Nintendo shipping ghettostrap replacements to Wii latecomers?

Looks like Nintendo got tired of slapping its own branding onto every one of the bazillions of beefed-up replacement straps it's been sending out to butter-fingered Wii owners the world over. Reports are coming in of some sort of ghettostrap, possibly built by a third party, being sent out instead of the fancy Nintendo version, leaving fanboys crestfallen at their newfound lack of total Wii branding. Not exactly the conspiracy of the century, but we want answers, and we want them now!

[Via Joystiq]

[Jonesin @ Jan 22nd 2007 3:59PM]

I don't want answers. It's a strap.

[Jason @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:06PM]

I'd rather smash my television into hundreds of pieces than use that ghettostrap.

[Brendan @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:09PM]

The replacement strap I got in the mail from Nintendo was branded and looked the same as my original, save for the beefier string.

[Colin @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:10PM]

As long as I can use it as a garotte...i'm good.

[Matt B @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:21PM]

Hey, it's free. Beggars can't be choosers now. You asked for a beefier wrist noose, you got one.

[Loban @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:25PM]

Hmmm, my four replacements were all Wii branded.

[Nando @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:26PM]

Best news ever...

[Greg Thompson @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:30PM]

I for one welcome our newly created, unbranded WII straps and look forward to a hearty relationship with one in the near future.

[Sergio @ Jan 23rd 2007 12:59AM]

lol, I hate you

You just had to bring it up didn't you?

[Armie @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:40PM]

What's up with the poor choice of terminology? Ghettostrap? Eck..

[Parker @ Jan 22nd 2007 6:10PM]

Are you kidding? This is the neologism of the year! Well, it's better than "plutoed" anyway.

[Aprime @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:42PM]

... and I have yet to get my straps (ordered them the day the announced it on the news).

Sigh.

[SOCOMRAIDER @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:42PM]

They wouldn't have to resort to these straps if they got the original orders right. As it has been said before, people can request up to 4 replacement straps. How they got it wrong was I asked for 3 and got 9 in the mail. So they probably ran out of the branded ones, because they sent out double or triple orders to people who requested them.

[skivvie @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:43PM]

my new straps came with postage due! I had to pay $.13 and pick them up at the post office.

[b @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:45PM]

So far I think only 1 person has reported this right?

[Joe V @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:56PM]

I don't have a Wii, but these straps look very similar to the kind frequently afixed to cell phones in Japan, where it's an entire industry, so I'm sure Nintendo had no trouble finding a third-party to make them. If you don't like the plain-jane replacements, I'm sure you can search online for a keitai strap with your favorite Sanrio character plastered all over it.

[sabih @ Jan 22nd 2007 5:04PM]

I ordered 4 straps for the 4 controllers i dont have yet. and i got them. same as the old ones but thicker string. the newer ones look ghetto

[Eh @ Jan 22nd 2007 5:14PM]

Thats one ugly piece of crap strap.

[Andre @ Jan 22nd 2007 5:14PM]

this is ridiculous! just cause its not branded it makes a difference? plus i've tried other wristbands that are supposed to be stronger for other appliances and they broke when i swang them and let go of the controller. if u can't hold on to ur controller, get a freakin silicon cover for it! it does work really well!! i reckon big N shouldn't replace anything for people that can't use the controller properly. dumb article this is...

[Jed Merrill @ Jan 22nd 2007 5:36PM]

I am excited to now be able to swing my Wiimote every which way without any worry.

[Gennaro @ Jan 22nd 2007 5:44PM]

Maybe now I can sell my original straps on ebay for some ungodly amount. lol

[jh @ Jan 22nd 2007 6:01PM]

I think this may be a cheap ploy by some blog to get exposure. Unless anyone else reading this has gotten similarly lame replacements - I doubt this is true. The 4 I got were all proper replacements and there was nothing odd about the postage. It helps if you provide the correct address and that the address is serviceable. Having .13 of postage due doesn't make sense.

[Eric @ Jan 22nd 2007 6:10PM]

WHO CARES? It's a damn strap.

[Canyon @ Jan 22nd 2007 6:37PM]

Same here. I got 4 straps in a package. Then 4 more in a package inside that package. My dad had to give the postman an extra 33 cents since Nintenty didn't pay enough for the weight of the package. They shipped too many to me as you can tell.

[bsm0f0 @ Jan 22nd 2007 7:29PM]

I ordered 4, got 22?!? It took almost 3 weeks to get my first 4 ... then randomly, I got 4 more a week later ... two days after, 4 more ... the following week I got a package containing 10. Didn't have to pay extra postage on it ... but wtf ... 22?

