Naboomagnoli
Newcomer
Wii Recall in the UK *Updated* Now with a class action lawsuit filed in the US
- Thread starter Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
- Start date
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Legend
Oh dear. Is that one of those lawyer companies that run around making lawsuits against big companies "on behalf" of consumers who haven't signed up to any legal action? Then the consumers end up with an almost nothing settlement, whilst the lawyers charge massively for their own expenses?
tongue_of_colicab
Veteran
Sorry to say it, but people who break the strap are fucking retards intentionally trying to break something.
The wiimote wont fly out of your hand, even if you are making stupidly strong moves, unless you let it go intentionally. I have it for 2 weeks now, both me, my brothers and friends used it while making fast and strong swings but you wont lose grip at all and if you have your finger infront of the B button than it is impossible to let go of the wiimote exept if you decide to let it slip by yourself. The harder you swing, the harder your hand will force around the controller (just like in real life with a tennis racket) so it has to be intentionally, it just wont happen by accident.
You cant blame nintendo for some people being idiots and letting go of the damn thing. That would be like blaming MS and sony for not making their controllers being able to survive beings smashed on the ground because you cant win the game you are playing and get angry.
The lawsuit doesnt suprise me at all. After all, its america. If you can get away with microwaving your cat and saying you didnt know Mcdonalds makes you fat than sueing nintendo for a strap is a easy kill.
The wiimote wont fly out of your hand, even if you are making stupidly strong moves, unless you let it go intentionally. I have it for 2 weeks now, both me, my brothers and friends used it while making fast and strong swings but you wont lose grip at all and if you have your finger infront of the B button than it is impossible to let go of the wiimote exept if you decide to let it slip by yourself. The harder you swing, the harder your hand will force around the controller (just like in real life with a tennis racket) so it has to be intentionally, it just wont happen by accident.
You cant blame nintendo for some people being idiots and letting go of the damn thing. That would be like blaming MS and sony for not making their controllers being able to survive beings smashed on the ground because you cant win the game you are playing and get angry.
The lawsuit doesnt suprise me at all. After all, its america. If you can get away with microwaving your cat and saying you didnt know Mcdonalds makes you fat than sueing nintendo for a strap is a easy kill.
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Legend
Yeah, 'cos no one ever loses grip on a racket or club. It's amazing sportsmen ever bother with those grips and wraps. Maybe they should put some grippy stuff on the controller instead of making in shiny, slick plastic, 'cos that's not going to make your hands sweaty or anything is it?
You should look at some of the movies on placed like Wii Have A Problem. They show how easy it is to unintentionally lose grip on the controller.
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(this is relation to that lawsuit) Just out of curiousity, what would be the situation be if Nintendo didn't include the wrist strap?
I presume part of that lawsuit relates to the fact the Wii strap wasn't strong enough and are suing them on the basis that the product is faulty as the strap broke while in use? If Nintendo didn't include a strap would they still be liable? The suit would otherwise read:
I presume part of that lawsuit relates to the fact the Wii strap wasn't strong enough and are suing them on the basis that the product is faulty as the strap broke while in use? If Nintendo didn't include a strap would they still be liable? The suit would otherwise read:
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Legend
Exactly, Nintendo is in a bit of a no-win situation here. Providing the strap implies the Wii needs it. Replacing the strap implies the original strap is not good enough.
However, I think the strap is there in the first place because Nintendo expected possible safety/legal problems if they sold you a system where they encourage you to jump and wave the controller around, because there's no doubt that sooner or later, people are going to get carried away and lose their sweaty grip on what is basically a piece of slick plastic.
gokickrocks
Regular
this whole situation can be summed up by...."meh"
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Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Legend
1. It's expected for things like that to happen in sports. Hence grips on rackets, safety equipment like pads, helmets, etc where necessary. People do get hurt and stuff does get broken despite these precautions, hence the weedy Wii strap cord breaking is entirely predictable.
Sure, someone would get upset if you hit them in the face with a racket or ball, but it happens. It's an accident, and accidents sometimes happen despite all the best efforts. That's why Nintendo put the strap on the Wii controller in the first place.
