by Playfuls Staff |
15th December 2006
After a successful launch in US and Japan and over
1 million units sold, Nintendo has some problems with its “magic” controller,
called Wii Remote. [more]
The console's wireless controller is a major feature of
Wii and it may be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and
rotation in three dimensions. The controller also contains a speaker and a
rumble device to provide sensory feedback, and can be used to turn Wii on and
off.
In early December, Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata
confirmed that the company is investigating potential problems with the straps
being supplied with the Wii Remote, which secures it with the player’s wrist.
“We are investigating. Some people are getting a lot more
excited than we’d expected. We need to better communicate to people how to deal
with Wii as a new form of entertainment.”, Iwata said in a statement.
Today, Nintendo announced that they are recalling 3.2
million Wii-mote wrist straps after receiving numerous reports that the straps
aren't sturdy enough to cope with the amount of vigorous wrist action needed in
many of the Wii games.
"We are announcing the recall of 3.2 million straps
for the Wii computer remote controllers," Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro
Minagawa said.
Nintendo has posted some advices for consumers on its
official Web site.”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. For
example, in Wii Sports bowling, the proper way to let go of the ball while
bowling is to release the "B" button on the Wii Remote—DO NOT LET GO
OF THE Wii REMOTE ITSELF. 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.”
Although Nintendo has made no announcement as to when the
process will begin, the old strap will be replaced with a thicker one.
