Back in the Nintendo Wii days, a game called Wii Sports launched into the excited hands of everyone — from little kids to elderly grandparents — who wanted the fun of playing “sports” without leaving their homes. Much of the game’s charm came from its motion controls; you had to wave the controller around to swing your tennis racket or toss a bowling ball. It could feel quite realistic sometimes, especially when you were trying to beat a friend at tennis.
Unfortunately, this meant that some people would get really excited. They’d put all their strength into swinging the controller. And if they weren’t wearing the Wii Remote wrist strap, they risked flinging the controller right into the TV screen.
On top of that, even the people who used the straps could end up busting their priceless televisions. Apparently, Nintendo didn’t expect people to swing the controller as if it was a real bowling ball. (It’s just a game, after all.) But people were throwing these controllers hard enough to actually snap the wrist straps — which, of course, sent the Wii Remote flying into a screen. Or into an unlucky sibling. The company eventually issued a recall to replace the Wii Remote’s original wrist strap with a stronger one that could withstand a good flinging.
Despite Nintendo’s efforts to fix this problem, Wii Sports’ reputation as a great TV destroyer hung around. And all the reminders to wear the Wii Remote wrist strap became something of a meme. (Not wearing your wrist strap? You madman!)
Fast forward to February 2022, when Nintendo announced Nintendo Switch Sports — the successor to the wildly popular Wii Sports. The news seemed to excite fans with fond memories of the first game. But they weren’t the only ones with memories; the trailer contained multiple warnings to remind players to “wear wrist straps” while “gently swinging” the controller. The demonstration in the lower right corner of the video also displayed a very calm person playing very, very calmly.
Clearly, Nintendo did not want to see another TV screen massacre.
But flinging controllers at the screen is so 15 years ago. Surely we’ve learned our lesson by now, right? Right?
Well, not quite.
The warning signs were there. Two weeks before the game’s release, IGN released a hands-on preview of Switch Sports claiming it was “So Faithful To Wii Sports That I Nearly Broke a TV.” The writer, testing out the game’s soccer controls using the leg strap, had accidentally kicked their shoe right into the TV screen.
Luckily, nothing was broken. But not everyone was as fortunate.
A mere two days after Switch Sports‘ release, a user on Reddit admitted to breaking their TV screen while playing chambara (the sword-fighting minigame). A Twitch streamer, 63man, broke his monitor during a livestream while playing tennis “very passionate[ly].” Honestly, watching the moment 63man destroys his screen is super entertaining despite the unfortunate result. The casual flick of his wrist, the Joy-Con controller flying at the speed of light, the sharp crack of the monitor, and his genuinely shocked expression — I won’t lie, I laughed.
To the company’s credit, Nintendo tried its best to warn people. There are constant reminders to wear wrist straps before playing the game. There’s no way to miss it. The straps even come free with each Joy-Con! And there are replacements for sale, too! Nintendo is practically pleading with people to stop wrecking their screens.
Please. Release them from this cursed reputation. Wear the wrist strap.
