WiiConnect24 Update Causing Issues For Wii Owners

An anonymous reader writes to mention coverage on IGN of an ongoing issue with a WiiConnect update. A faulty update may be causing some Wii consoles to become inoperative. Nintendo is replacing affected consoles, free of charge. From the article: "Several error codes have been reported so far, but the most prevalent of them are 110213 and 32002. We contacted Nintendo about this issue, and they filled us in on what you should do if you find yourself in this predicament. Currently, Nintendo has two options in place to resolve the problem. If you do not have any data saved to your system that is important to keep, then you can contact Nintendo customer service and they will ship a new console to you in 3-4 business days. However, if you do have important data saved to your system, then things get a little trickier"

Comments

Similar, less severe problem

[UbuntuDupe]

I didn't have that issue (luckily) but I did have similar problems. For one, as most Wii users have noted, starting from Sunday (11/19) the updating process takes a LONG time. What's more, when I got tired of waitng and turned off the power and back on again, it brought me right back to the same screen. The only way I could get back to gaming was to disconnect the wireless router's power so there was no internet access, forcing it to abort back to the Wii menu. Luckily, updates finished last night when I tried and didn't take forever then.

People say the delay was from the huge number of Wiiners coming online and downloading, but, uh ... isn't the same thing going to have to happen in the future, and with more people, since they have to do more similarly-sized updates then?

Don't misunderstand me -- I *love* the Wii, and I've had a lot of fun with it since Sunday. It's worth its purchase price several times over. I'm not trying to stir up anti-Wii fud.

Re:Similar, less severe problem

[Broken scope]

I fully expect N to stagger the updates based on Serial number or some other thing, that or they increase bandwidth, alot.

Re:Similar, less severe problem

[Fozzyuw]

I've not had any problems with this WiiConnect24 bug. I'm not sure if I've updated this content yet.

However, the update on the night I used the Wii store was slow, but not that much. It took maybe 5mins to download the update. Perhaps that was before most people where doing their updates, but I didn't find it too bad. I can imagine it's just Nintendo's servers getting hammered all at once.

I do find that it does take a long time to just log-into the Wii store. About 30 seconds to just load the store, which seems really slow for some reason. Is there some sort of handshake protocol they're doing to increase the login time?

Cheers,
Fozzy

Re:Similar, less severe problem

[webrunner]

if you are connecting to any internet features at all you have the latest update and you do not have the issue.

Re:Similar, less severe problem

[UbuntuDupe]

However, the update on the night I used the Wii store was slow, but not that much. It took maybe 5mins to download the update. Perhaps that was before most people where doing their updates, but I didn't find it too bad.

Okay, give me a teensy weensy bit of credit here. I didn't give up after five minutes. I supsect most people didn't either, as the progress bar would be filling up rapidly. When I say slow, I mean: "Leave, come back 30 minutes later, it's 10% complete. Come back 30 minutes later, it's ... still 10% complete. 30 minutes later ... yay, it's advanced a few pixels! Wait ... *gets out ruler* ... Damn!"

Re:Similar, less severe problem

[Anonymous Coward]

They're using the carrier pidgeon protocol so you have to wait for the ACK/COO to complete.

Re:Similar, less severe problem

[Fozzyuw]

Okay, give me a teensy weensy bit of credit here...Wait ... *gets out ruler* ... Damn!"

lol, I'm not saying I don't believe you. I know how networks work well enough (web dev. here) and this isn't the first time I heard people having slow downloads. It felt really slow for me as well, and I'm still surprised how slow it does connect. I just was recounting that on the time I updated it worked fine (if waiting 5-10mins for the patch is fine), to help troubleshoot the fact this might be a 'WoW Tuesday' sort of thing (everyones updating their patch at the same time). I just feel bad for those who are having worse issues.

Cheers,
Fozzy

Re:Similar, less severe problem

[Bob of Dole]

I had the same problem, and it got stuck that way for 5 hours. Try to update,fail,reboot,update,fail,etc.
My brother found a mention on the Nintendo.com site that their wireless implementation hates channel 4, and works best on 1 and 11 (?).
After switching the AP over to 1, it updates in less than 30 seconds.
So try doing that, even if you're not doing updates. It seems the connection is just horribly slow when on channel 4 (which was the default for my WRT54G router).

Re:Similar, less severe problem

[UbuntuDupe]

Okay, but on my wireless router monitor on my computer, I don't know how to change anything. It doesn't mention how to do any of that, even in help files. I don't know how to add/remove/change encryption, or see who else is on, or what. There's no option to look at any of that, even after putting in the CD's that come with it. I use a linksys b/g or whatever. Or do you switch channels on the router itself? Help!

Re:Similar, less severe problem

[Ginger Unicorn]

what IP address does your router have? it you type that ip address into your web browser, it should bring up a HTML based configuration utility for your router. The IP address might be written on the case of the router or in the instruction book, if you cant find it there, it is your gateway IP address on your PC (google how to find that out). You will need to put in a username and password, but these are usually "admin" / "admin". they should be written on the case of the router somewhere, or in the instruction book. i always change the default password, as anyone can guess it and hack your router.

Re:Similar, less severe problem

[flerchin]

Yeesh! For most routers, you administer them by pointing your browser to the router's IP address. Get your computer's IP address, default on a linksys would be something like 192.168.0.xxx so try pointing your browser at 192.168.0.1. Sounds like you've never done this before, so the password has probably never been set. Default on linksys should be l:admin and leave the password field blank. That should get you into your router's setup system. From there it's all pretty point and click GUI goodness. On my older linksys if you click on the "Wireless" tab, it defaults to the "basic settings" submenu. You can change the wireless channel here. You will have to decide upon your own security settings, but I recommend at the least changing the password for your router setup so that someone else can't easily lock you out of your own router. On my linksys it's on the "Administration" tab, and the "Management" submenu. Put something, anything, in the router password field.

