Did Wii break your TV?

Pools · 30-11-2006, 01:25 PM

Did Wii break your TV?

People aren't getting a grip on Nintendo's new system.

By Mike Smith
29 Nov 2006

Picture this. You're lining up the perfect shot in Wii Bowling, remote in hand. You set up the shot, swing the remote with all the strength you can muster, and... follow through a little more than you intended.
Somehow the remote leaves your sweaty-palmed grip and bang, smash, there goes your TV, window, photo of your granny, anything that happens to be in the path of the newly liberated remote.

Hold on, though. If you're wearing the (supplied) wrist strap, no harm done, right? So you'd think. As you can see, some Wii owners are finding the strap decidedly lacking. (Check out nascent site http://www.wass-up.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69383 for more strap malfunctions.) The problem isn't with the amply broad strap itself, but the considerably narrower section that connects the strap with the remote, which is prone to fray in some circumstances. The result is smashed remotes, smashed televisions, smashed windows, and unhappy (or, at least, somewhat red-faced) customers.

Teething hardware troubles are hardly new to the world of console launches, especially in the last year or so. The Xbox 360's original overheating issues are well documented, with the first production run of consoles suffering what is generally regarded to be an unusually high failure rate. We're even hearing the start of mutterings about overheating issues with some brand new PS3s. But it's probably the first time a console's design has lead --albeit indirectly -- to quite such a catalogue of destruction. To its credit, Nintendo appears to be happy to replace the wrist strap in some circumstances, but if there really is an underlying design weakness, then it needs to be addressed before an unfortunate (or worse, sue-happy) bystander gets beaned by a stray remote.

Sure, it's easy to laugh at the misfortune of these hapless Wii'ers, especially if you're still combing stores for miles around looking for yours. One broken strap could be regarded as misfortune, but as the volume of fractured straps grows, it starts to look more like carelessness -- or, at least, evidence of a lack of real-world testing.

In the meantime, wise Wii owners will want to consider hunting round the house for something a little stronger -- or waiting for one of the more opportunistic peripheral manufacturers to cash in on the opportunity to flog reinforced replacements at an inflated price. That's business.

♠♣♥♦ · 30-11-2006, 01:33 PM

hah. i blame the owners though.

adidas · 30-11-2006, 02:56 PM

lolll oh well 2 bad

Mitesh · 30-11-2006, 06:00 PM

Owners are so dense. I need bit more space to play with the Wii. As for the Wii-tards, lets hope they had accidental cover on their televisions. Bah who does that...

Asian Mcoy · 09-12-2006, 11:22 PM

i wanna play Wii but i kept 4gettin 2 pre order, guess gon have 2 wait till jan

**Ree** · 09-12-2006, 11:26 PM

lol not suprising
my bro got a bit over excited and hit the chandelier in the sitting room!! didnt break it though thank god! this is why i wanted it in my room!

30-11-2006, 01:25 PM	#1
Pools Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 11,798	Did Wii break your TV? Did Wii break your TV? People aren't getting a grip on Nintendo's new system. By Mike Smith 29 Nov 2006 Picture this. You're lining up the perfect shot in Wii Bowling, remote in hand. You set up the shot, swing the remote with all the strength you can muster, and... follow through a little more than you intended. Somehow the remote leaves your sweaty-palmed grip and bang, smash, there goes your TV, window, photo of your granny, anything that happens to be in the path of the newly liberated remote. Hold on, though. If you're wearing the (supplied) wrist strap, no harm done, right? So you'd think. As you can see, some Wii owners are finding the strap decidedly lacking. (Check out nascent site http://www.wass-up.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69383 for more strap malfunctions.) The problem isn't with the amply broad strap itself, but the considerably narrower section that connects the strap with the remote, which is prone to fray in some circumstances. The result is smashed remotes, smashed televisions, smashed windows, and unhappy (or, at least, somewhat red-faced) customers. Teething hardware troubles are hardly new to the world of console launches, especially in the last year or so. The Xbox 360's original overheating issues are well documented, with the first production run of consoles suffering what is generally regarded to be an unusually high failure rate. We're even hearing the start of mutterings about overheating issues with some brand new PS3s. But it's probably the first time a console's design has lead --albeit indirectly -- to quite such a catalogue of destruction. To its credit, Nintendo appears to be happy to replace the wrist strap in some circumstances, but if there really is an underlying design weakness, then it needs to be addressed before an unfortunate (or worse, sue-happy) bystander gets beaned by a stray remote. Sure, it's easy to laugh at the misfortune of these hapless Wii'ers, especially if you're still combing stores for miles around looking for yours. One broken strap could be regarded as misfortune, but as the volume of fractured straps grows, it starts to look more like carelessness -- or, at least, evidence of a lack of real-world testing. In the meantime, wise Wii owners will want to consider hunting round the house for something a little stronger -- or waiting for one of the more opportunistic peripheral manufacturers to cash in on the opportunity to flog reinforced replacements at an inflated price. That's business. It's impossible to look cool whilst picking up a Frisbee - Peter Kays Universal Truths

30-11-2006, 01:33 PM	#2
♠♣♥♦ Μoderator Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: 127.0.0.1 Posts: 4,353	hah. i blame the owners though. Blunt/Vish.

30-11-2006, 06:00 PM	#4
Mitesh Wii Boy Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Home/Harrow - Work/Kingston Age: 25 Posts: 23,281	Owners are so dense. I need bit more space to play with the Wii. As for the Wii-tards, lets hope they had accidental cover on their televisions. Bah who does that... Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - The Crystal Bearers due 21/09/2007 Metroid Prime 3: Corruption due 28/09/2007

09-12-2006, 11:22 PM	#5
Asian Mcoy Contemporary Soldier Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Nowhere i shudn't be. Everywhere i should be. Age: 24 Posts: 2,596	i wanna play Wii but i kept 4gettin 2 pre order, guess gon have 2 wait till jan smarter than ur average

30-11-2006, 02:56 PM	#3
adidas Wassssssuppppp Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 6,848 My Mood:	lolll oh well 2 bad