Nintendo To Replace 3.2M Wii Straps

[ShotgunSteven]

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Nintendo to Replace 3.2M Wii Straps

By HANS GREIMEL
The Associated Press
Friday, December 15, 2006; 10:18 AM

TOKYO -- Nintendo said Friday it will replace 3.2 million straps for its popular Wii computer game controllers after receiving a rash of reports that the device flew out of the hands of players.

The voluntary exchange program is a bittersweet development for Nintendo _ a costly hitch in its three-way battle with Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360, but also confirmation of its enthusiastic reception worldwide.

The Wii's signature wand-like remote controller is used to mimic the motions of a tennis racket, golf club or sword, depending on the game. But soon after the Wii went on sale last month, people started reporting cases of the controller's strap breaking as they waved it about vigorously.

Nintendo will allow customers to exchange the old straps, which have a 0.024 inch diameter, for a beefed up strap that has a diameter of 0.04 inch, company spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa said. The worldwide exchange is expected to cost the company several million dollars.

"People tended to get a bit excited, especially while playing Wii sports, and in some cases the control would come loose from their hands," Minagawa said. "The new strap will be almost twice as thick."

The control wand is one of the unique features of the Wii, which Nintendo introduced as its counterchallenge in a fierce competition with Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360.

Nintendo is hoping the easy-to-control wand will appeal to a wider crowd of players _ not just young men.

Customers can exchange the straps through their local Nintendo service centers, Minagawa said.

Wii's debuts were soon followed by reports of smashed glass and damaged television sets, while another fan apparently sprained and cut a finger on her right hand while trying to rally for a comeback victory in Wii baseball.

But the offbeat stories of Wii controllers going ballistic haven't hurt sales.

The market research company NPD Group estimated that U.S. consumers bought 476,000 Wiis in the two weeks following its Nov. 17 launch. That beat Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 console, which sold just under 200,000 units amid widespread shortages.

Nintendo has delivered more machines so far to consumers than Sony has, partly because of Sony's production problems.

Nintendo has shipped about 400,000 Wii machines in Japan and more than 600,000 in North America. Sony readied just 100,000 PS3 machines for the Japanese launch and 400,000 consoles for its U.S. debut.

Sony has promised 2 million PS3s worldwide by year's end, while Nintendo is targeting 4 million Wii units in the same period.

Selling machines in high volumes is crucial in the gaming business because hot-selling formats attract software companies to make more games, which in turn boost console sales.

Separately Friday, Nintendo also said it would replace 200,000 AC adapters for its DS and DS Lite consoles in Japan. Nintendo said the move would not affect adapters overseas, and officials expected only a small impact on earnings.

 

[iamaelephant]

I really don't think Nintendo will lose much money on this. Most people aren't dumb enough to let go of the damn controller often enough that the durability of the strap becomes compromised. I predict only a very small percentage of Wii owners will elect for a replacement strap.

 

[mugs]

Doubt I'll even bother. I'm not worried about mine breaking, because I don't flail around like a maniac. I don't want to be strapless while waiting for my replacement.

 

[randomlinh]

i bought some 2 days ago or so... cause of reports they were silently replacing them. more of a precaution because I can't control what others do.. no matter how much I tell them. And I plan on/have been taking my wii around

that and I felt getting just an extra sensor bar to be a waste for shipping, heh. I got a couple more tho, will use it on my DS probably.

 

[kmrivers]

You aren't required to send your straps back. I just made a request for four of them. I know that I don't need them, but I can't trust those who play my Wii, especially with my 37" Westy in the Wiimotes path.

 

[waggy]

is there a link for them? i would like to get mine replaced. my 4 yr old daughter gets a little energetic with it heh

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: kmrivers
You aren't required to send your straps back. I just made a request for four of them. I know that I don't need them, but I can't trust those who play my Wii, especially with my 37" Westy in the Wiimotes path.

'splain how!

Is there a number to call or a website to go to?

 

[kmrivers]

Here you go: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/strapreplace.jsp

 

[kmrivers]

And yeah she is definetly holding it wrong. If she sues I hope Nintendo shows that picture.

