Mario Kart Wii is also prone to disc errors
by Candace Savino 
{ Apr 13th 2008 at 2:00PM }
Here's a heads up for all you soon-to-be Mario Kart Wii owners out there. Remember the disc errors that many people were having with Super Smash Bros. Brawl? As it turns out, In any case, a handful of gamers in Japan are reporting problems, and there have been instances in which the software won't even start up. We wouldn't worry too much over the issue, though. Theoretically, if Brawl works with your Wii, Mario Kart should too (even though it's not the same dual-layered disc issue). If you haven't tested out Brawl on your Wii yet, though, you might want to cross your fingers come launch day.
Have any of you readers who've already purchased the game experienced any problems?
[Via GoNintendo]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Billston @ Apr 13th 2008 4:39PM
I was worried that when I eventually got Brawl, I'd have the same problem. I didn't actually know Mario Kart was on a dual layered disc, so when it worked fine, I thought nothing of it. But now I know! My Wii is fine! Wooo...
AshStampede @ Apr 13th 2008 2:23PM
over the weekend we had two people where i work wanted the disc swapped as it didnt work, dont know if it is related or not. this is the UK version.
Roto13 @ Apr 13th 2008 2:24PM
If Brawl's problem was the dual-layer DVD and Mario Kart is also a dual-layer DVD, it would be pretty obvious Mario Kart would have the same problem.
Brian @ Apr 14th 2008 4:25AM
Mario kart wii isn't dual layered
Roto13 @ Apr 14th 2008 7:48AM
The article said it was when I posted. (Look at the strikeout.)
Mr. Scolex @ Apr 13th 2008 2:32PM
So, basically, if you can't play brawl, you can't play MK, but if you had no problems with brawl, you'll be fine?
Guess that sucks for you guys who couldn't run Brawl, then.
null @ Apr 13th 2008 2:38PM
Mario Kart Wii is NOT Dual-Layer!!
Sonic_13 @ Apr 13th 2008 2:41PM
And your proof of that is?
MechaDEVO @ Apr 13th 2008 3:09PM
Agreed. Not DVD9 (dual layer). It only has about 3GB of data on the disc. Brawl only needed the DVD9 for the in-game movies.
Mr Khan @ Apr 13th 2008 3:21PM
I figured they needed DVD9 for the 300+ orchestrated songs, as there isn't enough FMV on there to merit more than a GC disc by itself
Brian @ Apr 14th 2008 4:26AM
Sonic_13: Mario kart wii isn't dual layered because i have it and the bottom of it is silver
Silver = not dual layer
gold = dual layer.
Teddy @ Apr 13th 2008 2:41PM
When I first inserted the Brawl disc, I got a disc error message. Now, I always keep my discs in their cases, clean off any dust on them and cover up my Wii console with a dust cover when I'm not using it so I thought damn even with all of these precautions, it still happens. I tried again a second time and this time it played. I took the disc out and reinserted it about three more times that evening just to be sure and the game played each time. Even with SSBB working now, I'm a little worried I might have a problem in the future. I never had a issue with my Sony PS2 (7 years), Sony DVD player (6 years) or my Oppo HDMI DVD player (15 months) with dual-layered discs. I plan to buy the gunmetal PS3 in June and so far I didn't hear/read about any disc reading problems with it, so I wonder why the Wii has issues.
Unbreakable_idea @ Apr 13th 2008 3:11PM
Always keep your reciepts. All three systems this generation have known failures. My friend's week old ps3 just died on him. My Wii lens needed to be cleaned. A friend of mine had his 360 give him the RRoD. It happens. Welcome to the golden age of shit poor manufacturing. My Dreamcast is still my daily cd player at almost ten years old (it'll play anything).
Mrblonde @ Apr 14th 2008 1:28AM
I find the PS3 dying most ironic
Tim @ Apr 13th 2008 3:04PM
Not a problem for me. I love the game. It's the most in-depth online multiplayer experience on wii.
You can join friends mid game, it gives you an extra channel so you can get ghost data ect without the game even being in the wii. It's darn right amazing.
Europe hasn't always got problems hey?
hvnlysoldr @ Apr 13th 2008 3:13PM
I haven't had a problem with Brawl. Sometimes the fan doesn't work.
Mr Khan @ Apr 13th 2008 3:29PM
I should be fine, then
Sorry for others, though
And y'all who claim to know how big the game is, is this data coming from .iso sizes, or what? Although i would estimate that the game is less than 4.7 GB
TheWarlock @ Apr 13th 2008 3:49PM
God damn you pigpen and your notorious talent for [almost] ruining MK. Question: If brawl gamers had to send in their Wii to nintendo to get it "cleaned", will they be able to play MK without having problems because of such cleaning?
Perverted @ Apr 13th 2008 3:53PM
Apparently technical people used some scrubber thing and removed the dead data from MKW and it has about 3Gig of data. Also it works fine for me :D
TheOverlord#2(Toon Link FTW)(1461-5875-9923) @ Apr 13th 2008 4:15PM
I was so happy when I loaded Brawl for the first time and it worked like any other Wii disc I own.
