November 30th, 2006
Nintendo to gamers: "Do not let go of Wii Remote"
Apparently the innovative Wii controller (or Wii-mote as it's affectionately called)
is so immersive that games are getting a bit out of hand, literally. Dozens of reports of overzealous gamers damaging TV's, stereos, walls, and innocent bystanders with flying remotes have been cropping up since the new console from Nintendo went on sale. Here's a typical account:
"I got a little too much into WiiSports Bowling. One wiimote plus a set of butter-fingers plus a weak strap equals one busted stereo display. Wiiiiiiiiiiiiii."
Bowling and Tennis games seem to be the most "dangerous". Don't believe it? Here's a YouTube video showing someone caught in the act. More evidence can be found over at IGN. It's amazing how much damage an airborne Wii-mote can cause:
"OMG same exact thing happened to my brothers TV.. Bowling and strap broke and went straight through the screen. Just FYI it is a design flaw..look at your remote close…tiny string and pointed edge instead of rounded. Laugh if you like but the wii-mote took out a 2,500 dollar 65inch HD TV."
Not every report of "remote rage" is truthful, however. For example, this picture is being widely circulated under the heading "Wii Remote Blows Out Window". However, I downloaded the file and look at the EXIF header, which showed the picture was taken back in January 2006. The legitimacy of this bloody picture (warning - mildly graphic) has also been called into question.
So what can you do to protect your household appliances, kids, and other small animals? In response to the reports, Nintendo has issued a customer safety bulletin on their home page. I'm not making this up. Here's an excerpt:
2. Hold the Wii Remote firmly and do not let go. Even while wearing the wrist strap, make sure you don't let go of the Wii Remote during game play and do not use excessive motion. … If you are having so much fun that you start perspiring, take a moment to dry your hands. If you use excessive motion and let go of the Wii Remote, the wrist strap may break and you could lose control of the Wii Remote. This could injure people nearby or cause damage to other objects.
If you just can't control yourself, you might want to consider a Wii Controller Glove, (for the Wii-mote) or a Skid Proof Glove (for your hand).
Related articles
- Will Wii break your TV?
- Sweaty hands + faulty Wiimote wrist strap = broken TV
- Zelda, Wii have a problem!
- WiiHaveAProblem.com (currently down due to the traffic)
- A broken TV tastes like eating crow
- Wii… Wii… Wii… all the way home
- Penny Arcade comic on the Wii-mote
- Poll: Xbox360 vs. PS3 vs. Wii
Ed Burnette is a professional developer and author of several articles and books about computing including Hello, Android: Introducing Google's Mobile Development Platform, 2nd Edition. For disclosure of Ed's industry affiliations, click here or to view his full profile click here.
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| 12/02/06