My uses are as follows:
- 4 swapped for original ghetto straps
- 1 on my keys
- 1 on my wife's keys,
- 1 on my mobile phone
- 1 on my work keys / smartcard badge
- 1 on my Target Wii giftcard
- 1 on my backpack zipper where the previous one dissentigrated

My dog got wii-collared, it fits surpisingly well and he seems to like it. I still have a crap load of them ... perhaps I'll strap my A/V remote, wouldn't want that nice logitech flying out of my hand and busting my tv during the superbowl.

[bkdude @ Jan 22nd 2007 7:42PM]

"ghettostrap" ?

[Jim @ Jan 22nd 2007 9:04PM]

"ghettostrap" ... I can only hope Paul Miller used this insensitive made-up word to get a laugh without considering how terrible ghettos are across the world or that many (most?) ghettos have brown skinned people – the same color as the strap that's generally described as cheap and sub-standard and “one ugly piece of crap” according to one commenter. Or, Paul Miller might not care about offending people and will take advantage of Engadget's obviously loose editorial staff. I've been a daily reader of Engadget for a long time and this is the poorest choice of words I can recall.

[Ryan @ Jan 22nd 2007 9:37PM]

I ordered a Replacement Strap on Friday 1/19, got delivered today First Class Mail. And it's the non-branded version. So I guess that is what they are sending out now.

[Michael @ Jan 22nd 2007 10:59PM]

Y'know, now that I looka t them...none of my four are branded either. Didn't really think about it, to be honest...and I didn't look at the postage.

Hmm...I'll hafta go check that. It did take forever to get here...

I'll hafta post some pics too. So far, it seems like just me and some dude, though. =P

[kev @ Jan 22nd 2007 11:17PM]

I got these straps today in the mail by Nintendo after I didnt recieve my 1st order. The straps are pretty much the same but the buckle is tighter and does not loosen up during play.

[mike808 @ Jan 22nd 2007 11:31PM]

I can confirm that the strap replacements I just received look exactly like those in the article with no Nintendo branding.

It's functional and the strings are beefier. It meets the requirements. My kids don't care that the little strap connector doesn't have the N branding. So I don't either. If I cared enough, maybe N would announce when the branded ones are back in stock. I feel that folks that are really that interested in having the fully compliant branded "experience" shouldn't mind having to pay for it.

They just ran out, and are shipping a perfectly good free replacement. Give 'em a break. They did the right thing by going to the replacement.

Why doesn't someone ask Sony about shipping free replacement scratch-free covers for those even-more-expensive PS3s?

[Steve McGinn @ Jan 22nd 2007 11:36PM]

I got my replacement straps (4 of them) and they were these getto straps i got them less then a weak ago would be nice to get the real deal

[MasamuneX @ Jan 23rd 2007 12:45AM]

Maybe if people weren't so greedy requesting 4 wrist straps when they only had a single controller there would be more to go around. People really don't even need a beefier strap all they need to do is lay off the GREEZY behind snacks.

[Grant @ Jan 23rd 2007 2:17AM]

or maybe if the shipping department didn't have a bunch of monkies who shove random numbers of wrist straps in envelopes for a bannana an hour.
i mean seriously, envelopes with double the amount but regular postage?
some guy getting 5 and a half times his order?
i mean we can only hope to blame a computer glitch for those things at best, but when you looks at it, thats reallll sloppy for nintendo.

[Grant @ Jan 23rd 2007 2:18AM]

as for Sir Jim the Third up there.
get off your high horse.
when anything is poorly made it is "ghetto".
a shitty car can be a "ghetto mobile", when you buy a cheap asian knock off MP3 player that looks like an ipod, "ghetto ipod". etc. etc.

He's not mocking anyone, and you must be color blind if you think those straps are brown, they are grey, and if you can find me a race of people who are grey, i will eat all four of my wii replacement straps.

it must be nice to judge people from your beachfront gated community, while you keep yourself content and "connected" to the "rest of us" by donating your two toys to Toys for Tots every year, instead of dropping a piece of that 250K a year salary into a charity like you should.

[Alex @ Jan 23rd 2007 3:54PM]

Does Michael Jackson qualify as a race of his own? If so, I'm looking forward to seeing the video of you eating those straps on YouTube ;P

PS: Yes, this joke is probably overused, but what the heck...

[Demaar @ Jan 23rd 2007 4:57AM]

Answer: The original strap would have done if you didn't act without constraint. You want Nintendo branding? Be more careful and use the original strap.

