Wii Graphic Glitches (ATI Card overheating?) -- Now with screens

catapult37

catapult37

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I'd heard about this problem, but it had not happened to me until today. You guys probably know this already, but apparently there's a problem with the Wii graphics card that causes it to generate gray/white artifacting when -- I guess -- it gets too hot. This translates to some really bad-looking stuff going on with the screen.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is so, did you send the Wii in for repairs? I'm concerned about my system data -- saves, Miis, VC games. What's their policy on that stuff?


Updated with screenshots:
wii_glitch_4.jpg

wii_glitch_3.jpg

wii_glitch_2.jpg

And here's a direct link to a very large version of one of them:
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u100/catapult37/DSC04245.jpg

I have not tried any other games since experiencing this. I definitely will before sending it off for repairs, but I don't believe it's the software.
 
[quote name='catapult37']I'd heard about this problem, but it had not happened to me until today. You guys probably know this already, but apparently there's a problem with the Wii graphics card that causes it to generate gray/white artifacting when -- I guess -- it gets too hot. This translates to some really bad-looking stuff going on with the screen.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is so, did you send the Wii in for repairs? I'm concerned about my system data -- saves, Miis, VC games. What's their policy on that stuff?[/quote]

I haven't had any problems myself, but I'm pretty sure they can transfer everything over for you. I know they'll do the VC games at least. If you have an SD card I'd back up the saves and get as many Miis on your remotes as you can as a precaution.

I would think they could transfer everything over for you though, you can just ask them if you want to know for sure (or wait until somebody on here that has done it replies).
 
I noticed something like that at times. My picture would only show the shades/tints of green and all shades/tints of red and blue would be monotone.

This was only with component though. The problems are not there with composite or s-vid. I'm pretty sure it's my cable because now I don't even get a picture through them. My PS2 and GC work fine with component (thank god it wasn't my monitor).

I have those $20 Intec cables BTW... too bad I don't have the receipt to return 'em, luckily I only paid $10 for them after GCO.
 
It's more like you get a scattering of stuck pixels all over your screen. I've seen this discussed in other places... I'm under the impression that it's a more or less known defect with some Wii systems.
 
Okay, I'll try to do so later today. It might be kinda tough to get a good screenshot by just pointing a camera at the screen, but I'll give it a "shot" (lol i'm hilarious)

Edit: added screenshots to OP.
 
I had the same problem. It's not that that's overheating, but there were a batch of GPUs that were just bad. I sent mine in to be repaired and everything transferred over just fine (VC credits [have to redownload the games, but for free], Miis, Address book, saved games, etc.).

It was about 2 1/2 weeks from the time I called them to the time I had it back in my hands, all paid for by Nintendo no problems. I got it done just in time for SPM to hit this coming week so I'll all set. ;)
 
Do you have Wiiconnect24 on all the time?

I turned it on for 30 minutes to see how hot it would get and it got really hot compared to when its on. I don't know how Nintendo could have overlooked such a glaring issue.
 
I've had that occur as well, on various games. I do have wiiconnect on all the time.
Sometimes it's been very minimal, other times it's very obvious and distracting. I guess I should call Nintendo :(
Seeing as how I don't want to dig out my manual/receipt right now, how long is the default warranty (although I registered so I should get three months free extension or something.)
 
I store my Wii horizontally, as I have nowhere for the stand to fit in my Tetris-like arrangement of 5 consoles and a DVD player. I used to keep WiiConnect24 on all the time, with what I assumed was no problems, until one day I slid out my standing-by Wii to plug GC controllers in only to find that the bottom of my Wii was HOT - not electronics-get-this-hot-sometimes hot, but if-my-hands-weren't-calloused-from-bussing-I-would-be-in-pain hot.

Turning off WiiConnect24 stops this from happening, fortunately, but it was too late. The bottom of my Wii is literally warped from the heat. The surface is akin to what Jello would look like if you jiggled it, with small, smooth undulations across the surface. Fortunately, it has never affected performance.

I have since bought some rubber sticky feet that one puts on walls where the handle of a door will hit them, which lifts my Wii off the ground about 3/4 of an inch. I never leave it in WiiConnect24 anymore, and I don't recommend other so either if they are not storing their Wii vertically.
 
[quote name='supershammy']I store my Wii horizontally, as I have nowhere for the stand to fit in my Tetris-like arrangement of 5 consoles and a DVD player. I used to keep WiiConnect24 on all the time, with what I assumed was no problems, until one day I slid out my standing-by Wii to plug GC controllers in only to find that the bottom of my Wii was HOT - not electronics-get-this-hot-sometimes hot, but if-my-hands-weren't-calloused-from-bussing-I-would-be-in-pain hot.

