Rumor: WiiConnect24 breaking Wiis? [Mobile/Archive]

HotShotX

07-19-2007, 04:48 PM

This is purely speculation, and not to be considered fact until proven. But something to consider nonetheless:

http://kotaku.com/gaming/rumor/wiiconnect24-breaking-wii-consoles-280408.php

I turn my Wii off regardless to save on electricity, but what do you guys think?

~HotShotX

Dr Mario Kart

07-19-2007, 04:53 PM

If it is actually a problem, it could easily resolved by a firmware update that involves the fan running or running slower during standby.

botticus

07-19-2007, 06:04 PM

How exactly does someone blame WiiConnect24 for breaking their console? One day they try to use it and it doesn't turn on?

dallow

07-19-2007, 06:20 PM

I'm actually going to turn it off today.
It's useless.

Scrubking

07-19-2007, 06:46 PM

1. The extreme heat comes from STANDBY mode which you can turn off while leaving connect24 on.

2. It does make your wii hot to the touch. Whether that eventually melts your gpu is another story.

Vinny

07-19-2007, 07:07 PM

1. The extreme heat comes from STANDBY mode which you can turn off while leaving connect24 on.

2. It does make your wii hot to the touch. Whether that eventually melts your gpu is another story.

Yeah, I made a thread about it and one CAG posted a pic which showed that his Wii was actually warped due to the heat. I only left mine on for a few days before turning it off because, it was utterly worthless.

AmigoOne

07-19-2007, 09:07 PM

well, I had left mine for standby for like a week since you actually have to go press the button if you want to turn it off and I just ran upstairs to check and turn it off when I read this.

It was a bit more warm then a usual electronic appliance, but nothing bad. Thank goodness.

Wlogan31

07-19-2007, 09:17 PM

Well, I used to leave mine plugged in and turned on 24-7 and my GPU deteriorated...

They replaced it all for free and now I just pull the plug when I'm finished playing so I don't have to turn WiiConnect24 on and off

Sofa King Kool

07-19-2007, 09:56 PM

SimplyBlue

07-19-2007, 09:57 PM

Yeah, I noticed yesterday that it was really hot in standby mode since my games were stacked right next to it. After reading this, I turned mine off since I really don't have as much use for it's features.

ArthurDigbySellers

07-19-2007, 10:03 PM

I've had my Wii in standby mode since launch. No probs and it's much cooler than my cable box which runs at around 115 degrees and has a hard drive in it. Supposedly there is a bad batch of Wii GPUs out there and any additional heat is probably going to cause issues with those, but warping because of standby heat? GTFO.

dmaul1114

07-19-2007, 10:21 PM

I leave mine off just to save the power and not worry about the heat. Wii online functions are currently completely and utterly useless, much less having any need to have it always connected.

dothog

07-19-2007, 10:29 PM

Iwata made a big deal out of it at launch, and I still don't see any substantial benefits to enabling WiiConnect24. So I can get my updates a little quicker? For the sake of Mii Parade?

Prolific

07-19-2007, 11:11 PM

I just bought my Wii today so is it okay to leave my Wii at the "red light". Or should I just completely unplug it?

moe11888

07-19-2007, 11:24 PM

I just bought my Wii today so is it okay to leave my Wii at the "red light". Or should I just completely unplug it?

I leave mine with WiiConnet24 on and the Standby off. I get the "red light" and the system is always cool. I think that unpluging everytime it is a little too much.

HotShotX

07-20-2007, 12:00 AM

I just bought my Wii today so is it okay to leave my Wii at the "red light". Or should I just completely unplug it?

Red light runs the coolest. Yellow means WiiConnect24 is on, and green is, you know.

~HotShotX

chodax

07-20-2007, 12:04 AM

Mines been in standby since launch, no problems yet. Wiiconnect 24 is useless though, I guess I just like wasting power

Prolific

07-20-2007, 12:16 AM

What's better though, unplug or red light?

gokou36

07-20-2007, 12:35 AM

1. The extreme heat comes from STANDBY mode which you can turn off while leaving connect24 on.

2. It does make your wii hot to the touch. Whether that eventually melts your gpu is another story.

No, Standby mode does not make the Wii hot, its the Wii Connect24 thats making it hot. I checked this back then and I was wondering why it was so fucking hot , so I turned off my Connect24 and Standby mode was cool.

