Wiimotes are becoming finely guided missiles, or so the internets would have us believe. The second set of destroyed TV pics comes direct from Michaela, who tells us that her seven year old girl was
also playing Wii Sports bowling when her wrist strap broke as well, sending the controller rocketing toward the TV at a glass-cracking lawsuit-inducing pace. Now, we find the
Wii Sports bowling thing to be an interesting coincidence, but it seems a little peculiar that a seven year old could produce enough force rolling that ball to tear her strap apart. We're not saying this is the first in what could be a long line of TV-grubbing copycats, but we think the time is officially upon Nintendo to step in before a few hundred thousand straps recalled turns into a few million -- and countless more televisions get themselves busted up royal.
posted Nov 21st 2006 3:32AM
Another decent option is http://www.tv-armor.com
My kid tossed a toy at my TV the other day. I nearly had a heart attack.
I got one of these protectors a few months ago and it stopped it.
Mike
Oh man... I can't wait for the side-show of Nintendo getting their PANTS sued-off. They could have predicted this would happen, and now they're going to pay for their lack of diligence.
You know, they can really fix this problem quite easily. Rather than put on a full scale recall where everyone sends in their controllers to be "fixed", they could just send out newer, hardier wrist straps to the people who want them. As you might know already, the wrist strap is snapped into the Wii. If they just sent out new wrist straps, it would save them a lot of money.
Eh... I don't think that'll happen. Technically, you're suppose to hold the controller regardless of the cord or not. It's human error, not the product.
Hmm it's interesting that they all threw the wiimote to the upper left corner of the TV.
That's because if you were right-handed (as most of us are) you would tend to throw it at your TV in the upper right since that's where your swing would naturally head.
These people really need to learn to hold the remote.
Don't doubt naysayers it happened to my 65 year old mother. The strap on the Nintendo Wii remote broke, my mother had the Wii remote on her wrist and cinched like instructed & the flimsy remote strap broke and destroied my family's new 37 inch LCD HDTV, we paid $1200 for a early 2006 christmas gift. I am very irate the Wii remotes are defective. My family and I are saddened our 37 inch Lcd HDTV is destroied, how are we going to replace a $1200.00 TV! And yes bozo doubters my mother was holding the Wii remote like instructed by Nintendo Wii.
Wow, This looks nearly identical to the previous one, minus this shows the carpent and a different screen in play. Aside from that, the screen crack is a copy as well..
People trying to milk money for thier own mis judged actions..
IMHO, the cord looks cut, not the way it would look if it were snaped
Or maybe there's just a weak spot in the strap? Similar to how all those DS Lites had a weak spot in the hinge?
Not saying Nintendo is not to blame, but if you are going to use the Wii and there is the chance you might not hold on to the remote, just spend the extra hundred or so on the screen protector. I have a Mitsubishi with the protector over it and it withstood my 12 year old cousin bashing the remote into it, no scratches whatsoever.
Just wait until one of them hits "Grandpa" as he walks by and induces a heart attack. Sooner or later someone is actually going to kill a family pet with one of these flying Wiimotes. In a sick and ironic twist it will be during a game of Wii Nintendogs!
Ok, so why don't they just hold onto the remote rather than throwing it? That's what those muscles in your hands are for... holding onto things.
I think people just get lazy and let go of the wiimote like it's really a bowling ball. That's probably why it happens in bowling only.
But now, imagine them throwing the wiimote like a baseball club. That could actually kill somebody...
The problem likely stems from the mind thinking "let go of the bowling ball" and then letting go of the interface device. I bet this will never happen in a sword fighting game, where one would aim to hold on to the sword.
Must be a great interface if people are so immersed that they are throwing the controller across the room with enough force to break a television screen.
"That's what those muscles in your hands are for"
you don't have muscles in your hand :P they are all in your wrists.
On topic:
I think this is quite funny however it basically sucks for the people having their television sets broken... I remember seeing rubber grips for the wiimote, they could be a nice accessory :)
they have a christmas tree up already next to their tv (second picture)
they clearly don't know what they're doing
user error.
Not all DS lites have weak points in their hinges. .02% did.
