Gamertell Preview: Wii Strap by GameKeeper
by at November 9, 2007 3:07 pm
Sections: Accessories, Consoles, Controllers, Exclusives, Gear, Gear-Other, Reviews, Wii
|
Sign up for the FREE Tell Membership and receive benefits that include the digital edition of Tell Magazine sent straight to your inbox, product giveaways, coupons and much more!
After all the silliness over a few kids flinging their WiiMote’s into TVs and Nintendo’s subsequent wrist strap replacement program, it’s only natural accessory companies would develop cushier, more elaborate straps. After all, a single string just doesn’t seem very secure, does it?
Atlantic’s GameKeeper unveiled its version of the Wii Strap accessory at DigitalLife 2007, using Velcro, polyester blend and padding to make a more secure, supposedly more comfortable wrist strap.
Design – Each strap has five components: The string that attaches to the WiiMote (4 in. long when attached), a nylon/polyester ribbon that attaches to your thumb (2 1/2 in. looped), a teardrop shaped cushion padded on the inside and Velcro on 3/4 of the outside (6 in long, 2 1/2 in. at widest point), an elastic ribbon that attaches to the next piece (1 1/2 in. retracted, 3 in. extended) and a smaller icrtophone shaped pad at the end with 2/3 padding and 1/3 Velcro on the inside (4 1/4. in long and 1 3/4 in. at widest).
fist you attach the string to the WiiMote, then put the ribbon around your thumb and wind the rest of the strap around the back of your hand so the smaller piec crosses the inside of your wrist. You can wear it the other way, which is more natural to put on, but it puts too uch bulk in the inside of your wrist, making it more difficult to bend your wrist.
The thumb ribbon is pretty stiff and fits into the crotch of your thumb (stop giggling). Attaching the string to the WiiMote was the most difficult part of the process. The string is thicker than on Nintendo’s replacement strap and appears to be twisted nylon (or poly blend). In order to squeeze it through the tiny slot provided on the controller, I had to poke the string through with a pointed object. There was no way I could have forced the string through with my bare hands. Poking it through appears to have pulled apart a few of the twists, potentially weakening the string.
Performance – Although attaching it for the first time is a little awkward, wearing the Wii Starp is initially pretty comfortable. The two cushioned pads are pretty well placed on your hand. The elastic and Velcro allow for a good amount of adjustability so it will likely fit most (adult) hands. Once attached it certainly feels more solid than a single string around your wrist.
The positioning of the string to the WiiMote and wrist strap puts the controller comfortably in your hand. If you do let go during play, it’ll easily swing back into your hand.
Wearing it for longer than 30 minutes, however, proved to be slightly uncomfortable. The thumb ribbon, which is not very giving, slightly pinched the inside of my hand as the edge rubbed during active play. Also, I had to readjust the elastic several times since it was cutting off a little of my circulation. Unfortunately, loosening the elastic also meant adding slack to the entire strap which loosened the ribbon, giving it more room to scrape. I noticed that the seam for both pads was right at the point where it hits your inner wrist, which likely contributes to the circulation issue.
Overall – It feels like this strap need a little more real-world testing and a few tweaks. The thicker string is too loosely wound to be inserted into the WiiMote without assistance that can potentially damage the string, essentially degrading its safety feature to a potential hazard. The bulk of the wrist portion is comfy but the ribbons and elastic need to be reworked to put the bulkiest point of the seems on the outside and the elastic sewn on the inside, putting the thick point away from the wrist. The thumb ribbon could also need to be cushioned and reformed to cut back on the potential scraping during more active play.
For short-term comfort, the GameKeeper Wii Strap will do pretty well. If you play for more than 20-30 minutes at a time, however, you’ll do better with the standard Nintendo-provided wriststrap
Read [Gamertell] Also Read [Crave] Via [Shiny Shiny] Site [GameKeeper Gaming]
Related Posts