Gee another fucking greedy as law firm that wants to capitalize on an overblown media story.
This is idiotic. It’s pretty obvious that the “defect” isn’t with the Wiimote, but with the strap.
I’m not sure how the law firm is looking to make money, either. They laid out possible remedies that don’t involve cash, so if one was accepted (exchange Wiimotes), how do they get money? There was no mention of “seeking damages” in the article, so maybe it’s buried in the lawsuit.
Dammit man! Are you reading my mind?
The lawsuit doesn’t mention a monetary amount, but one of the things it demands is something along the lines of “whatever damages a judge deems fair.”
Edit:
In his original filing, the plaintiff demands Nintendo cease what he sees as its unfair and deceptive practices, to refund or replace the strap with one that works as intended, reimburse him for legal expenses, and “such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.”
So Nintendo already offered to send him a new strap, free (replacing the defective piece). Then he decides to sue them for legal expenses (and whatever else a judge might see just) AND a strap?
This douche needs a kick in the balls. And so does his legal team.
So in other words Nintendo has already complied with his demand because of their recall?
There was no recall. They basically said that the strap was fine but if it makes you feel better you can trade in for another strap.
What exactly are these straps made of? It’s seems unfeasible for someone to generate enough force from swinging one around to cause ye olde nylon corde to break, unless there’s some considerable friction somewhere slowly wearing through it.
The straps are fine. Anyone who lets the controller leave their hand is a moron. I have even taken mine off my wiimote because it’s unnecesary and in the way. I’ve had friends over to play with the Wii and never had any of them bother with the straps either. There is just no need to swing the control with anywhere near the amount of force required for it to somehow slip out of your hand and do damage to something.
Maybe there was never any problem with the straps, just the razor-sharp plastic loop you saw them through when connecting a nunchuk.
(PM me for more lawsuit ideas.)
The straps are indeed solid. The problem is the tiny bit of string that actually connects the strap to the Wiimote.
Lokust, I’ve seen first hand that a Wiimote can slip out of someone’s hand during normal use. Otherwise, why would Nintendo have even bothered with putting a strap on it? You think it’s there for looks? :)
-TomOr a kid. We have a mandatory strap policy for the Wii, which has already justified itself with my 9-year-old swinging for the fences in Wii Sports.
And it’s not like Nintendo used any sort of friction-heavy surface for the remote. It’s as slick as plactic can be.
The problem is that a proper throw can generate more than the breaking force needed for the strap’s attached loop. Also, that people think it’s a good idea to apply that much force to the wiimote - would you throw a cricket ball at your TV, even if it was connected to your wrist by a strap?
I’m not sure just how strong a strap would have to be to completely eliminate this possibility - I suspect unfeasibly strong. By using a slightly more elastic material for the loop/strap, they could increase the time and distance over which the wiimote is brought to a stop, thus significantly decreasing the maximum force applied to that loop. But it can’t be too elastic, otherwise you’ll get unpredictable behaviour as well.
Okay, to be fair, when I said people, I guess I really should have said adults. My 5 year old gets the strap too. My bad.
I’m a strap natzi… I tell all my friends to pause the game and put the silly strap on. After I remind them about 2 or 3 times - they get the picture that I’m not gonna stop and do it themselves :)
(yea and we’re all 30+ year old) no need to have something broken in the room!
I guess I’m the heathen one here… before I found more wiimotes, I’ve had 4 player games of bowling and golf where we just passed the one control around without any strap usage. No one lost their grip, even on powerful bowling ball launches or trying to crush the ball just THAT much harder on hole #9 so as not to land in the drink.
Lokust, it’s got nothing to do with whether you feel your friends need to use the strap, or who’s an adult, or how much force you need to apply to an overhead smash in Wii Sports tennis. Now that I have a strapless Wiimote (it broke while someone was using it normally), we also play at my house without using a strap.
The point is that in the course of normal usage, Nintendo acknowledges that the Wii might slip from somone’s hand. That’s why they put a strap on the Wiimote.
-TomThe strap is a crutch! Playing without the strap forces you to respect the Wiimote.
I’m not trying to shout you down, Tom. I’ve acknowlaged that my opinion is in the minority here. I recognize the reason for the strap being there. I just think the issue is vastly overstated.