Wiimote production problems?

[goKi]

This has been proved to be definately a rumour. Good news everyone!

http://gonintendo.com/?p=5146

I certainly hope not. Nintendo would definately lose their edge over Sony if they were to release too much later.

This was translated from the article


On Nintendo’s Wii side, there are many rumours recently that said Wii may launch earlier than expected in late Oct, in order to suppress PS3 that launches in mid-Nov, but in fact Nintendo may not have a confirmed official launch day, due to all sorts of problems related to the controller that prevented mass production.

The factory has received Wii controller’s purchasing order and its sample, but is still stucked in testing phrase. From feedbacks of testers, currently the Wiimote and nunchuck still have a lot of small issues, such as buttons aren’t sensitive, hard to press 2 buttons together, and even no response occasionally, and the current sample is easy to get damaged, using the controller in normal situation will produce some noise, etc. Entering Sept, if the above hardware problems cannot be fixed, it will directly affect Wii’s selling strategy.

Also, the factory has not received the Wii console from Nintendo yet, currently they are testing samples using a dedicated machine only for testing, which means after an up-to-standard sample is produced, it still needs to be sented back to Japan to be tested by Nintendo for the 2nd time. Wii controller uses bluetooth technology for real-time data transfer, and infrared for “space location”(space as in that Eistein(?)) guy Time-Space thingy), and the 2nd phrase of testing procedures maybe even tougher!

[Petoe]

I hope this rumor or whatever it is, isn't true. Wii would suffer quite a bit IMO if it was released later than PS3...

But if there are some issues, then they have to be fixed, and I'm sure Nintendo will make sure not to rush things like Sony. A delay would surely hurt Nintendo and Wii, but I can wait. I want a perfect product. Let's just hope everything turns out well.

[Aegix Drakan]

knowing Nintendo's reptation, they'll pull though, and they'll have a nearly flawless system to boot!

suer, it *MIGHT* be a month or so late, but that's still better than sony.

[MottZilla]

Considering they seem to have working Wiimotes and such already, I imagine this is more of just a small production problem. This will likely be sorted out quickly. I don't recall if Nintendo has ever delayed a console launch, but they certainly are well known for delaying high profile titles like Zelda.

[Warlock]

Considering they seem to have working Wiimotes and such already, I imagine this is more of just a small production problem. This will likely be sorted out quickly. I don't recall if Nintendo has ever delayed a console launch, but they certainly are well known for delaying high profile titles like Zelda.

I agree here - they've already got working systems. They are even doing that "Wii Ambassadors" thing and getting units out there to demo. Obviously if they are having any sort of problems, they can't be major. That's assuming this report is even true.

[Tygore]

I have to agree with Mott and Warlock: something doesn't click here. The Wii has been playable for a while, and from what I understand most of the demo hiccups were minor (and possibly software-related). This seems like a step backward from what we've already seen.

[idontknow]

^Maybe its not the controller or hardware in of itself, but the method of mass producing. Maybe its very ineffecient because each controller has to be tested or whatever & they having problems copying the original.

However, there were a lot of spelling & grammatical errors (Sented? That's not even a word) Therefore, the source doesn't seem all that credible so i don't really believe this to be true, although who knows. Its a little sheisty that nintendo hasn't announced a release date yet nor have they told us why they haven't announced it yet.

[MottZilla]

Yes there is that too. It just doesn't make sense. When you hear production problems you know who it is we all think of, Sony.

[Cloral]

However, there were a lot of spelling & grammatical errors (Sented? That's not even a word) Therefore, the source doesn't seem all that credible so i don't really believe this to be true, although who knows.

Clearly English isn't this guy's first language. If you click the provided link he states that English is his third language. So I wouldn't take grammer as much of an indication.

[Orion]

Well, if there's any merit to this rumor, you'll probably hear about it on a few more well-known sites within a few days, if not, I'd disregard it. I'm still cautiously optimistic about the Wii, and something like this doesn't sound out of the question.

By the way, anyone hear the rumor that Metroid might not make launch?

[AtmaWeapon]

Jumping on the "if it's true, it's most likely QA issues and not design issues" boat. The demo units probably aren't made on machinery designed to churn out hundreds of pieces per day. When you go from "1 controller per week is OK" to "We need 2 million units in 3 months" you usually end up with quality problems.

[ZTC]

I don't recall if Nintendo has ever delayed a console launch, but they certainly are well known for delaying high profile titles like Zelda.
I remember the N64 being delayed a time or more, along (if I remember right) the SNES was delayed about 6 months

[MottZilla]

Actually you're right now that I looked it up. SNES was delayed a year because of shortages of materials, and N64 was delayed for some reason too. But you have to remember, people were waiting on the SNES cause of the huge success NES was. SNES in the end had the majority of the 16-bit market too. But N64 most certainly did not win the market. So the next time around we have GC which probably did worse. So really, they cannot afford delays.

[lord_jamitossi]

At this point, I'd much rather wait another few months & see them come out with a system that kicks ass. If they try to beat Sony's release date and end up releasing something that doesn't really work, they're going to be even farther behind than they are now.

But, naturally, I'd love to see them beat Sony to the start with a product that kicks ass, too.

[zeldafan500]

I really hope this doesn't affect nintedos sales too much...

[Gerudo]

they are really proving reliable these days. (http://www.armageddongames.net/showthread.php?t=93189)

[goKi]

they are really proving reliable these days. (http://www.armageddongames.net/showthread.php?t=93189)

GoNintendo are a news site. They don't usually break their own news, and usually report on rumors over the weekend. They are actually a very reputable site.

[goKi]

UPDATE - The Wii is definately on schedule according to Nintendo of Europe, who issued a statement saying that the rumors of delays are nothing more than speculation.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=19412

Nice to see Nintendo comment on a rumour for once.

[Grasshopper]

they are really proving reliable these days. (http://www.armageddongames.net/showthread.php?t=93189)

Remember the same guy who posted those specifically said he DID NOT believe them to be true.


Good for a weekend chuckle I think. I apologize to the person who emailed this to me, but I just don’t believe that this story is true. ...someone took the time to write all this stuff up…so why not give it a home!