Wiimote strap breaks, controller destroys TV

So there's this dude who was playing Wii Sports bowling, as his story goes, and his pal rolls a Lebowski and the next thing you know the strap breaks from the force of the swing; his slippery hands let loose, and the Wiimote flies like a missile and cracks his pal's TV. Believe it or not, having played Wii Sports bowling, this is totally something we can imagine. But you can take one of two positions here: 1) dude or his friend weren't using the wrist strap, as is recommended before every game starts, and the controller flew out of his hands and smashed the set; dude(s) cut the strap and put it on display for internet pity points (and possibly a new TV courtesy of an anxious Nintendo). Or 2) somehow the Wiimote strap -- which, for the record, we think feels sturdy enough -- does break mid-game and this guy really is out a 60-inch TV thanks to Nintendo's fabric engineering team. But we know one thing for sure, that's a helluva crack and something tells us it won't be the last.

[Thanks, Sando]

Update: We spoke with Jon Leonard, the guy whose TV is now cracked worse than a Mad mag knockoff. He insisted to us there was zero foul play going on here and that he's not out to get Nintendo to replace his TV, nor is he ready to pursue legal options. Just that his pal got carried away bowling and the strap broke under somewhat normal circumstances. (We asked if they were spinning it around or anything of the like and he said no, it was all normal, non-abusive use.) Nintendo hasn't contacted him yet -- we assume they're just about now shuffling into the office up there in Washington -- but we'll keep you posted.

[daniel @ Nov 20th 2006 4:25AM]

1st. hell yea... but that is ridiculous. I might pull that stunt and get a new tv...

[quinnn @ Nov 23rd 2006 10:00AM]

Even if it is a stunt... he doesn't need a new TV. Just a new screen. Cost is about $100 and you can install it yourself. Any parent with a 2 year old can tell you that.

[LyhT @ Nov 20th 2006 4:27AM]

what a ****ing idiot.

[Matthew @ Nov 20th 2006 4:29AM]

I took my strap off. :shrug:

[Mike @ Nov 20th 2006 4:31AM]

No way the strap would break there and like that. Looks like they were just being dumba$$es and didn't use the strap.

[FBA @ Nov 20th 2006 4:32AM]

Mine broke just like that right there, and my little sis was using her strap, i can take pictures if people want?

[G Slusher @ Nov 20th 2006 8:26AM]

And your degree in textile or mechanical engineering is from ....?

[FBA @ Nov 20th 2006 4:32AM]

Actually, my little sis (shes 12) and I were playing Wii sports (bowling) and the exact same thing happened, the strap broke and the wiimote flew across the room...luckily it hit my computer tower and did no damage as opposed to the tv. I think that strap may have been defective...worth calling nintendo just so they can keep track?

[Alegoo92 @ Nov 26th 2006 10:48PM]

yes please do. Im getting a Wii soon, and like all Wii users, I want to be compensated from Nintendo should an accident happen (im thinking more along the lines of a replacement Wiimote). plus- the sooner they hear about these instances the sooner they'll fix it.

[Luis @ Nov 20th 2006 4:35AM]

somewhere in IGN's website have a report of this happening ... it looks exactly the same ... I also thought that this could be fake but seeing an actual video of it gave me a different perspective

[Me @ Nov 20th 2006 4:39AM]

I dont understand how the strap can break, the strap is loose around your wrist, you have to hold the wiimote so the strap is slack, the only way this could happen is if you were flinging the remote about by the strip which doesnt happen if you have it firm in your hand.

Am i missing something?

[chris @ Nov 30th 2006 11:52PM]

yes you are missing something beacause it happened to me too. Playing baseball. When you have slippery hands and it slips with strap a little loose, it produces much more stress than if it was already tight. A lot of them have been breaking

[Matthew Cutler @ Nov 20th 2006 4:43AM]

I bet the TV was broken before hand and this is a scheme to get a new TV.

[Yuusou @ Nov 20th 2006 4:46AM]

I wanna see that video of the strap breaking. Until then I refuse to believe that strap wasn't cut by scissors.

[psiven @ Nov 20th 2006 4:48AM]

I dunno looks kinda fake.

[Bob @ Nov 20th 2006 4:52AM]

How hard do you have to be flinging that thing for it to break your TV? I think this is a hoax.

[Ken @ Nov 20th 2006 5:03AM]

It's so obvious he cut the strap....
You see the strap string AND the strap insert area at the bottom of the Wiimote broken. This is not possible, either the string breaks of the bit holding the string breaks!

