 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @09:26AM (#17254526)

      This is how a company should react when they screw up.

      This isn't the first time they've done such a thing, nor the biggest. The Famicom recall [wikipedia.org] of 1983 set a precedent, after which Microsoft's failure to promptly recall the Xbox when it had launch problems probably was what really cost themthe Japanese market. After that, recalling a bunch of piddly wrist straps that cost more to ship than they do to manufacture is nothing.

      And in fact, this is how Japanese businesses typically behave in the Japanese market. Taking responsibility, sometimes more than they deserve blame for, and making it right, even if it means the president of the company has to go from Okinawa to Hokkaido and personally ring doorbells and apologize to everyone who was wronged.

      • Re:Someone show this to Sony (Score:5, Informative)

        by MaWeiTao ( 908546 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @10:00AM (#17255096)
        And in fact, this is how Japanese businesses typically behave in the Japanese market. Taking responsibility, sometimes more than they deserve blame for, and making it right, even if it means the president of the company has to go from Okinawa to Hokkaido and personally ring doorbells and apologize to everyone who was wronged.


        No, this isn't how every Japanese business behaves. Many companies have covered up and denied problems, it's no different than Western companies. In fact, it's customary for companies there to cover up problems, quietly address them and release those fixes in subsequent models. Mitsubishi a few years ago was discovered to be covering up defects in their automobiles. I think one of their own veteran test drivers, who had been very loyal to the company ultimately helped to disclose these problems. There have been cases where people have gotten sick at restaurants and they offer a palty sum of money, not even enough to cover medical expenses. And, the last time I check Sony was a Japanese company and they've tried covering up countless problems and in fact have often failed to recall defective products.

        If anything, it's easier for companies to get away with this in Japan than it is in the US because Japanese are a lot less likely to become vocal and try to fight a big company. They certianly don't engage in lawsuits like Americans do.

        I do agree, however, that when someone is has been uncovered of wrongdoing they will openly apologize for it. In the US corporate management will deny everything and make excuses to the bitter end. In Japan they'll hold a press conference and make a direct apology to everyone, stating how they've shamed themselves, their family and their company. You'd never see that in the US. Then again, many Americans think money is the best form of apology and a CEO apologizing would be seen as an admission of guilt and thus paving the way for a lawsuit.

        • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

          by anotherone ( 132088 )

          I do agree, however, that when someone is has been uncovered of wrongdoing they will openly apologize for it. In the US corporate management will deny everything and make excuses to the bitter end. In Japan they'll hold a press conference and make a direct apology to everyone, stating how they've shamed themselves, their family and their company.

          And then, dressed in a ceremonial kimono, he will plunge the tanto into his abdomen and drag it across, opening a deep painful wound. After the cut has been made his second will perform the daki-kubi, nearly decapitating the businessman with a precision slash of the sword.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by kabocox ( 199019 )
        And in fact, this is how Japanese businesses typically behave in the Japanese market. Taking responsibility, sometimes more than they deserve blame for, and making it right, even if it means the president of the company has to go from Okinawa to Hokkaido and personally ring doorbells and apologize to everyone who was wronged.

        It's that attitude that will win in the US consumer market as well. When you have one company that will bend over backwards from CEO down to make it right, consumers remember. I hope th
    • You know very well that if it was Sony's wriststraps breaking in exactly the same way, the fanboys would be tearing them to pieces. But because it's Nintendo they get away with it. But then it wouldn't be a Zonk article without the obligatory Sony-bashing, even when the story has nothing to do with Sony.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by k_187 ( 61692 )
        Given Sony's current track record, if it was Sony's wrist straps breaking, they wouldn't have even admitted that they were breaking, let alone replacing them. Hell, from what I've gathered, this isn't that big of a problem for Nintendo AND THEY'RE STILL FIXING IT. Sony only catches shit for their screw-ups because they deserve it.
      • Sony = new /. Microsoft?

  • PA got it right (Score:5, Funny)

    by ack154 ( 591432 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @08:57AM (#17254114)
    I think this about sums it up [penny-arcade.com].

    Though no matter what the fault here, good for Nintendo to listen to the consumers and actually do something about it. Good PR, IMO.

  • not a recall (Score:5, Informative)

    by Dance_Dance_Karnov ( 793804 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @09:00AM (#17254176) Homepage
    This isn't a recall. This is for people too stupid to hold on to something while they swing it. The strap was designed to prevent people from dropping it, not to stop a remote traveling at 60+ MPH.

    "As of Monday, anyone who has any problems or concerns about the integrity of their Wii Remote wrist straps can call Nintendo Customer Services for a replacement strap. This is not a product recall. The current wrist strap is fine - it has passed all safely standards and does the job. This is simply a precaution because we are aware of the concerns over their safety. All new Wii Remotes and Wii consoles will ship with the new, thicker wrist strap. Even though the original straps are perfectly adequate for normal play, we can't control the exuberance of players."

