Wii U update 'bricking' warning

[Bald Bouncer]

The first batch of the Wii U became sold out at many stores after its launch in the US

Owners of Nintendo's new Wii U console have been facing lengthy waits to make full use of it because they need to install a large firmware update.

The software - which adds features including access to the Miiverse social network - is about one gigabyte large, and must be downloaded via the net.

There are reports that some machines became "bricked" - or unusable - because the update was interrupted.

Nintendo has warned users not to "power off your system" during the process.

The Japanese games company has acknowledged that the data required "an hour or more" to download and install.

The Wii U launched in the US on Sunday.

Frozen consolesLos Angeles Times business reporter Ben Fritz was one of the first to report problems with his newly purchased console after trying to cancel the update.

"Wii U has stopped functioning before I managed to play a single game. I tried to stop an interminable software update and now... nothing," he tweeted.

"On a related note, anybody in the market for a big black paperweight?"

He added that several other users had messaged him to say they were facing a similar problem.



BBC Click’s Marc Cieslak previews Nintendo’s latest home console

Users have also reported on Nintendo's own tech forums "bricking" the machine after unplugging it during the update, while others said they were having had trouble downloading the code in the first place.

Any frozen machines should be covered by the company's standard 12-month warranty.

'Buyer beware'The games console does not launch in Europe until 30 November and 8 December in Japan, providing Nintendo an opportunity to add the software to the machines before they go on sale in other territories - although a spokeswoman was not able to confirm if this would be the case.

In the meantime, early purchasers in the US face the prospect of another significant update next month when the firm adds its TVii service - offering access to pay-to-view television shows and films - which was not ready as planned for last week's release.

One tech expert said the problems with the Wii U were only to be expected.

"Anybody who is an early-adopter has to understand there will be a degree of pain and inconvenience when buying a console - not least because bugs will be discovered and fixed as tens of thousands of people start using the new machine," said Chris Green, technology analyst at Davies Murphy Group.

"People shouldn't be put off by the initial update file size - it's not that big when compared to doing a full firmware update on an iPad, for example.

"And I'm afraid it's a case of buyer beware to those who try to cancel the update part way through - that would mess up any hardware."

BBC News Technology

[lithho]

Being a nintendo console, i bet it tells you clearly not to unplug the thing while it is updating/saving, surely this is common sense?

[ZX7R]

A gig update at launch? What a f*ck up.

[SiE]

I cant think of a console that has failed to excite and produce such a shite build up as the wii u. To think that 3rd party titles are running worse than on a 7 year old console is appauling.

[Tim.Lad]

Did i miss something Nintendo released a new console !!

[Chubbs]

There's some shite process to migrate your DLC from Wii to Wii U as well, I've read on Ars that can fail as well.


Oh and a chap at work told me that the tablet controller is a single point touch device, shite in this day-in-age surely?

[_Belial]

It does seem a bit of a shambles for sure, what annoys me is the battery life on that gamepad of theirs, it's about 3 hours apparently, then you've got no choice but to stop gaming and put it on the charging cradle. Hopefully there'll be some third party batteries out soon.

Seems daft that you can't do that day1 update over USB instead of online too, my internet connection is awful, I'll be dreading installing that update when I get mine.

[SiE]

Maxconsole did a nice breakdown of all the issues. To think it cant even run mass effect properley

http://www.maxconsole.com/cgi-bin/ma...017169&cat=WII

That's right, Nintendo's Wii U just launched in the US this Sunday, however, the new console has a ton of issues that are coming to light.

The console is going to be released very soon in Europe (on the 30th November), and also in Japan (on the 8th December). Could Nintendo solve most of those just in time for the upcoming launches?

Some of them were already been covered here at MaxConsole, but just in case you missed any of them, here's a compilation:

• Miiverse Debug Menu was accessed by accident by an user (already fixed).

Possibly the worst and most embarrassing example of the Wii U’s unfinished architecture is the claims from one Neogaf user that he was able to accidentally access the Miiverse debug menu. After making himself an admin he was able to take a peek at some of the backend information. Hidden inside were all sorts of secrets because it’s, you know, a debug menu.

A list of unannounced games was clearly visible including titles such as:

- Yoshi’s Land Wii U
- Donkey Kong
- Soul Hackers
- Resident Evil (or resident evils as it appears on the debug menu)
- Metal Gear Solid
- Final Fantasy 3
- Dragon Quest

Obviously this one has already been fixed, but still a colossal mistake by Nintendo.

• Nintendo Network IDs tied to single console.

That's right, spotted on Giantbomb's live stream as it unpackaged the Wii U for the first time, this warning popped up:

“This Nintendo Network ID has already been linked to another Wii U Console.”

