"Wii elbow"; Wii's breaking tvs?

[smegforbrain]

A pair of articles I found this morning. The first, the "Wii elbow" is not unexpected in the least.

The second is more amusing, but I'm sure Nintendo will correct the problem. Hopefully users will correct the problem of unnecessary overzealousness as well.


"WSJ: First cases of "Wii Elbow" reported
Aerobic activity with motion-sensing controller causing aches, pains; Nintendo urges exercise to counteract.

By Tim Surette

12:29 pm PST November 27, 2006

Nintendo is seeking to lead the charge against the notion that all gamers are unfit couch potatoes. Nationwide sellouts of the Wii indicate that gamers are supporting that notion, and many have been very vocal about the system's motion-sensitive controller as being a revolution in gaming. The problem is that it appears that after the first week of the console's release, many of those gamers are running out of breath.

The Wall Street Journal says that "Wii elbow" and other Wii-related physical issues may be the first widespread gaming-related injuries since "Nintendo thumb," the condition that ran rampant following the introduction of the NES in the '80s and the SNES in the '90s.

The newspaper spoke with several new Wii owners who were experiencing aches and pains from repeated use of the console. A 12-year-old from Kentucky reported numbness in her right arm after mimicking the motions of bowling and boxing in Wii Sports; a computer programmer in Minnesota, who admits to being "not very active," complained of sore shoulders; and a man in Indiana says he was "soaking wet with sweat, head to toe" after Wii Boxing.

Nintendo vice president of marketing Perrin Kaplan put it plainly. "[The Wii] was not meant to be a Jenny Craig supplement," she told the WSJ. "If people are finding themselves sore, they may need to exercise more."




"Did Wii break your TV?
People aren't getting a grip on Nintendo's new system.

By Mike Smith

29 Nov 2006

Picture this. You're lining up the perfect shot in Wii Bowling, remote in hand. You set up the shot, swing the remote with all the strength you can muster, and... follow through a little more than you intended.

Somehow the remote leaves your sweaty-palmed grip and bang, smash, there goes your TV, window, photo of your granny, anything that happens to be in the path of the newly liberated remote.

Hold on, though. If you're wearing the (supplied) wrist strap, no harm done, right? So you'd think. As you can see, some Wii owners are finding the strap decidedly lacking. (Check out nascent site wiihaveaproblem.com for more strap malfunctions.) 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.

Teething hardware troubles are hardly new to the world of console launches, especially in the last year or so. The Xbox 360's original overheating issues are well documented, with the first production run of consoles suffering what is generally regarded to be an unusually high failure rate. We're even hearing the start of mutterings about overheating issues with some brand new PS3s. But it's probably the first time a console's design has lead --albeit indirectly -- to quite such a catalogue of destruction. To its credit, Nintendo appears to be happy to replace the wrist strap in some circumstances, but if there really is an underlying design weakness, then it needs to be addressed before an unfortunate (or worse, sue-happy) bystander gets beaned by a stray remote.

Sure, it's easy to laugh at the misfortune of these hapless Wii'ers, especially if you're still combing stores for miles around looking for yours. One broken strap could be regarded as misfortune, but as the volume of fractured straps grows, it starts to look more like carelessness -- or, at least, evidence of a lack of real-world testing.

In the meantime, wise Wii owners will want to consider hunting round the house for something a little stronger -- or waiting for one of the more opportunistic peripheral manufacturers to cash in on the opportunity to flog reinforced replacements at an inflated price. That's business."

 

[t0rek]

Simple:

1. As stated by Nintendo, people needs to excersise more. Hey, with so may fat people in the US they should thank Nintendo for offering a way of reducing fat by playing videogames instead of complaining "moving my arm so much is very tiring"

2. People must be careful and don't be stupid

 

[Doomulation]

1) I'm agreeing here. It probably means they haven't worked out like they should have, because really... what you're doing is basically doing what you'd do in real tennis or bowling. Or maybe they should take it a little easier...
2) Some small recommendations: always wear the strap, don't swing the controller with all the must you have, have a firm grip of the controller and most important of all: If you get sweaty, PUT DOWN THE CONTROLLER. Wip of the sweat or try again, or wait a little while until that sweat is gone.

