This thread is all about taking proper care of your Wii. If you fuck up your Wii, good luck finding a replacement, so take heed!
First up:
Vertical or Horizontal?
While the console certainly looks sexy running vertically, you may want to reconsider. No complaints have been made yet about the Wii running poorly vertically, or scratching up any discs, but then again the Wii has not been out very long. It is possible that the console tipping over could result in a scratched up disc, but to the best of my knowledge it is unconfirmed if this will happen with the Wii and I doubt anyone wants to try and find out. Aside from the disc, the Wii itself could sustain damage as well. Hardware is packed pretty tightly inside the Wii, it remains to be seen if the console is as durable as past Nintendo offerings.
Typically horizontally running disc drives have greater longevity than vertically running ones, as well. That may be something else to consider. However, when the Wii runs horizontally, it gets hot (even when idle, WiiConnect24 is quite the heat generator) due to the fact that air simply can not pass beneath the console easily due to the tiny clearance. I'll address this problem in a moment, however. Also, when running horizontally the flaps covering the Gamecube ports must be removed if you wish to use said ports.
At this point it comes down to risk vs style. If you are risk averse, you'll give up that style and run it horizontally to avoid the disaster of your Wii tipping over (or even worse, crashing off the shelf!).
Just one last thing on this subject... Most people I see running their Wiis vertically do not use the Wii stand stabilizer (the clear circular plastic piece that snaps onto the bottom of the Wii stand), which is stupid as hell. If you care about your Wii at all,
USE IT.
EDIT: Anecdotal evidence suggests your game discs are not at risk of scratching by running the Wii vertically. Though if the Wii takes a crash to the ground with a disc spinning up in it, don't be surprised if the disc meets it's doom.
It Burns When I Wii
You may have noticed that the little console that could gets pretty warm, especially when running in the horizontal position. If you want to keep cool, there are a couple of options.
For starters, if you run your Wii flat, you will want to increase the clearance beneath the console. Placing four little rubber "feet" under the console's existing feet will do the trick, and keep your Wii from sliding around.
If you want your Wii extra cool, you can always buy an external cooling fan. Google Wii Cooling Fan and you'll find it.
This fan plugs into the USB ports on the back of the console, and offers a pass-thru USB port on the side. It does a decent job of keeping the console cool, and will continue to run while the console is in stand-by mode (yellow light, WiiConnect24 enabled). The only downside is, it does produce more noise than the Wii itself.
No Glove, No Love?
Those Wii slingers out there tossing their Wii Remotes through windows and expensive home theatre equipment may be especially interested in those protective Wii Remote gloves that have been around since before day one.
Well, they feel cool and look cool, but are for most probably more of a hindrance than any kind of help. Why? It is a pain in the ass to get them on your Wii Remote, and even more so to get them off every time you have to change your batteries (and subsequently put them back on). There is a solution that solves both the grip problem and the battery problem, I'll get to that in a bit.
In addition, those buttons which are flush with the surface of the Remote become a real chore to press.
You might also be tempted by unofficial glove offerings which also offer a glove for the nunchuk. Don't bother, they are pretty cheap and from what I've heard prone to tearing.
Power Up
Going through truck loads of AA batteries? It's time to switch to rechargeables.
The first rule of thumb is to avoid rechargeable alkaline and NiCad batteries like the plague. Go with NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride). The higher the mAH rating, the longer the lifespan of the battery.
I can personally recommend Energizers 2500mAH rated NiMH rechargeable batteries. You can get a pack of four with a recharging unit for around 20 bucks. There exist now chargers that will recharge your batteries in as little as 15 minutes, to boot.
Best of all, though, for both power convenience AND giving that Wii Remote some extra grip would be Nyko's Wii Remote Charge Station.
It comes with a charge station and 2 NiMH batteries that pop into the back of your Wii Remotes and replace the battery cover. The backs of these batteries feature a ribbed rubbery grip (for your pleasure!) and small metal contacts with which to charge the batteries without ever having to remove them. Simply slip your battery fitted Wii remotes into the charger every day when you are done playing, and keep them perpetually charged. You will have to wait till March 15th to get your hands on this particular charging package, however, you can check out a review of the device
over at IGN.
Clean Wii = Happy Wii
You have probably noticed that the Wii's shiny plastic exterior is a finger print magnet, as is the Wii Remote's much touched upper surface. It can be a real pain in the ass getting them all nice and new again.
One solution is a mix of Isopropyl Alcohol and water (about a 40/60 mix water to IPA). Or if you have some IPA wipes on hand, you could use those. Repeated alcohol contact with plastic can have adverse affects overtime, however, so don't use this method regularly. Use it for those occasional stubborn greasy fingerprints.
