Nintendo faces class-action lawsuit, hotter-than-ever sales for Wii

Nintendo's fended off class-action lawsuits over "defective" Wiimote straps in the past, and if you remember, they also replaced about 3.2 million of the straps (a/k/a "all of them") around the same time too -- way back in December of 2006. Well, the same lawyer's back for round two with a new, nearly identical suit, but this one also alleges that Nintendo knew that the defect existed and was negligent in their failure to report the problem to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Nintendo's probably not stoked about the news -- but we've got a feeling that the company's record-breaking sales will balm the wounds a little. According to NPD data just released, the company sold 2 million Wiis and 1.56 million DS units in November, an all-time hardware sales record for a month other than December. Yeah, who cares about a few busted up TVs and black eyes in the face of those numbers?

[Via Gamecyte]

Read - Nintendo Slapped with Strap Lawsuit Once Again
Read - Wii and Nintendo DS Set Historic New US Sales Records

[Big GIANT Balls @ Dec 12th 2008 12:14PM]

These people have got to stop crying! Just play the games, or don't!

[z0phi3l @ Dec 12th 2008 12:20PM]

Most of the people suing, including the "lawyer" have most likely never owned let alone played a Wii

[AJ in the East Bay @ Dec 12th 2008 12:22PM]

I agree 100%. It's just an effin' Wii strap that one really doesn't need to use.

[StalematE @ Dec 12th 2008 12:23PM]

I know, it's Wiidiculous

[Ray @ Dec 12th 2008 12:29PM]

More Money, More Problems...

[Ignatius @ Dec 12th 2008 1:10PM]

It's not Wiidiculous, it's Wiitarded!

[fikhl @ Dec 12th 2008 1:11PM]

Let's get this thing straight here: Anyone claiming Wii is selling hot because it's targeted for n00bs is a....noob.

[Grey Acumen @ Dec 12th 2008 5:56PM]

The only reason I use the gamestrap anymore is to keep it from flopping around while I'm using it. I only leave the strap on for aesthetics. The only time I have ever "lost" my grip on a Wiimote is when I DELIBERATELY chucked it across the room.

How the hell is Nintendo supposed to have known that their consumers were going to be utter spastic retards? And how is ANYONE going to ever be able to prove that?

[superhobo @ Dec 13th 2008 2:47PM]

Goddamn lawyers.

[wud_e @ Dec 14th 2008 10:52AM]

Both of those were Wiilly bad. ;)

[Dee @ Dec 12th 2008 12:21PM]

So if I get Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from playing games too much can I sue for failing to tell me it could lead to it?
Give someone a device and tell him to act like he's throwing it at your screen and then you scream fould when the said person actually throws it at your screen? Looks like someone just wants to get paid.

[Mobius_1 @ Dec 12th 2008 12:22PM]

Stupid lawsuits. Go get a life and a proper job.

[Jamesology @ Dec 12th 2008 9:19PM]

Actually being a Lawyer IS a proper job. I would be proud if my kids end up going to Law school.

[Mobius_1 @ Dec 13th 2008 6:18AM]

Lawyers in general are quite professional and all, kudos to you. But lawsuits like this really show the stupidity of many of the general population and is a waste of the society's time and money and resources. In economics, we call this a "deadweight loss". :)

[sandmanfvrga @ Dec 12th 2008 12:32PM]

Easy fix: Hold onto your fucking controller.

[BigD145 @ Dec 12th 2008 1:34PM]

Which is likely what Nintendo product testers did. They actually understood that a heavy object could fly out of their hands if not gripped properly.

[Mobius_1 @ Dec 12th 2008 1:56PM]

ie the laws of physics.

[BigD145 @ Dec 12th 2008 2:33PM]

Yeah, English speaking countries seem to have a problem with "science." Maybe their favorite deity is supposed to lend a hand to stop centripetal force.

[Technex @ Dec 12th 2008 2:42PM]

So true, yet so hard for people to understand...

[mabhatter @ Dec 12th 2008 5:01PM]

to throw a wiimote hard enough to actually break a TV means you have a cheap TV, or you are winging wildly out of control... which all the wii manuals say you don't need to do... or you're twirling the wiimote by only the strap. Black eyes I can see.. of course plenty of people get those without the strap breaking. But to throw it hard enough to break something else I'd have to say is a hoax. The wiimote would break before most things it would hit, and that's not what the pictures were showing.. those were a lot more force than "accident".

[Jason @ Dec 12th 2008 11:02PM]

To throw it hard enough to break a TV, no biggie. To throw it hard enough to break the strap, what the hell game are they playing??

[joshua taylor @ Dec 12th 2008 12:41PM]

cool

[Yor @ Dec 12th 2008 12:52PM]

Wow the wii is doint really good for it's self...its as if I am the only one that doesnt own one.btw! there seems to be a surge of idiots on engadget lately :S

[Ross @ Dec 12th 2008 3:54PM]

yeah, you're one of them

[David @ Dec 12th 2008 12:57PM]

My grandma is 87 years old and they have a wii at the retirement place she's picked to live at. So far she's been kicking ass at bowling and boxing, NO injuries. These people are just dumb.