It's true the strap isn't so good, but people have suggested you can use the DS wrist strap as well. But if you don't swing too hard and have a good grip on the controller, it won't be that dangerous.
It's new--it's to be expected. As it becomes more common, I'm sure these issues will be less reported and handled better.

 

[smcd]

I agree with torek. Personal responsibility seems to be a thing of the past, especially in the USA

 

[t0rek]

1) I'm agreeing here. It probably means they haven't worked out like they should have, because really... what you're doing is basically doing what you'd do in real tennis or bowling. Or maybe they should take it a little easier...

It's not the same as playing tennis, is's a light exercise, but finally an exercise, gringos are too lazy

 

[A.I.]

All I can say is thank God I'm a couch potato!

Who cares if it's the latest technology with a revolutionary control system? You can't beat the comfort and durability of an old fashioned control pad. Period.

Hell, I'm still in awe of force feedback. Every time I play a new N64 game and it's got rumble (and if it actually works...) I'm in absolute rapture, though I must admit I do need to go out more...

And tell me what happens when you're sick or you've broken your bowling arm and want to play the wii? Sure, you say, you can play the old NES and SNES games using the digital control pad that it was original designed for.

Yes, but I already got emulators that can do that - I don't need to buy a weii to play them or get RSI or accidently throw my remote at the cat (unless it's intentional), I can do that by playing the real thing which is far more enjoyable, healthy and sociable.

Jerking a remote control for several hours can't be good for you (jerking off for several hours can't be either...) and can lead to permanent damage (see a doctor or sex therapist!) where as atleast using a control pad all you get is a sore thumb and fingers, though you can still get neck strain if you are sitting in the same position for too long.

Sure you get off the couch when you play the wii (unless you're in a wheel chair) but is it really exercise? You're only micking movements, not playing the real thing. Flapping your arms like a crazy bird aint gonna lose you 20 pounds.

You may sweat but only because of the tension of winning a point or you are a fat bastard (I want meh baby back ribs back!) or you just had a hot curry. Who is Nintendo fooling? It ain't real exercise. Hell, I can save 400 bucks (or watever wii costs here in Australia) and just jog on the spot for five minutes (any longer and I keel over and die cos i'm a lazy bastard) and do the funky gibbon (see the Goodies).

Do I want a wii? Of course I do, but I don't want RSI which comes free (though I woudn't be surprised if those Nintendo bastards throw it in as a special pack!) Sure you can get RSI any old way, by typing through picking your nose but I sure don't want it any quicker than I need to.

Give me meh old control pad to play any old day...

 

[Doomulation]

Dude, this isn't about excersising. It's about people getting tired when playing the system. They need to work out a little more because swinging a controller isn't really hard.

 

[A.I.]

Dude, this isn't about excersising. It's about people getting tired when playing the system. They need to work out a little more because swinging a controller isn't really hard.

Yeah, I guess... All I'm saying is I'll happily stick with my average control pad and mouse while watching with amused expression at all the wiiesters suffering RSI injuries and glazing bills in the name of revolutionary control.

 

[Doomulation]

A mouse can give injuries too. So can a normal "game controller." In time, we'll see less of these injuries. It's the beginning. Always trouble in the beginning. Though it's a small price to pay I say.

 

[ScottJC]

You don't have to swing it around like a maniac, only small movements are required, people are blaming Nintendo because their too thick to realize that the controller doesn't need to be thrown at mack 5 speeds to work - this is also why they get injured, they try too hard...

Stop making lame excuses for not wanting to use it, you're just afraid of all things new.

 

[smegforbrain]

people are blaming Nintendo because their too thick to realize that the controller

I guess the question becomes: did Nintendo give the wrong impression of what the controller can do to consumers then?

Did people think that with a controller you have to move to control game actions, that it would go much further than it does?

That, to me, seems to be part of the problem.

Stop making lame excuses for not wanting to use it, you're just afraid of all things new.

I know you're referring to somebody else when saying this, but I think it's time to stop putting these words into the mouths of others.