Good luck. email me at flerchin (a) gmail.com if you have more questions, or just post questions here cuz I'm sure the community knows that answer.

Re:Similar, less severe problem

[nycjay]

not in front of my router now, but if i remember, on my linksys router (wrt54gs) the IP is 192.168.1.1
and for defaults, the id is blank and the password was admin.. could be wrong though, too lazy to check on the linksys site

Re:Similar, less severe problem

[miyako]

Try changing the channel on your wireless router to either 1 or 11. Took hours for me to get the first update, and numerous failures. Second update took less than 5 minutes.

Re:Similar, less severe problem

[byolinux]

Am I missing something? Either you all have Flash, or http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/assets/language_s elect.jsp is not the page I want for customer service.

That's too bad

[MozillaMike]

The wii isn't infallible after all, hopefully the PS3 fans don't take it to their heads and start shooting at each other again.

Re:That's too bad

[n0dna]

Why would you hope that?

Uhm..

[crossmr]

3-4 days to ship an entire Wii, yet 4-10 to ship a label?? They should be sending these things express and overnight/1-2 day them.
Luckily my Wii updated without issue, but I'd be raising holy hell if I'd camped out, laid down the money, then had to spend 20+ days without it because they want to save a few bucks on shipping.

Re:Uhm..

[abaddononion]

Not to come to Nintendo's aide too steadfastly (not a fanboy, only barely even a fan these days), but the Wii *did* just launch, so it seems fairly like to me that the 4-10 day shipping is more likely a result of them being overwhelmed by current activity than sheer cheapness. My guess is that it's probably easier for them to just mail out a new system and say "be happy!" than it is to try to coordinate for bringing in everyone's Wii and repairing it. I don't disagree with your point of being angry if it had happened to me, I'm also of a violent temper, but I think it's probably safe to say in this case, it seems like Nintendo is doing the best they can to play the good guy. Which is more than we can say for certain other comapanies in the industry at the moment...

Re:Uhm..

[desenz]

I think this is just the state of things in the industry right now. A friend of mine just had his 360 bite the dust, and he's been waiting a week (hopefully it arrives today) for the packing label to ship it back to Microsoft. That might be unusual, I'm not really sure. But 3-4 days from nintendo doesn't seem too bad in that case :P

Re:Uhm..

[Black Pete]

Except that it will still work in "offline" mode. You can play any games you want; you just can't go online.

If you called Nintendo customer service, they essentially give you one of two choices:

1) Give them your credit card number over the phone. They send a replacement Wii along with a postage-paid box to you, you put your old Wii in the box and ship it back. You won't have to spend a day without the Wii.

2) If you want to keep your original Wii, you can ship it back, they fix it, and overnight it back to you. In this case you WOULD be without your Wii for a few days.

My bet is most would go for Option 1. Option 2 is for if you have a lot of stuff on internal storage they can't live without (which is fairly unlikely this soon after launch).

Re:Uhm..

[Telvin_3d]

I ahve to give Nintendo credit for how they are handling this. Anyone remember how long it took microsoft to even admit the possability of defective 360s? For Nintendo to stand up and say that a few people have had issues and then to cover instant replacement and shipping for free is a really respectable move. These days many people don't distinguish vbetween brand loyalty and 'fanboyism', but there are real reasons to respect one company over another.

Re:Uhm..

[DDLKermit007]

You have to remember that Nintendo has had allot of practice in this. The only reason the Nintendo suceeded really was because Nintendo came right out about problems with the NES intially. For those who don't know: The original NES in Japan had faulty soundchips. What did Nintendo do? Replaced every console without question and took a huge financial hit of course. If not for that the console would have been a non-starter for the dead console industry videogames would probably be PC & Arcade centric still. I could go for better Arcades in the US however >_

I had this same problem

[TeleKawaru]

But I don't understand what the whole thing is with Option #2. I just backed up my save games to an SD card and I plan on copying them to the new system once I get it in the mail...

Re:I had this same problem

[crossmr]

You can't back up any virtual console games you've purchased and they are tied to the console itself. So any points you'd bought and any games would be lost. Nintendo is requiring you send in the unit, and they'll work some magic to ensure you don't lose that.

Re:I had this same problem

[wooden pickle]

The licenses, so to speak, for the games stay on the console though. No idea how it's implemented, but you won't be able to play those games you bought on the new console without buying them again. Which is ridiculous, if you ask me. Nintendo should be able to push something down to the new console that gives it the licenses from the old one.

Re:I had this same problem

[TeleKawaru]

Well, with the 110213 problem, the virtual console and the online store won't work. So you couldn't have purchased any games....

Re:I had this same problem

[mabba18]

You cannot access the VC unless you complete the update.

Re:I had this same problem

[chrismcdirty]

I'm not exactly sure about it, since I was playing on my brother's and I didn't dig too deep. But I thought that the VC games were tied to the console only if you didn't tie your console to your Nintendo.com account. I thought I had read something saying that certain downloaded items would move to a new console if you attached the account to it.

Re:I had this same problem

[hurfy]

So once these are out of warrantee and they break , then what?

Tough shit? Buy the games again after you buy a new console?

Hmm, that would kill most of my online purchasing.

Re:I had this same problem

[Talinth]

If you had a game you had purchased and the disc broke, you would be out a game that way too. I highly doubt that'll stop you from purchasing games.

Re:I had this same problem

[McP]

I'm having the 110213 problem and just got off of the phone with Nintendo.

Before giving me the two options, the rep asked me if there was any data that I want to keep. I indicated that I wanted to keep the saved games, if possible. He then asked whether I have any VC games, which prompted me to ask how that would be possible if I can't connect. He explained that some people with this same problem actually were able to download VC games before getting the error.