So yeah, you can leave Standby(red light) mode on, but turn off Connect24, because its useless leaving it on.

Prolific

07-20-2007, 12:36 AM

I see, thanks for the help guys.

ratzombie

07-20-2007, 02:29 AM

Mine has been on standby since launch, and while it does feel rather warm I haven't had any issues where I had to unplug/replug it, or any of that nonsense.

thegarageband

07-20-2007, 03:06 AM

I don't have a Wii. How does I ruin someone else's Wii?

FriskyTanuki

07-20-2007, 03:33 AM

No, Standby mode does not make the Wii hot, its the Wii Connect24 thats making it hot. I checked this back then and I was wondering why it was so fucking hot , so I turned off my Connect24 and Standby mode was cool.

So yeah, you can leave Standby(red light) mode on, but turn off Connect24, because its useless leaving it on.
Wrong. The standby connection (http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wii/en_na/settingsWiiConnect24.jsp#standby) keeps the Wii on all day to constantly download online stuff, which is what's causing the problem, not WiiConnect24.

moe11888

07-20-2007, 11:35 AM

Wrong. The standby connection (http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wii/en_na/settingsWiiConnect24.jsp#standby) keeps the Wii on all day to constantly download online stuff, which is what's causing the problem, not WiiConnect24.

Yeah, it seems like everyone has it backwards. The best thing to do is have WiiConnect24 on and Standby off.

lanleague

07-20-2007, 05:14 PM

WiiConnect24 keeps the WiFi connection active, causing heat in the system because no system fans run while it is on. It also consumes much more energy than simply having the system on standby.

Prolific

07-20-2007, 11:49 PM

Updates aren't often anyway, are they?

snipegod

07-21-2007, 12:14 AM

WiiConnect24 keeps the WiFi connection active,

Yes, everybody does have it backwards.

You can't even enable standby mode when WiiConnect24 is off. You can have WiiConnect24 on and standby off, however.

monkeydeew

07-21-2007, 02:05 AM

this is why i got the wii fan during gamedays sale for 9.99 yay for me

gokou36

07-21-2007, 02:38 AM

Wrong. The standby connection (http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wii/en_na/settingsWiiConnect24.jsp#standby) keeps the Wii on all day to constantly download online stuff, which is what's causing the problem, not WiiConnect24.

Umm no i'm not wrong, go read it again. Leaving Standby mode on does NOT download stuff, thats only when you have it on with WiiConnect24.

FriskyTanuki

07-21-2007, 02:50 AM

Umm no i'm not wrong, go read it again. Leaving Standby mode on does NOT download stuff, thats only when you have it on with WiiConnect24.
Yes, you are.

I'll break it down for you:

WiiConnect24 just connects online. The Standby Connection (Don't confuse this with the normal standby that all electronics these days are in when you turn them off) keeps that connection active 24 hours a day. You cannot have the Standby Connection on without having WC24 on, but you can keep WC24 on without the Standby Connection being on so that it'll only get online when you have the Wii on. The problem is that the Standby Connection is keeping the Wii on all hours of the day without running the fan, thus making the Wii hotter than if the Standby Connection were turned off.

gokou36

07-21-2007, 02:54 AM

Yes, you are.

I'll break it down for you:

WiiConnect24 just connects online. The Standby Connection (Don't confuse this with the normal standby that all electronics these days are in when you turn them off) keeps that connection active 24 hours a day. You cannot have the Standby Connection on without having WC24 on, but you can keep WC24 on without the Standby Connection being on so that it'll only get online when you have the Wii on. The problem is that the Standby Connection is keeping the Wii on all hours of the day without running the fan, thus making the Wii hotter than if the Standby Connection were turned off.

I just went to check it after I posted and I see what you mean now. Looks like Nintendo fucked up with it, you're not really in Standby mode since the damn thing is still running hot.

Edit : But still, red light=standby mode. Its best to either leave WiiConnect24 off or like you and others said to have it on but turn Standby mode off without having to unplug the power cord. Whatever you do, just make sure you don't have the orange light or it'll run hot and fuck your system.