I have been in a heated game of tennis and have not had mine break. It really isn't that difficult. But I am sure this move will save Nintendo time and money from now hopefully thwarted lawsuits.

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: kmrivers
And yeah she is definetly holding it wrong. If she sues I hope Nintendo shows that picture.

I have been in a heated game of tennis and have not had mine break. It really isn't that difficult. But I am sure this move will save Nintendo time and money from now hopefully thwarted lawsuits.

i hate how people like that dont read the instructions (almost nobody I know of takes the time to read instructions) and then blames problems on the manufacturer when, in fact, it was the user's fault the entire time. Sigh.

Nintendo is doing the right thing, and more importantly, from what I have seen, has great customer support. A buddy of mine has both Xbox360 and Wii. He was without the xbox360 for 2 weeks while they sorted out the hardware failure. His Wii overheated due to fan failure, and he received a new Wii OVERNIGHT!

I know this is perhaps an isolated incident, but Nintendo Overnight vs Microsoft 2 weeks...

 

[JS80]

they should have handcuffs attached to it

 

[foghorn67]

I don't want to punish Nintendo for other people being stupid. I will not make that request for new straps.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Tiamat

Originally posted by: kmrivers
And yeah she is definetly holding it wrong. If she sues I hope Nintendo shows that picture.

I have been in a heated game of tennis and have not had mine break. It really isn't that difficult. But I am sure this move will save Nintendo time and money from now hopefully thwarted lawsuits.

i hate how people like that dont read the instructions (almost nobody I know of takes the time to read instructions) and then blames problems on the manufacturer when, in fact, it was the user's fault the entire time. Sigh.

Nintendo is doing the right thing, and more importantly, from what I have seen, has great customer support. A buddy of mine has both Xbox360 and Wii. He was without the xbox360 for 2 weeks while they sorted out the hardware failure. His Wii overheated due to fan failure, and he received a new Wii OVERNIGHT!

I know this is perhaps an isolated incident, but Nintendo Overnight vs Microsoft 2 weeks...

You don't even need to read the instructions either, they have in-game instructions that show with pictures how to hold the remote and put the strap on, and you can't skip past it.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: kmrivers
Here you go: http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/strapreplace.jsp

thank you!

my daughter loves to bowl. it scares me sometimes with the little strap heh

 

[Thraxen]

What the hell is on that Wiimote in the picture? Looks like some sort of sleave for the Wiimote. It looks like it would really hinder your ability to push the buttons.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Tiamat

Originally posted by: kmrivers
And yeah she is definetly holding it wrong. If she sues I hope Nintendo shows that picture.

I have been in a heated game of tennis and have not had mine break. It really isn't that difficult. But I am sure this move will save Nintendo time and money from now hopefully thwarted lawsuits.

i hate how people like that dont read the instructions (almost nobody I know of takes the time to read instructions) and then blames problems on the manufacturer when, in fact, it was the user's fault the entire time. Sigh.

Nintendo is doing the right thing, and more importantly, from what I have seen, has great customer support. A buddy of mine has both Xbox360 and Wii. He was without the xbox360 for 2 weeks while they sorted out the hardware failure. His Wii overheated due to fan failure, and he received a new Wii OVERNIGHT!

I know this is perhaps an isolated incident, but Nintendo Overnight vs Microsoft 2 weeks...

You don't even need to read the instructions either, they have in-game instructions that show with pictures how to hold the remote and put the strap on, and you can't skip past it.

it stays on for like 2 seconds then you can get past it.

anyway i hope Nintendo uses this picture. since it shows her having the strap on wrong.

 

[Dacalo]

Poor Nintendo, just because some retards and kids were not properly using the remote.

People are releasing the remote for the bowling game as if they are throwing a bowling ball and over-motioning like a caffeinated tasmanian devil for games like baseball. :roll:

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: waggy

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Tiamat

Originally posted by: kmrivers
And yeah she is definetly holding it wrong. If she sues I hope Nintendo shows that picture.

