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I've noticed some graphic noise during a number of Wii games. A bit in Wii Fit, New Super Mario Bros., and most recently Skyward Sword. I don't play often enough to bother me but the amount of time I've sunk in to Zelda has prompted me to ask the collective Internet.

I have this Wii hooked up via component cable. I had the Wii repaired / replaced by Nintendo a few years ago and, honestly, I can't remember if this problem popped up when I got the new console or if this started later.

It almost seems like certain rendering cases cause it. With Zelda for instance, it's much more prominent when I'm in the clouds. Wii Fit, on the main menu. Mario, I remember this showing up during levels only.

Anyone else seeing this?

ALL THAT NOISE

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  • Have you experienced problems when watching TV or Videos? I'd make sure the TV's not at fault before you assume it's your Wii. Jan 2, 2012 at 21:20
  • What did you get the Wii repaired for? It might be a defect with your wii's GPU overheating (being poorly connected, bad heatsink, etc).
    – Krazer
    Jan 2, 2012 at 21:26
  • No problems with any other devices over composite, component, or HDMI. The Wii just stopped working after a couple years. Again, I don't know if Nintendo repaired or replaced it.
    – Orange Kid
    Jan 2, 2012 at 21:36

1 Answer 1

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I have the problem myself and only have seen it in Skyward Sword, none of my other games show graphical issues. Some digging online shows it to be a hardware issue--your Wii's GPU is a bit fried. Not enough to ruin the graphics in other games, but since Zelda runs a more advanced graphical engine and pushes the Wii harder with depth of field effects it causes artifacts if you have a bad GPU. Nintendo can repair it, and that should solve the problem, but it may be a bit costly.

One thing to consider is the always-on nature of Wii's internet connectivity. Having the Wii on a constant 24 hours/7 days a week can bring it to a surprisingly hot temperature and probably wears out the hardware faster. Perhaps this touted feature was a bad idea, I can't help but wonder if doing this for 6 years caused my Wii's GPU problems.

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  • Sounds plausible. I turned off 24/7 because I was worried about it rotting the game disc sitting inside. Oh well. If it is fried, at this point, I might as well wait until it's unplayable to replace it.
    – Orange Kid
    Jan 2, 2012 at 21:46

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