Wii won't react to strap snap says Nintendo

Stan Beer
Friday, 08 December 2006 06:55

Your IT - Entertainment

Nintendo has noted reports about overly enthusiastic Wii players accidentally flinging their Wiimote controllers into windows and TV sets, as a result of restraing straps coming off their wrists. However, the Japanese games maker has decided that public education is a better (and probably less expensive) strategy than redesigning the straps.

Two of the main features of Wii, which have resulted in it becoming one of the fastest early selling consoles in history, are its ease of use and the non-sedentary nature of the games playing.

It is the second feature which has caused websites displaying cracked TV screens to appear. Playing a game of of Wii tennis or swinging a mock sword can cause animated players to lose touch with reality and actually do simulated game playing movements which match their real life equivalents.

Thus, if a player tries a mock tennis serve at a reasonable power, the strap slips of the wrist and the Wii leaves the player's hand and goes sailing into a TV screen (or another player) some serious damage could conceivably eventuate.

As far as Nintendo is concerned, however, it's not a matter of developing a better strap but communicating to players how to play games with slightly less vigour. Given the nature of console game playing, however, Wii fans should probably look forward to a redesigned strap in future versions of the Wiimote.