Key things
- Restart your Wii U to avoid memory corruption issues, according to user reports.
- Some Wii U consoles may experience memory failures due to lack of power.
- The Wii U community is working on a fix for the memory crash, but it's not a simple fix.
Nintendo Wii U owners may have to start rebooting their consoles due to possible system death. The Wii U has been around since 2012, so understandably there may be some lingering concerns about its longevity.
Some consider the system a general failure compared to its successful predecessor, the Wii, due to the extreme difference in sales between the two consoles. Not to mention, the platform also had a smaller list of available games than its contemporaries, with most of them now available on other systems as well. With many now thinking that Wii U games should be ported to the Switch 2, there may be even less reason for owners to boot their consoles naturally. However, the new report may force Wii U owners to take another look at their system.
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A tweet from Patrick B of Retro Blast encouraged users to immediately plug in their Wii U. Based on their experience, the system experienced memory corruption because it had no power for a long time. While other error codes were said to vary for some users, all of the codes meant that there was a problem with the system memory. Wii U memory chips are made by Toshiba, Samsung and Hynix, with the latter said to be the most prone to failure. With Nintendo previously stating that they have run out of spare parts for the Wii U, gamers who experience memory failures on their system may be out of luck. However, it is important to note that Nintendo has not commented on the situation. There is still the possibility that other factors may cause these errors.
How can Wii U owners fix the problem?
Retro Blast advised owners to play games and load apps at system startup as the effects can sometimes be delayed. The user also shared a possible solution called NAND-AID created by Twitter user voultar. NAND-AID is a physical ENIG interface that replaces eNAND failures and acts as a replacement. It seems that the platform may have a chance to survive, as the Wii U community could come up with many creative solutions to solve the problem. However, the solution is still not as easy as plug-and-play at the moment because it deals with internal chipsets.
Still, it seems like a valid concern for many console owners in the modern era. Retro Blast asked why consoles like the N64 from 1996 are more durable than the Wii U which came out over a decade ago. With the modern features that come with newer systems, the possibility of additional problems could also increase. Those who collect older consoles like the Wii U may need to check their systems and take them out of the display cases every once in a while.
Nintendo Wii U
The Nintendo Wii U was the original successor to the Nintendo Wii and featured improved motion controls as well as a new tablet touch controller. It was part of the eighth generation of console wars, going toe-to-toe with the Xbox One and PS4.
- Mark
- Nintendo
- Original release date
- November 18, 2012
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $299 Deluxe Sets: $349
- Weight
- 3.3 pounds
