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Replacement Wii straps arrive
And not a minute too soon! After all that "excited" gameplay we've been doing over the holiday weekend, we were starting to think we might assassinate our damn HDTV with a tennis smash in Wii Sports. We ordered our straps on the 15th, the day the replacement program was announced -- meaning they came a good 6 days later than expected. Still, it was Christmas and all that, so we'll spot 'em. Check out the pics of the new thicker strap! Gallery
And now ... the Wiimote lawsuit
Just when you thought the story couldn't get any sillier, some fools are suing Nintendo over the Wiimote straps. Get ready for a lot of articles wherein people speculate about 32 different definitions of liability. Meanwhile, we'll be over here playing Wii without slinging the remotes around all willy-nilly. We'll have to see how this one pans out, though; these lawsuits often bear fruit, despite seeming a little nutty to the rest of us. Nintendo's people didn't mince words in their response: "We believe the lawsuit to be completely without merit." Not a lot of room for doubt there, and we're certainly on their side, and not only because they're, y'know, the precious. Mostly because we think it's all a little insane to blame others because you were wearing baby oil gloves. We do have to wonder, however ... what if Sony had kept their boomerang controllers for the PS3? Those things could kill a man!On a side note, thanks to Penny Arcade for providing the perfect image for the Wii strap debacle.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
The Wii disaster shirt
There's nothing like a funny t-shirt to commemorate all the Wii strap drama, real or Photoshopped, and we dig this design. The illusion of a Wiimote protruding from one's chest is comedy gold. But we do want to take a moment to wonder what's next in the deluge of Wii-themed shirts. Maybe a montage of 'chopped faces, complete with black eyes and swollen, bruised skin from fake Wii injuries? Eh, we'll go with the busted television. Less is more.[Thanks, Josh!]
Nintendo responds to Wii-strap lawsuit
Nintendo passed FiringSquad a PR statement, saying the Wii strap lawsuit is "completely without merit." Nintendo says it has "already taken appropriate steps" to replace the straps and continues to tell idiot excited gamers not to let go of the remote.While some of the Wii-related injuries and damage are real -- and bad things can happen to good people -- we think that the people getting out of control need to look at a mirror, not late-night attorney ads. But even with our hope that Wii users take responsibility for their flailing, we hope that this lawsuit finds its way in front of a judge for public ridicule before being tossed out.See also: Nintendo to replace 3.2 million Wii straps[Image from The Iconfactory.]
Safety Commission watching Wii, not yet intervening
Kotaku gauges the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's position on the Wii, related to the strap-replacement plan. The Safety Commission isn't yet conducting its own investigation into remotes to launching out of gamers' hands, unimpeded by the original straps, but it will follow-up if consumers have problems with the replacement tethers.This relaxed attitude from the government agency is a pleasant contrast to the quick-to-hype nature of news. This writer has never witnessed a launched remote, but other Joystiq writers have. While we only have to go one degree to find someone who has seen a thrown remote -- or two degrees to the thrower -- we still think that the perception of remote accidents is high because of a vocal internet minority. After all, the Safety Commission says Nintendo has only confirmed three minor injuries from broken straps.See also: Nintendo to replace 3.2 million straps[Via Slashdot]
Wii-related injury roundup
It didn't take too long for the first Wii-related injury to surface, and it was even shorter before Wiimotes folks starting breaking things with their wild flinging antics, but when your product spurns the creation of an entire website devoted to users getting banged up when misusing the controller, now that's an accomplishment. Of course, it's probably safe to assume that at least half these Wiinjuries are nothing more than backyard boo-boos that folks translated into Wiincidents to get their 15 minutes of fame, but regardless, when Nintendo sends out emails and offers beefier Wiimote straps to those having problems, at least some of this stuff has to be legitimate. First up is a high-heel-wearing dame who apparently dislocated her knee while going for the smash in Wii Tennis, but the remedy to this happening again should really be quite apparent. Next we've got a rowdy customer service guru who actually swung the Wii-bat so hard, it purportedly snapped something within his arm. Lastly, we've got a Agassi wannabe who didn't exactly pay attention to the overhead (glass) light fixture before serving an ace, and now he's reportedly got the bloodshed (and repair bills) to show for it. The moral of the story is that the Wiimote can be a potent weapon and injury liaison if not used properly, but hey, we can't deny the humor in folks taking themselves out when going FTW.Read - Dislocated Knee, via JoystiqRead - Broken ArmRead - Sliced HandRead - More Examples of Wiimote carelessness
Wii manufacturing costs ring up to just $158?