FriskyTanuki

07-21-2007, 03:03 AM

I just went to check it after I posted and I see what you mean now. Looks like Nintendo fucked up with it, you're not really in Standby mode since the damn thing is still running hot.

Edit : But still, red light=standby mode. Its best to either leave WiiConnect24 off or like you and others said to have it on but turn Standby mode off without having to unplug the power cord. Whatever you do, just make sure you don't have the orange light or it'll run hot and fuck your system.
Standby mode =/=Standby connection. Two separate things, though similar. One keeps the system barely on at all times (standby mode) while the other keeps the system connected to the internet at all times(Standby Connection). Both the orange and red lights mean it's in standby mode, but orange means it also has the standby connection on, as well. You can check the manual for confirmation on that.

TimPV3

07-21-2007, 03:10 AM

What the fuck is the point of WiiConnect24? Just to update the firmware?

Add me to the list of "yellow light has been on since December unless power goes out and I have no reason to turn the Wii back on right away"

gokou36

07-21-2007, 03:29 AM

Standby mode =/=Standby connection. Two separate things, though similar. One keeps the system barely on at all times (standby mode) while the other keeps the system connected to the internet at all times(Standby Connection). Both the orange and red lights mean it's in standby mode, but orange means it also has the standby connection on, as well. You can check the manual for confirmation on that.

Same difference. Lets face it, WiiConnect24 is the reason why systems can break. The meaning of WiiConnect24 is to have it connect 24/7. If you turn off Standby Connection and leave WiiConnect24 on, its no longer on 24/7. This is a bad feature and shouldn't have been implemented in the first place. What good is it to have it on 24/7 when it can harm your system, to save you a few mins of updating(hell are there any updates?).

Tsukento

07-21-2007, 11:23 AM

I wouldn't rely on Kotaku for a source of news. They claimed that Japanese players were dashing for US-based Pokémon with nicknames on the Global Trade System because they couldn't us English letters...which was completely false.

Sounds more like Kotaku doesn't have shit to report so we've got "rumors" flying about.

On another note, I've left my Wii on for days and have never had a problem. Same goes with systems of now and the past.

RabidLurker

07-21-2007, 02:23 PM

I've had my Wii since the end of January. WiiConnect24's on and I put it in standby when I'm not using it. My Wii's fine.

If some Wiis are melting down because of a batch of inferior components or manufacturing defects , I'd want to find out if my Wii was defective while it's covered under warranty.

I'd turn WiiConnect24 on, put it in standby, and consider it stress testing.

PyroGamer

07-22-2007, 12:58 PM

All I know is I don't want a constantly running system that gets that hot anywhere near my drapes when I'm away from home.

RyokoYaksa

07-23-2007, 01:32 AM

Aren't the GPU and Wi-Fi chip placed right next to each other inside the Wii? It definitely makes sense that the GPU is being cooked because Wi-Fi devices tend to get quite hot.

trip1eX

07-23-2007, 11:02 AM

Vinny

07-23-2007, 12:11 PM

No, Standby mode does not make the Wii hot, its the Wii Connect24 thats making it hot. I checked this back then and I was wondering why it was so fucking hot , so I turned off my Connect24 and Standby mode was cool.

So yeah, you can leave Standby(red light) mode on, but turn off Connect24, because its useless leaving it on.

Huh? For me it was the other way around... I have WC24 on but stand by mode off and it's perfectly cool. When on standby, it used to get fairly hot.

dallow

07-23-2007, 12:32 PM

WiiConnect24 ON gives the orange light when you power down the system.
It gets hot.

Standby mode only gives the red light.
Not hot, nor warm.

Serpentor

07-23-2007, 01:19 PM

I'm actually going to turn it off today.
It's useless.

shame on you dallow... i thought you're way too smart to have Wii24 turned on all this time.

WiiGame

07-24-2007, 03:35 PM

just turn off wii connect 24... i don't see any advantages... it's not like u wake up and nintendo has just sent you a free mario or star fox 64 or something

AmigoOne

07-24-2007, 03:39 PM

My Wii went down. Sent it back in and they gave me a new one. My old one still worked, but had faint vertical lines of pixels on the screen. Not totally noticeable, but probably the start of a bigger problem.
Mine has a yellow color slowly showing up on the left side of my screen on things like the internet, and when its on everybody votes, a blue also shows up on the right. Does mine have a problem?