I've been playing my Wii all day. Now I'm a gamer, so maybe my muscles are abnormally weak, but seriously, I don't see how someone could send their Wiimote flying like this. Maybe if they were swinging is by the strap, but not in normal use. "Non-violent" use in bowling... I could see the right motion going on, but (at least how I play) my Wiimote wouldn't go three feet. The system doesn't need nearly that amount of force. I just don't get how people do this stuff. But maybe it's just me, who knows.
My guess (and this is totally a guess, as I haven't wii'd myself) is that they were holding the remote from the strap and been spinning it around to get maximum speed in this or some of the other games. as the strap is a safety feature only and not meant for holding the remote, not to mention spinning it around by it, it's possible that it gives in.
Of course just smashing your wiimote to bits by flinging it to the wall while abusing the strap is not interesting as is totally your fault. But if you then crack the tv-screen and say wii done it, there might be a chance for some dollars, as Nintendo likes to keep customers happy, with so much competition from other console makers and all that. And all those old tv sets need changing to nice, flat, digital ones anyway.
Recall your own actions while gaming.
In Doom/Quake, soft pressing 'W' means proceed forward with caution, while hitting 'W' very hard means "run my ass off!!!" ;-)
I was planning on getting a Wii with the new shipment this week, but I'm having second thoughts now. I mean, this is shaping-up to be a fairly common occurrence, so the question is exactly how do you have to use the friggin' wiimote so that you don't end-up smashing your display.
Furthermore, assuming I can use it without incident, how can I be sure my fiancee won't smash my very expensive plasma, or even friends I have over to play for that matter. What the hell's the point of buying a Wii if I can't have friends over to enjoy it with me?
@xVariable
You use it like any other TV-based remote - hold it in your hand. This isn't rocket science.
What I want to know, since I wasn't able to get a Wii on launch date, is how heavy is the Wiimote anyways? Is this thing like 5 pounds? I was under the impression it was only a couple of ounces. How can something with so little mass, even with a human's full force (child or adult), crack a quarter inch thick TV screen?
I call B.S.
"Fairly common" ... 2 people? And possibly due to miss use..Don't buy one so someone else who isn't dumb can buy one to enjoy properly
xVariable:
Because you hear of two people breaking their toys, you're scared to buy it? I'm sure you huddled in your basement for three weeks after 9/11 because you were afraid that they were going to put a plane through your local gas station.
Be sensible, and nothing will happen to you. All this needless worry is going to cause needless pandemonium.
Just becuase it's like bowling doesn't mean you need to let go of the controller...
Maybe they should put bungee straps on these things so that if some doof tries to send his flying across the room it will come back and smack him.
You know, I used to work at a packing company, and once UPS dropped a 32" CRT tv out of the back of their truck. Pretty much everything broke but the tube, so we (being young, male, and probably not thinking) decided to see what would break the screen. I hit it with a hammer. Nothing. I then backed up, and threw the hammer at the screen. The hammer bounced off and flew across the room.
So, I guess the lesson here is: Flat screen TV's are less structurally sound than CRT's?
Sure...that sounds about right. Oh, and hold on to your controller. Um...duh.
The thickest part of a CRT is on the front, for a large TV, you might be looking at an inch or more of solid thick glass (hence the weight). People have even had .22 bullets bounce off the front of a TV/monitor tube. The back is relatively fragile however - a light tap on the back of the tube will cause it to implode.
Projection TVs (such as those broken here) are particularly fragile as there's just a thin plastic/glass diffuser for the light to hit. I wouldn't want to throw my remote at a plasma/LCD, as I doubt they'd fare much better.
The strap does look pretty weak though, would probably be better to find something a bit stronger to use instead (or make it elastic like a bungee cord so if it's accidentally "chucked", there's not a sudden "snap" of tension that causes it to break away, just a elastic restraint that pulls it back).
also, CRTs are curved, somewhat like a dome, giving it the ability to distribute force extremely efficiently. That's why domes are used in construction; you can test it out with an egg - hold an egg in your hands, with the ends in your palms, and try and crush it. You won't be able to.