I keep my discs in my Wii though(One im playing the most). Maybe that is keeping dirt off my DD since the game is spinning the dust away...
JohnnyW @ Apr 13th 2008 4:32PM
Just by looking at the disc you can tell its not dual layer, its looks exactly the same as ever other disc bar Smsah Bros, in its normal silver reflectiveness, and a clear top layer.
Nik @ Apr 13th 2008 5:14PM
I believe this article is incorrect. I have not had any problems with the disc and furthermore, MarioKart is on a DVD-5 single layer.
If you look for any downloads of the game the total under five gigs, and it works on a DVD-5 disc.
I think this article should be taken down.
SoshiKitai @ Apr 13th 2008 6:57PM
Whether or not your's worked doesn't matter. Just because your's worked, doesn't mean everyone else's did.
"Gamers in Japan have already been reporting problems, and there have been instances in which the software won't even start up."
...now, what might be incorrect is that the MKWii isn't a dual-layer somethin-somethin...
Putting down the topic is the last thing that should be done, what can be done is to UPDATE/EDIT it.
If you have counter evidence that proves that Japanese players didn't have problems with the game, then we can easily support that this article be brought down.
Nik @ Apr 14th 2008 5:25AM
The nature of the disc read errors that we a speaking of is the difference between DVD5 and DVD9
I am sure the many Japanese and European player who scratched their discs are having trouble.
However I suppose their could be a problem with some discs, the disc that I burned is working dandy.
lee @ Apr 13th 2008 6:43PM
i just looked on a torrent site and the average size of the game is 4.38gb, so that will fit on a single layered disc no need for dual-layer.
and before anyone starts im not a pirate, my wii isnt even modded, and i brought mario kart wii for full price with my hard earned cash on launch day.
Nik @ Apr 14th 2008 5:47AM
I modded my Wii with my hard earned electrical engineering knowledge.(although it is not hard to do)
FantomRedux @ Apr 14th 2008 11:44AM
woop de doo. and I suppose not paying for games makes you absolutely fecking awesome huh?
asshat (=|3
ChaOS @ Apr 14th 2008 11:53AM
No, but playing them weeks before they launch does :D
Alex @ Apr 13th 2008 8:40PM
I wish Nintendo would drop this "Dirty" BS the fact is a bunch of Wiis especially the ones early ones have under powered/cheap lasers that blow at handling dual layer media, so when they say dirty they mean your Wii suffered through a year of getting 2 specks of dust on it since we cheaped out on the laser send it to us so we can replace the laser itself not clean it. They actually fixed this problem for the most part with the Wiis manufactured after April or May or so of last year but it is still a problem just no where near as much if you have one of the non launch window Wiis.
Now I know some Wiis problems are from genuinely being dirty but for the most part it's a substandard laser. But in there defense it wasn't the worst decision since it works well with single layer games and to this day there's only one dual layer game.
Razor @ Apr 13th 2008 11:01PM
I believe this to be the case because if it were a dirty lens problem Nintendo would surely have had a cleaning product on the market by now. I think they just fixed the units that had problems and figured this issue would eventually soon be remembered by none. Move along, there's nothing to see here.
Frozen2kX @ Apr 13th 2008 11:32PM
I bet the problem with the Mario Kart game is the new anti-modchip codes that are added to the game.
I think that the recent repair incentive they had for the supposed dirty disc on Brawl is so they can secure those console so the owners wouldnt be able to put a chip in it.
Alex @ Apr 14th 2008 12:46AM
There is nothing they have done yet to prevent the Wii from being able to be modded (atleast in the last 5 or 6 months) The thing they are supposedly doing as far as Mario Kart has failed to materialize at least from what people who are actually playing a burned copy have said on sites gbatemp and wiinewz .So it's BS ATM and no one has been banned yet... But just a banning wouldn't stop people from being able to play the pirated games and if they don't do some sort of sophisticated technique on banning people from WFC it'll be useless (like on the DS). This stems from Nintendo cheaping out on the logic in between the components within the Wii. If they had a smart logical connection between the motherboard and the disc drive like the 360 and PS3, the Wii would of probably never been hacked to the extent it has been by now. Don't get me wrong though the Wii is a fine piece of hardware I just wish they would of invested the 5-10 dollars more per machine to improved the security of it.
FantomRedux @ Apr 14th 2008 11:49AM
You honestly think the Wii has been hacked more than any toher console on the market? PSPusually has its firware cracked 2 weeks after its released, the DS has had custom firmware since forever, the 360/PS3 both have modchips on the market, so does the Wii. The entire idea of having a modchip isnt to disable the logical connection between the MB/Dic drive, they just usually disable the process of checking if the software being run on the console has been digitally signed. Thats all its ever been since the PS1, and I can't see the Wii doing it any differently.
FantomRedux @ Apr 14th 2008 11:50AM
>< stupid spelling errors
Joe H @ Apr 14th 2008 1:35AM
As far as I'm concerned, as long as it doesn't let them cheat, the more people who play the game online the better, no matter how they get the game.
