Nintendo to replace 3.2 million Wii straps [update 1]
by Blake Snow 
{ Dec 15th 2006 at 3:55AM }
It's official. Nintendo has recalled 3.2 million Wii straps offering to replace early originals with new ones almost twice as thick. The Associated Press reports: "Nintendo will offer customers to exchange the old straps, which have a 0.6 millimeter (0.024 inch) diameter, for a beefed up strap that has a diameter of 1 millimeter (0.04 inch), company spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa said. The worldwide recall is expected to cost the company several million dollars."
No details, however, were given as to when or how the process would take place. And keep in mind this should only mitigate flying remote occurrences as injuries and property damage have also resulted via irresponsible swinging. You know, not using peripheral vision.
In addition, Nintendo recalled 200,000 defective DS adapters in Japan though not affecting owners outside the country. That recall alone will cost Nintendo a cool million. We'll update just as soon as we learn more.
UPDATE 1: Official Replacement Request Form | added Nintendo image
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
EihBeir @ Dec 15th 2006 4:22AM
And this is EXACTLY why people like Nintendo. They take care of their customers.
tony @ Dec 15th 2006 4:17AM
straps just broken today. good thing is my dad's 46 inches tv didn't get hit.
John Hill @ Dec 15th 2006 4:14AM
FIRST?
silkylove @ Dec 15th 2006 4:30AM
Meh. I'll only exchange mine if I can mail in the strap by itself. If I have to send the Wiimote along with it then they can kiss my ass. I don't see how all these people are breaking the original strap. All the games can be played with subtle wrist movements.
wiidude @ Dec 15th 2006 4:38AM
I just filled out the form, no sending anything or proof of purchase required, you just need to write down your wii's serial number and nintendo will send you as many wrist-straps as you need.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Dec 15th 2006 4:46AM
What surprises me is that they didn't see this coming. You want a remote that is moved around like sporting equipment? OK, make it perfectly smooth, with no friction surfaces, and tie a string to it. Then sell the rubber gloves seperately that also completely cover the battery door.
Brilliant interface design!
But, hey, it's easy to forgive Nintendo because the remote ended up LOOKING cool.
@EihBeir: It's easy when you're recalling shoelaces, especially since recalls always end up replacing only a fraction of what was sold. The good PR alone is invaluable.
Seraya @ Dec 15th 2006 5:21AM
If I have to send the whole controller in I think I'll take my chances and skip the recall. :P
NeverSage @ Dec 15th 2006 5:39AM
@Drew
I guess...
NoHitHair @ Dec 15th 2006 5:53AM
6:
Nintendo had no legal or financial obligation to replace the straps. They did it because they recognized, as did everyone else, that no one bothered to read any of the clear warnings before the start of every game or in their manuals. Couple that with everyone's willingness to abandon safety in favor of overexcitement and you get a lot of broken straps.
Although, I have to ask: if you truly believe Nintendo is no better than Sony or Microsoft, why do they have such a consistent reputation in durability of product? Why is it that when Wiimotes are smashed into thick coffee tables as hard as one's arm can (IGN.com editor, Jessica Chobot) or hurled into hardwood paneling (my roommate), it's still perfectly fine? I know you're not possibly stupid enough to conclude that PS2 or Xbox controllers (or any of their hardware, for that matter) could withstand anywhere near the same stress tests.
dazza @ Dec 15th 2006 5:54AM
Drew's got a good point there. I bet all the money in the world that if you change Nintys name to Sony, there'd be uproar across the globe. I fail to see how anyone can make this into a plus point for Ninty. It shows a) it wasnt tested thoroughly & b) why didnt they invest money on stronger straps anyway? If people for one minute decide Ninty did this because they care then your mistaken.
They did this for money and damage limitation to there consoles reputation. No company runs or does things with the customer first. If they did, they wouldnt be here.
It baffles me all this negativity towards Sony. I admit im not there biggest fan by a long way (because of them, i lost my job and the business i worked for closed), but i cant understand peoples gripe towards them. People bang on about delay after delay but what would you rather have, a defective console thats rushed or something that works?
All these 'fanboys' need to grow up. I really fear gaming has reached its peak, its gone from everybody embracing what companies are trying to achieve and the games being produced to just a huge fanboyism mess. The sooner each person tries to embrace whar each company is trying to achieve and praise them for it, the better.