Regarding the saved games, I asked if I can just save the files off to the SD card. He said that this functionality doesn't work unless I've successfully updated the system. The author of this thread says that he/she saved the data off successfully, so I'm going to try that, despite what the rep said. In the end, if I lose the saved games, it isn't that big of a deal to me.

They will overnight the new unit via UPS.

I hope this is useful information for you all.

Re:I had this same problem

[MrPerfekt]

The joke is on you. You can't copy games from the SD card to another console. You can't copy them back if you format your Wii either.

Great feature, eh?

Re:I had this same problem

[SScorpio]

The way I understand the game save issue is that if you were able to get Update 1 you can successfully write save games to SD; however, you will not be able to write from SD back to system memory unless you received update 2. I saw this in my troubleshooting when I performed a system format and couldn't recover my saves so I lost 1.5 hours in Zelda which took me 36 minutes to get back. The rep assured me that I would be able to successfully move the saves to the new system.

As for overnighting I also took that option, except the order is showing up as back ordered. Oh well.

Re:I had this same problem

[McP]

I'm about 16 hours into Zelda. I'd rather not start over.

The rep I talked to said my system would go out today or tomorrow. My order shows up as being backordered as well.

Re:I had this same problem

[byolinux]

Actually, it's a reason why I stuck with cartridges.

Go Neo Geo! Go Neo Geo!

Re:I had this same problem

[mrchaotica]

Buy the games again after you buy a new console?

Isn't that what you're already doing? Those were originally NES/SNES/N64/whatever games, you know!

Me, I'll just stick to an emulator and get a Wii when I want to play some new games (e.g. SSB Brawl).

Re:I had this same problem

[TeleKawaru]

I spoke to Nintendo about this problem, they said it was corrected if I could do the patch. If you are getting the 110213 error, you cannot copy data from your SD card to your console, but she said once I got my new unit I would be able to copy my save games from my SD card to the new one.

Re:I had this same problem

[Stolovaya]

You can copy save files, though, IF you have the update.

Re:I had this same problem

[McP]

UPDATE: Mine just shipped. That's within 2 days of my phone call to Nintendo.

Re:I had this same problem

[McP]

UPDATE #2: I wasn't able to transfer the saved games. Be warned!

Quick

[zomgitsnev]

At least they are quick at trying to solve the problem and helping people affected by it. I just hope it won't still be a problem in 17 days when it finally comes out in the UK. I can imagine a lot of companies glossing over it, being troublesome with replacements etc.

Re:Quick

[justchris]

Well, unfortunately, they probably will still have that problem. Since the update is only adversely affecting a percentage of consoles (no idea how many yet), it is likely an issue with that specific hardware. Since they will probably still be shipping systems that were manufactured before launch. But that's the risk you take being an early adopter.

For the record, I have my Wii and it's is entirely filled with Awesome. No error messages so far.

So what?

[Soiden]

Nintendo is fixing the problem for free to all people with the problem [And I think they are just a little]. Please, there are 100 good news for Nintendo for every 1 bad news, but you publish the bad one? [Yes, I'm a f*cking fanboy who's anger xD]

Re:So what?

[Broken scope]

This is good press for N. They are replacing consoles pretty much no questions asked.

Re:So what?

[KDR_11k]

Please, there are 100 good news for Nintendo for every 1 bad news, but you publish the bad one?

It's news, why not publish it?

Re:So what?

[Bacon Bits]

Exactly. Look how well Nintendo is handling this problem. No real questions, just cross ship a replacement. Failure rates at launch are common (or are reported more because so many go out at once and media attention is high) and Nintendo is dealing with it very well.

Compare this to the overheating issues the XBox 360 had, or the disc scrapping on the PS2.

Kudos Nintendo.

Re:So what?

[Anonymous Coward]

If there's one bad fact and 100 good facts about Nintendo, that would imply the one bad fact is unusual and interesting and, therefore, news.

What is wrong with this picture?

[voice_of_all_reason]

This is how computers modify data:

1) Copy current data to a backup file
2) Overwrite current data
3) Test new data
4) If okay, delete backup

Did IQs just drop sharply for this generation of consoles? If mandatory updates are bricking systems, the programmers have failed the basic aspects of design. Even the patchwork scraps which hold windows together will pop up a message saying "hay, something's fucked now." via safe mode if you screw up and give you a chance to revert it.

Re:What is wrong with this picture?

[AKAImBatman]

Computers do NOT do that for firmware except for a few high-end motherboards. In this situation, firmware is exactly what's being updated.

However, there is a catch to this particular story. According to the reports, Nintendo is telling Wii owners that it's not the firmware update itself or anything the owner did. Some of the units apparently have defects. When the firmware update is applied, it's exasperating the defect, causing strange behavior. The reports of the problem seem to confirm this, as the system doesn't completely brick. (i.e. it still boots into the menus) But since it is unable to play games, it might as well be bricked.

Re:What is wrong with this picture?

[webrunner]

Actually most reports CAN play games. Most of the time, the only thing that breaks is the online functionality.

Re:What is wrong with this picture?

[voice_of_all_reason]

Article is unfortunately blocked from work, so I had to interpret "Wii consoles to become inoperative" as "bricked." Thank you for correcting me.

Re:What is wrong with this picture?

[TeleKawaru]

The only thing you can't do if you run into this problem is the online functionality. Everything else works just fine EXCEPT copying save data from the SD card TO the console. When I first had this happen to me, I checked online and a lot of people said doing the full wipe on the system fixed it, so I copied off my save games and tried it. Well, that didn't fix the problem and it wouldn't let me copy my save games back on the system. When I called nintendo after reading that the 110213 problem required my system to be exchanged, I also asked them about this problem. They said that basically it's another facet of the 110213 problem. They stated that when I got my new system that I would be able to copy my save games from my SD card to the console. I also copied my Miis to my controllers to back them up.

