Am I paranoid about overheating??

Bengoshi2k · 08-23-2008, 02:38 PM

Good Mornin' everyone,

Finally bought a Wii back in early June and got it running wirelessly about a month ago. Up until today, I've apparently not been shutting it down completely (red light) but leaving it in standby mode (yellow light). The Wii is positioned horizontally and is in a compartment with about 3-4 inches of space around it on all sides (and the back of the compartment is open). The Wii gets what I would call "light" usage. Maybe 90 min/day for 5 or 6 days out of the week.

I removed my MarioKart disc this morning and noticed that it was VERY warm. The Wii itself was warm on the top, sides, and back... but not alarmingly so. The underside (remember, it's sitting horizontally) was hot... and I don't mean very warm.. I mean hot. I could have ironed one of my dress shirts with it.

Soooo... I started googling "wii overheat" and began to find alot of information on Wii's overheating and then having graphics issues. Alot of the posts (including some here) indicated that in standby mode the Wii can get ridiculously hot. I won't be leaving it in standby anymore. I also elevated the Wii about a 1/2 inch so air can circulate under it.

Sorry for the long explanation to get to this one simple question: What is the likelihood that I have damaged my Wii? And are there any tests I can do to confirm/deny any damage?

Thank you!
"Paranoid in NC"
aka - Bengoshi2000

meall · 08-23-2008, 05:10 PM

Mine is always in that status, but vertically and in an open furniture. No problem so far. I only smelt overheating when I used it is a similar situation as yours (horizontal, closed furniture).

And about the light, the real definitions are:

- Green light - Turned on
- Yellow/orange light - Stanby but with WiiConnect24 turned on
- Red light - Stanby and the WiiConnect24 is turned off

So the only differences between yellow or red is the WiiConnect24 feature. Not sure the Wifi is responsable for that much overheating. I would look at your furniture and try to find out if you can install the Wii with more open space or maybe you can have an external air flow system for your furniture.

soccersuly · 08-25-2008, 02:57 PM

well it would get hotter while playing it so i dont know

anthonybest1 · 08-25-2008, 04:03 PM

dude as long as you dont block the vents then you should be fine

Jon B · 08-25-2008, 04:16 PM

My Wii remains on a lot and I haven't had any problems with it over heating. Mine is vented well but it's in a place well reachable by my button friendly 2 year old so that keeps it on a lot. I wouldn't worry to much, though. I have seen cooling stations for them at retailers but never heard any information from anyone who has had one.

Happy · 08-25-2008, 06:51 PM

It will be fine, when I had my Wii it 'overheated' a few times because I left wiiconnect on but all you need to do is turn it off and it will be completely fine. You should only be worried if it gets hot enough to melt metal.

vashivihan · 08-25-2008, 08:20 PM

my wii was doing the same thing and i called nintedo and shipped it to them last week. if the problem continues, i suggest you call nintendo. if its still under warranty, you wont have to pay anything. if you register your wii at nintedo.com, you get additional 3 months of warranty.

heymoe99 · 08-26-2008, 08:40 PM

the wii is designed to run (and i do me run, not just standby) 24/7.
it also uses less energy than the gamecube.

they talked about it on G4 just after the wii came out. they were talking with a person from nintendo.

they also wanted to design it no taller than 2 dvd cases. but they had trouble getting the disk drive smaller, so they went with 3 dvd cases.

Soopafly · 08-27-2008, 01:09 AM

Hey take out the disc when you're done playing it. I think the disc still spins in standby mode. Should solve all your problems.

Spinty · 08-27-2008, 01:18 AM

Keep it vertical if you are worried about it and definitely in an open space. Don't buy one of those cooling devices as they are not authorised by Nintendo and some can even over heat the console by drawing too great a voltage through the USB port. It'll get warm but really don't worry - it'll never over-heat so long as it's in an open space.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soopafly

Hey take out the disc when you're done playing it. I think the disc still spins in standby mode. Should solve all your problems.

The disc definitely doesn't spin on stand-by mode but the system is still carrying out minor processes with WiiConnect 24 which causes a slight amount of heat to be induced. Since the fans don't operate during stand-by, the system can actually get warmer in stand-by than when it is fully swithed on.

Jnova722 · 08-27-2008, 01:24 AM

As stated the Wii is designed to be on and/or in orange standby 24/7. If vertical MAKE SURE the vent on the bottom of the Wii has airflow getting to it (when using the stand you have to be pretty exact), if horizontal just be sure the Wii is not touching anything on the "base" side. I have used my Wii since launch without a hitch and I only fully power down maybe once or twice a year. It has been in either position, depending, and I have never experienced any heat related issues.

Nintendo has recognized that it runs warm and has stated that it is entirely ok. If you really feel your Wii is running hot, unplugging would be your best solution. If it continues to run hot, send it to Nintendo as it should never be more than moderately warm to the touch.

SSBfreakCK · 08-29-2008, 06:58 PM

Jnova722 makes a good point. If the Wii is constantly hot, even in standby, then it should be sent to Nintendo. Also, unplugging it after use is a great solution. I do so with my 360 and my Wii, lowers the electric bill a small amount anyways. It's a win-win solution if you ask me.