Nintendo to Recall 3.2M Wiimote Straps

Half-heartedly acknowledging that there may be some type of issue with the straps that hold the controller to gamers hands, Nintendo will voluntarily recall 3.2 million of them to be replaced with stronger versions. In addition, an AC adapter for its DS handheld system has been recalled as well.

Costs for the strap replacement would run in the hundreds of millions of yen, while the adapter recall, affecting 200,000 units in Japan, would cost between 100-200 million yen ($848,000 -$1.7 milion USD). The cost would be divided between Nintendo and its supplier, Nagano Japan.

Neither recall in expected to have a substantial affect on earnings, the company says. Those who have recently purchased a console may already have the new strap, as the company began shipping consoles with the reinforced version starting in early December.

While there have been publicly reported cases of injuries and property damage as a result of broken straps, no injury reports have been received as a result of the AC adapter issue. Nintendo said in rare cases, the unit may overheat and could pose a burn risk.

However, the company does not see the callback of the straps as a true recall. "There is no problem with the wrist strap as long as the Wii Remote is used sensibly and properly in accordance with the guidelines provided by Nintendo. However, we will be providing replacement wrist straps free of charge to consumers who request them," it said in a statement.

The company is locked in a fierce battle with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360 in the race for next-generation console superiority. It currently holds the second place spot ahead of the PlayStation 3, although trails the 360 by several million consoles.

The Wii was released in November, around the same time as the PS3, however, the Xbox 360 has been out since November 2005.

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