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So i bricked my WiiU - Discussion

  • 03-12-2012 12:13am
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 108
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    Hey guys,

    So i downloaded the firmware update with extra care due to the fact i heard WiiU's were getting bricked from it being turned off through it.

    No problems, until today when downloading trine 2 (which was taking about an hour), i left the console alone and my dad decided to turn the power off on everything. Turn it back on and i keep getting this lovely red light. It's ****ed.

    Anyone else in the same situation? This is an absolute joke by the way. Nintendo are going to be flooded with complaints if this happens everytime someone turns off their WiiU when something is downloading in the background.

    Anyway, hoping i can get some advice from you guys. I plan on ringing nintendo tomorrow and hope i'll have the console back in 2 weeks. Was really starting to enjoy it. :(


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,749 wes
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    Wow that is a pretty major fault right there. So basically the console can be bricked if its turned off during a background download of a game. I have seen a few people online run into the same problem on other forums as well. Seriously, I would go back to the store and ask for a refund, as turning it off during a download shouldn't brick it.

    I can understand it happening during a system update, but during a game download, that is just ridiculous. Major screw up by Nintendo, and I can see a lot of kids bricking there consoles. I have a young cousin, who will be getting one, and I will have a hard time explaining to her how to avoid this stuff. Really disappointed in Nintendo.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 Myrddin
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    wes wrote: »
    Seriously, I would go back to the store and ask for a refund, as turning it off during a download shouldn't brick it

    A game update no, but a system update, sorry but thats nothing unusual.. Go & turn off your 360 or PS3 half way through a firmware installation/update if you don't believe me :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,911 aN.Droid
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    New hardware should have secondary flash chips that can be switched to for this exact reason (if not tertiary)

    No excuse in this day and age when a Chinese knock off phone or tablet has this feature and a "top quality" build system does not.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,719 ARGINITE
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    Limericks wrote: »
    New hardware should have secondary flash chips that can be switched to for this exact reason (if not tertiary)

    No excuse in this day and age when a Chinese knock off phone or tablet has this feature and a "top quality" build system does not.

    I must agree with Limericks, backing up the current firmware and bootloader to secondary flash is the norm on all products that we design at the company I work for, it comes as standard on lots of PC motherboards, why consoles don't implement the same feature is beyond me. The cost of implementation couldn't be anymore than a dollar or two per unit at the most!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 Myrddin
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    Limericks wrote: »
    New hardware should have secondary flash chips that can be switched to for this exact reason (if not tertiary)

    No excuse in this day and age when a Chinese knock off phone or tablet has this feature and a "top quality" build system does not.

    Well the excuse would be cost. Having a backup flash chip, incorporating & designing the boot chain & security around it etc all add to the cost. I suspect the security chain of a cheap Chinese knock off phone isn't too important


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,182 alexlyons
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    tbh this update is a game changer for me...

    /gets coat


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,911 aN.Droid
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    EnterNow wrote: »
    Well the excuse would be cost. Having a backup flash chip, incorporating & designing the boot chain & security around it etc all add to the cost. I suspect the security chain of a cheap Chinese knock off phone isn't too important

    But the cost of them having to RMA a good portion of their launch stock will cost them a good chunk also and alienate allot of gamers. I would expect a good portion of those affected won't bother getting a second Wii U if they are offered a refund rather than a replacement.


    Those same people will also tell all their friends of this and it will make them think twice.

    More R&D and less feck ups please.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 Myrddin
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    Limericks wrote: »
    But the cost of them having to RMA a good portion of their launch stock will cost them a good chunk also and alienate allot of gamers.

    Are there any figures to support they had to RMA a good portion of the launch stock? Personally, I think this got blown way outta proportion as things tend to do these days. A few people switched, or had their console switched off during a firmware installation....something which isn't advised on any device....and now all of a sudden a good portion of the launch consoles have to be RMA'd?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,911 aN.Droid
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    EnterNow wrote: »
    Are there any figures to support they had to RMA a good portion of the launch stock? Personally, I think this got blown way outta proportion as things tend to do these days. A few people switched, or had their console switched off during a firmware installation....something which isn't advised on any device....and now all of a sudden a good portion of the launch consoles have to be RMA'd?

    No I have no figures but you are kinda proving my point in a round about way.

    The hyperbole of this is causing people to think this is a way bigger problem then it is, thus causing them to rethink a purchase. Something that could of been fixed with more R&D.

    Security is all well and good and having extra flash would require more security but really, it is only a matter of time before the console is ripped open anyway.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,447 richymcdermott
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    Limericks wrote: »
    But the cost of them having to RMA a good portion of their launch stock will cost them a good chunk also and alienate allot of gamers. I would expect a good portion of those affected won't bother getting a second Wii U if they are offered a refund rather than a replacement.


    Those same people will also tell all their friends of this and it will make them think twice.

    More R&D and less feck ups please.

    didnt stop all those people for years with RROD xbox 360s

    ive seen people replace their consoles 8 times


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,911 aN.Droid
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    didnt stop all those people for years with RROD xbox 360s

    ive seen people replace their consoles 8 times

    Difference is that the xbox360 is 7 year old hardware. I would expect more from 2012 major release hardware. But that's just me.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,749 wes
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    EnterNow wrote: »
    A game update no, but a system update, sorry but thats nothing unusual.. Go & turn off your 360 or PS3 half way through a firmware installation/update if you don't believe me :)

    I was talking about a game background download, which is apparently a common enough issue. The OP btw was talking about his console being bricked after being turned off during a background download, so I have no idea where you getting the game update thing from. The issue is imho pretty bad, and I do expect better from Nintendo.