Alternately, go to a department store, to the fine china section, and ask one of the service people to demonstrate standing on an upturned teacup. Despite being extremely thin, it will handle all their weight (though I'm not suggesting you start standing on your teacups at home, and take no responsibility, &c.)
So that's it for domes!
Now you know!
The CRT has to be thick in the front, and I believe with iron. It's called shielding. CRT TVs spew out xrays from the electrons smashing into the front of the TV. Don't want TVs killing us, so they shield the TV.
Google "breaking radiation" or "bramstralling radiation" if you are interested in more info. (not sure how to spell the German word for breaking)
CRTs are built well. I've taken a shovel, hammer, sledge hammer, and chisel to one without the glass ever cracking at all. Seriously. Go to the dump and try it. Breaking a CRT is hella hard work...
I dont get how it breaks like that. Both incidents look like the wrist straps were merely cut using scissors. I imagine that if it broke the strap would disconnect from the controller or something like that. It would not break as seen in the two incidents.
GameStop is replacing controllers purchased in their stores that break like this. My roommate broke his during Baseball but the controller didnt hit the TV. He is getting just the wii remote replaced for free... when he can find a GameStop with one in stock.
I think this calls for a test of some sort, don't you Engadget? I mean I think you guys should sacrifice one of your Wiimote straps to find out just what it takes to break it.
That said, it seems possible that Nintendo might have overlooked the tiny little cord that broke, but that doesn't mean that people shouldn't be a little bit careful not to hurl their controllers through the tv, however fun it would be to watch.
Once I threw a controller through the tv screen. It was no accident.
jkjk
Well, I can't attest to this 100% for the Wiimote, as I don't have one yet, but most straps like this are one continuous piece of string that is cut to length and then glued together. What it looks like is happening is the force of the users throwing the Wiimote (I'm not saying they are intentionally throwing it, but it is a throwing action) is enough to simply break the glue, therefore sending the Wiimote flying.
Now, as for the TV sets. The front glass (more often plastic) on a rear projection TV isn't all that expensive to obtain, the most of the cost would come from labor.
@Chris:
Tubes are made to be very structurally sound. But these aren't flat screens in the sense of LCD or plasma, these both have been rear-projection, which have a very thin plastic or glass screen to display the projection from the rear. That thin plastic screen is rather fragile. I'd venture to guess that a plasma or LCD would be a little bit more resilient, but if they do break, a boatload more expensive to repair (um, new display please!). These both shouldn't be more than $200-300 to get a new front glass.
When I do get a Wii (which will be after I get a new rear projection TV) I'll both have the screen protector for my TV *and* all Wiistraps will be better secured (I'm thinking a dab of hot glue on both sides where the strap goes into the plastic of the remote).
It's glued yes, but certainly not in the center. It is connected at the BASE of the strap, so a break like that is HARDLY the fault of the glue becoming undone.
But my goodness, I have a CD player with a strap on it, AND my DS, and I've dropped it, swung it, and had other various instances where I thought that the strap would have snapped, and it didn't. You shouldn't have to swing the WiiMote THAT hard.
Seriously, when I get my own, I'm going to test it, and start swinging it around vigorously by the strap to see what it can take (in a safe enough area) I'll record it too, to prove it.
Actually it is one continuous strand of string looped through a hole on the bottom of the wiimote, not glued. It would be difficult, or next to impossible, to cause that kind of damage to the string during normal use. It would take many, many times of losing grip of the wiimote in order to wear the string down over time.
This does not deserve to be posted as a "front page" article-- there are a lot of Wiis out there, so you should expect all kinds of highly unlikely things to happen and for people to make noise about it on those internets, given how excited people are about finally having their sweaty (slippery?) hands on them. To post an article like this without any evidence or even suggestion that this is widespread is irresponsible of Engadget's part-- it is rumor-spreading and scoop-prospecting, not journalism. Mod poster down, tag post "duh", "murphy's law", "fud".
Maybe people with week wrists should invest in a Dynaflex Powerball.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDqN5zqoJcI
I think what Is going on here is that people are in fact getting too much into the bowling game, and actually throwing the wiimote. I just find it hard to believe that something as small as a wiimote can break the glass on these tv screens. My DLP HDTV weighs 130LBs and has been dropped from a 4 foot tv stand all the way to the floor with the screen facing down, and it is still fine, a bit scratched but fine. Also my Xbox360 locked up on Full auto and I chucked the controller at my tv, and the glass on it is still perfect. Most TVs have about 1-2CM thick of glass, which makes it seem unlikely that something that weighs only ounces can break that.