We snuck a peek awhile back and found that Target itself was only making $12.50 per Wii it sold, and we knew the big N wasn't taking any losses on console sales at launch (unlike Microsoft and Sony), but is it really making money hand over fist? Per a shakily constructed Japanese comparison, it seems that Nintendo's brainchild is only costing $158.30 to manufacture, before you consider the Wiimotes and whatnot (not to mention marketing and distribution costs) that end up being bundled with it, while the 20GB PlayStation 3 clocks in at a whopping $805.85 (saywha?). Interestingly, there's a less-than-understandable $195.99 figure that mentions a "wholesale price," which could be a more realistic figure of how much Nintendo is shelling out when taking external costs (like Reggie flying all over the world) into the equation. Regardless, one thing's for sure -- Nintendo stands to make a sweet profit from the sold-out status its console is in, while Sony continues to fall deeper into a hole they hope will be redeemed with game / accessory sales. Of course, your Wii could end up costing you quite a bit more, especially if you don't have that recently-recalled Wiimote strap looked at.[Via Digg, thanks Mike]
Nintendo replacing 3.2 million wrist straps
Nintendo is biting the bullet and replacing 3.2 million Wiimote straps with thicker, stronger straps, in an effort to put a stop to TV damage and gamer injuries alike. The original straps, which were 0.6 millimeter (0.024 inch) diameter, are being upgraded to a thicker 1 millimeter (0.04 inch) strap. In order to acquire your new strap, you'll want to fill out Nintendo's replacement form and send it off right away, which will result in a new, beefier strap arriving in your mail box. Personally, we felt the original straps were more than adequate, however in light of all the reported injuries and damage to property, we're not surprised by Nintendo's recall.[Via Joystiq; thanks to all that sent this in!]
It's goin' nowhere
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/THIS_Wiimote_is_goin_nowhere'; We knew the straps were a little weak. This user decided to protect his loved ones and shiny TV set in the most authoritative way he knew how: chaining that wand to his wrist, nuclear-bomb-code-briefcase style. We ourselves have used thick shoelaces at parties to ensure ... ah ... inebriated members of the populace wouldn't deface and destroy; how about you guys? Come up with any creative solutions in the realm of protective measures?[via VG Cats]
Jumpin' jinkies, new Wii straps
That was fast! No more than a couple weeks after the first reports of straps snapping, causing Wii-motes to destroy electronics, windows, vases etc., Nintendo is selling new Wii straps. Also, new Wii systems seem to be packaged with the improved strap. Although we still recommend you follow our PSA on proper Wii-mote usage, that was impressively quick turnaround. We had ordered Wii straps (as regular consumers, so that we wouldn't receive reinforced straps from Nintendo) to do some testing on their breaking point right when all this hoopla happened, but the package we received already has the new straps. Like a Folgers commercial, Nintendo secretly replaced the original Wii strap with what looks like an improved model, and they thought we wouldn't notice.