A good microfiber cloth may do the trick too, but I haven't tried it yet. On the subject of cloths, do
not use any even mildly abrasive cloth if you want to keep that Wii nice and shiny. This includes paper towels. A nice soft cotton rag (or even an old t-shirt) works well enough.
If you want to put a little money down, you could try picking up a specialty plastic cleaner/polisher like Plexus, or Klear Screen.
Anterograde Amnesia
The Wii's internal memory is only so big. If you plan on downloading new content to your Wii with any regularity, such as Virtual Console titles, you'd best realize the fact that you are going to need an SD card.
Do not buy the official Nintendo branded SD cards! They are ridiculously overpriced. If you just shop around a little, you can find 2GB SD cards for 20 dollars or less. Kingston is a good brand, and their cards work with Wii like a charm. I suggest shopping around
newegg.com and
meritline.com.
You may have been lead to believe that 2GB is the maximum size SD card the Wii will function with. This is incorrect. There are in fact cards larger than 2GB that work just fine with Wii. The key is to avoid SD cards that use technologies such as SDHC.
The Transcend TS4GSD150, and the A-Data My Flash Turbo 4GB, both 4GB size SD cards, have been found to work with Wii. You can likely obtain either of these cards for less than half the price of an official Nintendo branded 2GB SD card.
Finally, Mini and Micro SD cards are Wii compatible, provided you have an adapter.
Materialize Por...Internet out of Thin Air
Getting that Wii online can be a bit tricky, but if you want the latest system updates and have all possible features available to your Wii, you are going to have to do it.
The easiest way would be to skip all that wireless stuff entirely and get yourself a
USB ethernet adapter. Just plug it in and off you go.
The next easiest solution that doesn't require a wireless router would be to grab yourself a
Wi-Fi USB Connector, which is also pretty straightforward to set up and get working. It's all a matter of, you know, R'ing the TFM.
For those of us with wireless routers as well as those in the market for one, however, getting the Wii online can be a headache. The first thing to consider is whether or not your wireless router is actually compatible with the Wii.
Check here to find out.
The Wii operates in 802.11G and 802.11B, so 802.11N, Pre-N, and MIMO routers will not work. Also, routers that feature "speed boosting" type enhancements will not play nice with the Wii, though they may work.
The Wii is compatible with WEP and WPA/WPA2 encryption (including WPA - PSK (TKIP), WPA - PSK (AES), and WPA2 - PSK (AES)).
If your wireless router meets these requirements, here are some tips for optimal interwebbing with your Wii.
Set your router to broadcast in 802.11G/B Mixed Mode on either Channel 1 or 11 (I find Channel 1 tends to perform best, but YMMV) as these channels operate on the very ends of the frequency spectrum, reducing the chances of the Wii Remote's Blue-Tooth technology causing interference. Keep in mind that cordless telephones can cause interference on channels 1 through 4.
When performing a Wii system update, I highly recommend setting your wireless router right next to your Wii.
N-Sync
If you buy a new Wii remote, or your remote just stops working, here's how to get everything up and running. Boot up your Wii, it doesn't need to be to the Channel menu it can be at the "Press A" screen. Press the Sync button on your remote (under the battery cover), then press the sync button on your Wii console (under the front flap). When the blue lights stop blinking on the remote, you are done!
EDIT: A lot of people seem to be having problems with chronic de-syncing of Wii remotes. Here's the fix: Hold the power button on your Wii console until it powers down and the light turns red. Then, unplug the console and let it sit for few minutes. Plug it back in, and attempt to power it up with your Wii remote. If that doesn't work, power up the console manually and perform a remote sync by first pushing the Sync button on the console, followed by the sync button on the remote (under the battery cover).
Posts
I go vertical because I use the GC ports and do not trust myself to not lose the covers. The only problems I've had are some occasional times when either entering a channel or returning to the Wii menu, it seems to just hang there and there's nothing I can do. I have unplugged it (or turned off the power bar it's plugged in) and I'm fine after that.
Also, about the whole "disc scratch when system moves from one position to another" thing, just how sure of this are we, in terms of consistency? I'm willing to bet that what I'm about to suggest will actually be apples vs. oranges, but last night I've got my portable CD player going (yeah, I'm old school, heh) on my lap and it slid off it while playing the CD. This means it went from a horizontal to vertical position with the disc running, but there's no damage to it.
Why is it that the same seemingly cannot be said of consoles? Unless it's the impact upon landing that changes things, since I was on my bed with the CD player, and consoles are on hard shevles.