[Dwaine @ Nov 20th 2006 7:55AM]

Not so fast my friend. The strap could have broke then the plastic piece holding it could have broken on impact with the TV. While your theory is very logical, that they both couldn't break, there is an equally logical theory that says they could.

This could still be true.

[some person @ Nov 20th 2006 4:02PM]

whatever man, my DS strap broke the same way, it found it's way under the (car) seat and i pulled it by the strap (the only thing i could grab), and it broke, this guy could have just let go accidentally, and thus having the strap slip though his hands

[Ken @ Nov 20th 2006 5:05AM]

Sorry typo:

This is not possible, either the string breaks OR the bit holding the string breaks!

[Vanillacide @ Nov 20th 2006 5:09AM]

That strap is obviously cut, look at the fraying.

The fact that's he cut it towards the side and not where the pressure would be makes it doubly so.

How hard do you have to be flinging to let go anyways?

[alloneword @ Nov 20th 2006 5:25AM]

I am calling cut. Everyone was talking about the possibility of this exact thing happening.

1. Strap clearly cut.
2. Wouldn't mind seeing what damage on the remote that cracked glass.
3. Interesting "small white smudge" caused by the Wiimote on glass NOT where the crack is, how many times did they hit the TV with it?
4. Somethingawful.

[alloneword @ Nov 20th 2006 5:26AM]

I am calling fake. Everyone was talking about the possibility of this exact thing happening.

1. Strap clearly cut.
2. Wouldn't mind seeing what damage on the remote that cracked glass.
3. Interesting "small white smudge" caused by the Wiimote on glass NOT where the crack is, how many times did they hit the TV with it?
4. Somethingawful.

[Rynth @ Nov 20th 2006 5:28AM]

Lol, I wouldnt give him a new TV, Nintendo need somesortof disclaimer for that there 'Mote though.. "Nintendo do not take responsibility for sny damage cause by sed WiiMote"

Though that mustve been some serious Wiilocity behind that 'Mote for it to do that damage..

[Fritz Alcindor Jr. @ Nov 20th 2006 5:31AM]

Ive been waiting for this. When I first saw the controller and the nunchuck feature I saw the potential for a crack TV or entry into America Funniest Videos.

[Nick Rooney @ Nov 20th 2006 8:35AM]

Happened last night at a friends house. Took my Wii over and during tennis the remote took off after the string broke. He was doing an "upstroke" so it flew up in the air, hit the wall pretty hard, and then flew into the other room. The 56 inch TV is safe (thankfully cause it wasn't mine) and the remote is still working like a champ!

I'm glad the remote is so sturdy and can take a beating like that - not happy the straps break so easy.

[portalz @ Nov 20th 2006 5:42AM]

fake!

[jonathan @ Nov 20th 2006 5:44AM]

actually i'm 50/50 on this cause the same thing happened to the guys at ign.
http://media.wii.ign.com/articles/745/745202/vids_1.html

if you dont want to watch, the guys were talking about how they brought non-gamers into the room for some wii time. apparently some girl got really excited and as she was swinging her arm around the strap broke off and the controller slammed into the wall causing a small crack as well.

this probably happened to the guys, he might not be telling the whole story as its probably embarrasing to really say, "yea i went into the bowling stance and totally threw that crap as hard as i could, which led to the strap breaking and screwing over my tv."

[Zack @ Nov 20th 2006 5:45AM]

Fake. Fake. Fake. Is that what the string would look like if it snapped? It's woven nylon thread. And it would more likely pull out of the plastic where it's glued or however its attached. If this is a ploy to get a new TV, I'm glad this guy broke his TV, however he did it. Lame. Giving the Wii a bad name in it's early hours of life.

[Sando @ Nov 20th 2006 5:45AM]

It happened to IGN too: http://media.wii.ign.com/articles/745/745202/vid_1742357.html

[dshier @ Nov 20th 2006 5:47AM]

Ok, this has got to be option on, because, well, not that I own a Wii... yet..... but if I remember looking at the drawings and photots of the controller, you pretty much would need to be playing with each hand on a portion of the remote and a tether connects the two. I mean, really, what are the chances of the strap breaking and the remote becoming untethered from the other portion in your other hand?

These guys didn't want a Wii so much as a new 60" tube... ridiculous

[Joel @ Nov 20th 2006 5:47AM]

Weird. You don't let go of the controller when you bowl.

[cooljoe57 @ Nov 20th 2006 6:04AM]

haha, i wouldn't camp out for a wii just to get a new t.v.

