Ever look at various hand straps included with various systems, see that looping bit of string nowhere NEAR as strong as the part that goes around your wrist, and think "wait, didn't they realize a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link?".
Well, they may not have, but some other people sure have been made aware of this.
At first I was just chocking this up to a fluke or two, but the reports just keep on coming in, complete with photo graphical and video evidence.
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/wii/wii-rem...217322.php
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/clips/clips...217120.php
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/25/todays...ads-smash/
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/20/flying...sts-60-tv/
Interesting. I myself have noticed one can get a little caught up in the game, though that's nothing keeping a good grip can't solve. Still, I know exactly how clumsy I am and it's inevitable it'll slip from my grip one of these days. I'd like to think the strap would actually be able to hold if I'm in mid-ultraspeed mode (seriously, how fast were these guys swinging their arms to go through a frickin' window or TV?). I think the suggestion to make the strap either thicker or made of metal is a good one.
At least as of yet the people have taken these accidents in stride. Though, eventually a lawsuit will emerge from this... The thing is, I have a hard time really seeing Nintendo come out of any such lawsuit in one piece. They do specifically claim that with the hand strap in place, the remote will NOT fly all over the room. Something like that could be damning if the hand strap doesn't actually do much to prevent such a thing.
Of course if Nintendo loses and does end up making a stronger hand strap, offering to replace anyone's strap if they mail it in or some such thing, someone will probably imbibe in Underdog's energy pills and struggle to somehow break THAT so they can sue Nintendo again.
Just because the Wiimote is strapped to your wrist doesn't mean that you can fling it around like a wild-man.
Yeah, what's wrong with these people? It's like they think they can get into the game just because that's precisely what the interface is attempting to encourage!
That's why you keep a good grip on the controller!
I only left the fate of my Wii-mote in the hands of that thread once: When I tried to swing the mote like a flail to make my baseball pitches faster (which, for the record, does not work).
I soon realized what the hell I was doing and decided to stick with what I've done the last 15-20 years I've been gaming:
"HOLD ON TO THE DAMN CONTROLLER!!"
Seriously, are these people prone to randomly letting traditional controllers slip from their hands during play?
Well they aren't prone to using motion sensitive controllers period. Thing is, they are waving it around and apparently once the sweat starts flowing, it's not that they let go so much as it slips out of their hands when they have a less than sufficient grip. Understandable really, which is why Nintendo included the straps to begin with if you notice the instructions before every game. The issue comes from the fact that the strap isn't strong enough. Most of it is fine, the thick part, but for some unknown reason, apparently in Japan it's fashionable to have that last bit that actually attaches to the device in question be this pathetic little thread. Weakest link... snap... you know the rest.
I took the strap off after about half an hour of playing. I can't stand that thing, and I've never lost hold of the controller once.
<img src="http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2006/20061129.jpg">
The system is out in Japan, and not one day has passed and BAM, another TV is sacrificed in the name of fun.
http://depo.exblog.jp/6131100/
As an aside, I sure wish I had a nice box like that for Wii sports. That little cardboard sleeve, while it may have done the job, has already been torn. I mean that circular piece of tape on there pretty much ruined it the moment I removed it. Well, I guess I could have STEAMED it off... That said, I much prefer the US box art for Twilight Princess. Odd, since I usually prefer Japanese box art, but in this case Link just sort of standing there doesn't hold a candle to Link, a diagonal slash, and the wolf, facing away from each other. But to balance things out, there's Ico with it's horrible US box art compared to the piece of ART that is the Japanese artwork.
I just cut through the tape...I mean sure I also wanted to tear into it with my TEETH to extract it on the day I got my Wii but I <i>was</i> able to exercise that small amount of restraint.
You're right though. An actual case would have been nice.
If you cut it, that tape's still there. I had to get the tape off of there, I had to. I HAD to! You just don't understand, it was there, and it was annoying, mocking, drilling into my HEAD! It had to go. I'm not mad, I'm quite sane really. I knew what was to be done, and I did it. Why are you looking at me like that? Back off!
How do you handle things like PC games, which (when they actually come in cardboard boxes, not a sure thing anymore... :( :() usually are sealed by a tape circle like that?
I take them off. Usually though they don't do that much damage.
Okay I just got a "Wii Safety Message" from Nintendo in my email...
Some people are just stupid.
