By Chris Kohler
October 01, 2007


Are you prone to throwing your Wiimote through your television set? Already busted three HDTV displays with your inability to hold onto things that are in your hand? Fear not: Nintendo announced this morning that they will be sending out free silicone Wii Remote Jackets -- up to four per Wii owner.

I imagine that Nintendo is really concerned, as a company, about you accidentally smashing up your TV or your girlfriend or what during what is supposed to be their most awesome holiday season ever. So they're taking what must be the tremendous expense of shipping these things out to every single Wii Remote owner who asks for one, or two, or four.

And then, of course, they take pains in their press release to describe how, really, this isn't such a strange thing to be doing. Says outgoing senior VP George Harrison:

We're always looking for ways to improve our products and make sure everyone has a safe and fun experience. Many electronics manufacturers provide similar protective covers for products like cell phones, PDAs and MP3 players.

The tone of this post should make it pretty clear that I don't think the Wiimote is unsafe; I think dumb people are unsafe and I think it's kind of sad that Nintendo or any company has to take out costly moron insurance. That said, I get a bunch of free silicone jackets for my Wiimotes, so: win! At least now we know why Super Mario Bros. 2 costs 600 points.

You can request the Wii Remote Jackets, which begin shipping and will be packed in with all Wii Remotes at retail on October 15th, at the official site.

shipping these things out to every single Wii Remote owner who asks for one, or two, or four.