    • Re:not a recall (Score:5, Insightful)

      by justinbach ( 1002761 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @09:10AM (#17254306) Homepage
      This is for people too stupid to hold on to something while they swing it.


      While I mostly agree with you about this (I'm the proud owner of a Wii and I have *never* accidentally let go of the wiimote), there's no question that it's a good move by Nintendo because the wii was designed to be played by lots of people. Like so many others, I've been astounded by how gaming n00bs have totally taken to the wii; my gf (who was certain that the wii would be the end of our relationship) now beats me at Wii Sports Golf regularly. Obviously, I've embraced how easy to pick up and play the wii is, and am happily amazed by how many people play it at parties and get really, really into it.

      Having said that (and as much as I love watching people have fun with the new toy), I get really nervous about people getting so into it that they forget they're just playing a game, and I can't count the number of times that n00bs at my house have accidentally let go of the controller, while, say, power bowling. This weekend, a wrist strap finally snapped, and though the wiimote went flying, it thankfully missed the tv and bounced harmlessly off the wall.

      Class act by Nintendo! Now I can revel in watching my stupid friends play Nintendo without freaking out on the inside about whether I'm about to end up like one of these guys! [wiihaveaproblem.com]

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Dance_Dance_Karnov ( 793804 )
        I understand what you are saying but not letting go of something has absolutely nothing to do with gaming experience. I can imagine the conversation back at NCL went like this...

        boss type guy: wiimotes flying into things? I need to see strap guy about this...

        strap guy: hey boss.

        boss: did you test the strap to see if it could withstand the forces generated on it by a wiimote going 50+ mph?

        strap guy: why would I? you aren't supposed to throw it, in fact there is a safety screen to that effect in every game, s
        • Safety screen. Funny. My guess though, is that most people don't know the exact MPH definition of "vigorous" and possibly don't know exactly how many MPH their arms are capable of. Maybe with that in mind, and the fact that the "safety screen" doesn't physically restrain them, people might possibly make the assumption that the way they're swingin' the thing is the way that thing was meant to be swung.

          TW

          • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

            by Headcase88 ( 828620 )
            Maybe they should make new Wii remotes that emit some sort of electrical shock if you're using it wrong. Here's a bonus: make the power of the electrical shock proportional to how stupidly they're swinging the remote. If the maximum shock is strong enough, we can bring some Darwinism into play.

            • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

              by Total_Wimp ( 564548 )
              Actually, this is a great, potentiality workable idea if you replace "shock" with "sound". An audible tone, especially if it was a really annoying one, would not only encourage you to swing slower, but encourage peer pressure from those on the sidelines. Heck, if I was the owner of the box and my buddy was constantly making the Wiimote sound off, I might want to direct him over to the safer Gamecube instead.

              Heres another idea. They could pause the game for 5 seconds if you swing too wildly. That would d

        • Re:not a recall (Score:4, Insightful)

          by Chris Burke ( 6130 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @11:57AM (#17257308) Homepage
          boss: did you test the strap to see if it could withstand the forces generated on it by a wiimote going 50+ mph?

          strap guy: why would I? you aren't supposed to throw it, in fact there is a safety screen to that effect in every game, sometimes more than one.

          case guy: I tested it. Case can withstand impact into cement wall when thrown by pro baseball pitcher. Both fastball and curve.

          electronics guy: I also tested it. Accelerometers and PCB remain functional when experiencing forces like blow from karate master.

          strap guy: Shut up, guys. You aren't helping me here.

          boss: Hm, true, we have no reports of broken controllers, only straps. But we do have that warning screen right?

          warning screen guy: Yes, but nobody reads warnings. Ask U.S. Surgeon General.

          strap guy: Shut up!

          That's basically the problem. As you can tell from the fact that even after being hurled at 50+ mph the wiimote still works, Nintendo usually has a very high standard of durability. It's unusual that Nintendo would let something like this slip. Especially when the entire purpose of the strap is to prevent the wiimote from flying off if someone accidentally lets go of it. If there was anything that should have been engineered beyond the expected limits, it's the safety strap.

          I don't really think it's Nintendo's "fault", as in I don't think they are shipping a negligently shoddy product. I do expect more from Nintendo though. I do think their response is the correct one, and a classy one to boot.
    • Actually, the documentation says otherwise, as does the construction of the strap itself. Nintendo clearly meant this strap to keep it from flying out of the operator's hands during normal use. Unfortunately, they also designed several of their games to encourage quite vigorous arm actions. "60+ MPH" movements are most certainly "normal" in this context.