Re:What is wrong with this picture?

[ivan256]

Most embedded systems with updateable firmware have two copies of firmware around at any given time, or a socketed memory chip.

Regardless, if there's a manufacturing defect with with the memory hardware for the firmware, no update architecture is going to save you from failure.

Re:What is wrong with this picture?

[ivan256]

"bricked."

The call just came in from marketing. Apparently they would prefer you to refer to it as 'Boat Anchor Mode'. Apparently that evokes a higher valued mental image.

Re:What is wrong with this picture?

[erikdotla]

1) Copy current data to a backup file
2) Overwrite current data
3) Test new data
4) If okay, delete backup

Now why the hell would you do that when you could just 1) Write new data, 2.) Test new data, 3.) Delete old, 4.) Rename new? You save a write.

just part of the equation

[the dark hero]

It's unavoidable for a new console launch to have a few bugs. Looking back at nintendo's super high quality products in the past i was really hoping to see few problems, but i guess they're just as vulnerable considering their recent entry into online gaming.

Re:Wow Zonk

[Turn-X Alphonse]

Nintendo arn't perfect, no one would claim so.

The difference is the rate of failure with Nintendo is usually much lower and they have an excellent returns policy. I'll give you an example.

About 10 years ago my SNES broke a week before Christian. We contacted nintendo and they sent us a new one no questions asked and you know what really sold me? They gave me a couple of t-shirts, a huge bag of badges and stickers. All because it died just before Christmas.

When Sony give a fuck about their customers like I saw Nintendo did then we'll talk about the bad press. Untill then I'll judge Sony on their actions.

The real problem here

[earnest murderer]

is that your purchases are tied to your console and not your account. Fine for nintendo, but what happens if your console is out of warranty. A much more reasonable solution would have been to associate your content with your account rather than the console. Similar to what apple does with it's iTunes store.

Re:The real problem here

[Red15]

Or like Valve / Steam does.

Re:The real problem here

[dstyle5]

I don't believe what you saying about Tunes it 100% correct/clear. Yes it does associate your purchased content to your account, but it also associates it to the computer you've downloaded the music onto. I initally tried iTunes at work and dl'd a few songs, but found out later I cannot download those song on my home PC as well. I believe you can only download the songs again on the computer they were originally downloaded on.

Re:The real problem here

[IDontAgreeWithYou]

But you can save them to a CD or email them to yourself and activate them on your home PC.

Re:The real problem here

[KDR_11k]

Fine for nintendo, but what happens if your console is out of warranty.

Then the copy and replace procedure costs money. Probably not more than you're paying for a new Wii anyway.

Re:The real problem here

[Fred Or Alive]

With iTunes you can authorise up to 5 computers at a time to play song files downloaded with an account. However, you can only download a song file once, if the file is lost you're screwed and have to buy it again (even though iTunes knows you've bought it), so making a backup is a very good idea. (I think this may be another great music industry idea, but I'm not certain). To play tunes on multiple computers you either have to manually copy the song files across, or use the library sharing.

The Steam (and Xbox 360 Live?) approach where what you've bought is yours to download as many times as you want is much better really, this is one of the things that puts me off buying more than the odd song (and the free Singles of the Week) from iTunes.

Re:The real problem here

[fistfullast33l]

I think Valve/Steam does it much better. You can install on as many machines you like, but you can only run one instance at once. I'm good with that. iTunes is a bit more restrictive and annoying. Why you can't have your music on your laptop and your desktop at the same time is a bit of a puzzle IMO. Unless I'm clueless as to how it works.

Re:The real problem here

[carou]

Why you can't have your music on your laptop and your desktop at the same time is a bit of a puzzle IMO

You can - just copy the file from one computer to the other, and play it. iTunes will contact the store to authorise your account, but from then on you can play those files on both computers (up to five computers, in fact).

Re:The real problem here

[zerocommazero]

You can load it on up to 5 computers. My wife has an ipod also. I copied songs from my collection to her laptop over a network share. She couldn't load them into itunes at first but after logging in as my account through her itunes and being asked to authorize her ipod, she had no problems.

Re:The real problem here

[earnest murderer]

But you can save them to a CD or email them to yourself and activate them on your home PC.

If we're talking about iTunes. Yes you can. Up to 5 pc's simultaneously.

32002 is an easy fix

[gaminRey]

I had the 32002 for the first day. Their description for the error code says it is a problem getting stuff from the server, and to try again later. I figured it was due to release day overload. In the end, I followed their advice and changed my WiFi channel from the default 6 to 11 and now it works fine.

Re:32002 is an easy fix

[Ultronator]

Same here. Changing the router wireless channel worked like a charm.

Re:32002 is an easy fix

[Daetrin]

Same here. I don't know if it went away because i switched my router channel from 6 to 3 or becuse when i did that and tried again it was about 36 hours after the launch and the rush had died down. It was still a little slow with the download but it seems to be working fine now.

Re:32002 is an easy fix

[Surye]

Ditto to the above. I thought it was a WPA bug or something, but it was just the channel set to 6. At 11, it worked great, updated in about 2 minutes.

Not my problem

[MBCook]

I haven't connected yet. I can get it to talk to my access point, but it won't get an IP address by DHCP. When I gave it a static one, that didn't work. I'm going to try having it connect to another AP in my house tonight. The one I've been using is an Apple Airport Express that I've never had a problem with. My error was 53010 or something like that (I looked it up on Nintendo's site).

I've heard about this problem, and it does make me worry some.

Then again, I also found the weird tip on Nintendo's web site that you can speed up downloads by making sure your AP is on channel 1 or 11. I've heard complaints about how "fast" things were, so maybe that's it.

Then again, none of this matters to me until they release Bonk's adventure, which I really want to buy. The games I own (Wii Sports, Red Steel, Twilight Princess) aren't multiplayer over the net.