Shouldn't the public have already been warned since the controller is called a nunchaku?
This is nintendo's fault for not including a T.V. screen protector along the box. I suggest wii users to use those old black and white T.V.'s as opposed to those plasma's and LCD's so that in case this incident would happen to you, it wouldnt hurt that much, after all , gameplay is more important than graphics right. Xbox and playstation is really laughing at this wii innovation right now.
Clearly you hate Nintendo and all of its innovative ideas. I guess they never should have brought forward rumble or analog controll either. Nintendo has always been an inovater in the game arena and been appreciated for it. You my friend are missing out on new experiences. It's people like you who would keep a country stuck in the 50's whilst everyone else progresses. You are the loser.
If you're too stupid to have the common sense to hold on to your controller while you're using it, you deserve a TV repair bill.
I haven't played the Wii yet, but it occurs to me it might be difficult to let go of the button (if that's what you do) and still hold on to the remote. Still, you shouldn't be throwing it that hard!
I seriously do not understand how this could happen. I mean, that strap (to my eyes) looks like it's been frayed hard, and even if you are making a quick motion while bowling, you have to be an extra special kind of stupid to do whatever is happening here. I guess if your hand is sweaty then I could see this happening, but why would you ignore that? You know you're swinging a little plastic thing fairly fast toward a TV, go dry your hands.
This wii controller thing is really not user-friendly or T.V. friendly.
It doesnt have to be a high force to break it, ever thought maybe the moving motion just wore away the strap thus weakening it?
Umm, anyone who waited in line to buy this junk is a retard. And throwing it at your tv just proves the point.
Stop blaming Nintendo you idiots. Can't you see you need a life?
The aim of the strap is so that you can let go of it whilst NOT swinging, its not a tow rope. You can hold the controller by the strap, just like a ds or a psp. I've never heard of anyone trying to swing a ds or a psp around by the strap.
Seems like these "accidents" are giving the anti-Nintendo fan boys just hours and hours of joy... I'm nowhere near a fanboy for any console, but picking everything single hole and comments like "nintendo going to get what they deserve" etc etc, is just plain retarded.
Just hold onto your remotes! Hardly Nintendo's fault - Even if the strap is/was weak, you should still be holding onto the remote. Common sense right?
In the big picture... at least Nintendo aint getting asked to pay a bill for having 12 cop cars to attend an almost riot outside their store, eh? :P
Have you ever tried 'snapping' a nylon cord? e.g. one on camera, PSP, etc. Even if you can pull it apart nylon chord's threads stretch in different length, they do not 'snap' all in the same place.
The tensile strength of 3/8" nylon chord is 150 lb, okay that's bigger than Wii-mote but shows how strong it is.
Size "#3" nylon thread (diameter 3/32" 2.38mm) has tensile strength of 24 lb
Size "#5" nylon thread (diameter 5/32" 3.97mm) has tensile strength of 40 lb
Size "#6" nylon thread (diameter 3/16" 4.76mm) has tensile strength of 50 lb
Nylon thread is very strong, this is why it is used for climbing mountains and parachuting.
I call "cut cord" after kid threw Wii-mote at screen.
This entirely possible, because as someone mentioned, you can't make a string in a complete circle, there has to be a knot or more more likely some low cost crimp type fastner or the ends could be just melted together.
PIHOW - Problem Is Holder Of Wiimote
Give me a break, this is clearly a con. The culprit is the same person, except he has his tv set to widescreen in one pic and full screen in the next. Plust the controlers look like they were cut in exactly the same place. BULL POST! Also, I have been playing wii sports the last two days and have never let go of my Wiimote while bowling...I have to grip it in order to play. Give me a break. Loooosers.!!!
This is why americans shouldn't have nice things
Lol good one. Japanese kid's toys are too sophisticated for western adults lol
I can't understand why these people aren't hoding on to their controlers while using them. Surely you can't use it just by holding on to the wrist strap?!
