Nintendo's Wii system proves a smashing success

The wireless controller for the new Nintendo Wii video game console is light, compact, and dangerous — at least to TV sets.

The controllers, which let gamers play by moving their arms, have been flying from the hands of excited players, even those who use a safety strap that goes around their wrists. These accidents have racked up such a high toll of smashed TV screens that Nintendo yesterday offered heavy-duty wrist straps free of charge to all Wii users.

Nintendo said it will replace 3.2.million straps after receiving a rash of reports about the device flying out of players’ hands. Customers will be able to exchange the old straps for wider ones.

It’s not all bad news for Nintendo, of course. The many reports of Wiis gone wild underscore the new system’s popularity. At $250, the Wii is cheaper than its rivals from Sony and Microsoft, and easier to find at stores than the PlayStation 3. And, of course, there’s the Wii’s vaunted motion-sensitive controller. It’s a clever, intuitive concept, designed for non-gamers who’d rather twist their wrists than wiggle a joystick. Each machine includes a copy of Wii Sports, a set of simple games that let users practice the various hand motions required by most other Wii titles, which sell for around $50.

With bowling, baseball, tennis, boxing, and golf, Wii Sports is a fine set of games in its own right. But it’s caused a number of household disasters like the one that befell Peter Milano, a sophomore at Boston College. ‘‘We were playing it over Thanksgving break,’’ Milano said. ‘‘We were playing the tennis game. I was going to hit the serve, and I didn’t even think about the ceiling fan, the light fixture being above me.’’

He was soon reminded as his hand slashed through the glass fixture. ‘‘I’m surprised I didn’t need any stitches,’’ Milano said. ‘‘I got lucky.’’

So did Bert Selix of Starbuck, Minn., a 68-year-old retired farmer who carved up the back of his hand on a kitchen stove while caught up in an intense game of Wii bowling. Bert’s son Jimmy, a 27-year-old computer administrator, jokingly called his dad’s mishap a ‘‘Wii-lated injury.’’

There’s also a surprising litany of reports featuring Wii controllers that have flown out of a player’s hand, smashing deep gouges into plaster walls or shattering TV sets and stereo gear.

Several of these Wii mishaps, including the Milano and Selix injuries, have been preserved for posterity on the YouTube video service. In addition, there’s a website, WiiHaveAProblem.com, that tracks reports of Wii-related accidents. So far, the site lists eight smashed TV sets, including a 46-inch flat-panel Samsung; two wrecked laptops; a mangled hand-held computer; a broken window and a shattered beer glass.

But if you suppose that this trail of devastation has left the victims bitter and angry, think again. ‘‘I thought it was pretty fun,’’ Milano said. As for Bert Selix, Jimmy said his father had the time of his life. ‘‘Since he had a hip replacement surgery and cannot bowl, he fell in love with my Wii,’’ Jimmy said. ‘‘My dad wanted to know where to get one and most likely will, if I don’t get him one.’’

They’re not inclined to blame Nintendo, which warns gamers to set up the Wii in an area with plenty of elbow room. In addition, the company includes the wrist strap with the game controller, and urges customers to use it. However, some users claim that straps have broken during frenzied gaming sessions, hence Nintendo’s decision to beef them up.

But the Wii can serve up another kind of pain — the kind that comes when sedentary button-mashers start using muscles they’d forgotten about. I work out regularly, but my first go-round with Wii Sports left me winded. Try the boxing game. You stand before the TV set with arms raised, twitching your hands to hook, jab, and shield yourself from incoming blows. Even though you’re not flinging real punches, the effort of keeping your arms up starts to tell.

Does Wii Sports have much real value as a fitness tool? Probably not. Once a player gets used to the system, it’ll take much less effort to play the games and any value as a workout will likely vanish. But surely it’s a good thing that the pleasures of Wii gaming will last much longer than the pain.