Re:Not my problem

[jkerman]

for some reason the Wii wont pick up the gateway settings from my airport express. i had to manually configure mine (including dns) for it to work properly.

Re:Not my problem

[DaveJay]

Then again, I also found the weird tip on Nintendo's web site that you can speed up downloads by making sure your AP is on channel 1 or 11. I've heard complaints about how "fast" things were, so maybe that's it.

Out of the box, Linksys, DLink and other routers run on channel 6, and it's relatively unlikely that new owners will change it. As a result, you would expect to find areas with multiple wireless APs all running on 6, and causing interference (and slower speeds.) In my experience, this has been the case; both at my home (ranch in LA) and my mother-in-law's home (apartment on upper west side of NY) a scan picks up several APs on channel 6, and none on the other channels.

If you're in such a situation, switching from channel 6 to 1 or 11 will give you a speed and stability boost that's noticeable. Unless, of course, you're near someone who knows enough about wifi to be running on 1 or 11, in which case you'll jump to an intermediate one.

So Nintendo's suggestion isn't really about a shortcoming in the Wii, but about good wireless network management.

Re:Not my problem

[nycjay]

i was getting the 53010 error at first. after trying a few things, it seems like what fixed it was resetting the router (power on/off). after that, i was able to connect (although it could have been a coincidence)

Re:Not my problem

[Tadrith]

My Linksys access point doesn't work with the Wii in G-only mode. I have to leave it in mixed mode to make it work.

Maybe I'm missing something, but if you're in G-only mode, try switching.

Re:Not my problem

[Akaihiryuu]

IIRC, the Wii only supports 802.11b. This would explain why G-only doesn't work.

Re:Not my problem

[Mattintosh]

Wireless channels are a bitch.

I configured mine on 11 because I knew 6 (default) would be slow due to overuse. It worked fine for YEARS. Then some asshat down the street configured his AP to use 11. Mine started going nuts, dropping connections and generally not working. So I switched it to 1. Now, occasionally, the guy on 11 drowns out EVERYTHING, including 6 and 1, and there's no apparent reason for it. So I have to put up with some asshole that has out-of-spec equipment that kicks me off my own connection.

I've used KisMac to track the bastard down, and I've toyed with the idea of cracking his network password and ratcheting his transmission power down or changing his channel.

Re:Not my problem

[Tadrith]

That would certainly explain it. :)

Re:Somehow I wonder about the validity of the repo

[Anonymous Coward]

Try reading the fucking article dumbass. It says if you have a problem to visit Nintendo's Customer Service website, and if you do that and enter the error code, you get "Wii Connect 24 Errors". Looks like more a confirmed problem than a rumor if even Nintendo's Customer Service website identifies it as a problem.

Re:Wow Zonk

[krakelohm]

Not to sound like a jerk, but your comment reads like it was hammered out in a language translator.

Re: Regional Rollouts.

[trdrstv]

I suspect part of the update issue is because people update all at once and hammer the system by doing it manually (qur the 'well duh'), but for future automated updates it should be more spaced out.

I got mine home on Sunday morning, and had it connect to the internet before noon. Downloaded the update, maybe 5 minutes or so, and bam it was done. contrast that to those who started later in the day, and it was 'teh sloooooow.' The reason I suspect this won't be an issue is that part of the setup involes your country, the actual date/time, and you can set it to 'never sleep/always connect'. The Wii also know what you've been playing and how long (check the Wii message board) I suspect it knows what times too. So it could 'check in' to the Nintendo servers, and pull down the updates over night in a predictable fashion, while you're asleep. They could set up a server que and prioritize the updates.

If I'm pulling the updates myself, I want my system done in 5 minutes so I can get back to playing. If it's automated to pull these updates automatically while it's idle (at night or while I'm at work) I don't care if it's sitting in que for 8 hours to get that 5 minute update, as I'm not waiting on the machine.

No problems here.

[Maul]

I was a bit worried when I was hearing problems about it, but so far everything seems okay with my Wii. I was able to download the first, and second and am at firmware version 2.0U (the latest, I believe) with no errors. The updates took maybe 10 minutes to download. I can access the store, and the email thing seems to be working fine.

So I'm wondering what the specific problem is. Did Nintendo put out a bad update at some point that borked the system or did some have defective WiFi hardware?

Re:No problems here.

[Akaihiryuu]

Mine went through two update cycles once I got it hooked up...both seemed to go through okay. However, I did notice a couple weird things...if I go into the wireless config and use "test connection" from there, it tells me that it was successful, then asks if I want to do a firmware update, with code 62112. If I say ok, it doesn't even try and immediately fails. However, if I go to the main firmware update option, it works fine, it tells me no update is necessary as I have the latest version. I cannot access the online store though...if I try it connects to the first part, then takes a LOOOONG time and eventually gives me a 209600 error. Nintendo's search page for errors doesn't work (go button does nothing, Firefox on 3 different computers), so I can't search for it. The wireless router is on channel 11 already (we set it to that when we set up the wireless network because it was one of the few channels that wasn't heavily used). Everything seems to work connection-wise, I just can't get into the online store.

Re: WiiConnect24 Update Causing Issues For Wii Own

[revlayle]

I know personally at least 5 people myself who purchased a Wii. Someone bought them, I can find one to buy right now :)

Re: WiiConnect24 Update Causing Issues For Wii Own

[webrunner]

There's a lot more Wii owners than PS3 owners, that's for sure.

I Haven't Seen This At All

[PaulMorel]

I just wanted to say that neither myself, nor my friends that bought Wiis, have had any problems getting the updates, getting online, and downloading VC games. Also, although the download speed isn't necessarily super fast, no downloads have taken more than 5 minutes.