Bravado @ Dec 15th 2006 5:58AM
Drew, if Nintendo chose not to do a recall, you'd be here bitching even harder than you already are when they did do a recall.
I thought trolls were just kids' toys.
niels @ Dec 15th 2006 6:15AM
drew is right.
microsoft, sony, & nintendo are corporations with one single obligation: to make profit. the fact they replace the wriststrap is because it jeopardizes the profit, not because they are being nice to their customers.
TwilightKnight @ Dec 15th 2006 6:20AM
I don't know about anybody else here, but I would rather have a cheap wrist strap break then having my 400 dollar console brick itself after a firmware update, or paying 600 dollars for a console to begin with.
I actually find it hilarious that I now got a super rare small wrist strap now this recall is in order. Couple years from now I can show it off and amaze people. Good times.
Nate Birch @ Dec 15th 2006 6:37AM
Good news.
Maybe now every douchebag that manages to find a picture of a cracked TV screen or a person with a black eye won't be getting their dubious stories printed up on Joystiq and other places.
James @ Dec 15th 2006 7:01AM
That's gotta sting for Nintendo but not so much. If earlier reports of them making $40 profit off of the console are true, and taking into consideration that they sold about 400,000 Wii's in the US alone, They can afford to throw a couple million around after that $16,000,000 profit from the US alone.
Ndric @ Dec 15th 2006 7:05AM
Drew, people dislike [F]ony because of the BS they spew out. Recalling STRINGS isn't exactly on the same level. It's alright I guess. Being a Sony fanboy these days is hard to justify.
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=sony_bullshit
ReyBrujo @ Dec 15th 2006 7:28AM
Hopefully Nintendo will publish the names of those who had requested the replacement, so that we can tease those idiots for not knowing how to play with a console :-P
Majortom @ Dec 15th 2006 7:48AM
Nitnendo did this on their own. They were protected by lawsuits with the tons of messages that pop up about the wii remotes.
I applaud them for recalling all the earlier skinnier ones.
Sony didnt recal their batteries till they were forced to, Nitnendo recalled these all by themselves
Jeff @ Dec 15th 2006 7:41AM
So Nintendo screws up, and when the bad press forces them to fix it, they're some wonderful benign entity that bakes cookies and gives you presents like your favorite grandma.
When Sony or MS screw up, and when the bad press force them to fix something, it's just more proof that they're Satan incarnate.
Am I the only one that sees a double standard here?
Nintendo should have seen this coming (does nobody test anything anymore?) and it's not like this is their first recall either.
Martin @ Dec 15th 2006 7:54AM
I love my small wrist strap, and I think they are durable... I think most of the accounts of flying wiimotes are BS!
but anyways, I still want to get the new wrist strap to keep the little one as a collectors item. maybe one day they will need it to really test how strong they were and I can be a hero....
Anyways, this whole recall is actually bs because it is not needed. It isn't like Sony's recall of batteries where it actually affects things like your house standing...
The wrist strap dillema is from people not knowing how to play properly and in many cases playing under the influence.... I wonder how many sixaxis's flew across rooms, though I guess they aren't as much fun?!?!?!
gLitterbug @ Dec 15th 2006 12:23PM
I'm pretty sure that really only a fraction of people that bought a Wii will use this to get a replacement strap. Those who get several straps for the fun of it won't probably be too much either, so I guess Nintendo gets more out of this for their image than it would with some guerilla marketing campaign.
That's probably why Nintendo is more liked, because they play things a bit more clever now and then. At least if it regards their image of a customer-friendly company.
They are all cash-greedy companies though, so you shouldn't really make the mistake of defending any to the death. As much as I like the Wii and some Nintendo products, I can come up with a ton of things I dislike about the Wii, the DS and everything else. It's really just a matter of choosing the lesser evil a lot of the time.
Ignatius @ Dec 15th 2006 8:06AM
Well, if they require me to send in my wrist straps, I don't think I'll go through with this, because I wanna keep playing... but hey, if they just send 'em on over, hellz yeah, I'll take 'em.
