Kotaku
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has reviewed the new straps for the Wii remote but plans to keep an eye on future issues, a spokeswoman for the commission told Kotaku.
"We will be watching to see whether or not the change is effective in reducing the reports," said Julie Vallese, director of information and public affairs for the commission.
She said that there are two ways in which the commission can get involved in a product safety issue. One is by discovering the problem on their own, either through consumer complaints or their own research, the other is by the company notifying them of an issue.
In this case Nintendo contacted the commission and asked to fast track the solution, which involved offering to replace about 2 million Wii remote safety straps.
"Nintendo wanted this to happen very quickly," Vallese said. "We worked with the company and their representatives to get an announcement out very quickly for this program."
In the report, Nintendo told the commission that they had received three reports of injuries that were not serious. Vallese did not have details but said typically that would include minor cuts and bruises. She said the commission only receives detailed reports if someone is treated by a health care provider like a doctor or in an emergency room.
All three of the injuries, she confirmed, were a direct result of the strap breaking. None of them, she said, were connected to people getting hit by someone playing the game too close to them.
Because Nintendo self-reported the issue, the commission will not do its own investigation unless new issues crop up with the new strap.
"If the problem continues with the new strap that's where we might step in," she said. "We also would have to decide if it's a safety issue."
Vallese added that that means that if remotes were, for instance, smashing into a television hard enough to cause the tube to explode or somehow stop working in a dangerous way, it could also be deemed a safety issue.
While the commission has the power to issue civil penalties, Nintendo wouldn't likely fall into that category because they reported the issue and are following the program they developed to replace the straps, she said.