They're obviously just trying to get a new TV out of Nintendo
LoL. Dick, I mean, Nick, listen to yourself. If you weren't stuck in your mothers basement and had your walls plastered with Mario posters, you would have figured out that my comment was purely a joke. Instead, you were too sensitive about it and getting too defensive, only exposing yourself as a huge nintendo fanboy. You are the loser here, not me.
What sort of force must it have to break the strap (which would slow down the remote) and still fly across the room? This is either fake or wonder womans daughter.
hehe people should learn not to buy expensive glass tvs and get projectors instead that way it bounces of the sheet and doesnt make a nasty smash
I was surprised to hear that the strap was broken playing bowling, so I assumed the person swung really hard (they lost their grip after all) and under this somewhat extreme condition the strap broke. Then, after a day and a half of Wii Sports, in the middle of some 4-person Tennis a 'mote became a missile. Just like the others the skinny strap broke. Unlike the others the remote smacked into the fireplace and the only damage was a small scuff on the front of the remote. We proceeded to pick it up and continue playing.
Just some sicks people trying to get a new tv.
I can not imagine, that someone would perform a throwing move, lose grip on the Wiimote, the strap would tear in exactly that second AND it would still be flying directly at the sceen. Try to imagine that, its rediculous!
AND it happened only a day after the launch!
These people had a broken television and said: "Lets buy us one of them 250$ Wiis and let Nintendo replace our TV for free!"
They could at least have waited a few days, so it would not have looked so obvious. :-(
People, be responsible for the Wiimotes.
Do not blame Nintendo for this.
Wear the strap all time and like others say, move the controller slightly when you play the games.
Again, if they truly cut the strap on purpose to make Nintendo look bad.
I was surprised at how easily my strap broke too. Luckily the remote didn't hit my television.
On second thought, the most likely scenario is that the idiots have been playing without the strap, the 'mote has slipped and broken the tv-screen. To make it look like Nintendo's fault, they've cut the strap. But in general, I agree that it's virtually impossible to have happened the way they claim it has.
This is how I see it. Anyone could make a case that this incident is made-up or just the same people who did the same thing like a day ago. But a thing like this happening is not impossible. We're talking about swinging an object on different directions, and there are lots of clumsy people out there, you can never rule out this as an impossibility. Sooner or later, someone could accidentally hit someone with that thing, the victim would have to be player 2 or vice versa.
I've suspected all along that this motion thing with the Wii is just a gimmick. When you get two or more people in a room swinging their arms around holding an object, eventually someone's going to get hurt or something's going to get broken. This is the exact kind of behavior that mom use to tell us - "Not in the house! Take it outside!" And to think Nintendo based their entire next gen system on this one gimmick.
That what is called generally "Sports". Or you already forgot how to get off of office chair before computer screen? ;-)
Any activity involving any number of people can result in injuries/etc. It's just common sense.
Aww damn, this is definitely a problem. Maybe they should add some rubber grips to the wiimote, or a stronger wrist strap. Damn.. good luck Nintendo.
This is nintendos was of forcing you to upgrade to a HDTV, by smashing your current old ones!
This must be a joke. Similar to the mcdonalds making people fat lawsuit, its another ploy to protect the stupidity of others. HOW DO YOU NOT HAVE THE COMMON SENSE TO HOLD THE CONTROLLER? LOL. To boot, its a 7 year old kid, who probably threw the damn thing in a overhand motion at the Tv because they got frustrated, and then the parent was some scumbag who tried to make money from a lawsuit.
also.... is the rope end hooked around bottom of the WiiMote, duss the plastic its hooked around have sharp or squared off edges? cos as ur useing it the strap will rub, and eventualy break...
it needs to b hooked around something with smooth edges.
2 TVs .. i believe over 1,000,000 Wii's sold (with Wii sports) how is this Law suit inducing pace guys .. cut the Fox News reporting ..
TWO is hardly recall worthy .. OMG did you hear about the TOMCAT wedding?
Sheesh! You guys do not get it. They should be careful with the strap.
Maybe They were paid by Microsoft or Sony to act like it happen but they probably knew that Nintendo
does deliver the high quality products. But it will work out.