      BTW, ever notice that the Wiimote is smooth plastic without a hint of texturing or a rubberized surface to help hold it in place? I see this as an "upgr
    • Yeah, I've been wondering to what extent a company should have to anticipate how badly abused their product will be; if you assume that the Wii wrist strap needed to be able to tolerate a 280 pound man widly throwing a Wiimote, wouldn't you also assume that a Plasma/LCD screen should be able to tolerate the impact of the Wiimote on the screen?

      There is probably no nice, clean aswer to this, but I wonder to what extent companies should be liable for damage caused by their product when used inappropriately.
      • None, by definition someone using the equipment 'inappropriately' is not following guidelines laid out in the manual, for example. Otherwise they'd be using it 'appropriately'.

  • just in time (Score:4, Funny)

    by WormholeFiend ( 674934 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @09:07AM (#17254266)
    My straps were starting to fray, and I was contemplating several ghetto-style solutions...

  • Alternate solution (Score:4, Funny)

    by Mr. Sketch ( 111112 ) <mister.sketch@nOSPAM.gmail.com> on Friday December 15, 2006 @09:12AM (#17254320)
    I have already implemented this [nintendowiifanboy.com] solution so I should be safe.

  • You can't fix stupid (Score:5, Interesting)

    by MysticOne ( 142751 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @09:13AM (#17254332) Homepage
    My wife and I got a Wii on launch day in the US, and haven't ever had a problem with the Wiimotes flying out of our hands. We've played some vigorous Wiisports sessions, lots of Zelda, Rayman, all sorts of stuff. The closest we ever came to a mishap was when I misjudged my position in relation to our ceiling fan, and smacked the light with the Wiimote. The strap isn't meant to keep the Wiimote from flying away when you throw it, but to prevent you from dropping the Wiimote. The people in all the videos, when they're actually wearing the straps, aren't casually letting go. They're throwing the fuckers as hard as they can. Personally, I think if you're stupid enough to do that, you probably need to just go without a Wiimote until you've learned your lesson.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Fozzyuw ( 950608 )
      They're throwing the fuckers as hard as they can.

      'Nuf said!

  • Soooo unlucky.... (Score:4, Funny)

    by lurvdrum ( 456070 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @09:20AM (#17254430)
    I'm just finding it hard to credit the number of people claiming that their wiimote "flew out of their hands and into the telly...". Maybe there's just an awful lot of people who really fancy a new telly off the insurance? No one seems to be complaining that "My wiimote flew off the strap and broke that nasty ornament over the fireplace I've always hated since the day my Aunt gave it to me".

    • Re:Soooo unlucky.... (Score:5, Funny)

      by joshetc ( 955226 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @09:43AM (#17254804)
      I have the feeling the reason is because most people tend to face their TV when using their Wii rather than the fireplace.
      • Were it not for the fact that the wiimote is designed to detect movement in all three spatial dimesnsions. Do these people turn sideways on to the telly every time they want to make a sideways movement of the wiimote...?? Or maybe they've only discovered the "stabbing" movement so far...

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ookaze ( 227977 )
        I have the feeling the reason is because most people tend to face their TV when using their Wii

        And yet, some of them broke their light in the ceiling ...
        Seems even more unlikely.
    • No one seems to be complaining that "My wiimote flew off the strap and broke that nasty ornament over the fireplace I've always hated since the day my Aunt gave it to me".

      Video games are traditionally played facing a television set, not facing a fireplace.

      (With the obvious exceptions of "Nasty Ornament Shooting Gallery" and "Super Nasty Ornament Shooting Gallery".)

  • Go Nintendo (Score:5, Insightful)

    by JayBlalock ( 635935 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @09:39AM (#17254708)
    While I'm still not convinced this was really THEIR fault, once again Nintendo shows how hardware flaws SHOULD be handled. I've been a gamer since the NES, and without fail, no matter how poorly the company's been performing, they were always excellent about shipping out replacement parts - usually gratis! - when needed.

    Plastic controller covers, Gameboy scratch-protector screens, cracked button in the N64 controller... I've never had to pay for a replacement bit. (whereas other companies would probably make me buy a new controller rather than send me a button) Just speaking from personal experience, but this is quite possibly the #1 reason I'm still a Nintendo fanboy after all these years.

    I really feel like companies these days have forgotten the old adage about "you have to spend money to make money." When I was twelve years old, dropped my Gameboy, and cracked the plastic screen cover, they COULD have been jerks and made me pay ten bucks for it. But they didn't. They even swallowed the shipping charges. And then I bought a SNES... and an N64 (sigh)... and a Gamecube...

    You get the idea.

    Whereas every time I've needed something from Microsoft, it's been like pulling teeth and... (looks around) GEE! No X-Boxes here!

    Customer loyalty isn't a myth.

