You’re not alone. In fact, Nintendo has set up a special support page for people with this problem. This has, no doubt, angered many Super Smash Bros. fans who have waited for the game after delays set back the release date, only to find out their Wii won’t even play it.
Since the game is a dual layered DVD with a lot of memory stored on it, some Wii’s are having trouble reading the disc. According to Nintendo, “A very small percentage of Wii consoles may have trouble consistently reading data off this large capacity disc if there is some contamination on the lens of the disc drive. Nintendo has specialized cleaning equipment that can resolve this problem.”
Please note: If you have this problem, simply exchanging your copy of the game for another will not make a difference. It is a console problem that Nintendo needs to fix. There will be no charge to send your console in and have it repaired, and Nintendo promises to upgrade shipping services for a fast turnaround to get you back into the Brawl.
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March 11th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
yeah i waited for four years for this game, preordered it an everything just to find out i have to wait even longer to play it. this is major bull. i got my wii on day one and i would like to know if it is just people that got it early on in the consoles life because then nintendo probably tried to cut some corners a put cheaper lasers that only read one layer discs.
March 15th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Same deal with me. I got one of the first Wii’s off the shelf and I also have problems reading the disc. Never really been one for conspiracy theories, but I think this has something to do with people using mod-chips in their systems. A dirty laser lens should be easily cleaned using a disc designed to clean drives. There’s no special equipment. Nintendo has had a slew of press releases and such regarding this problem, and the new format serves a dual purpose. One, a lot of people have to send in their console now. Anyone with a mod chip sends their system in and their nintendo is junked because of “Illegal aftermarket modifications to the system.” Two, the new DVD format screws with the only known drive that is able to read the data on a Wii disc, making it next to impossible to copy. I am all for Nintendo working to keep their work from being copied, and for the Wii it has been a pretty huge problem for them, so I can’t blame them in the least for trying to make this one more secure, given that this would likely be one of the single most copied games ever for the Wii. I think, however, there should have been quite a lot more testing going into the method to keep ligit systems from having to put up with it.
March 20th, 2008 at 4:38 am
Alright guys, I fixed my game using a static sheet(like you use in laundry) and a very soft duster cloth. Some of you might call this blasphemous(keep reading fanboys).
One)
Take the static sheet, and cut it into a long stip, about the width of the game disc.
Two) wrap a tiny bit of one of the ends around the edge of the disc, so the strip falls back under the disc.
Three) insert the disc so it pulls in the sheet, wait for it to spin a bit and remove the sheet.
Four) Softly wipe down the disc with the duster cloth(I used a pledge hand duster, yellow handle with a poofy cloth on the end).
Five) Insert Disc
It might not work the very first time, but try a few times(steps 2 – 5) and it will work. After playng, make sure you put the disc right back into the case(so as to avoid dust), and the next time you want to play, it might take a couple times, but ive been playing for 2 days now, and have removed this disc four or five times and only needed to redust the bottom and reinsert twice.
good luck, KhanzanicDecay
March 21st, 2008 at 12:12 pm
hey guys i have problems with a friends wii he puted a chip on his wii and i brought my super smash bros brawl game and the wii didnt read it!!! help me plz
March 23rd, 2008 at 4:17 pm
yeah uh i cannot add friends on ssbb. i add there friend code and nothing happens it says awaiting registration… PLEASE HELP
March 24th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
I got mine the being of Dec 2007 and I had to send mine back today with smash bros game. I do not think it has to do with dust. I feel it has to do with memory
March 25th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
I can’t believe they would screw something up like this. They should replace EVERYONE’s Wii for a new one, at no charge! My son was so excited about this game and simply could not wait! It was given to him as an Easter gift, only to find out we have to send, not only the game back, but the console as well!!! What a freakin’ ripoff! I am outraged!
March 25th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
It doesn’t have anything to do with dust. It is a double layered disc. It takes an excessive amount of memory and requires the console to have an upgrade in order for it to work properly! That is why the console must be returned along with the game!
