It’s like we’re back in the 2000s. Cropped cardigans are making a comeback, Biden is still in the White House, and Nintendo dropped a Wii Sports sequel in the form of Switch Sports. The nostalgia is so uncanny that players of Nintendo’s quirky sports simulator are once again flinging controllers from their hands directly into their TVs, smashing their displays.
Nintendo Switch Sports is a sports simulator packaging several mini-games together, including bowling, soccer, tennis, and volleyball. Critics have called it a solid return of the company’s remote-waggling classic that will probably continue ruining friendships in its wake. Like its previous entry, 2006's Wii Sports, you use the wireless remote’s built-in motion controls to play, which typically means you gotta get up and be an active participant. And just like Wii Sports, because the Joy-Con is a wireless controller, folks are out here chucking remotes right at their TVs in the middle of games. The result? A busted display.
A Twitch streamer named 63man went viral over the weekend after he casually tossed his red Joy-Con at his monitor while playing tennis.
We’ve been here before. All throughout the last two decades on YouTube, you couldn’t escape similar face-cracking situations where players were seen throwing the Wii Remote Controller at their TVs while playing Wii Sports. There are entire montages of folks completely destroying their monitors, each time the pang of regret stinging a little more. It even happened during a segment on the Home Shopping Network back in October 2009, in which some dude went so hard when advertising the game and console that he straight-up wrecked the TV…on air. It was great.
Nintendo tried curtailing these accidents yet again by including wrist straps with the Joy-Cons, much like it did with the Wii Remote Controller. But I bet you’ve not seen yours since you first opened the box three years ago. I know I haven’t, and now TVs are once again getting harmed during play, an easily avoidable phenomenon if folks just tied them to their arms.
Despite the unfortunate incidents that will likely continue, Nintendo Switch Sports is seeing some success around the world. In particular, according to GamesIndustry.Biz, the game claimed the top spot on the UK boxed charts. It’s hilarious then that TVs are getting smashed just as sales figures are.
Nintendo made headlines recently after revelations about terrible working conditions for contractors and Joy-Con repair specialists were brought to light. So, now’s really not the time to be throwing these controllers at the wall.