It's one thing to accidentally let go of a piece of sporting equipment, but it's quite another when the safety device specifically designed and provided to prevent damage when that happens fails at the exact time when it's needed to do it's job.
2. You don't use clubs, rackets, etc indoors in front of your $2000+ flatscreen TV, so the consequences of losing your grip on a Wii controller can be significantly more expensive than losing your grip on a racket on a tennis or squash court.
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Nor is it any excuse for Nintendo that the competing motion-sensing controller from Sony is supplied without any wrist straps at all. Nintendo should have anticipated that their customers would be having too much fun due to the excessive immersiveness of the Wii console and games, while Sony could not have had any such comparable expectation.
Greg
Greg
Chris123234
Regular
If baseball player can manage to hold a swinging bat, a bunch of idiots should be able to hold the wiimote. The responsibility lies on the user. Did the lady who burned herself with hot coffee like an idiot deserve that money she got?
Americans are too used to not taking responsibility for their own actions and that is why this is such a lawsuit happy place.
Americans are too used to not taking responsibility for their own actions and that is why this is such a lawsuit happy place.
tongue_of_colicab
Veteran
Like I said, place your finger over the B button and its impossible let go of the wiimote by accident. Even if you dont do that you still need to move very hard and hold the wiimote very lose to make it slip out of your hand. And IMO its your own fault for not holding the wiimote strong enough. I got the wii, I've to got a bit sweaty hands, but not a single moment did I feel the wiimote just slide a little bit. Its just a matter of holding it tight and in the right way. You cant blame nintendo for people not holding the wiimote like they are supposed to.
And the bottom of the wiimote is normale plastic. Only the top has the shiny finish.
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Legend
So why do you think Nintendo supply a strap in the first place? There's no doubt that they think it's necessary, just as they now obviously think the original thin cord is not up to the job.
tongue_of_colicab
Veteran
It just means there are bigger idiots than nintendo first thought there would be. What if people manage to break the new strap (wich im sure will happen), does nintendo need to suppy iron chains to the controller? and what if they manage to break those chains? is that nintendo's fault or is it just a couple of idiot that try to break it on purpose (and call it a accident afterwards)?
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Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Legend
Do you really think that thin little piece of cord is capable of taking any kind of significant strain? If that was a strap on your mobile phone, MP3 player or camera (none of which are meant to be waved about like the Wii controller), would you trust it? I know I wouldn't
I can tell you for sure the first time I even saw a picture of that controller, I questioned why the hell that thick plastic strap was joined to the controller by something barely bigger than a large grade thread. I've wrapped parcels in thicker string than that.
The requirements for safety have to be balanced. eg. To make a car completely safe in an accident would require huge expense and likely result in a vehicle that's quite unwieldy and guzzles gas. But just because a car can't be made perfectly safe, doesn't mean we should forgo safety altogether. Some safety features are added to cover the most likely situations, accepting that accidents happen even when theoretically they can all be avoided, and that the investment in safety features is better value than the costs of not including them when accidents occur.
The fact that the Wiimote is waved around means sometimes it'll go flying out of people's hands. You can theorize that it shouldn't all you want, but it will happen. There's plenty of reasons why it could, mostly because human beings aren't an exact and reliable robotic mechanism. Nintendo were sensibly aware of this and added a strap to cover such purposes. It looks as though the strap they choose doesn't work in all cases though, and a thicker version would be abetter choice. That sounds like a sensible solution. Steel chains is obviously overkill. Common sense will tell you that, but if you won't listen to common sense, a simple analysis of the maximum forces that the strap will have to endure shows that a suitable cord will suffice and steel chains are to much. I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo's tests came up with the minimum requirement for the wrist strap diameter, but what they failed to take into account was minor defects in the material that introduced a margin of error and weak straps. A thicker strap will have greater redundancy so even if there is a defect, the strap can withstand the forces that normal use will exert upon it.
tongue_of_colicab
Veteran
Yes I would trust it. But I never wear things around my neck. But even if I did I would trust such a thin wire because phones and mp3 players just dont weight alot.
