Foreseen problem with the Wii...

BIZILL

I was toying around with the idea of getting the Wii for my young boys vs. DS lites. But the more I investigate the whole ordeal, I got to worrying...

I see in pics on the internet that the controllers are able to be tethered to one's wrist. But a child in haste, wanting to play some Zelda may be prone to neglecting to tether that bad-boy to his/her wrist. And with their greasy little fingers from eating popcorn and snacks, possibly even an occasional bugger hazard, I can just imagine those next-generation input/output devices eventually come crashing through daddy's 65" bigscreen.:eek:

Should daddy take the risk?

Hell, there will even be the occasional adult night centered around alcohol that may bear the same consequences....I'm scared.:(

szhleppy

My vote? Do it Bill. Think about the fun rather than the worst-case scenario.

lanion

I believe it will happen. Especially with games like Wii Sports Bowling, where the natural tendancy is to let go of the object you are throwing...

Lesson: tell your friends to use to freaking strap and don't go crazy, or force them to use a super high sensitivity so that they only have to move their hand a tiny bit to get the desired in-game effect.

Shizelbs

Its already happened. There were 3 reported cases of such an accident as early as launch day. Apparently those wrist straps are pretty lousy. They have been failing too.

szhleppy

Alright...maybe my first response was a little irresponsible after hearing the experts chime in. I would still be trying to find a way to make this work while minimizing the risk.

RuSsMaN

Buy a 27" good ole tube TV for dirt cheap, and let them have at it. You can bag one for $150~, you'd pay that in a heartbeat for insurance on the big screen.

Cheers,
Russ

PolkThug

I played the tennis game without any kind of tether. You could always just duct tape it to their hand.

mutelight

PolkThug wrote:

I played the tennis game without any kind of tether. You could always just duct tape it to their hand.

Edward Wii Hands

bobman1235

You don't have to swing the thing around wildly. YOu can just move it a tiny bit and get the exact same effect. I can see you being worried about kids, but if an adult is stupid enough to let the thing fly out of his hands at a fast enough speed for it to break a TV (as opposed to just fall onto the floor in front of him) than that adult was being a jackass.

BIZILL

sheesh. these responses scare me. i think russ had the best idea. keep the wii off of the bigscreen and get a dedicated tv for the kids. an xbox 360 deserves the hdtv anyhow. but dad's 360 may be put on hold for a year or longer as it seems i need to PEBBLETEC my pool. her plaster is all fugged over. $7,000. i think the 360 will have to wait.

tommyboy

Bizill, its probably better for you not to read this, you might have a heart attack...

http://videogames.yahoo.com/ongoingfeature?eid=494785&page=0

Thats not your tv, is it?:eek:

BIZILL

"The problem isn't with the amply broad strap itself, but the considerably narrower section that connects the strap with the remote, which is prone to fray in some circumstances. The result is smashed remotes, smashed televisions, smashed windows, and unhappy (or, at least, somewhat red-faced) customers."

AHH, DAAANG.:eek:

BIZILL

no stores, that i've visited, have the Wii available to test drive. don't know what to do just yet.

cheddar

I hope you can set it up in a basement then. As it seems that those controller projectiles are heavy enough to take out anything breakable. I, personally, wouldn't want a kid to send it through a CRT they were in front of. And windows aren't cheap either.

I'm sure you could probably just go to the hardware store and get some good strap making material. Getting the kids to wear it consistently is another matter...

Sansui

BIZILL wrote:

I see in pics on the internet that the controllers are able to be tethered to one's wrist. But a child in haste, wanting to play some Zelda may be prone to neglecting to tether that bad-boy to his/her wrist. And with their greasy little fingers from eating popcorn and snacks, possibly even an occasional bugger hazard, I can just imagine those next-generation input/output devices eventually come crashing through daddy's 65" bigscreen.:eek:

Hell, there will even be the occasional adult night centered around alcohol that may bear the same consequences....I'm scared.:(

What's the possibility of coming up with a clear plexiglass shield to put in front of the TV during gameplay?

cheddar

Yeah, like the ballistic glass shields in mythbusters...lol.

I think if we need 'shields' for the TV, the controllers and the restraint devices need some serious rethinking.

Maybe a wrist glove would be more appropriate than nunchucks...

BIZILL

can do easy. we have a lexan dept. at my work. i made a 1/4" lexan cover for my screen on my dartboard to protect the LED's from damage.



...but that would be a huge and expensive piece of lexan! 65" tv.

Demiurge

Keep your Wii in your pants and go buy a XBox 360 big guy.

BIZILL

my Wii is the cause of having to buy a Wii for the boys. but i'm still debating it or the DS lites. that way they'll each have their own and not fight over things.

dave, i'll keep waiting until i find a superb deal on one. then i'll be 'forced' to make that purchase. funk priorities. you're only young once. well....too late. but still...

lanion

Reinforcing the strap on the Wiimote shoudn't be too difficult. GOOP is a very good consumer glue that is quite flexible, if you are able to apply it precisely without getting any on the controller itself. I don't think I will have any problems since I like my analog controls at high sensitivity. That being said, after a few drinks with some friends it might be fun to swing that tennis racket like Pete Sampras - and hopefully not kill anyone.

BIZILL

BIZILL'S premonitions confirmed!

http://www.wiihaveaproblem.com/

PolkThug

lol

Reminds me of the viral marketing done by Sega, anyone remember beta7? (http://www.beta-7.com/blog/)

Anybody with a broken TV is going to blame it on their Wii.

Demiurge

The videos are quite amusing. Especially the guy who chucked one at the plasma mounted on the wall.

bobman1235

I think my TV is more in danger when I'm holding a remote while watching a football game...

McLoki

I purchased the DS Lites for my kids. Figured they would get more use out of them. They already have movies, games, books, and playing they can do at home. With the DS Lites they can have something to do while waiting in line or visiting people the parents like, but the kids would rather not see.

When we went to disney this year it seemed like every 4th kid in line had a handheld game system of some kind to pass the time while waiting in line for rides...

Michael

BIZILL

true. they already have gameboy advances. the ds lites look better. marginally. psp costs too much to buy two of them. but the quality of games is much greater.

zombie boy 2000

McLoki wrote:

When we went to disney this year it seemed like every 4th kid in line had a handheld game system of some kind to pass the time while waiting in line for rides...

Michael

Wow... I can't imagine being that bored at Disney World as a child:eek:
Even in line. Aren't a lot of the lines part of the attraction now anyway? I seem to remember the line for the Haunted Mansion having its own things to see.

McLoki

zombie boy 2000 wrote:

Wow... I can't imagine being that bored at Disney World as a child:eek:
Even in line. Aren't a lot of the lines part of the attraction now anyway? I seem to remember the line for the Haunted Mansion having its own things to see.

Average line was 1-2 hours per ride. that is a long time to weave back and forth through the turnstiles especially for kids.

We bypassed many of the lines so we didn't really have the problem - but I certainly felt for those who did have to wait.

Michael

zombie boy 2000

OUCH!!

1-2 hours.... that seems almost criminal when you consider how much its costs to take the average family to the land of Disney. Seems like you'd only have time to explore a fraction of the park.

BIZILL

that's why i'm glad my boys are still younger. legoland in california is descent, and not over-crowded.

zombie boy 2000

Sorry for the derail Biz...

I'd go ahead and buy it. Monitor their playing for a few days (or with any new game). You'll get a feel for how likely such a scenario is to happen.

If it looks likely, box it up and return it. Or explain to them that they can't play so "aggressively".

just my 2 cents