I WILL NOT BE DOING 3DS FOR NWC THREAD. SOMEONE ELSE WILL HAVE TO TAKE OVER.
Spoiler contains Friend Codes. Won't you be my friend?
More Friend Codes!
Mario Kart Wii: 3136-6982-0286 Tetris Party: 2364 1569 4310
Guitar Hero: Metallica: 1032 7229 7191
TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM: 1935-2070-9123
Nintendo DS:
Worms: Open Warfare 2: 1418-7870-1606 Space Bust-a-Move: 017398 403043
Scribblenauts: 1290-7509-5558
I don't think it's a big deal to run it vertically. If the system wasn't made with it in mind (i.e. all the ports/stand were designed for horizontal placement) I'd be a little more troubled, but this ain't the ps2. I'm sure, if anything, Nintendo took the time to test it out and see what happens to discs in numerous situations. I should look into giving the stand a little more clearance, though, as that could only help the heat issue.
There is no guarantee one way or the other, which is why it's not recommended. The Wii's self-loading disc drive is not the same thing as a Walkman that was designed with portability in mind. Also, a lot of potential damage probably comes from moving the console when the disc is spinning, instead of sitting idle.
When I can't have the fan on, I simply unplug the Wii.
As for the charging station, it's made by Nyko. Until it's been out a couple years and people say it works, I'd avoid like the plague.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
Set your router to broadcast in mixed mode b/g on Channel 1, and set it next to your Wii and try to perform the system update again.
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
Your CD player has one of those little spindle thingies like on the redesigned Playstations and on the gamecube and dreamcast that holds the disc, yes?
That's why. It holds it down. With a console where it's just sitting there(360, original PS2, Wii most likely)...Not so much. You get a gyroscopic effect and at best a destroyed disc, at worst a fucked up drive.
I use Channel 1, but I hear good things about Channel 11 too, whichever that one is.
I'd be willing to bet that any drive capable of playing a half-sized GCN disc in the vertical position is holding it in there somehow. I'd be very surprised if moving from vertical to horizontal would screw up a Wii or GCN disc.
Maybe I'm really missing something here, but if it wasn't holding the disc there, how would it be able to play GCN games while oriented vertically?
Yeah, that's what I meant. Moving it with it off could get the disc stuck, depending on the design of the drive, but you won't get the gyroscropic effect. That's purely from moving it while it's spinning.
Agreed.
Animal Crossing - 3566 5318 4585/2492 7891 0383 Deacon/Akisha in Crayon
I meant while spinning, too.
Seriously, the Wii has got to have a mechanism for holding a disc in the center. If it doesn't, how does it properly suck in and play GCN games? They're only half the size of the drive.
I've heard theories involving a wedge system where the GCN disc pushes gently against wedge-shaped walls and a full Wii disc spreads them out.
The exact same thing happens to me from time to time. The Wii just like freezes or something, usually when I am exiting a channel and getting back onto the Wii menu. I have to go up and manually turn the Wii off, but when I turn it back on, it works just fine again.
It rarely happens, but it does annoy me a little.
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REFS REFS REFS REFS REFS REFS REFS REFS
Done.
Also added a wireless connection section.
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
I know there's been other people reporting this problem, but that's all I could find right now.
From what I can tell, the main reason is by having WiiConnect24 in standby mode active while your Wii is otherwise "off". Apparently the GPU is still being used but the fan isn't, so the system just keeps getting hotter until this happens.
Assuming this problem is common among the Wii out there, does anyone know just how long you'd have to leave the Wii in standby mode until something like this happens?
I've barely been playing my Wii lately. Maybe 2 hour chunks at the most with Wii Sports and the News Channel, after I finished I-Ninja (GC) on it. But it's been using WiiConnect24 in standby mode ever since I got it up and running about a month/month and a half ago. I don't think I've gone longer than a week without turning my Wii on.
Before turning it on earlier today, I felt the sides of my vertical Wii and it did feel warm. I checked my screen on the main menu very briefly as I went to turn off WiiConnect24 from the system menu, and I didn't see any problems, but I'll check later on with other screens just to be sure.
Do you think I have anything to worry about? And do you have any suggestions for screens I should use to check if there are any problems? I've been think of Wii Sports in the Disc Channel and the screen saying "Put on the wrist strap." (white screens to show any problems like Excite Truck in Exhibit , the blue sky and ocean to Wind Waker (to show any color other than blue), and the Nintendo Gamecube screen in the Disc Channel (mainly black to show any color).
