Nintendo Offers Free Repairs for Bricked Wiis

[Andy Chalk]

Nintendo Offers Free Repairs for Bricked Wiis

Nintendo [http://www.nintendo.com] has admitted that the 4.2 system update has damaged a "very small number" of Wii consoles and is offering free repairs to anyone affected - as long as the console isn't modded.

The 4.2 update released earlier this week was intended to put the brakes on the "homebrew" scene but it didn't take long before owners of modded and unmodded consoles alike began reporting that the update had put a serious beatdown on their systems [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/95118-Wii-4-2-Update-Reportedly-Trashing-Consoles]. Thanks to bit of faulty programming, some Wii consoles would experience an error during the update process that left them unable to boot.

A few Wii owners were initially told they would have to pay to have their units repaired but Nintendo has now admitted the problem and said that repairs will be extended to affected users at no charge. "The symptoms described usually occur when a Wii console has been modified. However, there are a very small number of people reporting problems when a system has never been modified," the company said.

"If anyone is experiencing problems with their Wii console after downloading Wii System Menu 4.2, and believe their system has not been modified, please contact our customer service centre," the statement continued. "If we find that you have a normal system and the update has caused your system to not work, we will repair it at no charge."

Of course, if you console has been modded, you're screwed. Let this be a lesson to you.

Source: Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/wii-firmware-casualties-small]


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[Quadtrix]

My system was unaffected by the update, which is fortunate.

 

[TriggerUnhappy]

It's a good thing my Wii's just been gathering dust lately, would've had to get it fixed.

 

[CrafterMan]

Yeah I was demonstrating one at work and was like I'll just do this update....

So..... The PS3 IS A GREAT OPTION TODAY!

Hahaha it was a failblog moment I tell you that, oh well, life isn't without problems

-Joe

 

[DeadAccountMoveAlong]

Honestly if my Wii was destroyed and they wouldn't fix it? I'd just chuck it. I play it for four games, and two of them are Gamecube games.

 

[LeonLethality]

meh my wii went unnaffected no problems here!

 

[Sixties Spidey]

It's called BOOTMII!! JESUS CHRIST!

It got bricked, but I had a NAND file there on my sd card and I recovered it from there. IT FIXED IT. It doesn't take a genius to figure out for Homebrew and hacking that before you update, you back up your Wii on an SD card before you update. Otherwise, FAIL.

 

[AceDiamond]

I really see no reason for Nintendo to hate this stuff so lividly.

It's not as if it's halting their sales, in fact you need to buy a new Wii if Homebrew destroys it!

Once again, it is not about Homebrew, it is about trying to curb piracy which uses the same methods that are used to get the Homebrew channel running.

 

[Vern]

Sounds like the patch was partially designed to brick modded wii's so they could curb piracy. Unintended side effect is that some non-modded wii's were affected as well. But hey, minimal repair costs and they killed the modded wii's. Win-win, aside from a PR standpoint.

 

[Pendragon9]

It makes me wonder. Is piracy that big of a threat to the gaming industry that such updates are hastily made to counteract it?

I guess so if the next Wii update (or PSN or XBL one for that matter) are made to stop pirate activities.

 

[andrat]

I bet you that bricking was intentional so that all the modded Wiis are useless, forcing them to get rid of their modded one and get a new one.

 

[elilupe]

Sounds like the patch was partially designed to brick modded wii's so they could curb piracy. Unintended side effect is that some non-modded wii's were affected as well. But hey, minimal repair costs and they killed the modded wii's. Win-win, aside from a PR standpoint.

That reminds me of DIEFOX. It is only "supposed" to target certain individuals, but was coruppted and started attacking even un-modded systems.

 

[hypothetical fact]

Now we just need Sony to offer free repairs and it's good times all round.

 

[Nova5]

Man am I glad I sold my Wii once they stopped releasing good games for it (you know, six months after launch). Bad enough I've had to put up with two bricked 360's. Couldn't stand a busted Wii to deal with ontop of it.

Amazingly, the two PS3's my girlfriend and I own haven't had a single problem yet after years of use.

 

[Brickcups]

I don't see how Nintendo could afford not to do this anyway.
How exactly does the customer serivce rep determine if you have a legit Wii or not during a call anyway? Does it go something like:

"Do you have a modified system?"

"No"

"Okay then! Just send your console in for repairs!"

Somehow I doubt that they have that many people with modded consoles calling them for repairs.

 

[MrGFunk]

Yeah I was demonstrating one at work and was like I'll just do this update....

So..... The PS3 IS A GREAT OPTION TODAY!

Hahaha it was a failblog moment I tell you that, oh well, life isn't without problems

-Joe

Ouch, I guess they didn't buy the Wii then...

 

[Graustein]

I don't see how Nintendo could afford not to do this anyway.
How exactly does the customer serivce rep determine if you have a legit Wii or not during a call anyway? Does it go something like:

"Do you have a modified system?"

"No"

"Okay then! Just send your console in for repairs!"

Somehow I doubt that they have that many people with modded consoles calling them for repairs.

They don't need to determine it during the call, they can easily tell once they receive it for repairs. If it's been modded, they can send it back or refuse to repair it or whatever they do. The only way the owner would be able to hide the mods would most likely (I'm not a modder, but I don't see how it could be done otherwise) involve booting it up anyway - which is what this bug is preventing the Wiis from doing. If they're able to remove the mods, they wouldn't need to send it in in the first place.

 

[GamingAwesome1]

I still don't wanna risk it, mind you it's not like I play on the thing but unless I get the update I get no access to the Wii Shop which in turn means I have wait to get Contra Rebirth.

The one good thing WiiWare has had and this update has screwed me outta getting it for now.....

 

[aaron552]

minimal repair costs and they killed the modded wii's.

Except that there's already a workaraound for modded Wiis and the repair involves replacing the Wii's motherboard. Not really win-win, as I see it.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Brilliant, except the homebrew users will already have a crack or a work round by now, having figured out beforehand that any official update should be viewed with suspicion.

I don't understand why Nintendo tries so fervently to stop modders, their constant OMG PIRACY reaction isn't getting them anything but pyrhic victories and bad pr. Surely by now they've figured out that anything they do will be effective for less than 24hours.

It always strikes me as madness that companies keep damaging their proper customers in an effort to harm the ones stealing from them... it's just weird.