April 25th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
does this really work
April 30th, 2008 at 8:21 am
same here for my Wii
I dont think its dust because my wii also wont play brawl
this is what i hate about problems with systems, but the good thing is that we dont have to pay for either a “cleaning” or repairs
May 1st, 2008 at 6:22 am
dis sucks i have a japan unit and it wont play smash bros brawl in my wii,my wii unit is japan and it doesnt play the US smash bros game do i have 2 buy the japan version or its possible to play the US version in a japan unit
can u help me out on how to solve this problem
May 5th, 2008 at 4:17 am
i agree on what you’re saying REPLACE OUR WIIS I cant wait to unlock snake and sonic
May 13th, 2008 at 9:52 am
I see what kind of problems all of you are experiencing becuase i had this same issue. i waited years for this game to finally come out and when it did i go and waste 50 dollars on it. Just to find out that my Wii console is unable to read it. Now i did someting that seemed to work. You know that in the Nintendo and Wii booklets it says not to clean cd games with alcohol. Well dont listen to them. Why? Well when i had Super Smash Melee my game got scrathed a lot but i always cleaned it with alcohol and then my Gamecube was able to read it. So why couldn’t this technique work on My Super Smash bros Brawl i asked myself. For one thing i DID NOT WANT MY GAME AND WII TAKEN AWAY TO BE CLEANED FOR SEVERAL WEEKS OR MONTHS. I APPLYIED THE ALCOHOL IN A SOFT ****
MOST BE COTTON CLOTH** AND I CLEANED IT. iN ABOUT A FEW SECONDS I INSERTED THE DISC INTO THE WII. BUT BEFORE DOING THIS YOU MUST FIRST …. If a system update begins to install when you attempt to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but the update locks up before it finishes, try this:
Unplug the Wii console’s AC Adapter from the wall.
Wait a few seconds, and plug the AC Adapter back into the wall.
Power the Wii console back on, and try to play Smash Bros. Brawl again, to restart the update.
AND AFTER THIS NOW INSERT YOUR DISC IN THE WII AND THERE YOU GO YOU CAN FINALLY PLAY SUPER SMASH BROS BRAWL!!!!!!!!!
now you must be thinking well it is going to hurt or damage the cd ( no its not) or my wii.
If somehow it does damage your wii or cd you can just get it fixed by Nintendo for FREE so you have nothing to lose except of course if you do not take this in consideration you will lose time especially when you could be playing Super Smash Bros Brawl.
thanks for reading and i hope you start playing becuase i know that feeling when you cant play the number one or two game in the world!!
P.S. if this works for you please paste a comment in this blogg so other Super smash bros brawl Fans can at least believe me!!!!!
May 13th, 2008 at 9:58 am
And this technique does not have to be repeated like the first comment which seems weird to do. You just try for about 1 or 3 times and that is all!!
May 15th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I have been a fan aof super smash bros. for years. I could not wait or it to come out and when i bought it I didn’t work at all. I also go one of the first wiis. what I am going to do is reture my wii and get a brand new one!
May 24th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I think my unit is a Japanese unit with a mod chip. Does that mean I cannot send it back to Nintendo for repair? What does the mod chip do for me anyway?
June 24th, 2008 at 6:39 am
I don’t live in america so how can nintendo help me in my problem?:
June 26th, 2008 at 1:08 am
I got my wii about a year or so ago so it isn’t old.. and i bought ssbb today in australia (was released today) and i have the exact same problem. not reading discs.. which sucks because i have been waiting for this for years! Are they not fixing moded wii’s? even if the game is legit??? Not that it matters.. Australia doesn’t have a “repair for free” service atm anyways. I’m just stuck with a wii that wont play in my eyes the best game on the market atm
June 27th, 2008 at 11:40 am
I am so angry i have been waiting so long for smash bros it just got released today in britian and now it doesnt work are they any other way to fix the problem without sending my wii to nintendo
June 27th, 2008 at 11:48 am
if i have to send it away where is the closest nintendo headqurters from britian
June 29th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Exactly the same thing has happened to me.
I walked for about 2 hours when I finally got home. I ran upstairs, switched on my Wii, put in SSBB and…! Eh oh, unreadable.
But then I was fooled by the thought that it may be dusty on the inside. Pfft. I spent hours trying to clean it but still nothing.
I am furious! If they refuse to fix my Wii then I will explode!
June 30th, 2008 at 3:00 am
It isnt a dust problem. It is a mod chip issue where nintendo have tryed to make it unplayable on modchips.. althought i’ve heard some people without a mod chip (a small percentage) has suffered also due to some error in the virus. Those with wiikey, update your mod chip (wikey update 1.9s) by downloading it and burning it on a dvd r using IMG Burn and it will be playable again. reguard from Australia
July 6th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Has anyone inserted the disc, and gotten to the Super Smash Bros. Wii menu….only to find the buttons rotating like crazy?? That’s what happened to me!
August 7th, 2008 at 9:43 am
yes my son and daughter are still having problem’s with the game brawl.it was already sent in and still today they can play it but cannot get all the features and cannot pick all the character’s.please help i don’t want to send it in again.