Turning off WiiConnect24 stops this from happening, fortunately, but it was too late. The bottom of my Wii is literally warped from the heat. The surface is akin to what Jello would look like if you jiggled it, with small, smooth undulations across the surface. Fortunately, it has never affected performance.

I have since bought some rubber sticky feet that one puts on walls where the handle of a door will hit them, which lifts my Wii off the ground about 3/4 of an inch. I never leave it in WiiConnect24 anymore, and I don't recommend other so either if they are not storing their Wii vertically.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, the Wiiconnect24 issue pisses me off because you have to turn it on to access stupid shit like the weather. Why? When I turn on my console and click on the weather there is nothing stopping my Wii from going online and getting the damn weather. So why do I have to turn on Wiiconnect?

Why doesn't nintendo have a server that handles messages and stuff so that the Wii doesn't have to pointlessly access the web all day creating ridiculous amounts of heat? It's completely stupid. Nintendo really doesn't know jack about going online.
 
I really don't think these graphical problems and the Wii Connect 24 are related at all. The system gets far warmer when actually playing a game vs. in standby, thus if it was overheating, it would be due to running hot vs. the stand by mode.

This issue (the same I had) were just some bad GPU chips that got put into the Wiis. It would've shown itself, eventually, whether you had it on standby or not.
 
[quote name='catapult37']I'd heard about this problem, but it had not happened to me until today. You guys probably know this already, but apparently there's a problem with the Wii graphics card that causes it to generate gray/white artifacting when -- I guess -- it gets too hot. This translates to some really bad-looking stuff going on with the screen.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is so, did you send the Wii in for repairs? I'm concerned about my system data -- saves, Miis, VC games. What's their policy on that stuff?


Updated with screenshots:
wii_glitch_4.jpg

wii_glitch_3.jpg

wii_glitch_2.jpg

And here's a direct link to a very large version of one of them:
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u100/catapult37/DSC04245.jpg

I have not tried any other games since experiencing this. I definitely will before sending it off for repairs, but I don't believe it's the software.[/QUOTE]

Dude, I just started having this exact same problem. I thank you for posting screens because it's doing the same thing for me on Zelda, Wii Sports and Red Steel. I know warranties are scanned at the store you buy your Wii at and electronically sent to Nintendo. You can use Nintendo's warranty tool on their site to check your warranty to see if its current. I'm calling Nintendo tomorrow to see if I can return it to them to get it fixed.
 
Could all the CAGers who've had this problem share the date relative to launch that they bought their Wiis? Any recent ones, or are all of these launch or slightly post-launch Wiis? I bought mine about two or so weeks after launch, on what was definitely a separate shipment from the launch shipment, and while I do not play all that much, its been on in wiiconnect24 mode since I bought the thing, so if it was going to overheat I assume it would have already.

But I am still worried that this could bite me in me' bum down the road, so I think it would be a good idea to see if we can figure out if this is a totally isolated batch of Wiis, or if even the newest systems are doing this.

Those screens scare the crap out of me, that that could happen to my precious Wii...btw...is it supposed to be that dark also?
 
I got my Wii about a week after launch, so I hope it's safe.

Man, but Jaso you got yours in February and it now started getting this problem?

That sucks. I thought I'd seen the end of these bad Wii postings.
 
Here is some interesting heat info from someone on the nintendo board. He took the temp of the Wii while it was off and had Wii24 on & standy mode on over the period of 2 hours.

