Wii gets firmware update

By Robert Purchese Published 26 February, 2008

Behind the scenes stuff.

Nintendo unleashed a Wii firmware update on our region while we slept.

It put its hands inside the machine and tidied up bits and pieces we are never likely to see. This, according to Nintendo, should improve system performance.

The update brings us to firmware version 3.2, which sounds quite respectable and probably is well presented.

If you spot the update doing any other exciting things, let us know. Elsewhere, today is Tuesday and it is sunny in Brighton. Also, Tom has a bad foot.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (33) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • BadBoyBonner #1 4 years ago

    Tom's bad foot must be gout with all the rich living after the pay rise! ;-)

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #2 4 years ago

    It's rather purple. He had a fight with some steps.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #3 4 years ago

    Did the steps win?

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #4 4 years ago

    It looks like it. Tom is defeated.

  • DB2k #5 4 years ago

    cant he use kristains special management elevator?

  • Bealsy #6 4 years ago

    I had an incident with steps once. It didn't involve going up them and it most certainly involved alcohol. So if the update happened in the middle of the night and nobody knows what it did - did it actually happen?

    I heard that apparently trees make no sound if nobody sees them fall...

  • tinodz #7 4 years ago

    The update changed some stuff when you put in a Gamecube game.

    GAMECUBE LIVES!

    Steps win to.... steps always win
    Edited by 2 at 26/02/08 @ 15:46

  • jonsaan #8 4 years ago

    I knew it was glowing for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Stand back, there's nothing to see..

  • Machiavel #9 4 years ago

    Tom was beaten by H from steps?

  • smelly #10 4 years ago

    >I knew it was glowing for absolutely no reason whatsoever.

    Erm.. it had updated.. That's a reason.


    I'm surprised (and quite frankly shocked) that no-ones come in this thread to make fun of the fact that this update does some optimization. Come on.. I expect at least one person to do a "i guess it's now as powerful as a ps2" joke.

  • tinodz #11 4 years ago

    ' Tom was beaten by H from steps? '

    That a Tragedy :(

  • Darren #12 4 years ago

    This firmware update caused my Wii to turn green... damn it, I *hate* buggy software!!!

  • Kyle #13 4 years ago

    "It put its hands inside the machine and tidied up bits and pieces we are never likely to see.

    So is this Nintendo trying to fix the reported Twilight Princess save game hax thing?

  • jonsaan #14 4 years ago

    What I meant Smelly was that it doesn't actually give us any new channels or anything like that. As usual. I'm not surprised. It is baffling how Nintendo can not capitalise on it's massive install base with a few goodies every now and then. I mean a funky wallpaper, anything!

  • Muddtallica #15 4 years ago

    Ah, I got all excited when it updated, but it doesn't seem like anything particularly exciting or magical has happened to my Wii. Next time, maybe...

    Hey, if anyone from Nintendo is listening; how about some way of customising the size of Channel icons on the main page, so you can fit more on at the same time? Only I've now got 13 Channels, which means that one is shunted to the next page, which is really annoying to this angry pedant.

  • smelly #16 4 years ago

    Us americans didnt get the update.

    So i'm presuming the update is to allow you europeans to run c64 software on the vc (yawn)

  • Darren #17 4 years ago

    Nintendo really need to do something about the Wii's lack of internal memory for storage. Allowing the memory on SD cards to act as a direct extension to the internal memory would be a start as 512 MB really doesn't cut it these days and not allowing games or content to run or be stored directly on SD cards is a big mistake IMO. I've stopped buying VC games now, purely because I've ran out of space on the internal memory and I'm sick of copying files back and forth to an SD card when I want to use them!

    SORT IT PLEASE, NINTENDO! NOW!!!!!!

  • BartonFink #18 4 years ago

    Aaaand in typical Nintendo fashion the floodgates open to a torrent of information regarding the update.

  • jonsaan #19 4 years ago

    Dream on Darren:)

    Nintendo have an amazing ability to NOT listen to their fans.

  • Darren #20 4 years ago

    Well in that case I shall not be spending any more money on VC or, indeed, the forthcoming WiiWare downloads then! It's ridiculous that Nintendo have not considered the possibility of people running out of space on the internal memory now the machine has been out a year, they must think Wii owners don't buy or download many games or something! Or do they think people like deleting and redownloading the stuff they've paid for everytime they want to use it.

    P.S. I know Nintendo don't listen... they don't bother replying to emails you send them either, ignorant c****!!!
    Edited by 1 at 27/02/08 @ 09:54

  • Heitzu #21 4 years ago

    Didn't Nintendo Japan say there was no need for external storage and they wern't planning on making any as you can always just download again.

    I also want to run off memory cqard and also feel this reason must be why I have stopped buying any more VC games off them.

  • mkreku #22 4 years ago

    Why are you guys here? It's Super Tuesday in the NHL right now!!

  • thiswaynow #23 4 years ago

    The recent update allows the Wii to play Blu-Ray disks. Nice, huh?

  • peterfll #24 4 years ago

    The US consoles got a firmware update last month though that the EURO region seemed to miss out on?

  • smelly #25 4 years ago

    "The US consoles got a firmware update last month though that the EURO region seemed to miss out on?"

    MORE PROOF nintendo HATES europe.

  • Cadence #26 4 years ago

    Hmmm, I can't really figure out what difference this has made yet. Anyone discovered anything interesting (that isn't made up)?

  • Landmaster #27 4 years ago

    The update changes your wi-fi rankings based on your racial background, gender, religious beliefs.

    x x

  • Muddtallica #28 4 years ago

    Landmaster: Just so long as it doesn't adjust for sexual orientation; like many people, I enjoy having sex with frozen chickens, and I would hate to think it would affect my reputation as a l33t gamer.

  • monkie_king #29 4 years ago

    I just want my glow to go back to being a nice glooooooow, instead of glooooow FLASH FLASH. It distresses me.

  • Heitzu #30 4 years ago

    In case anyone really cared, it altered the Disc Channel to have a different icon when the disc contains updates to the Wii. At least that what the message implied to me.

  • mcmothercruncher #31 4 years ago

    I've sussed it- the update changes the Wii clock speed slightly.
    It takes the system from running at Gamecube x 2 to running at Gamecube x2.17 recurring speed.

  • Fallen_Angel #32 4 years ago

    "The US consoles got a firmware update last month though that the EURO region seemed to miss out on?"

    MORE PROOF nintendo HATES europe.

    No, yesterdays update is the same as the US one, it just typical Nintendo localisation.

  • Tonka #33 4 years ago

    @ mokie_king
    The Flashing glow istimed to the chirpings of a japanese springbird.