For me, I just want to play video games, and the set of controllers already out there work just fine for that. For all those saying that people should get some exercise if swinging the Wii controller around tires you out, well, you shouldn't expect to get your exercise from your video game console either; if I want exercise, I have a ping pong table right across from the hall from me that works just fine.

 

[Doomulation]

I guess the question becomes: did Nintendo give the wrong impression of what the controller can do to consumers then?

Did people think that with a controller you have to move to control game actions, that it would go much further than it does?

That, to me, seems to be part of the problem.

The casual and non-gamers... yes, I believe they do. You'd usually let go of your bowling ball when playing bowling and you'd hit your ball hard when playing tennis. People do seem to think they need to mimic that exactly. I suppose Nintendo should have put our more warnings.

I know you're referring to somebody else when saying this, but I think it's time to stop putting these words into the mouths of others.

For me, I just want to play video games, and the set of controllers already out there work just fine for that. For all those saying that people should get some exercise if swinging the Wii controller around tires you out, well, you shouldn't expect to get your exercise from your video game console either; if I want exercise, I have a ping pong table right across from the hall from me that works just fine.

I think... that if you can't play the Revolution without getting tired when playing, say, Tennis, then you need to exercise a little because... it isn't much more demanding than real tennis. And hey, a little exercise will do you good in the end. That's what I believe.

 

[Miretank]

What about soccer? Nintendo must do a soccer shoe!

 

[Chibi Nick]

You would have to sweat a hell of a lot to let the controller slip away from you. I haven't once had mine even try to get away from me (but then I haven't sweated from playing).

They have warnings all over the place, every time you start a game it warns you to wear the strap and not let go.

If you can use a mouse, you can use a wiimote. All it requires is wrist movement, not a whole arm swing.

You have to use a lot of force to break a tv. People who are using that much force need to tone it down a notch or two. It won't make a difference in the games.

 

[Doomulation]

They have warnings all over the place, every time you start a game it warns you to wear the strap and not let go.

Yeah, for the wrist strap. But not for "don't swing it all you got" or "if you're sweaty, put down the controller."

You have to use a lot of force to break a tv. People who are using that much force need to tone it down a notch or two. It won't make a difference in the games.

Also remember that LCD/Plasma TVs are more fragile than CRT as they typically use some plastic to cover the screen while CRT usually uses some type of glass.

 

[revl8er]

God, these people are just careless.

1) If you feel any soreness, take a break from playing. Exercise more and you can avoid this.

2) Don't put so much force in your movement with the controller. I mean the games are sensitive, so you don't have to use so much force anyways. Even on the baseball game, I am able to pitch around 96mph with just a simple movement of the wrist.

 

[ScottJC]

Anyone who blames the wii controller for injurys are idiots, if you throw something around with your full weight you're going to get sores... even if you don't you're going to get sores, guess what... that's your muscles, the same thing happens in excersizing.

Your muscles get sore, you wonder why? Because you're pushing them to their limits and eventually they get tougher - this is the reason why people will get sore playing the games especially if their throwing their controller at 70mph. This isn't RSI, this is called basic excersize... those who complain are just fat lazy bastards. RSI exists on everything and i'm not going to avoid every input device just because I might get 'sore', i'm not a total wimp like you lot who complain about it.

I can't drive that car, I might run someone over... I Can't cross the street, I might get hit by a bus, I can't post in this thread, I might get flamed, risk exists everywhere stop being so blind, tv sets have been broken since they were invented, its nothing new.

Oh btw, for smegs reference, this is what's putting words in someone elses mouth is:

<JohnDoe> I am a fat, lazy bastard and I will complain like fuck because I can't be arsed getting off this seat because I do nothing but typing.

 

[t0rek]

Quite good post Scott

 

[Miretank]

Accidents happen, don't know why so repercussion because of that. If something must be saliented, it is the careless of the user. To a person break a TV while playing a game... he/she must be very careless (not to say stupid).

All this is just to stain Wii's image.

 

[Doomulation]

There was one who got angry and threw the controller at the TV which broke. That must be the stupidiest of all.
Here's a fun site that keeps track of Wii "accidents":
Wii Have A Problem...