1_Chocobo

07-24-2007, 05:02 PM

actually, i do used to use wiiconnect to check the news almost every day, then i started realizing how HOT this thing was getting. I promptly stopped using it after that.

a shame though, now i gotta watch actual news to get my updates :/.

snipegod

07-24-2007, 05:04 PM

The misinformation in this thread is astounding.

h2dk

07-24-2007, 05:20 PM

Maybe I should take a look at mine... I walked by the other day and noticed the light was off. Seemed a little wierd so tried to turn it on...nothing. Moved it to another outlet...still nothing. I did this 4 or 5 times and finally the red light came on. I put it away because the neighbor kids were coming over, so I should hook it back up to see if everything is working correctly.

(I had slight power outage in the neighborhood the night before, and thought that may have caused it to reset)

pop311

07-24-2007, 07:27 PM

Would anybody suggest a cooling fan?

dallow

07-24-2007, 07:30 PM

shame on you dallow... i thought you're way too smart to have Wii24 turned on all this time.I just forgot it was on.
It's really my sister who plays it, and only GC games.

:(

Problem is fixed now.

The misinformation in this thread is astounding.Enlighten us!

Would anybody suggest a cooling fan?Haha, no.

daroga

07-24-2007, 10:53 PM

Wow, people still think that the WC24 is causing problems? I don't doubt that there may be issues out there, but WC24 doesn't make everyone's console heat up to the boiling point of plastic. Mine's been on for week and is barely warm to the touch.

Perhaps stand-by heat is causing problems on some systems, but it would seem far more likely to be deficines with that particular system rather the WC24 service as a whole.

My current system's had it on for 5 months now and works perfectly.

dallow

07-24-2007, 11:00 PM

daroga

07-25-2007, 10:42 AM

There is no heat with standby.Yeah-HUH!

It may not be Nintendo's terminology, but in my mind, standby=orange light, off=red light.

The point still stands.

snipegod

07-25-2007, 10:42 AM

Enlighten us!

You can lead a horse to water ...

Yes, everybody does have it backwards.

You can't even enable standby mode when WiiConnect24 is off. You can have WiiConnect24 on and standby off, however.

WiiConnect24 + Standby = orange light when powered down.
WiiConnect24 only = red light when powered down.
Standby only = does not exist, you Epsilon semi-morons.

Having standby on, having the orange light on, is what causes the heat. Whether this actually has an effect -- either to cause a defective GPU or worsen an already defective GPU -- I don't know.

daroga

07-25-2007, 10:44 AM

If the red light is on, regardless of whether WC24 is enabled in the software, it is not active.

dallow

07-25-2007, 10:52 AM

Ok then, I stand by what I wrote.
The only reason to have the system in standby mode is for WiiConnect24.

I just interchange both terms (standby & WiiConnect24) since they're nothing without the other as the point is to get online updates when the machine is not in use.

I keep my system in off (redlight mode) then.
No reason to keep it warm.

snipegod

07-25-2007, 10:53 AM

If the red light is on, regardless of whether WC24 is enabled in the software, it is not active.

If the red light is on, standby mode is not active. This is easily agreeable.

From my understanding, if you only have WiiConnect24 enabled (thereby getting a red light on power down), it will automatically connect to the web when your Wii is powered on. As opposed to WiiConnect24 being off (thereby having standby on being impossible) and still getting a red light on power down, your Wii will only connect to the internet when prompted -- such as entering the Everybody Votes Channel, the Internet Channel, etc.

Correct me if wrong, but it doesn't make sense that having WiiConnect24 off and having WiiConnect24 on without Standby mode on being the same thing.

Edit: And the third option, since Dallow asked above, would be WiiConnect24 on and Standby mode on (orange light). Your Wii will connect to the internet when powered down to the orange standby light to update itself concerning messages from Nintendo, Wii friends, and ... that's it? Someone fill me in if standby pre-downloads updates to firmware or anything else ... but I don't believe it does.

dallow

07-25-2007, 10:59 AM

Edit: And the third option, since Dallow asked above, would be WiiConnect24 on and Standby mode on (orange light). Your Wii will connect to the internet when powered down to the orange standby light to update itself concerning messages from Nintendo, Wii friends, and ... that's it? Someone fill me in if standby pre-downloads updates to firmware or anything else ... but I don't believe it does.It only gets message updates (and certain channel info), it won't pre-download anything without your approval.

