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[cireza]

Hey everyone,

Some people around here love their Wii U (that's my case) so I thought I was going to share something I realized yesterday (not that I discovered this myself).

A friend on another forum has tried using his Wii U after several years of it being in the box. And he gets a memory error. He can reach the main menu, but errors will occur etc...
As I was searching the internet about this issue, I found tons of similar issues, with people never being able to make their console work again.

Here are some details :
- Console was not used for several years
- Console was not hacked
- Hacked consoles can also have the issue
- Memory error 160-0103 on the Gamepad
- Trying to factory reset WILL brick the console definitely
- This is a NAND corruption issue that is impossible to restore if you have not saved your NAND through softmod
- Even with a NAND backup, it seems pretty complicated to restore it
- I believe that NAND is encrypted with encryption keys that are of course different for each console, so we cannot restore some other backup

You can search on the internet, you will find tons of results.

Overall, there doesn't seem to be much success at making the console work once the issue appears. This basically means that in the future, this console is going to die a slow, silent death. I strongly suggest that people who like their console keep it plugged and use it every once in a while (although I don't know if this helps, but many reports are from people who haven't used it in a long time).

It should be noted that if the NAND gets corrupted, it might be possible one day to bypass the NAND through some other device at boot. This is why making a backup before it gets bad is useful.

I was never impressed by Nintendo hardware, but I have to say that this takes the cake. They of course won't deal with this as they don't repair Wii U anymore, obviously. Still this is unacceptable...

I do not know how many consoles are affected by this (5%, 10%, 50% ?). Nintendo probably know though.

Hope this is of use to some of you.

 

[anthony2690]

It's a Nintendo safety protocol to make sure their fans move onto the switch and rebuy their fave Wii U games

 

[Goalus]

Welcome to the physical future.

 

[Thief1987]

It's dying from loneliness

 

[Drew1440]

The CMOS battery has died? I recall a similar issue for the PS4 a while back when it's battery had died.

 

[Robb]

Makes me want to dig up my WiiU just to see if it’s still ticking.

 

[Revolutionary]

 

[knocksky]

Fuck. My boy is becoming a collector, and believe it or not I found a SEALED WiiU in my local supermarket for 89€ last month. I haven't given it to him yet.

Now I am concerned.

 

[skyfall]

I love anecdotes with zero evidence

 

[cireza]

The CMOS battery has died? I recall a similar issue for the PS4 a while back when it's battery had died.

Thanks for the suggestion.
From all the results I found I didn't find anything like this, even once. All were pretty certain it was NAND failure.

Fuck. My boy is becoming a collector, and believe it or not I found a SEALED WiiU in my local supermarket for 89€ last month. I haven't given it to him yet.

Now I am concerned.

Be careful when updating the console (interrupting the super long system update), this is another case of consoles being bricked and Nintendo won't do anything about it anymore.

 

[Spaceman292]

It's probably for the best

 

[cireza]

I love anecdotes with zero evidence

wii u nand corruption - Google Search

wii u memory error - Google Search

wii u 160-0103 - Google Search

Etc...

There are tons of results. Don't believe the internet if you don't want, nobody is forcing you

My Wii U has started throwing up the dreaded 160-0103 and 160-2155 error codes. I've narrowed the issue down to the internal storage being corrupted being as I can download and run games off the external storage without any issues, however if I try to download any updates onto the internal storage the download freezes and never completes - resulting in needing to do a hard reset.

Error Code: 160-0103 on 5.5.2 No modding, What can I do?

A couple years back, this error code (160-0103: There is a problem with the system memory) would pop up on certain games on my console (whether they be installed or disc). It was happening so frequently, I decided to factory reset, loosing countless games in effort to save and salvage my...

gbatemp.net

A couple years back, this error code (160-0103: There is a problem with the system memory) would pop up on certain games on my console (whether they be installed or disc). It was happening so frequently, I decided to factory reset, loosing countless games in effort to save and salvage my console. When I restart, everything worked fine until I'm prompted to make a Mii. 3 or so seconds of loading occur until bam, I see the same dreaded error code yet again.

So I've got a launch model wii u premium that i got on launch day back in 2012. I've never done any homebrew or hacking with it but around 2016 ish the console started crashing when launching certain games or apps giving me the dreaded black screen and 160-0103 system memory is damaged error. I recently turned it back on again because i was bored and now it seems to have progressed to a state where almost all actions cause it to crash to the 160-0103 screen, even going into system settings.

My Wii U has been sitting unused for 5+ years. I decided to get it out the other day, but upon startup, I get a black screen with a 160-0103 error code

I have read tenths of these yesterday when doing my research. And it happened exactly the same way for my friend, which had the console sitting in its box for several years.

 

[Kupfer]

While we're talking about old consoles dying a slow death behind closed cabinet doors:

Remember to fix your old Xbox's capacitor before you plug it back in.

