Wii - an accident waiting to happen

The launch of a new game console is usually enough to get hard-core gamers salivating and speculating about exactly what their new NinMicroSon product will be like.

By contrast, the Nintendo Wii - launched in the US on 19th November 2006 - has not only been intriguing seasoned gamers, but is drawing a new crowd with its promise of arcade-action, motion-sensing games packed with bags of fun, and without the intimidation of ‘raw power’ that other 3rd generation consoles exude.

This is a new crowd of cross-generational gaming dabblers who just can’t wait to get swinging that Wiimote. And this is where the fun really begins…

Nintendo must have agonised over this - is the modern living room the place to be swinging your arms around like you’re John McEnroe on centre court, chipping like Tiger on the 18th hole or shakin’it like Andre 3000? Sounds like a lot of fun, and clearly this is going to bring in new gamers, but what about the potential missile you’ll be holding, the Wii remote.

Here’s where the Nintendo inspiration kicked in. Their solution - a wrist strap to stop said missile from leaving your sweaty paw, and some clear instructions about the risks of non-compliance. An extract from the Wii manual is shown below.

Now, as Marty’s professor friend Doc might say in Back To The Future, provided Wii gamers comply with the above instuctions and don’t a) hit their opponent (accidentally or otherwise) or b) hit the stuff in their living room and c) the strap doesn’t break if the Wiimote slips… (pause for breath) “everything’s gonna be just fine!”.

Let’s watch and see, shall we…