Nintendo looking into Wii strap problem
We would like to suggest that Nintendo has already done a bit more than "look into" the Wii strap situation (thanks, Go Nintendo and Todd, for the better pic), but instead has already hazard a fix for the weakling bit of string. All the same, Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto came out of the woodwork the other day to poke fun at these exuberant gamers, and to promise investigation of the issue. Iwata spun it all as a positive thing: "Of course before the launch of the Wii hardware Nintendo had a number of tests on the durability of everything, including the strap, but our understanding right now is that even beyond our expectations people are becoming more and more excited playing with the Wii." In comparison, Shiggy was a bit more down to earth: "We are encouraging people to understand that you really don't have to be so excited, but rather you need to understand the control and then you're going to be the best player. We are looking into the situation to see if there are additional methods to encourage people to kind of calm down so they would never throw away the controller itself." Nintendo also is offering a no-slip glove to help out, and of course that advisory email, but we're pretty well convinced by now that with that many of these things out there, somebody, somewhere is going to be stupid or clumsy enough to hurt themselves, others or the furniture.Read - Iwata and Miyamoto tell gamers to calm downRead - Wiimote replacement strap looks beefy
Wiimote broken screen faker sets up PayPal link to cash in
We've been pretty lenient with Wiimote disaster pictures so far -- we're looking at you, Tyler -- since they're just so dang funny. But now Mr. Mmcheacher had to go and ruin it for everyone by faking a disaster of his own, and expecting people to fork over PayPal dollars to buy him a brand new laptop. Mmcheacher put up a cute little blog with that picture up above, along with a sad story of Wiimote strap-breaking woe, hoping to win some pity dollars with that "cracked LCD" of his, him being a student and all. Next, (for those potential pranksters out there taking notes), Mmcheacher tipped us about the blog, and had a friend tip us 16 minutes later, completing this marvelous deception. Unfortunately for him, that screensaver he's using has been around the internet a time or two, and he's not fooling anyone. Sorry to ruin the party, Mmcheacher -- if that's even your real name -- but perhaps you can try a little harder next time around?UPDATE: Sorry to ruin the fun, but after this post went up, the aforementioned Mmcheacher (whose real name is Michael Parker McEachern, we've discovered) swapped his tale of woe for a NSFW page of hate, so we pulled the link. Now you'll just have to use your imagination. Or you can email him at mmceachern@gmail.com or michaelparker@gmail.com -- maybe he'll send you a screencap.
Safety first -- beef up that wrist strap!
All the news about Wii safety got you freaking out about possible damage to your television? Even if you're not, that thin cord that gets sawed through plastic every time you remove the nunchuk might be starting to look a little frayed. Whatever your worries, thanks to the power of the 'net, there are solutions! This helpful Flickr set shows you, step by step, how to reinforce the strap-connecting-the-strap so that you can avoid all sorts of mishaps -- real or imagined. Ain't Wii fans grand?
Nintendo now shipping beefed-up Wii strap?
We've seen the violence, now behold the solution. We think. Friendly tipster Arthur S. bought a Wii on November 24th with a flimsy little Wiimote strap just like the rest of you fools, but when his mom, won over by the beauty of the tiny little Wii box, purchased her own on December 6th, Arthur was shocked to discover a new and improved string for connecting the strap to the Wiimote. She also purchased an additional controller, which had the flimsy, non Tyler-proof string. This would seem to imply that Nintendo is quietly improving the Wii straps as the consoles fly out of the factory, but since none of this is official, we only have blurry camphone pics (is there any other kind?) for proof of this change. Peep another after the break.
Nintendo to investigate Wii strap failure
Satoru Iwata has confirmed with the Foreign Correspondents Club in Tokyo that Nintendo will investigate reports that the Wiimote strap is malfunctioning. Nintendo contends that the strap has been manufactured securely, but admits that "people are getting a lot more excited than we'd expected."Iwata stressed the need for "additional methods to encourage people to kind of calm down," as if in-game warnings and a mass email aren't enough. If these incidents keep up, Nintendo's gonna institute a Wii license exam. Oy!For your reference:"Wii Have A Problem," an accident archive
Wiimote strap fix, MacGyver style
It might not be the prettiest thing ever to grace your svelte little Wiimote, but if you're the, um, rambunctious type, or have muscles the size a small house like our man Tyler, this little strap "hack" might be the only thing keeping your Wiimote from becoming a svelte projectile of destruction. The project is all pretty straight forward, using some supa-strong braided fishing line as a safety buffer in case your bowling game gets a little over zealous. But just in case you managed to sleep through all your knot tying merit badges in Boy Scouts, or have allowed the internets to reduce your brain to a pile of mush, and you need a fancy photo set to hold your hand through every little project, then you should find these detailed knot-tying instructions quite helpful.[Via Digg]
