If your Wiimote isn't working, maybe it just needs a good dose of discipline

by Candace Savino { Dec 30th 2007 at 3:30PM }

Having problems with your Wiimote? Have you already tried new batteries, re-syncing, and resetting? GeekDad recently had an issue with the family's new Wii, and got on the phone with Nintendo's helpful customer support. He told the woman on the line that his Wiimote was being non-cooperative, and recounts his conversation with her as follows:

Friendly Nintendo Help Desk Lady: "Okay - I want you to take the remote, button side down and smack it into the palm of your hand two or three times."
Russ: "You've got to be kidding"
Friendly Nintendo Help Desk Lady: "No sir, do it hard enough that I can hear it across the phone line but not hard enough to damage the remote"
Russ: "You're sure?"
Friendly Nintendo Help Desk Lady: "Yes, sir."

Sure enough, a good old slap on the behind got the Wiimote working again. We bet that giving the Wiimote a time out and making it think about what it's done would not have been nearly as effective.

[Via Kotaku]

Tags: customer-service, customer-support, wiimote

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Keith @ Dec 30th 2007 3:40PM

Maybe that's why the Wii has been such a success, Sony smacked Nintendo around a couple times in the last two gens and Nintendo finally got their act back together.

Jhongerkong @ Dec 30th 2007 3:50PM

shouldnt the title be "a good dose OF disipline"?

Croove55 @ Dec 30th 2007 4:16PM

This is my fallback solution to all electronic problems. Computer moniters, most of all. Sometimes you just gotta give'em five across the screen, and ask'em where your money's at.

DeadPlasmaCell @ Dec 30th 2007 4:41PM

Amen.. The "Technical Tap" has worked wonders for many o' gadgets and devices in my day... And it works wonders on my wife.

/I'll show myself out

Don @ Dec 30th 2007 4:38PM

Early on, my nunchuk stopped sensing motion, I didn't know what to do until I read on forums about giving it a hard slap against something.

It worked!

ssuk @ Dec 30th 2007 4:54PM

So if this logic is anything to go by Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles will be a great benefit to your controller, you're either using your hand to smack the remote for the quick reload... Well, I wont call it a trick... Or you're throwing the remote at the floor in pure frustration.

troy @ Dec 30th 2007 6:28PM

What planet have you been playing RE:UC on, the planet of 'Help I Can't Do Anything?' Me and my gf beat the game and we never even played RE before. She hardly ever plays anything. Reloading is not hard to do, you just give a firm shake to the remote.

Gabriel Marcastlebach @ Dec 30th 2007 5:11PM

Yeah, this happened to my Wiimote. My bro and I were playing bowling and his Wiimote stopped sensing motion. I read on forums and I spanked that cracka. It now works wonderfully.

Michael Kwan dot Com @ Dec 30th 2007 5:19PM

The alternative would be to remove the cartridge and blow on the connectors...oh wait, that was the NES.

spookyspy09 @ Dec 30th 2007 5:32PM

ouch! picture a wii-mote breaking tears :'-[

Evangelist Pinto @ Dec 30th 2007 7:41PM

It would have to cry from the a button. It looks like an eye already so having tears would just make it freaky. X(

Anon @ Dec 30th 2007 8:53PM

Ah, percussive maintenance! What would we do without you?

Jezreel @ Dec 30th 2007 7:48PM

It's so stupidly simplistic that it sounds like a mean-spirited joke designed to encourage people to break their remotes. But when my Wii remote's accelerometer kept veering me right in Excite Truck, I slammed the remote as hard as I possibly could against my mattress. Everything was perfect again.

It sure is funny to hear Nintendo use it as a valid troubleshooting solution!

Adv2k1 @ Dec 30th 2007 8:52PM

i would of liked to know this when I couldn't for the life of me get out of a virtual console game.

I was playing Super Star Solider and friends came by and they wanted to play something else. Well since it doesn't have save, I just exit home and it pauses the game for later.

Well I was on the LAST FUCKEN LEVEL, and after I got into the game the wiimote died and I couldn't home and out. I tried to beat the game but couldn't.

I had to turn off the system and when I came back in all my data was gone, almost a good 3 weeks of trial and error shootingup gameplay gone. I tried a code to get back to where I was but nothing. I deleted that game after that because it only brought me tears.

just hitting the controller would of fixed all this. FACE_PLAIN

Christmas NiGHTS @ Dec 30th 2007 9:14PM

My cure-all solution is power cycle

pop the batteries out, pull the plug, whatever, fixes it like magic usually

Nik @ Dec 30th 2007 10:04PM

Hahahaha I remember the first time I had to do this. I called up Nintendo tech support and when they told me I had to smack the thing against my hand I thought he had resorted to tormenting callers to stave off the inevitable insanity that comes from working customer service. Well I tried it and the thing has worked perfectly ever since. Turns out the pins in the accelerometer get misaligned and just need to be jarred back in place. Who knew?

Maddles @ Dec 30th 2007 10:10PM

Heh, so this actually works does it? I was told the same thing by the braindead tech support person when my Wiimote stopped working. It really does sound like a joke except she told me to do a very light tap.

All I could think about is how stupid it was, considering people have thrown ttheir Wiimotes at walls with no damage to the controller at all.

You read some more if you want
http://neonblue2.blogspot.com/2007/07/lets-just-clarify-few-things-nintendo.html

ScoTT @ Dec 31st 2007 12:18AM

LOL We all knew hitting electronics made them work and now it's finally a recognized method by technical support people. I used to think a little wiimote would break but next time I'm going to spank that sucka!

Haohmaru @ Dec 31st 2007 12:50AM

Heh. He spanked his wee. LAWL.

>.>

fidodo @ Dec 31st 2007 1:12AM

This happened to me too once. I eventually hit it for some reason and it worked again. I figured that the accelerometer got stuck and a good smack jiggled it out.

Szu @ Dec 31st 2007 9:51AM

I've got the Arnie quote from Kindergarden Cop stuck in my head now.

"You lack discipline."

Hirsbrunner @ Dec 31st 2007 10:47AM

I had the exact same conversation w/my pharmacist when my Viagra wasn't working.

wadatah @ Dec 31st 2007 2:15PM

same thing happened to me!

it was shortly after I got my Wii, many many months ago...I had my cell phone in my pocket and I was playing bowling or Wario Ware or something, and smacked the remote into my cell phone laden pocket. The remote was still responsive afterwards, but if I remember right it wasn't working on one axis or something (eg I could move it up and down and not side to side)

Long story truncated, I smacked dat and it's been a-OK everyday since.