Nintendo have come under fire less than a week after the European Launch of their highly-anticipated Wii. The reason? Faulty Wrist-Straps.

            A rumour surfaced earlier this week suggesting that Nintendo are intending on recalling many of the Wrist-Straps issued with the Wii units in Europe, as they contained manufacturing defects which lead to many consumers inadvertently breaking objects in their home whilst using the Wii Remote forcefully, and relying on the Wrist-Strap as a back-up should they drop the device. The rumour peaked this morning as many otherwise reputable sites opened with the damning headlines. To quash this rumour, Nintendo earlier today issued a Press Release, the full contents of which are detailed just below for your viewing pleasure:

"15th December 2006
Wii Wrist Strap Statement

Nintendo is not recalling any of the Wii wrist straps for its motion sensitive Wii Remote. There is no problem with the existing wrist strap as long as the Wii Remote is used sensibly and properly in accordance with the guidelines provided by Nintendo.  All parts of the wrist strap have passed product testing and quality control.

The following tips are advised for safe play:

€      Always wear the wrist strap while playing.

€      Keep a firm grip on the Wii Remote at all times.

€      Make sure people and objects are out of the range of movement before
play begins.

€      Players should keep at least three feet/ one meter from their televisions and dry their hands if they become sweaty or wet for any other reason.

€       Remember that the Wii Remote is responsive enough to detect minor movements ­ so excessive and forceful actions are not necessary. Therefore we recommend not to use excessively rapid, violent or wide swinging motions while using the Wii Remote during game play.


Consumers who break their wrist straps through excess usage or who are worried about their wrist strap should contact their nearest Nintendo Service Center voluntary exchange programme has been provided where consumers can replace wrist straps free of charge upon request.

Email: wiiwriststrap@codestorm.co.uk

Address:

Wii Wrist Strap,
Nintendo Service Centre,
CoDEStorm House
Walton Road
Farlington
PO6 1TR

Telephone: 0870 60 60 247 (Calls are charged at the National Rate to the caller)

- Ends -"
 

            While it may actually seem quite comical that Nintendo have already faced their first public barrage with Wii over the possibility of a faulty Wrist-Strap, it is evident that there are many gunning against the new system. If public uproar is so easy to sway over the possibility of some faulty metal clips attached to a piece of string, how easy will it be to stir controversy over the fact that Wii is taking interactive-media that one step further? The main argument against videogames over film has always been their interactive nature; the theory that videogames are more “damaging” because the player is the active embodiment of the kill, the crash or the bank robbery, as opposed to films where the viewer is a bystander looking-in on the action, and not actually responsible or even involved. So here, we are presented with Wii – a machine that no longer requires the simple press of a button for a stab with a knife, but the stabbing motion itself; the player is responsible, wholly. Let’s just hope no-one from The Daily Mail reads this and gets some ideas…

Kev J.

15/12/06

Return to the Articles Archive 2006 here.

 Each of these articles has been written either independently of Electronic Theatre or by an external viewer. The opinions discussed in these articles in no way reflects the opinions of Electronic Theatre.

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