Of course, I have a more expensive wireless router, and experience networking Nintendo devices (DS)... I can see how your average soccer mom might have some trouble setting up the wireless network properly (after all, "WEP key" means absolutely nothing to most of them)

Re:I Haven't Seen This At All

[Maul]

Apparently it has nothing to do with the setup. A (probably small) number of Wii consoles ended up being defective or something similar to which attempting to update the firmware would totally disable the Wifi. These consoles need to be replaced.

I've had no issues with my Wii, personally. I'm able to get online and browse the store, but haven't tried to download any games yet. However, I got both updates available in a reasonable amount of time. Just now playing with the message board.

Re:I Haven't Seen This At All

[brkello]

This isn't a problem with inept users having trouble getting it set up...this is some sore of bug in the code. If it was just people having problems, they wouldn't be sending out replacement Wiis as that doesn't change the ineptness of the end user.

Re:I Haven't Seen This At All

[Lehk228]

not in code, Nintendo has stated it is a hardware issue with certain units that is uncovered by the update process

As if backups weren't hard enough...

[John.P.Jones]

This is a systemic problem with all these closed console systems with storage. Storage needs backup. Imagine what it will be like in 4 years when these systems start failing in mass and people realize they lost all their save games. Nintendo is on the good side since its storage isn't HDD based and you can rely on SD cards which are easilly backupable. I suppose the PS3 has Linux backup options but only a small percentage will be able to use it. Xbox360 has the advantage that the HDD is easilly replaceable but I'm not sure how easy it is to back up the data.

That is why open systems are essential for storage. But hey I guess people are weened on DVD and its ilk so they expect to be unable to back up their data.

Re:As if backups weren't hard enough...

[aponton]

You can backup your saved game on a SD card without any problem.

I understand Nintendo position about Virtual Console download and piracy.
Give it time, maybe Nintendo will allow VC to be saved on SD Card.

Re:As if backups weren't hard enough...

[Anonymous Coward]

The PS3's HDD is also easily removable and replaceable. Any 2.5 inch HDD will fit inside it. The console will even format the new drive properly for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_l-gNe6uOg

Wii Fii

[onedobb]

I don't see this as a technicial "flaw". Yes this is an issue. But this seems to be caused because of network communication issue. It would be just shy of impossible to test the Wii against every possible wireless access point that ever existed. The Wii dis-connected from a network doesn't seem to have had any issue once so ever that I have heard about. The X-box 360 had a design flaw due to overheating. The PS3 had some reports of the Blue-ray drive motor malfunctioning. These are design flaws. Please enlighten me what the design flaw of the Wii is.

Re:Wii Fii

[Anonymous Coward]

During an attempt at a (mandatory) software update, some Wiis end up broken to the point where they won't even try to connect to the network again. The fact that this is possible is a design flaw. Unless some particular wireless access point jumps up, runs over to the Wii, and punches it repeatedly until this error pops up, you can't blame it on the AP. Nintendo obviously isn't blaming it on the AP, because they're sending these people a new Wii and they presumably expect it will work.

It's ok, though. You don't need to get all defensive. I don't think anybody expects every single instance of a complex mass-produced electronic product to be 100% bug-free. Nintendo still has good quality control (this is a fairly rare problem), and good customer support (shipping you a new unit with a return shipping box for the old one is about the best warranty deal anyone has).

Re:Wow Zonk

[Turn-X Alphonse]

It is true. I am using Babelfish

Re:Somehow I wonder about the validity of the repo

[kinglink]

Perhaps you should read the article.

I never said these error codes were wrong, I said this exact error might not happen. Repeatedly getting the same two error codes? Of course instead of swearing a blue streak I actually thought about this, but then again we all play to our strengths.

Re: WiiConnect24 Update Causing Issues For Wii Own

[zoomba]

There are 7 people aside from myself in my office who got Wiis on launch day.

I've been having a blast so far, and no update problems yet!

Re:Wow Zonk

[PIPBoy3000]

About 10 years ago my SNES broke a week before Christian.
Hmm. I didn't realize there was an anti-technology aura that eminates from all Christians.

Verrrrrrry Sloooooowwwww

[rlp]

After several false starts I got the Wii connected to my Wifi (many thanks to the Slashdotter who recommended 'mixed' mode rather than 'G-only'). Then I kept getting the 'Try again later' messages. Last night at 11:30 PM (Eastern) I got connected to the Nintendo server. It immediately did a download that took about 45 minutes. Next a screen popped up asking me to identify which country I was in. I did so, and it did a second 45 minute download. It looks like either installed a patch file (or more likely) that they re-flashed the firmware. After the upgrade I had access to the Wii Store, many of the menus had additional items and an intermediate screen had a new Nintendo logo background. The Weather and News still didn't work (perhaps the servers are not operational). Some new features (messaging) also appeared. Sounds like Nintendo didn't properly scale their servers or their network connections (or both) for the anticipated load. It will only get worse as they sell more systems before Christmas. Perhaps they need one of those Sun server farm in a shipping box (that was discussed in Slashdot a few weeks ago).

Re:Verrrrrrry Sloooooowwwww

[frieked]

FYI the weather and news don't work for anyone at this point.
Those Wii channels officially launch on 12/20 and 1/27 respectively.

That's just me

[flitty]

If your update is bricking systems, and they function without it, can't you just pull the update until you fix this problem? Maybe that's just me.

Grammar check

[Anonymous Coward]

The word you want here is "exacerbating", not "exasperating." Their similar, but exasperate usually refers to a person and exacerbate doesn't.

Re:Grammar check

[Sygnus]

The word you want here is "exacerbating", not "exasperating." Their similar, but exasperate usually refers to a person and exacerbate doesn't

The word you want here is they're," not "their." They're similar, but "their" is possessive while "they're" is a contraction of "they are."

Re:Grammar check

[morie]

The word you want here is "words", not "word". They're is a contraction but still considered to be two words.