Brian @ Apr 14th 2008 4:27AM
The game isn't dual layered
Xiru @ Apr 14th 2008 8:10AM
PS3 has the least of the failure rates. I hear of a PS3 having disc read errors every so often on the official boards, so it does happen. But not nearly as much as the Wii. In fact, the new Falcon 360's are out and I have one. Even they might be less of a bother than the Wii is currently, but only time will tell. Nintendo needs to release an official lens cleaner, instead of making us send it in for repair.
mini keg @ Apr 14th 2008 9:44AM
you're kidding right? I think just about everyone I know who's had a PS3 has had to return it for some reason.... Just last week my friend's 25 day old PS3 stopped working..... Also... Devil May Cry is a prime example of PS3 disk retardedness....
Every system has issues.... I've had the RRoD on my 360 and my brothers each did too.... No problems with either of our Wii's yet though.... Not to say anything won't come up... but to sit here and claim the PS3 is perfect is just stupid.
Britboyj27 @ Apr 14th 2008 10:19AM
I'm surprised no one's mentioned this but my friend's Wii refused to play her copy of Brawl because it had a mod chip in it. We cracked it open, removed the mod chip and it's played without a hiccup ever since.
Could that be Nintendo's ploy here?
omghaha @ Apr 14th 2008 11:49AM
because your friend is to retarded to update his modchip.
FantomRedux @ Apr 14th 2008 11:50AM
indeed
Alex @ Apr 14th 2008 7:37PM
@FantomRedux
I know the psp and DS are very well hacked atm hell even I have a CFW on my psp for the NES emulator. But when it comes to the home current consoles the Wii is still slightly ahead hacked wise than the 360 though that only came about recently and the PS3s modchip is still useless atm as far as running homebrew or burned/downloaded games goes. And yes I know the purpose of a modchip but what I was stating was that the Wii is more like a PS1 in the sense that it really can't know that its been chipped where as on the 360 they need to go to greater lengths via updating the drives firmware and patching the games to ensure they don't get banned form live, and the only reason thats happens is because the 360 has a more intelligent connection to its dvd drive that the Wii does. So all in all I agree with you but as far as home consoles are concerned I stand by what I said.
IUG @ Apr 19th 2008 3:10PM
I bought the UK version of Mario Kart, and it doesn't load up on our wii. I thought it might be the disk, so I took it back to the shop. It worked on their in-store console. They swapped my disk with their copy, but it still doesn't work on my machine. It's my son's birthday today. He's very dissappointed. All of our other games work fine in the wii so I can't understand what the proiblem is. Any ideas?
Swensken @ Apr 20th 2008 12:22PM
Woudn´t realy mathers since this is a wii game and if the wii brawl or MK game dosen´t work it is a serious issue.... since wiigames should work at a wii without any problems.... btw the europe realese of brawl haven´t even been set so......
STEVE @ Apr 21st 2008 6:35AM
I got mario Kart - System updated, as instructed.
Since NO disc will read . just get unable to read disc, message.
STANMAN @ Apr 22nd 2008 7:03PM
I got the game about a week ago, and it worked fine until recently....
It just stopped working. And i dont think its scratches...
But what else can it be...?
It starts up in the wii fw just fine, it comes to that "wiimote warning" thing and after that the disc just stoppes spinning and "disc cant be read" comes up along with "check your wii operations manual for more information"
Any1 know whats up with it??
Stan
Kevin @ Apr 27th 2008 6:08PM
I just bought Mario Kart Wii today and my Wii wouldn't read it. No message about disc error. It just won't read it. I exchanged it for another and the same thing happened. Now I am waiting on a response from Nintendo. All my other games work fine. If it isn't a multi-layer like everyone is saying, then I don't know what the heck the problem is. I just hope I can get it to work without having to send my Wii into the factory.
Kathleen @ May 2nd 2008 9:47PM
I also just ordered the Mario Kart Wii from Amazon. The Wii would not read it, though I have no problem with other discs. I returned it to Amazon, just opened the replacement, and it's the same thing! The Wii I have is not brand new, but works fine on all other new discs I have purchased. How disappointing!
kevin @ Apr 27th 2008 6:12PM
Hey, I'm just following up on my last post. I found a fix that got my Mario Kart Wii to work.
First I did a total sytem update.
Then I loaded the disc again and on the game channel it showed a system update icon instead of the Mario Kart Game icon. So I clicked on that and it did a much smaller, faster update which I assume is a hotfix for that game only. Once that was complete the Wii Menu refreshed and the game was avaiable for play.
I hope this helps anyone that had the same problem I did.
I'm just glad it wasn't the "dirty lens" issue...LOL
Kathleen @ May 2nd 2008 9:46PM
Kevin - just read this post, as I had 2 discs which did not read. I took out the disc and unplugged the Wii. Plugged it back in and put the disc in. This time I chose the disc play from the menu and got the Wii upgrade message. I agreed to the terms, it upgraded, said it was complete, and then the Mario Kart appeared. Thanks so much. Thank goodness for internet searches so someone else can help you with a similar problem!