WOW! While I agree this is BS or people are getting overzealous with their Wiimotes, Nintendo better jump on this quick. IGN had the same thing happen so this is not impossible, and with American society you all know a lawsuit is waiting to happen on this.
If Nintendo is smart they will call the straps a defect right now and replace every strap with a stronger one. If not they'll lose a lot more money in lawyer fees and possible lawsuit payouts.
P.S. - What's even funnier about this whole situation is that had the PS3 broken a few TV's or the console was getting fatal errors pretty commonly 90% of this thread would be..."Sony sucks...sue the bastards...another shoddy product from Sony." But because its Ninty these people are idiots/fakers. Just goes to show no matter how you slice it allegiance/fanboyism toward a particular company is just silly.
Why did they tag the Flickr images with Sony?
I'm still calling bullshit on this one.
The thing I don't get is how this occurs when playing the bowling game. You have to hold down the B button, the trigger on the underside, until you release the ball. I spent a good hour playing bowling and there's pretty much no way I can discern that you could just fling the wiimote. At least, not if you were actually trying to play the game.
ok... didn't chime in yesterday for the other busted TV, but i own a wii and I have to say if your stupid enough to be swinging around the controller at a speed that would cause the strap to break then your an idiot. There is no benefit to swing the controller around like an ass... easy movements are just as effective as crazy fast movements. My bet is that they were trying to get a couple of extra yards out of wii sports golf and let go of the controller in the back swing... that might cause the strap to break, but like i said... if your swinging the controller that fast... your an ass!
I have a hard time believing these stories. In our house we have 4 of us playing the Wii, 2 parents and a 10 and 7 yo. Even the 7 yo (who goes nuts swinging Zelda's sword) has never been near launching the Wii-mote.
This is freaking awesome for Nintendo... you can't pay for this kind of coverage.
Everyone is talking about the Wii and not those other consoles... people are getting so into playing games on the Wii that they are chucking remotes into their TV's? That's AWESOME.
STFU about suing Nintendo's pants off please... at best Nintendo will pay to have the TV fixed, these people are going to get $10M for emotional damage.
Regardless, I'm sure Nintendo will need to issue new, stronger straps.
I can't wait to get a Wii!!!
Edit... these people are NOT going to get $10M for emotional damage.
This is ridiculous. I've been playing the bowling game on Wii Sports, and I don't even use the wrist strap at all. How many times has the controller flown out of my hand so far? Zero.
Chalk this up to user error, and I don't see any (successful) lawsuits coming out of this one, either. With the myriad of warnings the Wii has all over stack of manuals, and on every load screen, one of them has got to say something to the tune of "don't let go of the Wiimote".
Joseph Le Brech,
I have a PSP, and I am constantly dropping it intentionally to let it hang on the hand strap, this is because I know it wont break. It's been a year of tugging on it's strap and it still never broke, and doesnt look like it ever will. Also, I Always pull it out of my pocket by the cord, so, in other words, the PSP's hand strap is very durable, I cant see how a ton of people are already breaking the wiimote's handstrap on day one, unless it's a really shitty product.
Did anyone watch the ign video where they show the snapped remote strap and the dent in the wallboard ? I mean really how can you call bullshit when even ign says the straps suck
I think its BS. I have a Wii and you'd have to be an idoit at best to throw it with enough force to crack a screen, and how are they holding the remote. I just dont see how, if you have a grip on it, can toss it and break a TV. Mind you, the strap is for extra support (protection). That makes the sure that broke his TV double careless.
A 7yr old, playing in a supervised, non-aggressive manner, managed to huck the Wiimote against the TV so hard that it cracked 1/4" thick glass? If she were playing in a truly non-aggressive manner, at a safe (for the eyes) and reasonable distance from such a large screen TV, the Wiimote should never have even made it to the TV. Let alone reached it at such a high arc that it would hit that spot on the TV. Even if there were no wrist strap at all. Now I want to get a Wii just so I can beat up the controller and bowl aggressively to see if I can get it to break and hit the TV.