September 9th, 2008 at 7:03 am
i got a Pal wii from germany,but now i live in the middle east now and here they dont sell pal!only ntsc,so my friend was going to the uae so i told him to buy ssbb for me,when he came back after a month i got the game and the wii doesnt play the game!im soo pissed!and cuzim in the middle east the fixing of the wii will cost me 100sr!and now i still have to pay my friend 300sr back!
October 3rd, 2008 at 8:10 am
i have just purchased this game.
I’ve been waiting for ages to play this.
It doesn’t work, I’ve changed it for another. It doesn’t work.
I’ve cleaned it. It doesn’t work.
All my other games work. Just not Brawl!
October 26th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
well as for me whenever i pick ganondorf it says disc cannot read =/ or if i play the game too much its such a drag >.>;
i can play any other game but ssbb i wonder what goes wrong=/
November 21st, 2008 at 4:03 pm
That is exactly what is going on with my wii.When I got SSBB, I put it in my wii, turned it on, and it said it could not be read and I had just took it out of the case, I knew it was a problem with the software.
January 9th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Hey my Wii is not letting me play my Super Smash Bros. Brawl, my Wii Play, my Mario Kart Wii, or my Game Party. The only games it will let me play are Wii Sports, Monopoly Wii, and Skate It. I’ve called The Wii place and they have given me an advanced replacement and sent me a new Wii twice. Do you think you can help me with this problem by sending me requests at james-4-sk8@comcast.com?
January 21st, 2009 at 5:03 pm
I waited a year to get my Wii just because I knew there would be problems with the fist systems that were issued. One of the first games I bought was SSBB. I bought the game the day it was released, and played it when i got home. It worked just fine for months. Last week I started having problems loading the disk. How is it that a game that has loaded perfectly fine hundreds of times before, suddenly has problems loading? I think Nintendo cut a few corners on some of the Wii consoles knowing that people could send the systems in to be “fixed”. Anyway, one trick I have learned that rectified the problem is VERY simple and does not require using alcohol or dryer sheets (which WILL ruin you games and system). All you need to do is insert a Gamecube game and wait for it to load. Once the Gamecube logo is on the screen, wait for the Gamecube theme to stop playing, and remove the disk. Put SSBB in and it should load just fine. I only have to do this once, but I have friends that say it works on the second or third try. The problem is the laser sensor. Sometimes it cannot distinguish between Gamecube and Wii games. Once it recognizes a Gamecube game it will then know the difference once you load SSBB. I suggest trying this method before you go jamming household products into your system. Besides, once you put cleaners into your Wii, Nintendo will not fix your system because you have now voided your warranty!
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:03 am
well as for me my brawl disc works except when i pick gannondorf or bowser and i doubt its my wii because it plays all my other games just fine brawl is the only one that doesnt work=/
whenever i pick ganon or bowser it says “disc cannot be read” as for everyone else it works fine its pretty wierd…
January 28th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
this sucks i wus only able to play it for 3 weeks ( i guess im lucky) then theres scratches in circles im soo curios if this laser lens cleanr will work but i’m not taking chances …. it might wreck my wii and i really wish i can play ssbb again !
March 26th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
o my gosh i got my ssbb and i could play it for a while and then it just says cannot read disc please see manual book!!!!!!!!! it mad me so mad!!!!!:(:(:(:(
April 23rd, 2009 at 7:41 pm
I looked down the comments list and I found almost nothing useful or constructive. And the comments that were did not have any confirmation or reason to why what they did worked. Please do not leave a comment if it’s just going to say “OMFG I’ve been waiting forever for this game and it didn’t work. I sooo fucking pissed!”. If you are going to leave a comment please make it meaning ful or useful or leave a link to a website that can help.
April 24th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
this is so dumb i played ssbb for monthes and then it just stops working i whent to my freinds house and we played it and hiswii works fine but why not mine ive sent it in to nintendo it didn’t work i got a new wii it did not work im so mad why whould nintendo change the disc format
August 7th, 2009 at 10:36 am
i am geting a refund and making shur my new wii works or ells! >:)
August 23rd, 2009 at 8:40 pm
everything is fine but when i choose toon link,wolf,yoshi,or wario the disc stops..
December 21st, 2009 at 3:59 am
If you’re having problems playing with other people take this link and scroll down until you reach a large paragraph with some bolded text throughout it. It might help you as it did me.
http://techforums.nintendo.com/nins/board/message?board.id=gamehelp_ssbb&thread.id=1274&view=by_date_ascending&page=2