Nintendo respond to Wii strap breakages

Boardwise · Dec 15, 2006

2 stories today:

Games firm Nintendo has said it will replace all broken straps for its Wii console, following customer complaints.

The strap is connected to a motion sensitive remote which is used to control the on-screen action.

The announcement follows reports about the wrist straps breaking during use, leading to the controller slipping out of hands, smashing TVs and windows.

Nintendo said the straps do not present a problem if used correctly, but will still replace all broken ones for free.

In addition all new Wiis will come with an "enhanced" strap which should not be as prone to breakages.

The Japanese firm has also recalled 200,000 AC adapters for its DS and DS Lite consoles in Japan. Nintendo said the recall would not affect overseas adapters , and company executives expected only a small impact on earnings.

The problem with the straps, originally reported as a major recall, affects all Nintendo Wiis sold worldwide and almost all units currently on shelves in shops. Nintendo has targeted sales of four million Wii consoles by the end of 2006.

The console has been a huge hit for the company with more than 325,000 machines sold in Europe in just two days, more than 600,000 sold in the US and more than 400,000 on launch day in Japan.

Nintendo UK said that consumers who need to a replacement wrist strap should contact their nearest Nintendo service centre on 0870 6060247.

Wii owners outside of the UK should visit the Nintendo website for country specific information.

The Wii strap is an important safety feature of the controller - which is waved around vigorously in a typical game. Games for the Wii all feature regular safety messages reminded players to keep the wrist strap on.

Nintendo said that these on-screen prompts, as well as the consoles manuals, will be updated with further advice about correct use of the wrist strap.
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Linky

Nintendo has offered to replace more than 3.2 million Wii remote straps after users complained that the connecting cord broke too easily.

However, a spokesperson for the company insisted that the offer was "not a recall". The current wrist-strap is "perfectly safe and has passed all the required safety tests" and there is "absolutely nothing wrong" with it, Eurogamer was told.

The measure is simply being taken to ensure peace of mind among the Wii's early user base, the spokesperson added.

Nintendo says it has already started shipping Wii remote control accessories - crowned as America's best-selling just this week - with the updated strap.

In a separate announcement, the company said it was also recalling 200,000 AC adapters for the Japanese versions of the DS and DS Lite handhelds.

Nintendo UK will start offering the strap-replacement service for concerned gamers on Monday, 18th December. Users need to call customers services on 0870 60 60 247 or send an email, and will then be able to send back their strap, after which Nintendo will dispatch a replacement.

Overnight the platform holder set up a form on its American and Japanese websites (with an equivalent European service expected to follow) asking customers to provide their name, address and console serial number, after which a replacement strap will be dispatched.

Nintendo aims to begin shipping replacement straps direct to consumers on 21st December, and says to allow 5 to 9 days for delivery in the US and Canada.

A page on the company's website also hosts a comparison photograph to help customers work out whether they need a replacement.

Complaints about the strap's flimsy connection to the Wii remote controller received widespread attention in the aftermath of the console's launches in the US, Japan and Europe, prompting Nintendo to issue advice on how best to avoid mishap.

At the time, company president Satoru Iwata said that Nintendo was "investigating" the problem and how best to solve it.
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Linky

j3 · Dec 15, 2006

I ordered 4.

toma · Dec 15, 2006

yeah the new strap is noticeably thicker i'd say.

funkatron101 · Dec 15, 2006

I'm kind of disappointed in the big N. I don't think it has been since the nes days that they had this many hardware problems.

Bring back the power glove I say!

b_ack51 · Dec 15, 2006

Nice that they offer a better strap, still sucks the fact some peoples nice tv's are destroyed though.

CripNite · Dec 15, 2006

I think the problem isn't the strap itself, but the shape of the plastic around the strap... it comes to a sharp edge that rests against the strap, and I'm sure that after enough tension of strap vs. edge, the strap will eventually wear out.

Still... I do believe I'd order a new one just for piece of mind.

Christ, you can take up to 4... I imagine most people will just take 4 for the hell of it. I did. I've only got 1 Wiimote, but some extra wrist straps could come in handy.

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Nintendo respond to Wii strap breakages

Boardwise There are no strings on me Veteran

j3 Hampton Yount is my Crow T. Robot TFW2005 Supporter

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funkatron101 TFW2005 Supporter

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Nintendo respond to Wii strap breakages

Boardwise There are no strings on me Veteran

j3 Hampton Yount is my Crow T. Robot TFW2005 Supporter

toma eskimo in disguise

funkatron101 TFW2005 Supporter

b_ack51 I'm on the interweb!

CripNite That Whack Canuck Dude

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