I have been in a heated game of tennis and have not had mine break. It really isn't that difficult. But I am sure this move will save Nintendo time and money from now hopefully thwarted lawsuits.

i hate how people like that dont read the instructions (almost nobody I know of takes the time to read instructions) and then blames problems on the manufacturer when, in fact, it was the user's fault the entire time. Sigh.

Nintendo is doing the right thing, and more importantly, from what I have seen, has great customer support. A buddy of mine has both Xbox360 and Wii. He was without the xbox360 for 2 weeks while they sorted out the hardware failure. His Wii overheated due to fan failure, and he received a new Wii OVERNIGHT!

I know this is perhaps an isolated incident, but Nintendo Overnight vs Microsoft 2 weeks...

You don't even need to read the instructions either, they have in-game instructions that show with pictures how to hold the remote and put the strap on, and you can't skip past it.

it stays on for like 2 seconds then you can get past it.

anyway i hope Nintendo uses this picture. since it shows her having the strap on wrong.

Yeah that's what I meant... you're forced to llook at it.

Not to mention any idiot who as ever used an electronic device with a wrist strap should know how it works.

The caption for the photo says Oct 14... I guess that means December 14?

 

[Whisper]

I don't have a Wii, and haven't even yet had a chance to use one in a store/demo, but I'm just curious as to how she's holding the controller wrong. Anyone able to explain what she's doing incorrectly, and what she should be doing instead?

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: Whisper
I don't have a Wii, and haven't even yet had a chance to use one in a store/demo, but I'm just curious as to how she's holding the controller wrong. Anyone able to explain what she's doing incorrectly, and what she should be doing instead?

not sure about holding it wrong.

but look at the wrist strap. the little part is sopposed to make it tight around the wrist. not make a loop.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Whisper
I don't have a Wii, and haven't even yet had a chance to use one in a store/demo, but I'm just curious as to how she's holding the controller wrong. Anyone able to explain what she's doing incorrectly, and what she should be doing instead?

Her hand is in the wrong part of the wrist strap. Tightening it that way does nothing, it can still slip off her hand.

If she actually snapped the strap, that shouldn't matter. But it makes you wonder if it actually slipped, then she cut the strap to make it look like Nintendo's fault.

 

[loup garou]

That picture makes me angry. People are so fvcking stupid.

 

[AdvancedRobotics]

(1) the person in the picture is wearing it wrong
(2) who even needs the strap? just hold on to the damn remote you idiot

 

[yowolabi]

Originally posted by: Tiamat

Originally posted by: kmrivers
And yeah she is definetly holding it wrong. If she sues I hope Nintendo shows that picture.

I have been in a heated game of tennis and have not had mine break. It really isn't that difficult. But I am sure this move will save Nintendo time and money from now hopefully thwarted lawsuits.

i hate how people like that dont read the instructions (almost nobody I know of takes the time to read instructions) and then blames problems on the manufacturer when, in fact, it was the user's fault the entire time. Sigh.

Nintendo is doing the right thing, and more importantly, from what I have seen, has great customer support. A buddy of mine has both Xbox360 and Wii. He was without the xbox360 for 2 weeks while they sorted out the hardware failure. His Wii overheated due to fan failure, and he received a new Wii OVERNIGHT!

I know this is perhaps an isolated incident, but Nintendo Overnight vs Microsoft 2 weeks...

When the 360 first came out they were replacing them in 2 days. If Nintendo is still overnighting them in a year, then i'll be impressed.

 

[SilthDraeth]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Whisper
I don't have a Wii, and haven't even yet had a chance to use one in a store/demo, but I'm just curious as to how she's holding the controller wrong. Anyone able to explain what she's doing incorrectly, and what she should be doing instead?

Her hand is in the wrong part of the wrist strap. Tightening it that way does nothing, it can still slip off her hand.

If she actually snapped the strap, that shouldn't matter. But it makes you wonder if it actually slipped, then she cut the strap to make it look like Nintendo's fault.

Exactly. That little piece of plastic that makes the 2nd loop should be between her wrist and the controller, not vice versa, like the picture shows.

Second, shes using a 3rd party rubber sleeve for her wii mote, and it has it's own wii strap.