Nintendo (OTC BB: NTDOY.PK) President Satoru Iwata publicly acknowledged Thursday the unexpected problem with the Wii video-game machine: The wand-like remote control is sometimes inadvertently flying out of players' hands.
On the face of it, this might seem to be a problem. And in America's ever-litigious society, where people are quick to sue even their family members, I suppose it might expose the company to some lawsuits, but I actually view it is as a positive development.
Let me explain. To begin, the problem seems quite manageable. Iwata said that Nintendo is investigating the matter but hasn't yet decided on any action. If any action is necessary, it would seem that the problem could be easily remedied by either making adjustments to the strap, or using slightly more adhesive material to make the remote.
If those don't work, the company could always turn to consumer education. In fact, at the press conference, Iwata hinted at this by saying that Nintendo needed to do a better job of communicating "to people how to deal with Wii as a new form of entertainment."
And there's the good news for Nintendo. Apparently, the root of the problem is really Wii's ability to generate excessive excitement. Any product that gets people so jazzed up that they will sometimes lose control of the device is more likely to lead to greater sales (through positive word of mouth) than will be lost by people troubled by its slippery nature.
The problem is also likely exacerbated by sweat forming on people's hands. According to more than a few articles I have read, Wii is giving some people such a strenuous workout that they are experiencing soreness and stiffness the next day.
Again, while this might cause some consumer backlash, the far bigger possibility is that the device will be hijacked by fitness gurus looking for fun and innovative ways to get this country's legions of coach potatoes off their duffs.
This leads me back to the conclusion that this latest news about Wii's controller is actually a good sign, because it offers the possibility that Nintendo might actually be able to tighten its grip on an expanding base of the video game market. Ironically, rivals Sony (NYSE:SNE) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) might be the ones truly losing control, and in need of some corrective action.
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Fool contributor Jack Uldrich is still hoping to find a Wii for his wee ones this Christmas. He owns stock in Microsoft. The Fool has a strict disclosure policy.