And yes I also trust the wii strap because I dont expect it to save me when I do something stupid. Like it said 2 times already the wiimote wont fly out of your hand by accident if you hold it properly. Nintendo cant help it some people dont use the wiimote with care. I dont think it fair to expect nintendo to make something wich is 100% idiot proof no matter how you treat it. As with everything you need to handle it properly if you dont want to break it or hurt yourself or somebody else. I dont hear anyone complain about hammers, screwdrivers, forks, knives, chainsaws, computers etc being dangerous if you dont handle them properly or that they arnt able to withstand things they arnt made for.
I dont complain about logitec not making my keyboard beer proof while a decent amount of people probably spilled drinks over their keyboard. People dont complain because its their own fault. Same with the wiimote. You need to hold it properly and than nothing will happen. If you go out of your way holding it as loose as possible, swinging as hard as you can and than losing grip. Well, that its just you being a idiot and not nintendo making something not strong enough. Because like I said, even with the thicker string people will probably still break it.
And yes I also trust the wii strap because I dont expect it to save me when I do something stupid. Like it said 2 times already the wiimote wont fly out of your hand by accident if you hold it properly. Nintendo cant help it some people dont use the wiimote with care. I dont think it fair to expect nintendo to make something wich is 100% idiot proof no matter how you treat it. As with everything you need to handle it properly if you dont want to break it or hurt yourself or somebody else. I dont hear anyone complain about hammers, screwdrivers, forks, knives, chainsaws, computers etc being dangerous if you dont handle them properly or that they arnt able to withstand things they arnt made for.
I dont complain about logitec not making my keyboard beer proof while a decent amount of people probably spilled drinks over their keyboard. People dont complain because its their own fault. Same with the wiimote. You need to hold it properly and than nothing will happen. If you go out of your way holding it as loose as possible, swinging as hard as you can and than losing grip. Well, that its just you being a idiot and not nintendo making something not strong enough. Because like I said, even with the thicker string people will probably still break it.
The problem I have with you is that you class anyone who has an accident with Wii as being an idiot, as if people should have 100% control over every muscle in their bodies at all times. There are plenty of situations where a person may lose grip while playing the game. Just because you don't have any problems holding the Wiimote effectively doesn't mean everyone else in the world can be expected to share your physical prowess. There are people with weak wrists. There are muscle spasms. There are ocassions where a person may just get distracted, or involuntarily lose tight grip for a reason they don't know. To be honest, like NucNavST3, I'm surprised you're surprised by accidents. I am frankly amazed that you've gone your entire life without ever once doing something you didn't intend to do or having an accident, that you find it strange other people could and think them idiots because of it.
This also strikes me as a redundant argument. Whether you think a strap is needed or not, Nintendo decided one was needed. Nintendo felt a security strap was necessary for the people they expect to use their console. The issue here isn't whether one is needed or not. The issue is whether the one Nintendo provide is up to the job.
Bouncing Zabaglione Bros.
Legend
You'd be hard pushed to find any of those items with a strap that thin.
Do you expect a seatbelt to snap when you have a car accident? Do you expect a safety helmet to fail when someone falls off their bike and hits their head? Do you expect an anti-lock breaking system to skid the car into a ditch when it's used? Do you expect all safety equipment to fail when used in that exact capacity?
People have accidents. Most safety systems are designed to recover from or alleviate that accident. The designers have decided that at some point, because accidents can happen, they will happen, and have put systems in place to deal with it. Nintendo did this for the Wii strap, even though they made it too weak.
The alternative is saying that nothing will ever go wrong, accidents will never happen, and if they do happen, screw the users, it's their own fault.
It's not about using the system with care, it's about how Nintendo provide a safety system that fails in use. It's about how people use the given product in the real world, and how Nintendo knows exactly this.
Many, many toys have been banned from the market because they cause injury when improperly (or sometimes even properly) used. Often users of toys have accidents, and the toy ends up being removed from the market. Why should the Wii be any different if it's also at fault? Why shouldn't Nintendo improve on what is obviously a flawed safety design?
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To be pedantic, yes! In breaking, the helmet absorbs the impact energy, protecting the head
