“Wii Have a Problem”

The first thing you notice about the Nintendo Wii is not the cool graphics, or the new games, or the motion-sensitive controllers, but the fact that kids play it standing up.  Swinging their arms.  Reaching for imaginary balls.  Maybe, just maybe, even breaking a sweat.

For those who worry about childhood obesity, this could be a hopeful sign.  If Nintendo can sell enough of the things–and if the novelty doesn’t wear off too quickly–the Wii could become an antidote to the sedentary lifestyle that has swept a wired America.

Then you notice one other thing: the little white controllers have wrist straps.  I doubt these were an afterthought.  Anecdotes are coming out of odd corners: people are accidentally…throwing the things. 

Is this a sizable phenomenon?  I have no idea, but it’s enough that there’s now a website: http://wiihaveaproblem.com/ .  It’s festooned with pictures of cracked DVD readouts and shattered TV screens–some made by Sony, the manufacturers of the rival PS3 gaming system. 

Does Nintendo really have a problem with people letting go of their controllers?  Hold on.