I WILL NOT BE DOING 3DS FOR NWC THREAD. SOMEONE ELSE WILL HAVE TO TAKE OVER.
Spoiler contains Friend Codes. Won't you be my friend?
More Friend Codes!
Mario Kart Wii: 3136-6982-0286 Tetris Party: 2364 1569 4310
Guitar Hero: Metallica: 1032 7229 7191
TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM: 1935-2070-9123
Nintendo DS:
Worms: Open Warfare 2: 1418-7870-1606 Space Bust-a-Move: 017398 403043
Scribblenauts: 1290-7509-5558
If you are real worried, the external Wii fan (pictured in OP) does run while the console is idle (WiiConnect24 enabled).
No one has been willing to take one apart yet?
Anecdotal story to follow. Don't try this at home.
About a month or two after buying it, me and my girlfriend were playing Double Dash on it, and at one point, she got up to use the bathroom and tripped on the Gamecube controller cord, knocking the Wii off the desk and onto the floor. This was about a three foot drop onto a hard tile floor. Needless to say, we both freaked out, but it worked fine; didn't even scratch the disc. There is now a tiny crack in the corner of the front plastic plate, but other than that, it's fine.
Tested visuals on all the screens I mentioned before: Didn't see anything wrong.
Phew!
I WILL NOT BE DOING 3DS FOR NWC THREAD. SOMEONE ELSE WILL HAVE TO TAKE OVER.
Spoiler contains Friend Codes. Won't you be my friend?
More Friend Codes!
Mario Kart Wii: 3136-6982-0286 Tetris Party: 2364 1569 4310
Guitar Hero: Metallica: 1032 7229 7191
TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM: 1935-2070-9123
Nintendo DS:
Worms: Open Warfare 2: 1418-7870-1606 Space Bust-a-Move: 017398 403043
Scribblenauts: 1290-7509-5558
Edit: I guess I was a little vague. My Wii's got the little jumpy black pixels in a couple places that are apparently from overheating. The good news is that Nintendo's going to fix it and I'm not going to lose any of my stuff, the bad news is that it's going to probably take about 3 weeks.
Also, nintendo has had a couple wii's running 24/7 at full stress ever since they got working finished models in order to test lifespans.
Sweet. I haven't tried calling since it's sunday but I'll call them tomorrow.
Do we know how long those Wii lasted? Or are they still going?
Trevor, contact Nintendo. Tell them what's wrong and they'll help you out.
I WILL NOT BE DOING 3DS FOR NWC THREAD. SOMEONE ELSE WILL HAVE TO TAKE OVER.
Spoiler contains Friend Codes. Won't you be my friend?
More Friend Codes!
Mario Kart Wii: 3136-6982-0286 Tetris Party: 2364 1569 4310
Guitar Hero: Metallica: 1032 7229 7191
TATSUNOKO VS CAPCOM: 1935-2070-9123
Nintendo DS:
Worms: Open Warfare 2: 1418-7870-1606 Space Bust-a-Move: 017398 403043
Scribblenauts: 1290-7509-5558
Modern video game consoles require higher data rates than CD players do. A CD player works just fine spinning the disk at a maximum of 500 RPM, where the outside edge of the disk is traveling at about 7 miles per hour. By contrast, a 52x CD-ROM drive spins a disk at up to 10350 RPM, where the outside of the disk is traveling at about 145 MPH.
(According to Wikipedia, early production runs of the Xbox 360 spin disks at 12x. 1x speed varies between 10.5 and 25.5 revolutions per second for DVD (as opposed to 3.5 to 8 revs per second for CD), so 12x speed on a DVD drive indicates read speeds of at least 7560 RPM, where the outside edge travels at about 106 MPH.)
So if you pick up your CD player and tip it, you're making the spindle fight precession forces on a disk where the outside edge is moving at only 7 MPH. If you pick up your Xbox 360 and tip it, you're making the spindle fight precession forces on a disk where the outside edge is moving at about 106 MPH.
I know the Wii doesn't sound like there's any hundred-mile-per-hour disks spinning in there, so I imagine it's going much more slowly. Maybe it's harder to damage.
Disk specifications source, via Google: http://www.1stdvdripper.com/dvdspec/param_dvd.html
Edit: Unofficial results from Google seem to indicate the Wii spins disks at 6x, which would seem to suggest 3780 RPMs or 53 MPH for the outer edge.
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Definitely a damaged video card from overheating.
When your new Wii comes, make sure she gets plenty of air.
Hm. I always have the Wii up on its side and it's never crammed between anything. Don't know how it could overheat.
I imagine they are still going.
Or else we could be fucked.