Costly Play for Nintendo
Fri Dec 15, 2006 11:17AM EST
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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?
Comments on Costly Play for Nintendo
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2 Posted by heldercpereira on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:18PM EDT Report Abuse
Well, I guess Nintendo took the right decision. Although, the original straps wouldn't trouble you if you were a litlle bit careful,this news straps are safer. Still, I don't think this is a serious problem. Just think about the overheating problems of Playstation 3: that's far too worse! And, although Sony admited that overheating problem, I don't see them replacing the Playstations!
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3 Posted by bulldogbrother1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:15PM EDT Report Abuse
This was a good move on Nintendo's part, although it was 99% the consumers' fault that the wrist straps were breaking. What they must not realize that huge swings are not neccessary. Small gestures will work just fine. Educating the consumers could help with this problem.
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4 Posted by ericnifong on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:55PM EDT Report Abuse
If this is the worst thing to happen to Nintendo, consider themselves lucky. At least they don't stand to lose $200 every system them sell "cough" sony.
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5 Posted by tran1583 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:19PM EDT Report Abuse
yeah they are all right not
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6 Posted by bmike1382 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:10PM EDT Report Abuse
I'm sorry but after having read that people were trying to file a lawsuit against Nintendo because they let go of their Wiimote and it was sent crashing through their TV, I just started to laugh. How stupid are these people? Nintendo repeatedly places warnings to players before every game that they should use the attached wriststrap. It's there for a reason. Secondly, some people are using the strap but breaking it because they're letting go of the controller during movement? Are they physically disabled or just retarded? How hard is it to hold on to the controller? It's not not like it's covered in some sort of lubricant. Maybe their hands are sweaty from some sort of other activity,....aahhhhh.....Zelda. Anyways, I very much do not like people that try to take advantage of others because of their ignorance. Let me know what you think.
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7 Posted by wolfmaufia on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:49PM EDT Report Abuse
i own a Wii, PS3, and a 360. overall Wii is more for group games, but ps3 is more for multiplayer over the internet, and/or single player, my ps3 hasnt had any overheating problems, its a great system pricey but worth it got to love a physics simulation processor, lets see 360 match that
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8 Posted by jluceno on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:36PM EDT Report Abuse
Big deal the strap brakes. They had so much hype on this and it probably happened to less than 1% of Wi Owners. Just be careful, get the replacement strap and enjoy the system... Its alot of fun....
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9 Posted by jluceno on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:36PM EDT Report Abuse
Big deal the strap brakes. They had so much hype on this and it probably happened to less than 1% of Wi Owners. Just be careful, get the replacement strap and enjoy the system... Its alot of fun....
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10 Posted by shaneman_1234 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:16PM EDT Report Abuse
What people don't realize is that kids do not understand that force and speed don't really matter when using the Wii remote. They still think that the harder you swing the virtual bat the further they'll hit the ball (this is just one misconception among many others). Kids get overexcited easily and when such a fact is taken into consideration it isn't hard to see the reason for the straps breaking. Nintendo is definitely the most family friendly of all the video game manufacturers so it's natural that they would want to remedy any problems with the remote. P.S. the Playstation 3 hasn't proven itself as the way to go for multiplayer over the internet. XBOX Live has WAY more games over an internet connection, better games for the internet and more subscribers to it's internet gameplay.
1 Posted by seadood99 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:10PM EDT Report Abuse
Wii just Love this thing! Already ordered spare straps from Nintendo, they only cost a dollar. I don't want to see a game store anytime soon after camping out to get a Wii. This whole situation shows how revolutionary this console is. Great moment in gaming history. Just be careful out there!