 

[BlueLyria]

Not directly related, but if you own a Xbox OG, you should check it for leaky caps. Same for older consoles/same gen

 

[Mr Reasonable]

Fuck. My boy is becoming a collector, and believe it or not I found a SEALED WiiU in my local supermarket for 89€ last month. I haven't given it to him yet.

Now I am concerned.

It's ok, collecting isn't about using things.

 

[Calverz]

 

[knocksky]

It's ok, collecting isn't about using things.

I know, I have also bought a couple of sealed games for the console too.

 

[DGrayson]

It still really bothers me that Nintendo didn't patch the OS to allow access to all settings without the gamepad.

 

[cireza]

It still really bothers me that Nintendo didn't patch the OS to allow access to all settings without the gamepad.

If you simply want to play your game, you can at least navigate the menu and icons with the Pro Controller and start your game without having to use the Gamepad.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Man, I loved the WII U but I know it was shit to the majority. I still had a blast with mine. Still have it, passed it to my father in law as a mario kart machine.

 

[Bo_Hazem]

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

Peaceful. Merciful, even.

 

[Doczu]

Nice to know, thanks. I have an unused Wii U that i softmodded for emulation and haven't used since.

So do i get it right i should just dump my nand and keep an eye when the console locks itself?

 

[Sw0pDiller]

Used it yesterday to spend the last money in my wallet for nes remix 2 in the store. kids still use it to play mariokart, smash, nintendoland and many others. kirby epic yarn still blows me away

 

[cireza]

Nice to know, thanks. I have an unused Wii U that i softmodded for emulation and haven't used since.

So do i get it right i should just dump my nand and keep an eye when the console locks itself?

It can't be bad to dump the NAND I suppose and keep a backup. Maybe that a more practical way to restore it will eventually be found, as for now if my understanding is correct it requires tools and soldering...

 

[Same ol G]

Problem is obviously not widespread.
Also unless you modded the console or still need to play Xenoblade X, who still plays on it?

 

[DevilMayFlyForAWhiteGuy]

I still fire mine up periodically. Still the only “modern” nintendo system that has the majority of the Metroid/Zelda libraries. It’s a launch model too. I did hack it to play GC games as well, so hopefully this doesn’t become an issue for me later on as I have a shitload of virtual console games I would hate to lose. And if I do lose them to this issue I’ll have no qualms emulating them myself.

 

[Beer Baelly]

Im afraid to start it up. Bring those damn Zelda remasters to Switch damnit!

 

[Doczu]

Problem is obviously not widespread.
Also unless you modded the console or still need to play Xenoblade X, who still plays on it?

I do. My preferred Wind Waker and Twilight Princess machine

 

[Punished Miku]

Makes me want to fire up Starfox this weekend. Lot of great BC titles as well. Wii U is awesome.

 

[ironmang]

If you simply want to play your game, you can at least navigate the menu and icons with the Pro Controller and start your game without having to use the Gamepad.

Was there a way to turn the gamepad off? I remember I didn't see any options so I just left it face down in the corner of the room while I used the pro controller.

Not that it matters now since I traded mine in 6 years ago for a Switch but it's still funny to think about how annoying and weird the gamepad was.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Mine is still going strong. Played some of Bayonetta on it not long ago. Recently upgraded the external memory, got a new cord and extra-large battery for the Wii U pad.

 

[Alexios]

 

[WalterSobchak]

Huh I'll have to dust mine off. Hate to lose it. Zombie U is still on my backlog .

 

[Ulysses 31]

It happened to me a year ago, was going to check the VC games I had on it and the system wouldn't boot with some error code. Had to send it to Nintendo and for 200€(IIRC) they sent me a refurbished one with a year warranty.

 

[TheGreatMusashi]

.

 

[cyberheater]

I might dig mine out to see if she fires up.

 

[Moses85]

Fuck. My boy is becoming a collector, and believe it or not I found a SEALED WiiU in my local supermarket for 89€ last month. I haven't given it to him yet.

Now I am concerned.

Edeka, Lidl, Aldi, Norma, Penny?

 

[knocksky]

Edeka, Lidl, Aldi, Norma, Penny?

Lol no Leclerc in France

 

[Business]

I was ready to take mine out of its box again just to play NES Remix and Tropical Freeze, but then I got a Steamdeck. Cemu runs so well that it looks like my Wii U may die.

 

[Moses85]

Lol no Leclerc in France

 

[knocksky]

He will have a choice to make though. Either keep it sealed and the games that he will get with it or open it up and lose resale value in a few years should he want to

 

[Spaceman292]

Are there even any Wii U games left? I thought all the noteable ones were ported to other things.

 

[64bitmodels]

hmmm, it concerns me but honestly i cannot care
the last thing i needed to do with my WiiU was port the vWii nand to my PC for MKWii online. Now though everything on that device i could easily just play on my PC

 

[Ulysses 31]

Are there even any Wii U games left? I thought all the noteable ones were ported to other things.

