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November 30, 2006 12:25 PM PST

Wii Disaster Watch: Wii Injuries are So Totally Mainstream Now

Posted by Caroline McCarthy
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When Crave launched its Wii Disaster Watch mini-feature a little over a week ago, many of you scoffed (light-heartedly) that you had to be a total idiot to bash up your TV or yourself with a video game controller. Well, that just doesn't seem like the case, unless you want to argue that humans are innately stupid. (Over here, the jury's still out on that one.) The latest news outlet to pick up on Wii disasters is Yahoo. Even the normally celebrity-gossip-focused Best Week Ever is on it. And in case you haven't seen it yet, there's a whole Web site, Wii Have A Problem, devoted to the phenomenon.

I think it's safe to say that the potential for Wii mishaps is now a fully documented phenomenon. We probably no longer need public service announcements whenever someone accidentally flings a Wiimote at his frat brother. But if something really awesome happens, like if Steve Wozniak figures out how to play Wii polo on a Segway. That's a disaster in and of itself.

Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline.
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Add a Comment (Log in or register) 7 comments
Companies are so slow
by fun2program8 December 1, 2006 4:26 PM PST
Companies take forever to recognize the failures in their products (or at least say they do) and then longer to release a fix.

Well, OK, so maybe I'm generalizing, but when I go to buy a Wii when I have the bucks, I don't want to get a faulty one.

It feels so Microsoft - won't release a fix 'till it is announced and talked about.
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Not really...
by YoshiGSH December 9, 2006 5:42 AM PST
Nintendo's already shipping Wiimotes with thicker, stronger cords, as well as updated safety instructions. This isn't that complicated of an issue that would require tons of recalls and hardware/software adjustments.
Nothing's perfect but Nintendo is nothing like MS
by dkarchon December 20, 2006 8:14 PM PST
I got my Wii Launch day and I've had NO problems whatsoever.

I've had no bugs, no hardware problems and most importantly - no Wii remote mishaps! All of my friends are smart enough not to throw the remote all the over place unlike most of the people who've had the said accidents. Also plenty of other people are having perfectly fine Wii experiences as well.

The only failures I know of here are the human kind.

Second off, Microsoft only gives 90 day warrenty for their xBox 360. Nintendo gives a full YEAR of protection and if there's even a minor fault because of Nintendo, it gets replaced for free. My DS Lite had the cracked hinge and after sending it in, I got a new one free of charge. Microsoft's customer service just isn't that good.

No launch is perfect. No system is perfect (PS2's STILL having disc read errors and Sony isn't doing jack). The Wii has been out for about a month and Nintendo is doing quite a bit to alleviate the remote strap problem but it's still the users fault for letting go of the remote in the first place.

Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of Mario, Zelda and other Nintendo franchises) didn't even KNOW that there was a remote strap problem so of course it has to be news that's up in the air somewhere.

Wii is good, that is all.
Fake, fake, fake
by Bonkboy90 December 21, 2006 8:54 AM PST
You do know that at most of those sites like at Wiihaveaproblem.com, the stories are made up. People fake their pictures and stories to get some popularity or to make Nintendo look bad. What's sad is that the people at CNET are falling for those fake stories.
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What's REALLY sad
by make_or_break December 26, 2006 8:10 AM PST
Is that FANBOYS are SO braindead that they can't accept that there could be anything wrong with their favorite gear, whether game console, MP3 player or whatever. [i]Everyone else[/i] is at fault, and anyone who reports these "lies" is conspiring against their favorite device.

Life...I'd suggest you learn how to get one....bonk...
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