Community-Based Song Lyrics @ Dec 15th 2006 8:09AM
Drew? ">", is that you???? I think I found his new alias!
upirons @ Dec 15th 2006 8:12AM
From the Nintendo recall page:
"Because Wii consoles shipped starting in early December already utilized the newer version of the strap, you will need to determine which version of the strap you have before ordering a replacement."
That's cool. They turned this around fast if you ask me. Original systems shipped Nov 17th (for 19th launch) and within about 2 weeks they had already started shipping systems with the new straps. How's that for response time!!
Only thing I don't know yet is if my strap is new or old. I got my system December 5th but can't open til xmas (ugh).
IslandLife @ Dec 15th 2006 8:16AM
@drew, dazza & niels
AMEN!!
But, trying to get these Ninty fanboys to admit that Nintendo screws up just like anyone else, is like trying to get your dog to understand Quantum Physics. It just ain't gonna happen. I applaud your efforts anyway.
FrankTheCrank @ Dec 15th 2006 8:34AM
WHAT A JOKE...
First we get 480P graphics...
Then these floss like straps...
Injuries...
Damaged equipment...
I don't get the whole thing...videogames were supposed to be cutting edge...this Wii is far from it. The only cutting edge thing is the controller..but Sony has it as well...and they have Blu-Ray and High Definition graphics.
I think this whole Wii thing is a novelty.
FUCKING 480P...you shitheads!
Martin @ Dec 15th 2006 11:09AM
"AMEN!!
But, trying to get these Ninty fanboys to admit that Nintendo screws up just like anyone else, is like trying to get your dog to understand Quantum Physics. It just ain't gonna happen. I applaud your efforts anyway."
Nintendo has screwed up plenty of times... Just not with this wrist strap. Is it the car companies fault when someone going 200 miles per hour cannot stop in 1 second to keep from hitting a brick wall??? No....
Is it the bat companies fault when the bat slipps from a player's hand and beans the pitcher... NO.
Nintendo screw ups.
1. their past behavior trying to stronghold 3rd party companies into paying more money
2. giving sony the rights to PlayStation
3. Cartridges in N64 era
4. GameBoy Micro
5. Lack of GameCube advertising.
6. launching a console in purple
7. leaving blood out of Mortal Kombat for SNES
8. Virtual Boy
9. Not allowing games to pull from SD card
10. Lack of online support at launch.
and there are lots of others.
None of which include selling RARE or this wrist strap dillema. They really don't even have to give out new ones, but because of all these idiots playing drunk and photoshopping injuries/breaks.... they want to try to stop this stupid insanity.!!!!
And anyways Sony fanboys... don't you have something better to do... oh wait, you don't have any good games to play for the system you spent 600 to watch movies on!!!!!
Blazur @ Dec 15th 2006 8:48AM
That's very cool of them. It's things like this which really gives Nintendo a good name. I applaud them...
Rob @ Dec 15th 2006 8:59AM
@Einhorn:
Yeah, right. That's why they had to be dragged kicking and screaming for the DS Lite crack issue. If it's "0.02%", I'm Bill Gates. Every single person I know with a Lite has the problem.
Fred T @ Dec 15th 2006 9:00AM
I wonder if this opens them up for any liability for past Wiimote injuries. They are basically admitting that their previous strap was defective (although, they dont give a reason on their webpage).
hegemonyhog @ Dec 15th 2006 9:04AM
"I don't get the whole thing...videogames were supposed to be cutting edge...this Wii is far from it. The only cutting edge thing is the controller..but Sony has it as well...and they have Blu-Ray and High Definition graphics."
They don't have systems, though.
It could have a 20-point plan to solve our nation's healthcare crisis, too...but it doesn't really matter if nobody can get their hands on it.
David B. @ Dec 15th 2006 9:13AM
i still don't get why anyone would let go of their wiimote... doesn't make sense to me. people must have really sweaty hands.
whatever, i did ask for a replacement. I have no problem with the wiimote (heck, i don't even wear the strap)... but i can't guarantee someone else who comes over won't have problems with it and then break my TV, lol.
Rob @ Dec 15th 2006 9:15AM
@FrankTheCrank: "I don't get the whole thing...videogames were supposed to be cutting edge...this Wii is far from it."
No, they're not. Video games are supposed to be FUN. Cutting edge is only a marketing technique.
