Costly Play for Nintendo

If you've got a Nintendo Wii wrapped and ready to go for the holidays, you may want to unwrap it.

Nintendo announced it will replace the Wii's distinctive wand remote's straps after multiple reports that the straps were breaking and remotes were flying off the hands of players. The wand remote mimics the movements of a tennis racket, a golf club, a baseball bat, a sword, or other sports equipment, depending on the game.

You'll be able to exchange the original 0.025-inch-thick straps for a beefier 0.04-inch-thick set at a local Nintendo dealer. The voluntary program to replace 3.2 million straps is expected to cost Nintendo several million dollars, but sales of the gaming consoles have been strong out of the gate.

Nintendo has been winning the wallets of consumers this holiday season in a head-to-head new-release battle with Sony's more expensive and even-harder-to-find PlayStation3. The AP reports that more than 476,000 Wiis were sold in the two weeks following its November 17 launch, compared with Sony's sales of less than 200,000 PS3s.

The gaming company reacted after reports of broken TVs, smashed glass, and hand injuries started hitting the news. Had any Wii wand mishaps in your home?