But did you notice that the first thing they say, use the wrist strap because it will prevent the remote from flying out of your hands, is contradicted by the whole "make sure it doesn't fly out of your hands because the wrist strap will break" part?
More than likely the strap is there to keep the controller from falling on the ground, not to prevent it from flying at the screens at speeds in excess of 100kph.
Except for this: "keep you from accidentally dropping OR THROWING the remote during game play".
Their words, not mine (emphasis is though).
My point is that while I'm surprised so many people are letting this slip and going kinda nuts with the speed of their swings, it is pretty much what they are encouraging. And, the idea of having that tiny thread (seriously, it was think all the way up to that tiny thread, why couldn't they just keep it thick when it connects?) is a little off. I'm not saying Nintendo should reimburse people for their broken TVs, but this is becoming a major problem and they should still deal with it. Replace the straps with metal and the problem is solved.
Here's the deal. I'm not afraid I'm going to break it. Heck, I keep a good enough hold and swing at a low enough speed that I probably don't even need to bother with the wrist strap (and I don't in Zelda, because I don't get "into" the sword swings, as I've mentioned, and aiming doesn't require standing up or jerking motions). I'm not even afraid my friends will, because they are gamers all and will know to be careful.
I'm afraid my family will destroy a good chunk of the state though. A large number of them are NOT gamers and unless I take great pains to warn them all before they play this thing, from what I've seen, there WILL be trouble. How are they to know? It isn't even American stupidity, it's happening in Japan now. It's human stupidity. The problem is that I have no idea if, at some point when I'm not in the room and the family is having a good time, someone new will show up or some kid will wake up from a nap, they will hand it over, and BOOM, a disaster will happen and the world will turn to ash.
This is the scenario a proper wrist strap would prevent just fine.
Don't act like a moron when you play. Problem solved.
If I buy a new car and then try to drive it on slick highways at high speeds around relatively sharp corners because that's what is showed on the commercial, then it's mine own fault for being an idiot.
I'm not talking about a car, I'm talking about a video game controller. Pay attention.
Everyone is taught basic car safety. The majority of people know not to drive recklessly (and they do, statistically speaking). No one is taught basic wireless remote safety, except by Nintendo, because this is a whole new frickin' thing.
The fact of the matter is that these disasters ARE happening and you are ignoring that. Sure we can prevent them ourselves but if this is happening with such a high incident rate, something should be done to prevent it out of common decency. I'm not blaming Nintendo. If someone crashes their car it's not MY fault but I'd be a jerk to not stop and help (and also the law requires that too). I'm saying Nintendo should go ahead and release a new wrist strap to take into consideration that, whether idiots or not, people ARE destroying stuff accidentally and there is a clear step that can be taken to prevent it.
Besides, that's MORE money for Nintendo when people buy the new straps. It's win/win!
Basically I'm saying that, if we're going to stick with GR's car analogy, there was a time when there were no guard rails on bridges and high roads. Lots of people started crashing their cars. The majority, maybe not, but enough that it became a problem. Now, some people said "if they are going to be as stupid as to drive that recklessly, let them". While it's true that it was their own fault, there were two clear reasons that eventually led most local governments to start building guard rails. The first is that not all these incidents were killing people that were making a stupid mistake. Sometimes, it was the result of some slick patch of ice they did not or could not have seen, resulting in an accident. And further, sometimes they were not the only victims. They may have had passengers, who should not have to pay for the idiocy of the driver, and they may have slipped and veered suddenly into traffic to save themselves from a fall and caused another accident. Like much in life, there are too many possible exceptions to just make a blanket declaration of "they deserved it". The second is that, as human beings, if there's something we can do to prevent these accidents, even in cases where it is clearly the fault of the driver, and it's a very simple step, then we do it because we actually CARE about each other as human beings. A single boneheaded mistake doesn't mean that person wouldn't contribute to our society in other ways, if you want to be more pragmatic about it. As a result, these fences and such were made. Not only that, recently a lot of the old barriers on the sides of roads that are level with surrounding ground (which prevented far rolling but damaged cars and further resulted in extra cost in terms of replacing those guard posts) have been replaced with rubber ones that go under the car and bounce right back up, but when one hits them late at night it's a sufficient enough "jolt" that they wake up or sober up enough to pull themselves back onto the road.