Re:Somehow I wonder about the validity of the repo

[Raistlin77]

I'd like to see a confirmed problem rather then a rumor

He was apparently responding to that.

Nintendo Fixes it's problem at it's expense.

[MrCopilot]

sWiit.

In stark contrast to Sony and MS.

Re:Nintendo Fixes it's problem at it's expense.

[badboy_tw2002]

??? Microsoft mailed me a box, I put the 360 in, they sent it back. Total cost? $0. Total time? 2 weeks.

Re:Nintendo Fixes it's problem at it's expense.

[MrCopilot]

2 Weeks. Good for you.

How much did you pay for your console?

Nintendo sends you a new Wii you send yours back. See a difference? You have 3 days without online capability. But no real downtime.

How much is a Wii? How is it possible that Ms can't afford the same capability as Nintendo?

Re:Nintendo Fixes it's problem at it's expense.

[WilliamSChips]

The consoles that didn't switch from a totally awesome name to something that conjures up images of urine cost more because the people who buy their games are early adopter types who have more income so they can pay for a system with better hardware(which still doesn't work as well as just getting a better PC, IMHO)

Re:Nintendo Fixes it's problem at it's expense.

[Cheapy]

Yeah, I mean, Microsoft never shipped anything like power cords out to anyone who requested one due to a defect in the old ones!

Your rampant fanboyism is started to affect your ability to remember. Be afraid.

Re: WiiConnect24 Update Causing Issues For Wii Own

[Amouth]

only reason i didn't get one is it doesn't play dvd's.. now if they ever release one that does.. i am all game.

Too ready for the desktop?

[Anonymous Coward]

What I'd like to know is why someone with the word 'Ubuntu' in their handle doesn't know how to connect to their router.

You can't get your 802.11 working, but you run a variant of Linux?

Anyone else thinking Ubuntu is getting too easy to install?

And yes, yes, I know that nowhere did he claim to be running Ubuntu, but ... uh ... why the hell would his name be UbuntuDope if he wasn't?

Re:Too ready for the desktop?

[UbuntuDupe]

Er...

1) I don't run Ubuntu.

2) I don't run any Linux distro.

3) My 802.11 is working, I just don't know how to use some of the features.

4) I do know how to connect to my router, and am currently connected to it, both with a PC and with the Wii.

5) The name is UbuntuDupe, not UbuntuDope.

That's quite a bit you managed to get wrong.

And I'd explain the basis for my name, if I were willing to trash this account's karma.

Re:Too ready for the desktop?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, your name should be UbuntuDope.

Re:Too ready for the desktop?

[WilliamSChips]

If it's that bad, email it to me. I won't tell Slashdot.

OH NO! Quick!

[Jace of Fuse!]

Oh no! Quick! Everyone! For the sake of your Mii! Get them off of that Wii and put them on the Wiimote! It's every Mii for themselves! You don't want your Mii trapped inside that Wii if an update causes it to lose functionality! You wouldn't want that any more than you would want your babies trapped in a burning building, possibly even less!

Save the Mii! Buy more Wiimotes if you have to!

DON'T LET YOUR MII BECOME A STATISTIC!

Act now!

Re: WiiConnect24 Update Causing Issues For Wii Own

[kennedy]

So in the year 2006... you don't have a DVD player? You do realize they can be had for under $50 now, right?

Re: WiiConnect24 Update Causing Issues For Wii Own

[Knuckles]

http://wii.ign.com/articles/746/746637p1.html

Re:Wow Zonk

[bunions]

well, you have to admit that it'd sure go far in explaining a few things.

110213 != Dead Wii

[larryj]

...at least not in all cases.

My Wii arrived from Amazon yesterday (that still sounds weird, I know the Wii jokes were old months ago, but that still sounds weird). Setting up the wireless was simple and quick. Getting the updates from Nintendo took a while though. My first 2 attempts resulted in the dreaded '110213' error. I just tried again. On the third attempt (a couple of hours after the first) it worked.

But I have a feeling that the perception is going to be that if you get a 110213 error, your Wii is hosed.

Re:Wow Zonk

[beoba]

I have a similar story. N64 users may have noticed that the joysticks get 'loose' over time with heavy use. Eventually, I called Nintendo to see if there was an easy way to fix this without buying four new controllers, and they mailed me four joystick units, as well as a sheet describing how to replace the old ones, for free.

Re:Wow Zonk

[EmperorKagato]

Lol. what language do you speak?

Re: WiiConnect24 Update Causing Issues For Wii Own

[blugu64]

Hey, I got my first dvd player over the summer as a gift, and I just bought my first TV a month ago.
Just never saw the need for one untill I graduated college and had "free time" again. ;)

Re:Wow Zonk

[Turn-X Alphonse]

English. Just extremely poorly when I'm tired :)

Re: VC downloads from a Dead Wii...

[trdrstv]

Perrin Kaplan stated that if you delete VC games from your system you can redownload them free. Also if your Wii dies they have a record of what you downloaded, so you could re-download them to a new Wii. I'm hoping I never have to do such a thing, but it is possible and has been thought of before launch.

I got the 110213 error

[Lain01001]

I was the only one to get this error out of my 15 friends that have the console. Yes, its been confirmed that this is a fatal error to the system, but only for online. The console, once it gets this error, will not be able to go online in anyway, BUT it can do everything just fine offline, I've already gotten about 20 hours into zelda (yes I'm loving it) and like 4 hours into red steel. In short the console does work fine, just no internet access. I called nintendo up and they fixed me up with a new console being shipped to me right away, they said there maybe a possible delay cause of thanksgiving but they don't expect it. They were very helpful and I even had a convo with the representative over the phone about zelda cause he heard the music playing in the background =p I know for sure that the 110213 error needs to be replaced, I havn't heard anything about the other error, and for the most part if anyone has problems with the net (some of my friends had things going a bit slow) change your router settings or input the ip and what not manually, I've only seen user error (and a little slow with the servers being bum rushed) besides my console. Though there is a post on the nintendo forums about this problem.