  • These are simply cases of "dumb" (Score:5, Interesting)

    by GweeDo ( 127172 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @09:40AM (#17254740) Homepage
    I have had a Wii since launch day. It has 60+ hours of use already by myself (25 year old avid gamer), my 5 year old niece, my wife (loves her Monkey Ball), my 57 year old father-in-law, my 15 year old cousin, ect, ect, ect. Not once has the WiiMote left anyone's hands (even with some pretty freaking fast pitches!). Not once has their been a fear of damaging my generic 27" TV or my Cousin's 42" Plasma.

    Everyone should also view this report:
    http://www.nintendojo.com/fullfocus/view_item.php? 1166055790 [nintendojo.com]
    If the default straps can take that, then people are just really dumb if they manage to break them.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by grumbel ( 592662 )

      Not once has the WiiMote left anyone's hands

      Do you expect that to stay the same for the next 5+ years? You know, you only need to let the Wiimote slip once to kill your expensive Plasma. If your strap survived the first three weeks, thats all good and fine, but 250 more weeks still to go.

      The strap is there to prevent Wiimote accidents from doing harm to the environment, just because you havn't yet witnessed one of those accidents doesn't really prove anything.

  • Things you swing that don't have a strap... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by SilentJ_PDX ( 559136 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @10:01AM (#17255110) Homepage
    1. Baseball bat

    2. Tennis raquet

    3. Squash racquet

    Louisville Slugger, Head and Prince are begging for lawsuits... :)

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by WillyMF1 ( 867862 )
      This is different. There are the nice TVs of a bunch of bloggers involved.

      • Also (Score:2, Insightful)

        by killmenow ( 184444 )
        It's different because people who tend to actually use baseball bats, tennis racquets, etc. are athletic people with a modicum of coordination...as opposed to video gamers who tend to be uncoordinated nerds (like myself) who suck at swinging baseball bats, tennis racquets, etc. in the real world too.

        Even still, this uncoordinated person, his teenage uncoordinated son, nine year old uncoordinated daughter, and six year old uncoordinated son all have been playing Wii Sports since November 19th and none of u
    • Baseball. (you're an idiot if you mod this insightful)

  • In other news... (Score:5, Funny)

    by EarwigTC ( 579471 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @10:39AM (#17255848)
    I keep punching my crotch way harder than it's supposed to be punched, and it huurts. I would like Levis to send me some better jeans.
  • I used to feel people who lost their grip on their remotes were stupid. Or naturally clumsy. Or speading FUD or looking for lawsuit material. Until it happened to me whilst playing tennis. My hand was extremely sweaty during one very long rally. All it took was one backhand too many in this sweaty situation and -VOOP- goes the wiimote. The strap did break, and I don't think that offending swing was particularly vigorous. Nothing was broken, and, fortunately, I can tie knots. I think it's just poor d

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by s31523 ( 926314 )
      It is only a matter of time before someone brings a lawsuit against Nintendo. If the strap really does break that easily, take the original Wiimote and show a jury how easy it breaks and bam, lawsuit won. If it's true, Nintendo should pay up to replace things that get broken. I'd be pissed if I was swinging my Wiimote with "normal" force and the strap broke causing the wiimote to smash my nice new $2000 flat-screen TV.
      • Using the Wiimote with normal force also includes you not letting go of it. If you use the Wiimote in such a way that you throw it at your TV screen you just threw it at your tv! It's like blaming a seat belt for making you chip a tooth in a car accident when you hit a tree going 100mph.
  • Can somebody clue me in? I'm not exactly sure what this is in reference to. Am I the only one who doesn't get the joke?
  • I was one of the people that had a wrist strap break. The remote also went through my 52 inch rear projection tv. My friend was the one that sent the controller flying. We were playing the wii sports baseball homerun derby game. The object of this game is to swing as hard as you can, to get the furthest possible home runs. Personally I think that the wrist straps were extremly poorly designed, and that were were not using the system outside of its normal use. Now I do not expect Nintendo to reimburse me for

  • Board Meeting (Score:3, Funny)

    by Wiarumas ( 919682 ) on Friday December 15, 2006 @01:42PM (#17258936)
    I can imagine Nintendo's board meeting...

    "Wait.. so... people actually aren't capable of holding onto an object?"

    "...yes... apparently the market we are selling to aren't the most physically capable beings."

    *Sigh* "Ok... fine. Let's make it more durable so even people who aren't capable of holding onto something can play Wii."

  • Update: 12/15 17:07 GMT by Z : I used the right term here in the text, but Edge Online notes that recall is not the right term to use here. Title corrected.

    First, I can't say I've even seen a "correction" on SlashDot. Ever. One has to wonder what advertiser threatened to pull what ads to make this near Act of God happen.

    Second, it IS a recall. From some actual news sources...

    Nintendo recalls Wii straps, DS adapters
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic le/2006/12/15/AR2006121500932.html [washingtonpost.com]

    (Shitl

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