Test1
Start: 84.84F (84.9, 84.6, 85, 85.4, 84.3)
005m: 89.18F (88.4, 89, 88.8, 89.6, 90.1)
010m: 92.48F (92, 92.3, 93, 92.2, 92.9)
015m: 96.7F (96.1, 96.5, 96.4, 96.7, 97.8)
020m: 97.46F (97.4, 97.8, 97.2, 97.5, 97.4)
025m: 100.3F (100.2, 100.2, 100.3, 100.2, 100.6)
030m: 100.12F (100.1, 100.2, 99.8, 100.6, 99.9)
035m: 100.78F (100.6, 100.6, 100.1, 101, 101.6)
040m: 101.3F (101.6, 101.5, 100.6, 101.2, 101.6)
045m: 103.08F (102.6, 102.8, 103.6, 103, 103.4)
050m: 103.14F (102.8, 102.8, 103.4, 103.4, 103.3)
055m: 105.16F (104.1, 105.7, 104.7, 105.6, 105.7)
060m: 104.84F (104.4, 104.8, 104.6, 105.3, 105.1)
065m: 105.26F (104.6, 105.4, 104.5, 105.3, 106.5)
070m: 105.9F (105.5, 106, 106.1, 105.8, 106.1)
075m: 106.7F (106.1, 105.8, 107.1, 107.2, 107.3)
080m: 107.14F (107.4, 107, 107.2, 107.1, 107)
085m: 107.1F (107.3, 106.8, 107, 107.4, 107)
090m: 107.54F (107.2, 107, 107.8, 107.6, 108.1)
095m: 107.92F (107.9, 107.8, 108, 107.9, 108)
100m: 108.46F (108.3, 108.1, 108.8, 108.6, 108.5)
105m: 108.48F (108, 107.9, 107.8, 109.2, 109.5)
110m: 109.4F (109.1, 109.5, 109.3, 109.6, 109.5)
115m: 109.42F (109, 109.1, 109.6, 109.6, 109.8)

Test 2
Start: 76.7F
010m: 88.3F
020m: 91.6F
030m: 94.9F
040m: 96.4F
050m: 99.7F
060m: 102.5F
070m: 104.2F
080m: 105.6F
090m: 106.2F
100m: 108.3F
110m: 108.9F

I wonder how hot it would have gotten if he would have tested it after 4 or more hours. I can't believe the system gets this hot while it's supposed to be off.

http://forums.nintendo.com/nintendo/board/message?board.id=wii_tech&message.id=67687#M67687
 
There isn't a video cardper se in the Wii. The video chip is solderd directly to the main board.

This type of issue isn't necessarily the video chip itself. The symptoms shown in the screen shot are more indicative of bad memory locations in RAM. A bad cell shows up as the same color value perpetually. This can be an intermittant heat driven problem.
 
my system was a replacement for the one I got at launch (one of the lucky ones to get those great firmware corruptions). But, mine was swapped out by Nintendo by the Wednesday after the system launched, so it was pretty early on.

Those temps are interesting but I have to guess that the person taking the readings either has an error in his sensors or has a defective unit. My system's been on standby with WiiConnect24 on for about a week and a 1/2 (Comeon Super Paper Mario) and it's barely warm to the touch on the bottom 1/2 of the system.
 
I got my Wii in mid-Februrary. I'd heard from others that had this problem that it can take a while to manifest, so everybody keep an eye out. :)

I'm not sure how long the basic warranty is, but I know the DS Lite has a 1-year warranty. Also, registering your Wii on myNintendo extends the warranty 90 days.

I'm not at all concerned about service -- I already set up the repair with Nintendo and they're sending me the UPS sticker. I did this already when my DS touch screen had problems and it was a realy easy process. They replaced my touch screen and the "main circuit board" and really shined up the outer casing, too! Plus, the repair extended the warranty another year. I expect a similar experience with the Wii.
 
[quote name='daroga']I really don't think these graphical problems and the Wii Connect 24 are related at all. The system gets far warmer when actually playing a game vs. in standby, thus if it was overheating, it would be due to running hot vs. the stand by mode.

This issue (the same I had) were just some bad GPU chips that got put into the Wiis. It would've shown itself, eventually, whether you had it on standby or not.[/quote]

The problem is when the Wii goes into standby and WiiConnect24, the fan turns off, but when playing a game it is turned on. There is much less cooling when it is in WC24.
 
[quote name='drfunk85']The problem is when the Wii goes into standby and WiiConnect24, the fan turns off, but when playing a game it is turned on. There is much less cooling when it is in WC24.[/quote]Right, but it's not actually doing anything. If your Wii is getting over 100 degrees F when in standby, there's an issue with your specific console.
 
I had this problem on my Wii. I got it the week after launch. I sent it in and they gave me a different one with all my data back. It's working fine for now.
 
[quote name='Vinny']I noticed something like that at times. My picture would only show the shades/tints of green and all shades/tints of red and blue would be monotone.

This was only with component though. The problems are not there with composite or s-vid. I'm pretty sure it's my cable because now I don't even get a picture through them. My PS2 and GC work fine with component (thank god it wasn't my monitor).

I have those $20 Intec cables BTW... too bad I don't have the receipt to return 'em, luckily I only paid $10 for them after GCO.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that would probably be the cables---one of them just isn't working.
I had an interesting problem with my HDDVD player thru DVI--colors were reversed, there was virtually no red, and everything had a greenish tint. Turns out it was set on YPbPr instead of RGB (whatever the hell that means).
 