To clarify, this is how my system is now setup.

WiiConnect24 on.
Standby off.

I will want it to get message updates (plus weather/news info) while I'm using the system.

snipegod

07-25-2007, 11:08 AM

I think that's the whole problem ... people are using standby and Wiiconnect24 to mean the same thing. They're not. They're two different setting options.

To illustrate: I just turned WiiConnect24 off (so, standby is also off ... you can't have standby on and WiiConnect24 off) and tried to go into any channel using the internet; you get an error message saying WiiConnect24 is not enabled. You can't even connect to the internet without WiiConnect24 on.

WiiConnect24 on = internet enabled.
WiiConnect24 off = internet disabled.
Standby on = internet checks when the system is off -- when the fans are not running -- creating heat.

They do need to release a firmware update to make the fans run whenever standby checks into the 'net for updates in order to decrease the heat generated. I've had standby on since launch, and the system does get very hot.

dallow

07-25-2007, 11:13 AM

daroga

07-25-2007, 11:38 AM

Ah, ok, I think I've got a better understanding of everything. I might swich standby to off on mine. It's not like it's doing anyything while off at the moment anyway.

dmaul1114

07-25-2007, 01:24 PM

WiiConnect24 on.
Standby off.

I will want it to get message updates (plus weather/news info) while I'm using the system.

Yep, that's how I have mine set and for the same reason. That way it's not getting hot or wasting electric when it's just gathering dust, yet it can still update the stuff while I'm playing a game so I can check the weather or whatever when I'm done if I get the urge (which is seldom--would rather just get on the internet on my PC or laptop).

I never turn it on just to check the news, whether, messages etc., so it's a useless feature for me at this point.

ArthurDigbySellers

07-25-2007, 03:36 PM

I don't have a great way to measure the temperature of the Wii but I took a couple readings from the side of the Wii using my kid's temporal thermometer and the readings came back like this:

WiiConnect24 On/Standby On - 105 degrees
WiiConnect24 On/Wii Powered on - 94 degrees
Wii Off (Same as Standby Off) - 80 degrees

While I don't think 105 degrees is going to mess up a normally functioning Wii, I can see other variables adding to that heat. Anyone who has their Wii in an enclosed component cabinet, jammed up against other consoles, sitting on other electronics, etc., could be inviting problems.

Even though I don't think the heat generated by having WiiCoonnect24 on in standby mode is going to cause an issue for most people, I'm going to turn the standby option off as well. Like everyone else said, it's not used for much so what's the point?

Maybe when Animal Crossing Wii comes out...

daroga

07-25-2007, 03:50 PM

dallow

07-25-2007, 04:30 PM

Just a heads up, that the information some people are giving here is wrong.

If you turn off Standby and leave WC24 on, it still disables the Weather Channel, etc. I guess we can't have our cake and eat it too?

Not quite.

It just doesn't have the 'instant info'.
You can still use the weather channel, it just to update, rather than update all the time while in standby.

I can live with that.

dmaul1114

07-25-2007, 04:59 PM

Yep, it just has to update when you connect, which is fine. Especially since I think the weather and news channels are utterly pointless anyway.

Much quicker to flip to weatherscan on cable, or check online on my PC than log onto the Wii weather which is always several hours outdated anyway. Same with news.

daroga

07-25-2007, 05:10 PM

Not quite.

It just doesn't have the 'instant info'.
You can still use the weather channel, it just to update, rather than update all the time while in standby.

I can live with that.That would make sense, wouldn't it? But, no. If standby is disabled, the weather and news channels don't work. The voting channel still works though.

dallow

07-25-2007, 05:11 PM

That would make sense, wouldn't it? But, no. If standby is disabled, the weather and news channels don't work. The voting channel still works though.No way! Hmmm.... I gotta try this out for myself when I get home.