There's still some noteworthy eShop exclusives(plenty of YT videos on that) and Wii U is the best way to play Wii games.

 

[Spaceman292]

There's still some noteworthy eShop exclusives(plenty of YT videos on that) and Wii U is the best way to play Wii games.

I think the Wii is the best way to play Wii games. What games are there?

 

[kruis]

I'm more likely to run Wii U games through an emulator than on the real thing to be honest.

 

[OuterLimits]

Are there even any Wii U games left? I thought all the noteable ones were ported to other things.

I think Xenoblade X is probably the biggest one still stuck on the machine.

 

[Kadve]

This is a known problem and is caused by a bad batch of 32GB (Samsung) eMMC chips that some early models of the Wii U used (some reports of it happening to the 8GB version is also known, but it seems to be much more common with the 32GB model). They have a chance of randomly corrupting themselves during a read/write cycle (Smash Brothers U was infamous for how often it caused it due to how much it read/wrote to the eMMC chip) and even more so as the chips age. Here it was most likely caued due to the chip being unused for so long.

eMMC as a whole is kinda infamous for how volatile the format is an its failure rate as the chips grow older. Tesla faced similar issues back in 2021 with the 8GB chips used in early cars.

(note, the Switch also makes use of eMMC for its internal storage. Time will tell if that too becomes an issue)

(edit). Here is some good info. Note that there also seems to be some Wii U's making use of Hynix chips not mentioned here. And i don't think people ever figured out a way to apply the firmware update.

Possible to Repair Wii U System Memory Error Code 160-0103?

Have you tried installing System Settings to USB? Just managed to download System Settings v178 using nusgrabber.exe (I hate using command lines!) I used System Config Tool to install it to USB, but afterwards it doesn't appear as a title on the USB drive. @EyeKey I have just dumped all 32GB of...

gbatemp.net

So I was doing some reading about eMMC and have come up with a theory/possible cause of the 160-0103...

I was reading Wiiubrew's information about the different types of eMMC chips used in the Wii U:-
http://wiiubrew.org/wiki/EMMC_NAND
As you can see the eMMC can be either a Samsung 8GB/32GB chip, or a Toshiba 32GB chip.

Then I was reading bunnie's blog about hacking microSD cards:-
https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=3554
Which explains that eMMC chips use a microcontroller to control all access to the flash memory, and that this microcontroller has its own firmware.
Then this sentence caught my attention:-

However, it’s been previously noted that at least one Samsung eMMC implementation using an ARM instruction set had a bug which required a firmware updater to be pushed to Android devices,

Since I already knew the the Wii U uses a Samsung eMMC chip on some models I thought maybe this microcontroller firmware bug could also be affecting the Wii U.

I googled and read through a number of xda forum threads with info about the bug, the most interesting of which was this one:-
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2096045
It seems that this bug affects eMMC chips which use the VHX microcontroller, and wouldnt you know it the Samsung 32GB chip (KLMBG4GE4A-A001) used in the Wii U also uses the VHX micocontroller! (The Samsung 8GB chip uses the VFX_U microcontroller, which may or may not have the same bug)<EDIT>A Russian site I found suggests that both the VHX and VFX_U microcontrollers can be affected by the bug.

As far as I can tell the affected Samsung eMMC chips were manufactured throughout 2012, so a good number of early Wii U consoles could be affected (Nintendo originally hoped to sell 5.5 million Wii U consoles by April 2013) It appears the problem is not the the flash memory itself, but rather the wear levelling data can potentially become corrupted after specific commands are issued.

As far is it seems right now, it isn't caused by flash wear or anything like that. It seems that it's caused by a bug which is triggered in a very specific case. Then, it causes the device to corrupt its inner structures or its firmware - I'm not sure which one yet.

The specific bug is that they don't check the return value of some function returning a pointer, which may be NULL. It then leads to a NULL pointer dereference which corrupts things.

The lockup doesn't happen immediately after power-on. The chip doesn't lock up until a sector is referenced that has corrupted wear leveling data inside the chip. Once that sector is referenced, the chip will lockup hard, and the only thing that will get it talking again is to power cycle it. Once it is power cycled, the chip will talk again, until that bogus sector is accessed.

I imagine Super Smash Bros reads/writes to the eMMC much more often than most other games (Saving trophies etc) so its more likely to trigger the bug.

Since this is a low level eMMC error there is unfortunately no way for the Wii U to format/delete the corrupted data. However Samsung did issue a VHX microcontroller firmware update for some affected phone models by using vendor specific commands:-
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=38112844&postcount=79
Some people suggest that this firmware update would require the eMMC to be formatted at the same time, whilst others suggest it should be possible to apply the update without formatting the data.

 

[Deerock71]

While we're talking about old consoles dying a slow death behind closed cabinet doors:

Remember to fix your old Xbox's capacitor before you plug it back in.