I.e. the more moving parts you put in a machine, the more there is that can break. Therefore the most efficient engine is a paddle, because it only has 1 part.
Gamecube controllers are more likely to break because theres more stuff in a smaller package.
whats the nice thing about the wii controller? A. it has a wrist strap so that you won't accidently chuck it when swinging at baseball or a sword. Therefore, it makes it MUCH more difficult to toss in a rage. B. There are less MOVING parts in it. Therefore there is less to break. I predict that people will be replacing the nunchucks the most because it has a joystick. There is also the fact that people are more likely to abuse a nintendo product because they 'know' it can take it.
People can die by tripping. Same philosophy. Just because you smash a controller 100 times and nothing happens doesnt mean that another one wont break on the first go. Nintendo just happens to have an higher median on console and controller life.