Not sure why I care, seeing as how I don't use either channel, but I still want to see.

dmaul1114

07-25-2007, 05:52 PM

That would make sense, wouldn't it? But, no. If standby is disabled, the weather and news channels don't work. The voting channel still works though.

I'm pretty sure mine still work. But I rarely check as they're useless so I may be remembering wrong.

But seems like it just had to update, or if I played a game for a while then went to them they were ready to go (assumed Wiconnect updated while I was playing.

Scrubking

07-25-2007, 06:23 PM

That would make sense, wouldn't it? But, no. If standby is disabled, the weather and news channels don't work. The voting channel still works though.

Yes, this is true, and it's also very stupid on Nintendo's part.

rapsodist

07-25-2007, 06:35 PM

I've had my Wii since launch day, always with WiiConnect24 on. I also live in a dry area of Los Angeles where the temperature nearly always stays in the mid-80s to mid-90s. The console definitely feels warm to the touch but there've been no problems exhibited yet.

ratzombie

07-26-2007, 12:26 AM

That would make sense, wouldn't it? But, no. If standby is disabled, the weather and news channels don't work. The voting channel still works though.

Weather and News works for me, I have Standby Connection off and Wii24 on. The Weather/Vote channels are even updated when I click on them.

CocheseUGA

07-26-2007, 09:14 AM

Weather and News works for me, I have Standby Connection off and Wii24 on. The Weather/Vote channels are even updated when I click on them.

You are the exception then. To get weather updates on mine, I have to turn Standby mode back on. It won't work any other way.

Now, I haven't played in at least a few weeks, there might have been an update since then.

ArthurDigbySellers

07-26-2007, 03:31 PM

You are the exception then. To get weather updates on mine, I have to turn Standby mode back on. It won't work any other way.

Now, I haven't played in at least a few weeks, there might have been an update since then.

Doesn't work for me either and I'm sure there hasn't been any firmware updates recently since I've had WiiConnect24 on up until a few days ago.

I'm running version 2.2U in case anyone else wants to check theirs.

CocheseUGA

07-26-2007, 03:32 PM

Doesn't work for me either and I'm sure there hasn't been any firmware updates recently since I've had WiiConnect24 on up until a few days ago.

I'm running version 2.2U in case anyone else wants to check theirs.

I played some WiiSports earlier, and completely forgot to check.

daroga

07-26-2007, 05:00 PM

Weather and News works for me, I have Standby Connection off and Wii24 on. The Weather/Vote channels are even updated when I click on them.I think you've made an assumption without checking it. Everyone Votes works, weather and news do not. Check your setting and check those channels again.

ZForce915

07-27-2007, 09:14 AM

I had an interesting thing happen to me (twice now) since I decided to turn the power off (red button) completely instead of keeping it in standby (yellow/orange). When I tried to turn the Wii on from the red off mode I got a disk read error. The second time it happened the DRE happened at the Wii menu and I wasn't even selecting the Wii disk.

ratzombie

07-27-2007, 11:20 AM

I think you've made an assumption without checking it. Everyone Votes works, weather and news do not. Check your setting and check those channels again.

Weather works, but News doesn't now... weird, since both worked before.

daroga

07-27-2007, 01:42 PM

Weather works, but News doesn't now... weird, since both worked before.Does weather work all the way into it? Mine still has a local forecast when I kick up the Weather Channel, but when I get into it properly, it gives me the error about WC24.

Maybe Strikers will come with a patch to clean up some of these odd issues?

ratzombie

07-30-2007, 08:01 AM

Does weather work all the way into it? Mine still has a local forecast when I kick up the Weather Channel, but when I get into it properly, it gives me the error about WC24.

Maybe Strikers will come with a patch to clean up some of these odd issues?

It would go fully in, but now it says I have to turn it on for both. :lol:

The Wii is one weird piece of hardware.

FaintDeftone

07-30-2007, 12:29 PM

The first week I had my Wii I noticed it got really hot during stand-by. Ever since then I've always had stand-by disabled. I also unplug the console when I'm not using it.

I also have trouble with the News channel. When I have WC24 disabled, the News channel won't work. I don't use it so I could care less. Just as long as the browser, vote and the shop functions, I'm good.