[Jim @ Jan 23rd 2007 7:03AM]

Hi Grant,
My reply was directed at the author of the article though I was indirectly hoping to get some other commenters, like Armie and bkdude, to expand on their questions about the author's choice of words.
Please don't take my comments personally - they're not directed at Wii-strap commenters in this thread but the author and editors of Engadget.
I understand the slang usage of ghetto in this instance but there are many slang words that are offensive or crude. You might want to broaden your definition of ghetto ... I pasted in the M-W and Urban Dictionary definitions below. Even at the U-D the poor workmanship usage is last after 3 traditional definitions.
Though I'm not color blind I can see now that it could be more gray than brown. In the least, I think the photo gives the straps and table a brownish tint.
Wow, your personal attack is a pretty neat fantasy - you must be really upset about my post to think this all up. I live within a small city outside or a much larger city and there are no gates or beaches around my townhouse. I don't donate to Toys for Tots though it's a very worthy charity and I don't make 250K (I wish!). I've walked, bussed, and had friends in very poor parts of a large city and it's pretty bad. The worst parts of American cities are very scary and I can't imagine how people survive day to day in them. Using ghetto to imply cheapness in a product is furthest from my mind when I hear the word and I think it dismisses or deflects its true meaning.

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/ghetto
1 : a quarter of a city in which Jews were formerly required to live
2 : a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure
3 a : an isolated group b : a situation that resembles a ghetto especially in conferring inferior status or limiting opportunity

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ghetto
1. (n.) an impoverished, neglected, or otherwise disadvantaged residential area of a city, usually troubled by a disproportionately large amount of crime
2. (adj.) urban; of or relating to (inner) city life
3. (adj.) poor; of or relating to the poor life
4. (adj.) jury-rigged, improvised, or home-made (usually with extremely cheap or sub-standard components), yet still deserving of an odd sense of respect from ghetto dwellers and non-ghetto dwellers alike

[Jason McDonald @ Jan 23rd 2007 8:25AM]

I just got my Wii on Sunday and it has the Nintendo straps. It's probably one that Target sat on for awhile or something.

[KerryB @ Jan 23rd 2007 10:40AM]

Jebus, this whole thing is so out of proportion.

I've been playing Wii for 3 or 4 weeks now and I haven't once felt even the remotest possibility of losing my grip on the Wiimote accidentally. That's not to say I haven't felt like throwing it through the TV after a particularly frustrating bout with Monkeyball, but that's hardly Nintendo's problem.

Maybe Wii players need lay off the goddamn Red Bull and Surge and stop flinging the wiimote around by it's strap.

[lr @ Jan 23rd 2007 11:31AM]

From the Wii Owner's Manual
"If you are having so much fun that you start perspiring, take a moment to dry your hands."

Playing with your Wii aside, this advice is good for almost any activity that is fun and requires movement. ;-)

[Grant @ Jan 23rd 2007 1:32PM]

well jim,
you said it yourself there in urbandictionary #4 definition, i think the context is fairly obvious, and i think if your coming to a blog, you should expect relaxed language and slang.
And if you have to go purely off the picture to assume what the straps actually look like, i'm assuming you just commented on this post purely on the word "ghettostrap".
I'm sure i'm not the only one that thinks you need to rethink your approach if you spend your time criticizing people who provide you a free service.
If you haven't noticed, which i'm assuming you have considering you addressed the poster by name, there are many different contributors to engadget, all with different writing styles, some more lax than others.

given the quality of the straps, what would you have preferred he call them? "shit-strap," "POS strap," and "cheap strap" just don't have the same ring to them as "ghettostrap".

I'm sorry you have such a personal connection to the ghettos, the people i know from impoverished areas usually laugh about how they "live in the ghetto".

[J. Evans Turner @ Jan 23rd 2007 2:12PM]

It's a modified version of the DS Phat straps:
http://www.nintendo.com/dslarge?gallery=accessory¤tNo=4
http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/1fe9841f-dd2e-4097-aae2-d52fff4fddf8.jpg

[William @ Jan 23rd 2007 4:41PM]

I got a new strap in the mail yesterday and i like it better than the old ones, its softer, and the plastic slidey peice dosent move as easy.

[Reid @ Jan 23rd 2007 6:23PM]

I ordered a replacement about 3 weeks ago and it is yet to come in. What's the deal Nintendo?

[Zhoe Garcia @ Jan 23rd 2007 10:45PM]

im from the ghetto, and i got one!! can you believe it, maybe it's a new form of marketing .. talk about targeting.

honestly, i can careless, and actually didn't notice this until i saw this article lol.

[Ian @ Feb 8th 2007 9:10PM]

These are the ones I got. I don't think Nintendo is entirely cheap...they spent mony one priority mail to millions of people. I'd rather play with the "better than original, beefier" version then these but...oh well.

[Raj @ Dec 27th 2007 2:17PM]

There On the website they look the same

[Raj @ Dec 27th 2007 2:24PM]

On the website they look the same except for the thickness, why would nintendo ship "ghettostraps" maybe in a different country but down in North America (up in NA) we get normals.....??

[img]http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/images/straps.jpg[/img]
DIRect link to pic on replacement page
DIRECT LINK TO REPLACEMENT PAGE
http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/strapreplace.jsp