My advice to people is, if you have just played one of the more demanding Wii games graphically (Zelda, Red Steel...you know...not something like cooking mama), then you might not want to shut your system down immediately...leave it on the menu for a bit.

With the system on and the fan continuing to work, it will have time to cool. If you immediately power down, then as soon as the fans stop working the heat in there will likely get hotter than usual...and its an increased risk.

They should release a system update that keeps the fan working in WiiConnect mode...but then an issue becomes the speed at which fans will start to go bad.
 
Nintendo should just do away with this 24/7 online crap. Why do you want to leave your system on all night just to get a blue light that tells you stuff is ready for download?

I'd rather it get all that info when I turn my console on and I'm available to see what is ready for download.
 
Yeah it's broken. The exact same thing happened to mine. I don't know how it happened, but it did. It really sucks. I always unplug the Wii when I'm not using it. I really wish I didn't have to do that, but the WC24 just makes it so damn hot.
 
[quote name='Scrubking']Nintendo should just do away with this 24/7 online crap. Why do you want to leave your system on all night just to get a blue light that tells you stuff is ready for download?

I'd rather it get all that info when I turn my console on and I'm available to see what is ready for download.[/QUOTE]

Or even logging on intermittently when the system is idle, say every 2 , 4, 6, 8 hours. The 24/7 isn't even working all that well, just now I didn't have the most recent weather update.
It's not receiving that much content that it needs an always-on connection.
 
[quote name='d00k']Yeah it's broken. The exact same thing happened to mine. I don't know how it happened, but it did. It really sucks. I always unplug the Wii when I'm not using it. I really wish I didn't have to do that, but the WC24 just makes it so damn hot.[/quote]
Why not just turn it off then?
 
I really dont think its Wii Connect 24 at all. I've had my Wii since launch and had Wii Connect 24 on since launch and it is barely hot, so I think its just a bad batch of GPUs.
 
[quote name='d00k']That little orange light still glows. It still gets really hot.[/quote]
If it's orange, it's not off. The light should be red if you have Wii Connect 24 off.
 
[quote name='FriskyTanuki']If it's orange, it's not off. The light should be red if you have Wii Connect 24 off.[/QUOTE]

The light turns orange when "standby mode" is turned on. You can turn Wii24 on, but leave standy off and it will be red.

The feature that is causing all of this insane heat is not Wii24, but rather Standby mode that keeps the console on after you turn it off. All of this heat is coming from the network card and ruining the GPU.
 
[quote name='Scrubking']The light turns orange when "standby mode" is turned on. You can turn Wii24 on, but leave standy off and it will be red.

The feature that is causing all of this insane heat is not Wii24, but rather Standby mode that keeps the console on after you turn it off. All of this heat is coming from the network card and ruining the GPU.[/quote]
That's because turning Wii Connect 24 off turns off the standby connection by default, so it's red either way. Wii Connect 24 is just the online itself, so turning it off or on does little to help the situation.
 
I'm not sure what I'm seeing the pictures. Are you talking about tiny-white lines that are barely visible?
 
[quote name='KingBroly']I'm not sure what I'm seeing the pictures. Are you talking about tiny-white lines that are barely visible?[/quote]no, there's little quraes of white / grey / black. They don't show up real well in those pictures, but if you had the issue, you'd know right away.

Despite the fact that it's not cause by the WC24 (or at least shouldn't be, if people are really getting machines that are that hot while in standby, you NEED to Call Nintendo NOW. That's NOT NORMAL, and my system that had this gliltch did not have that excessive heat), it's something that should be taken care off sooner rather than later. It's a GPU defect that's not going to go away, and is likely to actually get worse with time.
 
My system is definitely not HOT. Warm, it is though. But it does have a foot clear on either side and is on the floor, so it gets great ventilation regardless.

I think nintendo could release a system update to keep the fan on in standby mode...shouldnt be hard to program.
 
[quote name='daroga']no, there's little quraes of white / grey / black. They don't show up real well in those pictures, but if you had the issue, you'd know right away.
...[/quote]

I tried to pick the "best" pictures of the ones I snapped, but the real proof is seeing it in motion. The bad pixels move and materialize all over the screen as the game perspective changes. Sometimes it's just a bit of static, and sometimes it's like a swarm of grey pixels. Not cool.
 
lol, This is pretty funny considering it's not like the Wii has to push around fancy nice complex graphics. Wii have a problem... again?
 