In the case of the remote, why not do this simple step to help prevent this stuff? Whatever the cause, and I'm not really arguing that, it IS happening, and it CAN be prevented by a mere physical addition. Why not? It benefits everyone. And, whatever "principle of the thing" you may be arguing about is kinda silly. I'd say the principle of just being a helpful company trumps that. The only principles that matter are ones that affect the real world, where we live and do things. Any "principles" that do nothing but make us feel morally superior without doing anything for anyone, perhaps even hurting people, should be discarded.
My Wiimote's not going anywhere because I DON'T ACT CRAZY WHEN I PLAY. There's a certain limit to what companies should be expected to do and at that limit it's up to the individual to take responsibility for their actions. Okay, so the string brings if the Wiimote comes out of your hand at high speeds. If the string were not there would you still sling the control around like you did with the string around your arm? Okay, then, let's just take it off since it's presence seems only to invite trouble.
What I'm saying is, that the presence of the strap does not give you the right to act like you're having a seizure when you play Wii games. The strap is there to provide a small margin of safety so that the Wiimote does not accidentally fall on the floor or come out of your hand, although unless you're actually trying to pitch the Wiimote at 80mph in Wii Baseball then this is extremely unlikely to happen in the first place. Don't want you TV messed up by a flying Wiimote? Then don't let the Wiimote leave your hand!! Come on!!
You already said all that GR. Once again, it's all irrelevant. There's a problem, and finding out who's at fault won't fix it.
To reiterate: Nintendo doesn't "owe" it to them, but it still is in their best interest to provide a stronger strap. It will make them MORE MONEY and it'll also help prevent these incidents. That's the bottom line. I'm not talking about fault, I don't care about that. I'm saying I see a quick and clear solution to the problem they can take. Fault is irrelevant. And lastly, YOU don't have to be the one to break it. Your family might.
I already said that I'm not playing wildly. I know that's a major part of the problem, but why wouldn't they just go ahead and make a stronger strap?
Instead of going over the old ground, points which I've gone over as either straw men or not clearly thought out, try talking about MY points. Would releasing a new strap prevent or not prevent the problem? Would releasing a new strap benefit or not benefit Nintendo? What's the point of talking about who's to blame? If you think about this in terms of what actually will solve the problem instead of just finding out who's at fault, the solution becomes clear. Nintendo is not "morally obligated" to do anything. I'm merely arguing that if they did, it would solve the problem.
The problem, as I see it, is that there are certain members of the videogame-owning community who have NO IDEA HOW TO HANDLE THE WIIMOTE PROPERLY. Things break when you apply a certain amount of pressure to them, that's an unassailable physical law. So, why is an enormous amount of pressure being exerted on the strap that holds the Wiimote to your wrist? The answer is as I said above, some people have no idea how to handle it. Period. Even when I really get into Wii Sports, I don't suddenly relax my grip on the Wiimote and let it dangle from my wrist only to them throw it about until the string is torn in two by extreme forces. Under reasonable circumstance the string is just fine and probably not even necessary. BUT, again, some people are just idiots and throw the Wiimote around until the string, innevitably, snaps. The string isn't the problem here and, when you get right down to it, isn't nearly as necessary as Nintendo claims it is. Or at least it shouldn't be...
Yes, I already recognized that.
But the string can be made stronger so that when people do screw up, it won't matter. What's wrong with doing that? It will benefit everyone all around.
How hard should they make that guard rail, DJ?
Hard enough to stop the impacts that were happening, duh. (If that was supposed to be clever, you didn't think it through. The answer is obvious if you just thing pragmatically instead of in terms of who's to blame.) Check into that history man. There's a reason lots of vehicles are designed with safety in mind. All accidents are caused by human error, sure, but that doesn't mean they should just be ignored. In fact that's not much of a reason for anything except fines and laws set up for it.
The strap should be strong enough to prevent it breaking when people go nuts like this. I don't expect it to be strong enough to resist Sam and Adam setting up a machine specifically to fling wii controllers to test the myth, and the REASON I don't expect that is because people setting up machines to fling the remote around is not the issue at hand, nor is it a common occurance. Though, oddly enough, it may have been a good idea for Nintendo to make such a machine for internal testing... like a crash test dummy for gamers. We lock our doors because people do steal things, not because we're at fault when things get stolen.
If you hit a guard rail at a high enough speed, you'll still wind up going over the cliff. Guard rails aren't there to stop you AT ANY SPEED, but if you happen to find yourself momentarily losing control, you'll glance off the rail instead of just going over the side. The string is there to keep the Wiimote from falling to the ground of from coming out of your hand, but if you throw it around hard enough IT WILL BREAK and cause an accident.