[Martin @ Dec 12th 2008 1:00PM]

Nah, your grandma is just a fucking pro.

[sjdurfey @ Dec 12th 2008 1:13PM]

She must be, because im sure there is some pretty stiff competition around there.

[joe23521 @ Dec 12th 2008 3:13PM]

I don't know if 80-year-olds should be playing wii Boxing. It almost gave me a heart attack first time I tried it.

[MARSHAK @ Dec 12th 2008 5:46PM]

i call bullshit. she didnt choose to live there, it was a multiple choice question.

[Papytendo @ Dec 12th 2008 1:08PM]

A law suit at Wii.

Shocker.

[ZaxCG2 @ Dec 12th 2008 1:18PM]

LEAVE NINTENDO ALONE. They're trying their best... extra strong wrist straps, warning screens EVERYWHERE, the weird wiimote rubber casing. I don't get it. People are just morons...

If I threw a baseball into my tv on accident... how stupid would it be to sue the baseball company?

[Agent .25i @ Dec 12th 2008 1:43PM]

If you threw a baseball into your TV then you would be the stupid one. Baseball is intended to be an outdoor sport.
Now, unlike the Wii, where they knew people would be flailing these controllers about in front of their TV's, and other people.
If proper measures weren't conceived to properly secure these controllers to the consumers wrists then, YES it is Nintendo's fault.

The rubber casing I believe is an aftermarket 3rd party product, and if it is in fact made by Nintendo and you are forced to buy the proper protection that these controllers SHOULD have... then that's pretty messed up.

[Sonic_13 @ Dec 12th 2008 1:48PM]

"The rubber casing I believe is an aftermarket 3rd party product, and if it is in fact made by Nintendo and you are forced to buy the proper protection that these controllers SHOULD have... then that's pretty messed up."

No, the are free and made by Nintendo. All systems and controllers come with them (and have for a year now).

For consoles and controllers purchased before that, people just have to go to Nintendo.com, input the code found on the bottom of the Wii, and they are shipped out for free.

[ZaxCG2 @ Dec 12th 2008 2:51PM]

I'M GOING TO THROW MY METAPHORICAL BASEBALL AT YOUR FACE, AGENT.

[El Taco @ Dec 12th 2008 4:48PM]

@Sonic_13

ya, and the people who got their wii's before the rubber casings came out can get 4 of them for free (or could for a while, I'm not sure about now) from Nintendo.com. Nintendo is doing the best job they can to make up for people's stupidity, other than just getting rid of the wiimote and making a traditional controller, or attaching glue to the back of the controller so it can't ever leave your hand.

[Sonic_13 @ Dec 12th 2008 1:33PM]

"this one also alleges that Nintendo knew that the defect existed and was negligent in their failure to report the problem to the Consumer Product Safety Commission."

And by that they mean they have no idea if Nintendo knew about the defects, but rather they multiplied the $6 profit per console by the number of units sold and decided they deserved some of that money.

[Sam Stone @ Dec 12th 2008 1:42PM]

"Well, the same lawyer's back.."

Bet he's a virgin.

[Boarderwoot @ Dec 12th 2008 1:59PM]

I'm still rockin the original straps sans remote condoms as well, after all these years I still don't know what the problem is.

[Uchiha Sasuke @ Dec 12th 2008 2:05PM]

Greed, that's the real problem here, Greed.

[Papytendo @ Dec 12th 2008 2:27PM]

Me too. *Highfives*

[Javi0084 @ Dec 12th 2008 2:21PM]

That lawyer is determined to take a bite out of the Wii pie.

[Loban @ Dec 12th 2008 2:42PM]

I'll take a bite out of your mom's...........nevermind.

[Jason @ Dec 12th 2008 11:11PM]

Wait, there's pie?

[BobTurbo @ Dec 12th 2008 7:22PM]

Someone I know was at an electronics store yesterday and they said that lots and lots of people were buying Wiis. There will be a Wii in every home at this rate. I dont see the attraction.. can't think of any games I would want to play on it.

[chrisp @ Dec 13th 2008 3:21AM]

Nintendo should just package every Wii with one of these:

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/man-makes-working-nintendo-wii-d-mote-494614

lol

[Dizznizzle @ Dec 13th 2008 4:36AM]

Hey! I just threw my beer bottle at the wall, it shattered, and I cut myself. Time to lawyer up against Budweiser. By the way, when I was a catcher in baseball, a batter threw his bat and it hit me. I didn't know it was supposed to have a strap on it.

The amount of bullshit some people wade through is astounding ... and really freaking pathetic.

[dvdman98 @ Dec 13th 2008 6:04AM]

My hip replacement was TOTALLY worth it. Shut up and play!