Earl @ Dec 15th 2006 9:35AM
I don't even use the damn straps as it is (yeah, some people actually know how to grip things), so this recall doesn't mean shit.
People are seriously attacking Nintendo over a f***ing strap?!!?!? A STRAP??!!!??!! It is not like the console itself is having issues. All you people b***ing, remember that is took Microsoft almost a year to finally replace those defective 360s (or refund people). People on the XBox forums are talking about 3 or 4 replacements... I guess I got lucky with mine.
And Sony... well, Sony should just recall their units now and try again next November, when they have some REAL games, more units to sell, and all the other issues going on with that $600 paper weight.
Martin @ Dec 15th 2006 9:42AM
"31. I wonder if this opens them up for any liability for past Wiimote injuries. They are basically admitting that their previous strap was defective (although, they dont give a reason on their webpage)."
This isn't a recall, so they aren't opening themselves up for anything. They are offering those who want a different strap a different strap. It is more about calming peoples fears who might have them, then actually fixing anything. There really is nothing to fix...
ToTheMoon @ Dec 15th 2006 10:04AM
Hey #28,
Even if someone did pay $600 to ONLY watch movies in HD, isn't that cheaper than $1000 for a blu-ray player alone? And from what I remember, the new Sony console has about a dozen games to play? They must be sold out where you are since you obviously did not see them.
Oh wait, you are going to say "Oh yeah, the best game they have is a FPS, how lame is that?". Wait, you could say that but then you would sound like a Xbox Fanboi talking about Halo 3.
I can't wait for Halo3 because I think it's going to cure cancer, allow us to make contact with other life forms, perform resurrections and save the cheerleader. At least that's the impression I get when I hear the Xbox groupies talk about Halo. I'm surprised there isn't a religion devoted to it yet.
I wonder how those impressionable young men would react if they saw Half Life 2? I'm sure they would be blown away by something with that has more than 5 tilesets and areas you don't have to run through over and over.
At least we do agree on one thing - no company is perfect. Not ever Sony though they are seen as the underdog so they are greatly supported as a result. I'll pick a Wii when they are more readily available for sure. Looks like a lot of fun and based on what I've read on other websites, games are supposed to be fun. (not this site though, it seems the purpose of this site is to choose ONE console and only one console. Once you have done that, you then unleash hell on the other disbelievers in an attempt to convert them to your side. Seems like a great strategy.
chudgoo @ Dec 15th 2006 10:23AM
A strap.
This is all about a strap.
What kind of spastic moron do you have to be to break it? Judging from that video at the frat house, you have to be a jock trying to show off and look tough.
Has anyone broke the wiimote strap while playing -alone-? or is this a case of "I wrecked my car showing off to girls"...
DCSimian @ Dec 15th 2006 10:33AM
It's not a full-fledged recall. It's a choice...if you like playing the Wii with arms flailing about and swinging madly, then order the replacement straps...if not, you should be fine with the straps you have.
Why is this being extrapolated into Nintendo is Jeebus or Nintendo sux?
hegemonyhog @ Dec 15th 2006 10:35AM
"I wonder if this opens them up for any liability for past Wiimote injuries. They are basically admitting that their previous strap was defective (although, they dont give a reason on their webpage)."
Nope - you can't use a effort to improve a product as an admission that a previous one was defective. Otherwise, there'd be no reason for a company to ever fix a product, because it would just open them up to endless lawsuits.
Fred T @ Dec 15th 2006 10:36AM
OK, its not a full fledge recall or admission of guilt. But, in lawsuit-happy U.S.A. .. you KNOW someone is going to pick this up and run with it.
driven2sin @ Dec 15th 2006 10:45AM
Drew.. you should of played with lawn darts more
AJay17 @ Dec 15th 2006 11:14AM
Dumbasses should just try holding onto the controllers.
Ben @ Dec 15th 2006 11:28AM
I suspect this explains part of the Wii shortage, I mean, they're nowhere near 4 million shipped by the year's end.
Assuming a lot of these people actually bought it for Christmas and the kids won't play it til then, there could be a deluge of Wii-mote violence that day.
Avinash_Tyagi @ Dec 15th 2006 11:38AM
I'll tell you why Nintendo is liked better than Sony, when they make a mistake, they admit it and even apologize about it occaisionally. When Sony makes a mistake they deny it, and say things like "We made the most beautiful thing in the world"
Paul @ Dec 15th 2006 11:33AM
I love how so many people have a problem with this recall.... Most people complaining about this probably dont even own a Wii and have never played it.