    If you btw read the 2nd paragraph of what I wrote I do address system updates:
    wes wrote: »
    I can understand it happening during a system update, but during a game download, that is just ridiculous.

    So I am well aware of what can happen during a system update, and am always careful about them, but for the console to be bricked during a background download of a game, is a major fault and as I said before, it seems to be fairly common enough issue.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 Myrddin
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    wes wrote: »
    so I have no idea where you getting the game update thing from.

    Because it was a game download in the OP? I said update, meant download...no need to be pedantic.
    but for the console to be bricked during a background download of a game, is a major fault and as I said before, it seems to be fairly common enough issue.

    Well if game downloads/updates etc are causing a brick if powered off during them, then yes, that is an issue. As you mentioned system updates I'd expect would be critical in terms of bricks, but games....definitely not. You mention this is a common issue, are you referring to the game download causing bricks, or the interrupted firmware update causing them?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,749 wes
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    EnterNow wrote: »
    You mention this is a common issue, are you referring to the game download causing bricks, or the interrupted firmware update causing them?

    The game downloads one. Do a google for it, and you will see that it isn't just this forum that people are seeing this issue.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 108 Aidonin
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    I was talking to Harvey Norman and they told me to bring the console in tomorrow, so hopefully it'll be a straight swap and i can get on to nintendo about getting my trine 2 download back. I paid for it, so if they tell me "sorry the game was paired with the other system" i'm actually gonna cause hell on them. This seems to be a major issue and they should be prepared to pay their customers back for it.

    Just to clarify the game was downloading in the background. My xbox 360 has been turned off a few times with downloads in the background and it never bricked. Say what you will about 'common sense', i was actually one of the more cautious gamers about this issue, and it still happened to me. Come Christmas morning this issue will be widespread, i guarantee it.

    Hopefully the firmware can be updated and it will be resolved, because at the moment it's just not good enough.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 33,733 Myrddin
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    Aidonin wrote: »
    I was talking to Harvey Norman and they told me to bring the console in tomorrow, so hopefully it'll be a straight swap and i can get on to nintendo about getting my trine 2 download back. I paid for it, so if they tell me "sorry the game was paired with the other system" i'm actually gonna cause hell on them. This seems to be a major issue and they should be prepared to pay their customers back for it.

    Make sure & take notes of the console serial numbers etc, it should help you when talking to Nintendo & they should be able to id the console that way & hopefully refund/credit you.
    Just to clarify the game was downloading in the background. My xbox 360 has been turned off a few times with downloads in the background and it never bricked. Say what you will about 'common sense', i was actually one of the more cautious gamers about this issue, and it still happened to me. Come Christmas morning this issue will be widespread, i guarantee it.

    Well the common sense point was made in relation to firmware updates etc, as pointed out, game downloads etc should be no cause for concern & the fact a simple download can brick a console is definitely not your fault, & quite a cause for concern


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Computer Games Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 34,679 CiDeRmAn
    CMod ✭✭✭✭


    Regarding the issue of reliability...
    There seems to be a belief out there that folks who own videogame consoles should accept the "inevitable" death and need to replace of the modern gaming device.
    The 360, PS3 and even the Wii all have this requirement, as their own internal working attempt to cook themselves into oblivion due, in the main, to poor architecture/design of those said internals.
    Now, we say, a modern device like the WiiU should be immune to such nonsense.
    Death by firmware update?
    Overheating GPU?
    Not now!
    Not in these days!

    And yet, here we go again, devices bricked by sh1te installs, interrupted by accident or by moron, doesn't matter.

    Why, I wonder, don't they download the file, open it in some secondary memory before installing it? Or is it this last step, when some dumb muppet trips the house by using an old iron, that is the cause of such hardship?

    Hmm, it does say, time and again, DO NOT TURN THE POWER OFF DURING INSTALL, or words to that effect.
    Forget the Rules of Robotics, as envisaged by Asimov, I reckon the advanced tech of the future will have, front and centre, "Do Not Interrupt Power Supply During Firmware Update!".


    Me, I think I'll stay playing my PS2, Saturn, Famicom and Nomad a while longer, and maybe even a bit of PS3 and 360 if I get really bored...
    My retro consoles never threatened to suicide at any point, nor have they needed replacement, in fact they date from their original periods of manufacture so the Famicom is nearly 30 years old, the Snes is 22 years old and so on, nothing has bricked as yet.....

    I'll catch up with the WiiU next year, when the revision is out.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 350 wtlltw
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    CiDeRmAn wrote: »
    Me, I think I'll stay playing my PS2, Saturn, Famicom and Nomad a while longer, and maybe even a bit of PS3 and 360 if I get really bored...
    My retro consoles never threatened to suicide at any point, nor have they needed replacement, in fact they date from their original periods of manufacture so the Famicom is nearly 30 years old, the Snes is 22 years old and so on, nothing has bricked as yet.....

    Never change the PC Engine control pad when the machine is on, that is an instant brick ;):(


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 108 Aidonin
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    Update: Harvey Norman are replacing the console for me no problem.

    Only thing is they won't have more in till friday so i have to wait till then. Another point i didn't mention was that mario bros.u was in the console at the time and is refusing to eject out of the bloody thing. I was hoping they could replace it for me in the shop, but they insisted nintendo would have to check it first and then they would give me a new one. This is going to take about 2 weeks apparently... Very annoying, but i suppose they have to check to see if the game is in there or not. Next thing i plan on doing is getting on to nintendo about the game download next. Wish me luck!


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