Super Smash Bros: Brawl Broken

Apparently Super Smash Bros.: Brawl has been having issues running on some Wiis. Nintendo has stated that it’s due to “some contamination with the lens of the disk drive.” However, they don’t specify whether or not this is a user-induced problem or a factory error, though their repair service (free of charge with this form/FAQ) suggests it’s a manufacturing error. Neither do they say if this is an incidental problem throughout the range of Wiis in the market, or if it was a bad batch from a particular time period. Not that it matters necessarily, but it’d be nice to know that this is a minor production incident and not a major design flaw.

While this doesn’t look like too much of a problem for either Nintendo or Wii-owners, and definitely nothing as widespread as Xbox 360’s Red Ring of Death fiasco, it does show a chink in the console maker’s armor. If double-layer discs (which, according to the FAQ, have been rare on the Wii) are causing problems, who knows what else might be wrong? And especially with a highly anticipated game like SSB:B, the fact that it was caught only after launch doesn’t inspire much confidence in me. It’s not going to prevent anyone from buying Wiis or SSB:Bs, but it’s still a blemish on Nintendo’s Wii-white record.