[quote name='catapult37']I tried to pick the "best" pictures of the ones I snapped, but the real proof is seeing it in motion. The bad pixels move and materialize all over the screen as the game perspective changes. Sometimes it's just a bit of static, and sometimes it's like a swarm of grey pixels. Not cool.[/quote]Wasn't criticizing your pics. You're right, it's just much more apparent in person/motion.

[quote name='VipFREAK']lol, This is pretty funny considering it's not like the Wii has to push around fancy nice complex graphics. Wii have a problem... again?[/quote]Whether you're pushing around a ton of power or not, if you have a defective GPU you're going to have problems. This isn't a heat issue; it's a bad chip / memory issue. Evidenced most clearly by where I first started seeing the problems: in the white screen with black text describing the different ways to hold the Wiimote in Wario Ware. There's some massive GPU action going on there. ;)
 
No worries -- I was just clarifying for the poster who asked what we were looking at. I picked a random snippet of your post to include in the reply, had to scroll up to even see what you meant. :)
 
ugh! i just got an HDTV and upgraded to component cables for my wii and i noticed that the images on screen looked really murky and fuzzy and that something's not right....

is it just that the wii does not like HDTVs even if you have component cables?

when im not playing my wii i usually turn it off completely with no wii 24 connect because i dont like how hot the wii gets when wii 24 connect is on

i hope i do not have this graphics card overheating problem, and btw do you think buying a cooling system for the wii is a good idea to stop overheating like this?
 
[quote name='anarchyburger']ugh! i just got an HDTV and upgraded to component cables for my wii and i noticed that the images on screen looked really murky and fuzzy and that something's not right....

is it just that the wii does not like HDTVs even if you have component cables?

when im not playing my wii i usually turn it off completely with no wii 24 connect because i dont like how hot the wii gets when wii 24 connect is on

i hope i do not have this graphics card overheating problem, and btw do you think buying a cooling system for the wii is a good idea to stop overheating like this?[/QUOTE]


Is it your first time to play a game in progressive scan on your TV? Its better than 480i, but its still disappointing. PS2 games are the same way.
 
[quote name='anarchyburger']ugh! i just got an HDTV and upgraded to component cables for my wii and i noticed that the images on screen looked really murky and fuzzy and that something's not right....

is it just that the wii does not like HDTVs even if you have component cables?

when im not playing my wii i usually turn it off completely with no wii 24 connect because i dont like how hot the wii gets when wii 24 connect is on

i hope i do not have this graphics card overheating problem, and btw do you think buying a cooling system for the wii is a good idea to stop overheating like this?[/QUOTE]
i dont know that a cooling system is needed.
one thign i suggest and havent yet tried myself, is buying clear adhesive backed risers, or feet and sticking those to the bottom to give more space underneath to dissapate heat better.
i actually made a small stack of pennies under each foot on my wii and it didnt get nearly is hot as it did when it was placed directly on the surface.
 
how do i tell the difference if it is my wii acting up or my component cables/HDTV?

while playing zelda i noticed very lil specs like white dots appearing towards the middle of the screen they would come and go

and i think this glitch actually happened to me this past saturday, i turned on my wii and saw lots of gray and white specs all over the screen in the wii menu, i began to play excite truck to see if it wolud continue and sure enough it did.

then i turned off my wii and turned it back on a few hours later and it worked perfectly fine, and i havent had a problem with it since

so i dont know if there is a problem with my wii or is it just a bad connection with my component cables?
 
[quote name='anarchyburger']bump[/quote]

I'm not familiar with the kinds of problems that can arise with component cables, but most of what I hear has to do with color issues (usually because one of the cables isn't plugged in all the way or is damaged).

The problem you're describing sounds very similar to the one I sent my Wii to Nintendo to repair.

Speaking of which, they need to send that thing back to me pretty soon....
 
[quote name='anarchyburger']how long ago did you send it in?[/quote]
It was about a week and a half ago -- Saturday before last. I expect to see the return tracking number show up today or tomorrow. They only received it Thursday, so it's not like they're taking forever -- I'm just impatient. I did this with a DS Lite and the turnaround was a bit quicker... dunno... the Wii is surely a more complicated machine, but I figure all they gotta do is swap out my graphics card (which is probably soldered to the motherboard, but whatever).

Anyway, they say you should have your stuff back 7-9 days after they get it. So it's only been 5-6 so far.
 
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