Maybe this is all a ploy by Nintendo to get people to run out and buy Wii's just to test this soon-to-be Urban Legend! Actually, Nintendo should do some comprehensive testing to prove it a hoax, before more people jump on the bandwagon and eventually lawsuits start. OR to prove that it's possible (hey, I could be wrong), even with moderate playing, and start a recall. Hustle up Nintendo!
Wake up Engadget. This is the SAME friggin TV! Look CLOSELY! How in the WORLD can 2 people have Wii Mote straps break and hit the EXACT same spot and quite possibly get the EXACT same crack.
will all you idiots watch this video and shut the hell up about it being bs http://media.wii.ign.com/articles/745/745202/vids_1.html
Yesterday's Wii-mote story and today's are BOTH THE SAME SCREEN!
Check the photos:
The Awful Forums = from right facing left
Flickr = from left facing right
The screen crack is exactly the same, identical. It's the same person posting, on one site claiming to be a man and on the other a mother of four. What a crock...
@J
The join for the nylon cord is in the strap end, not in the side. It is a fact that nylon cord has high tensile strenght, and these photos are pictures of CUT not SNAPPED nylon cord.
And if you notice in IGN it broke on the other end where it connects to the wrist strap. Not at the top where it connects to the controller. That is because that is all a solid pice and where it connects to the wrist strap is where you have two ends not a cut end in the middle at the controller.
This is what I think is going on in these cases of broken TV's:
Someone owns a rear projection TV that has already had its front fresnel cracked. They never bothered to fix it because it is a rear projection and is still watchable. This is not uncommon. Nintendo launches the Wii and they get the bright idea to blame Nintendo for their idiocy in order to try to get a free TV. They cut the cord on their Wiimote and post pics on the internet.
I really hope Nintendo does not cave in to these losers and replace their TVs.
After having played Wii Sports, I can tell you that letting go of the controller is possible. I don't know why it happened to these people during bowling, I suspect it's because that seems natural. Ya know? You let go of the ball. Of course, letting go of the controller instead of the ball is wiitarded, but still.
That being said, the controller slipped right out of my hand during baseball. I was trying to pitch a faster fastball (record so far: 95mph) and yup, the controller flew right out of my hand. It travelled about an inch before the strap caught it.
In short, I find losing the controller to be entirely possible - in fact, dare I say, downright likely - but the idea of that cord snapping is unfathomable to say the least. These people just want new televisions. I'm almost entirely convinced.
Maybe the wii was only designed for use with CRT displays.
I once smashed the front of my 27" crt with a full size steel industrial fire extinguisher. Man, when you split a fire extinguisher in half, that white stuff sure makes a mess.
btw, projection tv's don't hold up nearly as well as crt's. If you throw a fire extinguisher just right, it'll come out the back of the tv.
The pictures are not the same TV. The first one was a black cinemavision, this one has a silver frame, and not cinemavision. Also, the cracks are very similar but not the same. Also it looks as if it did possibly break the strap from excessive wear.
My only problem with the stories is the fact that it is simple physics that if you are holding the remote and it slips, your loose grip slows it down some, the tension on the strap breaking slows it down more, and then gravity slows it down even more as it moves forward. My opinion is that they were not holding the remote at all and were just swinging the remote around by the strap really fast. I really think someone with some extra cash should test this out on a couple real remotes (of course not toward a screen) and see how much force it takes to cause the strap to break and cause the remote to fly across the room with enough force to break something.
Oh yeah, different frames around screens. :$
Still, the cracks look almost identical. :p
I agree with McHoffa it's got to spinning Wii-mote round by the strap really fast.
It amazes me that the Wii mote is undamaged, or appears to be. Also if the actual screen of the TV had been damaged, there would be all kinds of discoloration. I am guessing this is either a hoax and BS story, or the tv was already damaged, and they are trying to get something for nothing.
I was playing bowling the other day, and didnt have my wrist strap on. Never even realized it. One thing to note is kids are VERY STRONG. I would not be surprised if she broke the strap, and then threw it at the tv. The wii motes have plastic clamp that are fairly strong, that slide to tighten the straps around your wrist. My guess is if this did happen, the strap was not tight around her wrist and slipped over when she let go. If it did break, it would be closer to the Wii mote.