Great Rumbler Wrote:If you hit a guard rail at a high enough speed, you'll still wind up going over the cliff. Guard rails aren't there to stop you AT ANY SPEED, but if you happen to find yourself momentarily losing control, you'll glance off the rail instead of just going over the side. The string is there to keep the Wiimote from falling to the ground of from coming out of your hand, but if you throw it around hard enough IT WILL BREAK and cause an accident.
Read what I said again. The guard rails were set up to prevent the accidents that WERE happening, not the ones that weren't.
Stop building ridiculous straw men. I'm saying one very VERY simple thing. These accidents are happening. One simple device can prevent these ones that ARE happening from occuring. Nintendo could make money from making a stronger strap.
What's so hard to understand about this, or are you ignoring my arguments on purpose?
Want the new Wrist Strap? Nintendo shall
comply.
Yep. Though the reality is that one could call customer support and report it broke (even if it didn't :D) and still get a replacement sent back for free.
Yeah, but this is <b>honest</b>, you ne'er-do-well.
I currently have no plans to replace the wrist-strap on my Wiimotes.
I ordered the replacement wrist-straps just because they're free, but I didn't really think I needed them. But when I thought of my cousins playing the Wii I figured it wouldn't hurt to have the stronger straps.
I, too, have no worry that the Wii-mote will fly from my hand. I actually <i>grasp</i> the controller, you see? MY hands don't sweat much when I play either, so the greusome twosome of remote-throwing has been foiled before it even had a chance!
Although, I too ordered the new wrist straps. I, myself, see no need, but perhaps when my 8-year-old nephew or one of my spazzy non-gamer friends comes to try it out, my tune may change :D.
Bet you anything that these early-launch wrist straps are gonna be collectors items one day. Mark. My. Words.
Yeah, collector's items like the huge original XBox controllers right? So far that eBay dream hasn't happened yet...
I'm motivated to get the new straps for the same reason you two are. GR is sticking by his guns, that's his entire motivation. That's at least admirable in terms of integrity.
You have to admit, this is different. X-Box controllers were on shelves for quite a while before being replaced. These wrist straps were only available for the first, what, three weeks of the systems life, when they were hard to come by. A time frame where only the most dedicated (like us freaks) got them.
You know that going forward, Nintendo's shipments will come standard with the new strap, and they're gonna call back any unsold Wii-motes.
So hell yeah, I bet a (considerably long) way down the line they will be sought after by collectors.
I doubt it. I mean, a controller strap? Doesn't exactly strike me as a highly collectable item... :)
The main quality of how collectible something is are how long it is, or was, available and how many made it to market. I'm not saying that one of these early straps will pay for your children's college or anything, but I bet they'll be moderately sought after by Nintendo nuts.
There ARE no unsold remotes! There will be no call back :D.
The real question is, will anyone even be able to TELL if they have the original, until it breaks? I mean we're talking a .4 millimeter difference. Even if people want it, they'd be silly to just take a picture on eBay as a sign it's actually what it's claimed to be. Besides this is like the smallest change ever in the history of anything. I don't think it'll matter. Ya know, the Gameboy Pocket's first release didn't have power lights, but they added them a month later or so. However, there's barely any market interest in that difference.
I've been waiting for this...
http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/wii-strap/w...222773.php
And for the record, I never thought Nintendo should actually be SUED over this. They handled it pretty well I must say (though I would like to see the evidence Nintendo collected from direct testing to confirm that .4 millimeters makes the difference).
It's America. People sue over anything and everything...
Yup, we all saw this coming.
Yeah, it was inevitable. I don't think that they'll actually WIN (though it could happen), but the lawsuit, in the US's legal climate? How could it not? :)
It's really sad... Nintendo was handling this, and for the record, they are NOT at fault here. As GR is so fond of pointing out, if they don't flail around randomly, this wouldn't happen. On this we both agree. I only wanted Nintendo to do something simply because it would be nice, and they DID, because they do seem to care enough to try and put a stop to it regardless of fault. But, some people (and admittedly this is not the majority of people, but it's the exceptions that make the news, vocal minority and all that) seem to think that if ANYTHING bad happens to them, someone that isn't them has to be responsible for it. It's not your fault! It's that boy with the golden bat, HE did it! Sometimes things are THEIR OWN fault (and sometimes things aren't anyone's fault at all). Deal with it.