Everyone loves the feeling of watching a new game boot up on their TV or computer monitor. That excitement tends to wane, however, when that new game turns your console into an expensive doorstop.
That’s the unfortunate reality for a small number of Super Smash Bros. Wii U players whose jaunt into the new party fighter has turned into a full-blown migraine. This YouTube video shows the stomach-dropping error in action:
The error appears at the title screen and reportedly wipes the console’s memory, rendering it unusable for any purpose other than keeping napkins from blowing away at a picnic. A similar error has been reported after accessing the Data Management page, with equally damning results.
As of yet, users are still unsure what’s causing their Nintendo consoles to turn into shiny white paperweights. Speculation has connected errors 160-0103 and 160-1710 to the new Smash update, though Nintendo has yet to confirm this theory.
At this time, Nintendo is reportedly instructing the few unfortunate victims to send their console in for repairs. Until a fix is deployed, it may be best to dust off the Wii Fit balance board and get started on those New Years’ resolutions.
Correction: Error 160-0103, the code that pops up shortly after the Smash Bros. Wii U loading screen appears, does not appear to be individually responsible for either wiping system memory or bricking Wii U consoles, according to reports from users. Reformatting a Wii U console following a 160-0103 error has been tied to console failures. Accessing the Data Management tool on the Wii U immediately following the 160-0103 error may trigger the 160-1710 error, which also may lead to a console failure.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Nintendo of America for comment, and did not hear back in time for publication. We do know it is aware of the problem.
Some players are reporting that they received the error message after a system update, and suggest that taking Wii U systems offline for the time being might be a constructive response. For further details on players’ reports of these errors, check out SmashBoards and Reddit’s SmashBros subreddit.