[MR @ Nov 20th 2006 6:08AM]

I don't know if it's a fake. It seems legit from the original site. But I'll definitely reinforce the strap somehow.
As a matter of fact, I can imagine many people breaking stuff in their house with the Wiimote after seeing how my wife handled it.
In 15 minutes, she managed to hit my wiimote while playing tennis (I stood still and she was jumping around for some reason...) Then I decided to just hide in a corner to avoid collision and she'd still somehow hit the floor lamp...
Man.. I might need to invest in a large tempered glass to protect my new HDTV...

[URK @ Nov 20th 2006 6:25AM]

Why would the controller fly out of anyone's hand??? Get a grip people!!!

[Kevin @ Nov 20th 2006 6:27AM]

From what I've read of Wii Bowling, it sounds to me like people are releasing the whole controller instead of just the button when they're bowling, putting unnecessary strain on the wrist strap. I'm sure the strap was only designed to hold the remote in case of accidents, but it doesn't bode well for its durability if it's breaking already, even under misuse.

Perhaps Nintendo never realised that people would use it that way (as I'm sure testers were under instruction from Nintendo staff as to how to use the controller), and this is a design flaw soon to be remedied, probably with a tougher strap.

If I ever do get a Wii, I think I might just drop a blob of epoxy resin into the strap holder on the Wiimote just to give it a bit of reinforcement.

[chenry @ Nov 20th 2006 6:55AM]

I call shenanigans on this.

[Ben Kessler @ Nov 20th 2006 7:03AM]

I call bullshit. That guy is an old member of the Something Awful forums (from 2001). Don't you guys realize that Something Awful is a parody site and the original home of Jeff K?

Ugh.

[james @ Nov 20th 2006 7:18AM]

If you're playing with your Wii and you get sweaty palms then take a breather - hit the little + or home button and go take a cold shower. I can imgine dropping the controller but I thought about it and decided to get a better grip.

[Andy @ Nov 20th 2006 7:47AM]

happenned to ign too

http://media.wii.ign.com/articles/745/745202/vid_1742357.html

[Jamar @ Nov 20th 2006 7:51AM]

I'm waiting for a Japanese Wii then- also I will get another strap to use, looks like. I've had straps on my phone where I can swing it around and around and it won't break like that (on the other hand, I'm embarrassed to admit this, but my PSP strap and PSP broke in this way- it's a blessing in disguise though as I would never have gotten a DS Lite otherwise).

[m-p{3} @ Nov 20th 2006 8:19AM]

The problem isn't the remote, it's the guy using it..

I guess he was only holding the strap, and not the Wiimote at the same time.

What an idiot.

[Rodney L. @ Nov 20th 2006 8:21AM]

Ok, but what i'm not hearing is if the Wiimote is still functioning.


Somebody call Mythbusters, stat!

[NHAnimator @ Nov 20th 2006 8:27AM]

First of all, I've never heard of anyone ever "taking a break" when their palms get sweaty playing a video game.

Second, as a league bowler, I can completely understand how someone would unconsciously let go of a controller just as you would let go of a bowling ball. You are just conditioned to do so. Out of the thousands of people who probably play this game, it would not be unusual for even a few to exhibit this behavior.

Next, you get a nice clean edge when you cut a cord. It frays when it breaks.

Finally, it is not inconceivable that Nintendo did not test the controller for this. Add to that the fact that this issue may be brought on by people wearing bracelets, watches, etc. that may be wearing prematurely on the straps.

[John Doe @ Nov 20th 2006 10:32AM]

I guess you've never seen a cut cord that has been tightly woven. Outward appearances make it look fraid. Not saying this couldn't happen but it still could be a fake.

[strider_mt2k @ Nov 20th 2006 8:29AM]

Fibers that have been stretched to breaking or similarly stressed are clearly different from fibers that have been cut when analyzed under a microscope, or even if you look closely and understand what it is you're dealing with.
(Hint, stressed fibers don't all break along a nice even line like that.)

Doh.

[kwik @ Nov 20th 2006 8:33AM]

The real question is.....


Did he get a strike in the game ?

[fred @ Nov 20th 2006 8:46AM]

Good Lord! I can see now that this will be the Wii's undoing. A bunch of retards that don't understand that you don't have to whip the controller around like a real bat/racquet/bowling ball. Which will lead to a bunch of other retards doing this intentionally to try to get something for nothing.

[Steve Olson @ Nov 20th 2006 8:51AM]

Yeah, while my friend and I were playing last night, I was worried we were going to break the TV as we inched closer and closer to it as we were boxing...

[JamesB @ Nov 20th 2006 8:52AM]

wii-diots!

The controller seemed to work better when I didn't whip it around like an moron.