1. The controller easily slips out of the hands that's why there is a strap
2. The strap was too flimsy and too often broke so it needed to be upgraded to something more durable
3. Nintendo responded instantly as to limit these occurances
I don't see any other reason to expound on this. They didn't do it because they love the consumer or to save their asses, they did it because it needed to be done. And to bring in Sony and MS to a discussion about a Wii strap recall seems pretty pointless to me. I've broken a couple of these things, already ordered new ones on the Nintendo store for $1 a pieace and that was the end of it. I think some people just love to bitch. It's like a forum for The Comic Book Guy
Moogle @ Dec 15th 2006 12:22PM
Eh, "Nintendo's doing it for profit!" is true, in the same way that giving to the poor is selfish because it makes you feel better.
Yes, they're a company and have to make rational business decisions. What I and many people like about Nintendo is that their idea of making money takes a long view and includes customer trust and quality products. Nintendo's majority shareholders are more interested in the company making good money in 10 or 20 years, not cashing out. That has a lot of implications that are good for consumers.
If Sony were in the same position, they'd most certainly be praised as well. People have it in for Sony lately partly because their idea of corporate image is being infallible, or at least looking like it, and an unnecessary recal would uncharacteristic in the eyes of many. That might not be correct, but the internet has been passing around the Sony hate-o-raid for months now. Everyone's take on them is distorted. (The faux sony fanboys just make people angrier, which is most likely their intent. At least the irrational Nintendo fanboys seem to be earnest. )
PiratePete @ Dec 15th 2006 12:31PM
Can someone who owns or ever played on a Wii explain something to me???
I know you can play by just simply flicking your wrists. But in the sports games like baseball for example don't you have to really swing hard, fast and far in order to hit a home run, fastest pitch, or what ever?? Maybe the problem is that players think that they Have to swing really hard to get the best score.
alan_james @ Dec 15th 2006 12:39PM
Ok, we've now reached critical-moron mass. Please, for the love of everything good and wholesome, please someone give a clue to the millions of raving idiots posting and writing JOURNALISM on the fake Wii dangers.
Look, it's like this - Anyone over the age of 9 that actually believes they themselves are in danger of hurting themselves, a loved one, or a new plasma TV (notice how it's always a really expensive "HDTV", even though the Wii doesn't support HD?), just do the world a favor and get yourself lobotomized now. And please... for yours and your children's sake... avoid using steak knives at all costs.
It's clear that Sony's decade-long reign over the video games industry is unraveling fast... very fast.
They've already been busted trying to fool people into thinking that the truly hip amongst us (as in would-have-been hip in the late 80's) plays the PSP, and it's only a matter of time before someone links a fake Wii injury website to Sony.
But even if propogating these fake Wii stories has managed to scratch the Wii launch, it hasn't dented it. Nintendo is on its way to easily being the best selling launch console in history, with Sony now appearing destined to join the ranks of Sega; making money in the video game industry by developing/publishing games instead of consoles.
To think, had Sony coughed up only a slightly enhanced version of the PS2, with normal DVD instead of Blu-ray and only twice the power as the PS2 (perhaps with anti-aliasing this time around), it would have sold through the roof and manufacturing would have been able to keep up (not to mention no $300 losses on each system). Instead, their self-inflated egos delivered one of the most technologically advanced flop in electronics history... next to Betamax and Minidisc that is.
Henry @ Dec 15th 2006 6:25PM
A couple of cases of someone chucking a Wiimote has got way out of hand! Im sure many people have been injured in real tennis accidents - but you dont see it all over the news and Dunlop replacing loads of raquets with ones with better grips!
Silver @ Dec 15th 2006 12:53PM
I hope all the smug jerks here who think this is simply a case of user stupidity stick with the woefully inadequate floss straps. Your cheeks will shine with your bitter, burning tears the day you (or your friend/child/mate) eventually lose grip on the controller (it will happen) and the Wiimissile takes out your beautiful new TV.
When this happens, remember your "I'm flawless, you're stupid!" attitude today on Joystiq.
Karma - it's a biatch.