The Associated Press, it seems, has backed away from calling Nintendo's product replacement plan for the Wii Remote Strap a recall.

Instead of just changing the headline we used, I decided to do a little fact checking. By law, any consumer safety issues that crop up in the U.S. has to be reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Hopping onto their site I found at the top a listing for the replacement program, something they call a "corrective action," according to a quick call to the commission.

According to the commission only about 2 million of the straps were affected. The report says that Nintendo has received reports of cords on wrist straps breaking, including "three reports of minor injuries not requiring medical attention." All of the incidents, according to the commission, occurred while gamers were playing Wii Sports.

The commission goes on to say that all Wii systems purchased after Dec. 11 should have the new 1.0 mm cord, while systems purchased before then have the .6mm cords. All remotes purchased separately before Dec. 18 have the old cords, according to the report.

Nintendo sent along this official statement about the "corrective action."

Nintendo has a long tradition of delivering high-quality products and excellent customer service. The Wii Remote is meant to be gripped, and the wrist straps are a secondary measure. We have found that some consumers get more excited playing Wii Sports than we could have imagined. This resulted in a very small number of wrist straps breaking. We have replaced the broken wrist straps and continue to reinforce with consumers the safe and fun use of our products. Through its voluntary wrist strap replacement program, Nintendo is offering a stronger wrist strap free of charge to consumers by calling 800-859-4519 or by visiting support.nintendo.com.

I'll post again if I can find out more about the injuries. Brian Crecente

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary replacement program for the following consumer product.

Name of Product: Wrist Straps Used with Controllers for the Nintendo Wii Video Game System

Units: About 2 Million

Distributor: Nintendo of America Inc.

Issue: If consumers swing the hand-held "Wii Remote" game controllers using excessive force and accidentally let go, the cord connecting the controller to the wrist strap can break, potentially causing the controller to strike bystanders or objects.

Incidents/Injuries: Nintendo has received reports of cords on wrist straps breaking, including three reports of minor injuries not requiring medical attention. All of these incidents occurred when consumers were playing the game, "Wii Sports."

Description: The wrist straps are sold with Nintendo's Wii video game system (pronounced "we"). Its controller, called the Wii Remote, is shaped like a TV remote. Sensors determine the Wii Remote's position in 3-D space, which means that a tennis swing, for example, is done through movement of a consumer's hand rather than by just fingers and thumbs. The cords on the wrist straps included in this program are 0.6mm in diameter. The replacement cords are 1.0 mm in diameter (see photo below).

Sold by: The Wii video game systems have been sold since November 19, 2006 for approximately $249. The Wii Remote has separately been sold from November 19, 2006 for approximately $39. All Wii video game systems purchased after December 11, 2006 should have the new 1.0 mm cord. All individually sold Wii Remotes purchased after December 18, 2006, should have the new 1.0 mm cord.

Manufactured in: Japan and China

Remedy: Consumers should contact the firm for a replacement wrist strap.
Customer Contact: For more information, contact Nintendo toll-free at (800) 859-4519 between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. PT, or visit their Web site at www.support.nintendo.com

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