This is what Nintendo consumer Q&As for the Wii U says about this:

“Can I Log Into My Nintendo Network Account on a Different Console?

Answer:

-No, you cannot. A Nintendo Network Account can only be used on the console where it was created. In the future, you will be able to use your Nintendo Network Account with future Nintendo consoles and other devices, such as PC's.

-Currently, the Wii U supports up to 12 individual Nintendo Network ID's per console, which enables each member of the family to have his or her own unique identity on the system.”

• 3rd Party Launch Games Have Serious Issues.

It looks like games like Mass Effect 3 and Batman: Arkham City on the Wii U, are behind the 360 and PS3 when it comes to thier graphical fidelity, and there are even instances where players are complaining that the framerate of third party games lag behind that of its competitors, too.

This is what 1up.com said about ME3 Wii U in its game review:

“This version of ME3 seems a lot less visually stable than, say, the Xbox 360 version -- the frame rate is choppier, the animation seems rougher. The audio suffers, too; while the music and sound effects have come over fine, all the dialogue has a hollow, echoing quality to it. The GamePad's analog sticks aren't as comfortable as the 360's, and the placement of the face buttons relative to the right stick made me continually miss the melee and reload buttons. My headshot ratio has dropped precipitously. It's tragic.”

• Great amount of RAM, but with limited speed.

As we informed you, the Wii U has 2GB of Samsung RAM, however it only runs at a max speed of 17GB/s. For comparison:

“360: 22.4 GB/s + eDRAM for framebuffer
PS3: 25.6 GB/s main memory BW + 22.4 GB/s graphics memory BW, no eDRAM”

• Problems With HDMI.

Users are also reporting problems with the HDMI setup.

Not only are there reports of the Wii U ‘turning off’ the other outputs when the HDMI is in use (thereby making it very difficult for those that enjoy recording their game footage), but some have even struggled to get a signal to their TVs at all.

Nintendo’s tech forums have been inundated with people asking why their Wii U’s won’t transmit a picture to their TV and Nintendo has yet to issue a reply or even acknowledge there is an issue on the forum.

• Single Save Game Slot Issues.

Also spotted by Giantbomb, it looks like Wii U’s save files aren’t exclusively tied to the player accounts, but the actual machine itself...

The only real distinction between the multiple accounts on a single Wii U is the friends list that is attached to it, not the games. Just make sure you label your saves to avoid losing them if you have more than one account attached to you Wii U.

• Huge Day One Patch. Could brick consoles if interrupted.

As you may know, the Wii U got a Day One patch to add most of its Online features (Internet Browser, eShop, Miiverse). Well, its really HUGE.

Some users estimated the patch size is 1GB+ (some reporting it could be as big as 5GB), and that it really takes a while to download.

On top of that, some users reported that, if interrupted, can lead to a bricked Wii U console.

Consoles that lose power while the massive new system software is being downloaded and installed are reportedly being bricked.

L.A. Times reporter Ben Fritz is one of the most prominent people to tweet that his system was rendered useless by an interruption during the roughly 5GB download, which took over an hour to complete in our tests. Other users on Twitter and gaming forums around the Internet are reporting similar issues. While most users are reporting power interruptions as the cause of the bricked consoles, some reports suggest that losing an Internet connection during the download may cause similar problems.

• Short Gamepad Battery Life.

Seems that the Wii U only has a 1500mAh battery in its controller, meaning that it will only last you from 3-5 hours depending on what you’re doing.



The good news is that this one is replaceable, so you'll may be able to buy a bigger capacity third-party one in the future.

• Interface Issues.

These could be explained by the launch day networking stress as users finally start to log onto to Nintendo’s new network, but there have various complaints that it is sluggish to use.

• GamePad Distance Issues.

Users report that carrying the Wii U’s GamePad as little as 12 feet away from the console, can cause the signal to fade and will apparently lose signal at 15 feet.

• Web Browser speed.

According to Anandtech.com the Wii U uses an older version of WebKit and when compared to web browsers on other high-end devices, such as the iPhone and other tablets, the Wii U’s web browser is much, much slower to use.



• WiFi Connection Problems.

Apparently, users are also reporting problems when setting up the console Wi-Fi connection:

Keenandgraev.com had issues setting up its Wii U WiFi connection finding the console kept telling the user there was a “Error Code 103-1001, Error Code 103-1002”.

There is a needlessly complex work around to get the WiFi working however, but it begs the question will those less tech savvy be able to get their Wii Us online without help?

There you have it. If you got a Wii U on launch day and have any other issue to share, don't forget to write your comments below!

[Mystical_2K]

ouch, not the best launch then, really seems they messed up this one

update: here is a couple of pics of the debug menu etc.

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