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Nintendo's Wii game console isn't just flying off store shelves -- it's flying out of players' hands.
The game company's president announced Thursday that the company was investigating reports that players were losing control of the game's remote, causing it to crash into nearby television screens, ceiling fans, even windows and dishes.
The system's weak point is, ironically, its unique selling point: a motion-sensitive controller that's waved like a wand as players participate in video swordfights, bowling, golf or tennis.
But apparently, some gamers aren't wearing the controller's strap around their wrists or are wearing it too loosely.
There are even some reports that the strap is prone to tearing without notice.
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At least one video game expert says this buzz about the new game console could be a good thing for Nintendo. Click here to play the video to hear why and to see some of the damage allegedly caused by flying Wii remotes.
Multiple reports have surfaced of out-of-control Wii accidents; the Web site Wii Have a Problem is keeping a running tally.
Communicating with customers
Nintendo (NTDOY, news, msgs) President Satoru Iwata acknowledged Thursday that the company may indeed have a problem."Some people are getting a lot more excited than we'd expected," Iwata told the Mainichi Daily News in Japan. "We need to better communicate to people how to deal with Wii as a new form of entertainment."The company sent an e-mail to new owners this week reiterating the need to wear the strap properly. The company has not decided on any specific measures to change the strap, Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa said.
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Still winning the battle
The console from the maker of the Pokemon and Super Mario games is locked in a three-way sales battle with Sony's (SNE, news, msgs) PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's (MSFT, news, msgs) Xbox 360.Sony said today that it had sold 197,000 units since the launch date, far fewer than the company's 400,000 target. Perhaps the trouble is the competition: The Wii, which debuted two days later, has sold 476,000 units so far.
The Xbox 360, which came out a year ago, sold 511,000 units in November. (Microsoft is the publisher of MSN Money.)
Selling large volumes of machines is critical for the companies because hot-selling formats attract software companies to make more games, which in turn boost machine sales.
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Sony had forecast that it would sell 1 million of its newest PlayStations in the United States this year, but Evan Wilson, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities, told Bloomberg News that there is no way that will happen. He said Sony "will face supply constraints at least through March."
Sony said its earlier PlayStation 2 was selling well, with 663,000 units sold.
The Wii costs about $250, while the PS3 costs between $499 and $599.
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