Nintendo recalls 3.2M flimsy 'Wiimote' straps

After being criticized for a defective wrist strap attached to a signature remote for its new and revolutionary Wii gaming console, Nintendo on Friday said it will replace all flimsy Wii straps on its own cost.

The wrist strap that is attached to the hand-held motion-sensitive controller is worn by the users in their wrist while playing the game. But the device called the Wii Remote or further abbreviated as Wiimote, had became the subject of severe criticism as it can fly out of player's hand because of a defective wrist strap.

"We are announcing the recall of 3.2 million straps for the Wii computer remote controllers," Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa said. "The decision comes after reports that some users in the United States threw their controllers when playing with Wii sports software," he said.

By waving or swinging the wand-like remote controller, it can serve as a sword, tennis racket, golf club or car steering wheel.

The Tokyo, Japan based gamemaker said it will replace the original version of the wrist straps for the Wii Remote with a newer version. “We have received some reports that when consumers swing the Wii Remote with the original version of the wrist-strap using excessive force and accidentally let go, the cord connecting the controller to the wrist strap can break, potentially causing the Wii Remote to strike bystanders or objects,” Nintendo stated on its Website.

The manufacturer of Wii urged the gamers to determine their version of the strap before ordering the replacement as Wii consoles shipped starting in early December are already having the newer version of the strap that has a diameter of 1 millimeter (0.04 inch).

Nintendo has released an online replacement request form on its website, which besides the address, requires a serial number of the Wii console system. People who have the original version of the strap, which have a 0.6 millimeter (0.024 inch) diameter, can go through this form to get the replacement.

"People tended to get a bit excited, especially while playing Wii sports and in some cases the control would come loose from their hands," Minagawa said. "The new strap will be almost twice as thick."

After receiving the reports last week from the gamers that the Wiimote flew out of their hands due to the apparently weak grip of device’s wrist strap, the gaming console maker had highlighted some safety information for playing Wii on its Website. Nintendo recommended, "Hold the remote securely and avoid excessive motion during game play. If your hands become moist, stop and dry your hands.”

It also recommended people to stay at least 1m away from the TV set while playing the game, and also make certain that people and objects were safely outside their reach of physical actions.

The replacement of the straps is expected to cost the company several million dollars.

On Friday, Nintendo has also recalled 200,000 AC adapters for its DS and DS Lite consoles in Japan. The Japanese company said the recall would neither affect adapters sold abroad nor affect its earnings much.