Ditto that

[killmenow]

Same here. No problems updating at all. Sorry for those who are having issues. Serious bummer. But all's good here.

How Widespread Is It, Really?

[JohnDeckard]

It's fascinating to watch the hysteria surrounding the Wii and PS3 launches. 90% of the reports of online issues seem to be generated from fanboys from the "opposing" camp latching onto every shred of negative news and screaming about it to the rest of the web.

I picked up my Wii yesterday morning at the Nintendo Store in Manhattan. I got free coffee and stood in line for about 10 minutes before I got it. Last night, I had no problem hooking up and updating the system. I did have one moment where the system said it couldn't connect, but seconds later it was working fine.

Re: WiiConnect24 Update Causing Issues For Wii Own

[Amouth]

yea i read that too.. but that is a year away and in Japan.. i live in the US.. i only hope they bring it over here..and quickly

Re: WiiConnect24 Update Causing Issues For Wii Own

[Amouth]

yea.. and that would be just another thing to sit under my tv.. i had a dvd player.. pulled it out and stuck a pc there.. it plays dvd's fine and i can play games on it..

the Wii on the other hand would more than likly be better for my wife to use as we don't have a HDTV and she can't read the text on the computer when on the TV..

i really like the idea of the Wii chanels and if it could play dvd's then i would go get one today and replace the computer with it tonight.. i don't like the idea of having a switch box inputs and having to teach my wife how it all works..

the only reason she gets by with the dvd being on the computer is that XP Media Center suprisingly has a good interface

Re: WiiConnect24 Update Causing Issues For Wii Own

[Knuckles]

Just out of curiosity: what is so important about DVD playback? Why don't you get one of those $30 DVD players and be done with it?

Re:Verrrrrrry Sloooooowwwww (mod parent up)

[WillAffleckUW]

FYI the weather and news don't work for anyone at this point.
Those Wii channels officially launch on 12/20 and 1/27 respectively.

Ah. I wondered about that.

My Wii downloaded an update and then gave some kind of error - seemed to take about 45 minutes.

Is there anything special you should be doing if your wireless runs on WEP with 64-bit security on channel 6?

I can always run the hard line from the cable modem outport that my son's Mac Mini is on, but it would be nice to have it share the wireless that my laptop uses (WinXP).

Re: VC downloads from a Dead Wii...

[ivan256]

When I have two systems, I'd like to be able to use my content on either one like I can with every previous generation console. They need to figure out how to make downloaded content do *everything* that physical media can do if they want my money (including allowing resale). Either that, or they have to offer the downloaded content at a steep discount.

Re: VC downloads from a Dead Wii...

[Senjutsu]

NES games for $5 isn't a steep discount? It's probably 1/4 - 1/5 of what they'd charge you for a physical media version.

Re: VC downloads from a Dead Wii...

[trdrstv]

When I have two systems, I'd like to be able to use my content on either

Personally, I hope that happens too. It's DRM'ed so I would at least like the posibility of locking it out on 1 Wii, so I can play it on another (only 1 concurrent use) or lock my copy out so I can 'loan it' to a friend.

Re: VC downloads from a Dead Wii...

[ivan256]

MSRP of e-Reader cards says otherwise.

Re:Verrrrrrry Sloooooowwwww (mod parent up)

[Anonymous Coward]

Try changing the channel. 6 is the default channel for many wifi routers, and all the interference from other wifi traffic on the same channel could slow you down. Nintendo recommends channel 1 or 11.

Re:OH NO! Quick!

[NeuroManson]

Wiimen and Chiildren fiirst!

Re:Wow Zonk

[krakelohm]

Awesome, isn't the net a beautiful thing. :)

Re:Uhm.. Nintendo Support is top notch

[Josiah_Bradley]

When my Gamecube's video card malfunctioned, Nintendo paid for the shipping of my Gamecube to them and shipped me a new Gamecube back, for free, after declaring the old one to be unfixable. The entire process took only about 4 days. Nintendo Customer Support is top notch. Who cares if they save on shipping if you're not paying for it, and they send you a brand new console free of charge.

Re:Nintendo Name

[MrCopilot]

Obviously marketing had an idea. I saw the commercial last night and it all makes sense now.

Tagline: Wii would like to play with you.

Re:110213 != Dead Wii

[SScorpio]

Your 110213 error sounds different from the one that kills the system's ability to get online. The Wii will initially connect online without error and download the first update. After this every time you try to do anything online it says that you must setup and successfully test a connection before going online. The connection test will then always fail with the 110213 error. A system format does not fix the problem and the customer support representative jump right to the option I have to getting my console repaired after I told her I received the error after successfully getting the first update so it seems at least some of the 110213 errors do mean your Wii's ability to get online gets hosed.

Jumping back to Nintendo's support. It was hard getting through to support due to shear call volume since the console was just released and a lot of people do not understand configuration of wireless networks. When I got though the person I spoke with was very helpful and friendly. Earlier in the day on Monday I emailed their tech support after not being able to get through the on their phone system and Tuesday afternoon I received a call from a support representative who was also ready to go straight through the console replacement steps until I thanked him for calling and told him I was able to get through later in the day. Overall I've been very surprised and pleased with Nintendo's support considering the stress they must all be under and all of the I D 10 T issues people are calling about. The only complaint is that they have nice orchestral versions of their theme songs playing while you are on hold but you only get to listen to a few seconds of them before it's interrupted by the we're sorry for the wait and here's a tip of the common problem and how to solve them, but that's a minor point.

I call FUD on this article

[Anonymous Coward]

I blogged about it here, but the bottom line is the wireless router settings and the firewall need to be adjusted.