Hooked Up: Wii Straps

Written by Dan Keener on 8/18/2008 for AV   Wii  

Welcome to Hooked Up, the Gaming Nexus series that puts the spotlight on products that impact the Video Game experience. This week we take a look at Atlantic, Inc’s Wii Straps, part of their Game Keeper line of gaming accessories.


What is it?
The Wii Strap from Atlantic are sold as a pair of beefy safety guards against flinging your Wii remote across the room. They are available as a two-pack in four colors, with Blue/Black and Pink/Green sharing a package. The basic design allows a connection from the strap to the Wii remote via a cord, with the strap getting hooked around the thumb and then wrapped around the hand of the player. This creates a tight, secure and comfortable fit while playing the Wii.

Product Quick Reference
Company	Atlantic, Inc.
Product	Wii Strap
Price	$12.99
Product Website	www.atlantic-inc.com

Impressions
This strap is unlike most other products on the market that intend to keep the Wii remote in your grip. While most use the traditional loop design that slips over the wrist, Atlantic designed the Wii Strap to hook through the thumb and then wrap around the wrist and palm. This is the most secure method I have seen yet for keeping the remote from needing a flight plan while gaming on the Wii.

When I put the Wii strap on, it reminded me of when I was a kid and wore a bowling glove. It felt good and kept the remote firmly in place in the palm of my hand. I purposefully let the remote fly a couple times (Shhh…don’t tell Chuck, I was borrowing his Wii) and the strap didn’t allow it to do anything more than flop around my hand. I also noticed improvement in my control of the remote and cursor onscreen.

I did experience a couple of inconveniences with the set-up and then the comfort of the straps after putting them on. While I was connecting the Wii Straps to the remote, I had to use a small flat-head screw driver to thread the connection cord through the tiny remote slot. This was due to how soft the cord material thread was. Once I figured out how to do it on the first remote, the second was a breeze. The other issue I needed to correct was some small burrs on the strap I was testing with from the vinyl edging and stitching that was digging into my hand below my thumb. A couple of snips from some scissors to smooth it out and this became a non-issue as well.

Pros	Cons
Very Secure	Stiching was Irritant
Keeps Wrist Steady	Takes Time to Connect
Strong Connection
Good Color Choices

Gaming Impact
The horror of having a Wii remote slip out of your hand and go crashing into your $3000 plasma TV is long gone with the Wii Strap. Once you wrap these babies around your hand, the Wii remote is not going anywhere except in the direction you move your wrist. These straps also appear capable of handling much more pressure than the basic cord that comes with the Wii remote. The wrap design pretty much eliminates all slack between the remote and the strap, so the opportunity for a slip out of your hand is decreased dramatically.

I also found that the tight-fitting wrap helped me keep my wrist steady and straight during several games where I was having issues keeping a bead on the cursor. Involuntary movements can throw off the remote even the slightest, so this extra assist to keeping it firmly in my hand where I wanted it was appreciated. I improved on several game scores after switching to the Wii Straps with the extra accuracy it provided.

The Skinny
After spending a few minutes getting the connection cord threaded through the small Wii remote opening, you won’t have to worry about an accidental flying projectile again. The Atlantic Wii Straps keep the Wii remote firmly in your grip all the time. There were a couple of comfort issues that I had to address with the stitching (see above in Impressions), but once that was done, the strap and Wii remote pretty much became one with my hand. The straps are an excellent accessory to purchase to not only secure your remote, but help steady your hand and wrist to improve your game.

Where to Find/Buy
The Atlantic Wii Straps can be purchased directly from the Atlantic site in either the Blue/Black version.