Nintendo also offers free repairs for UK's 4.2-bricked Wiis

America wasn't the only nation visited by the specter of techno-death this past week when Wii System Update 4.2 was released upon the unsuspecting masses. A number of UK Wii owners have also complained the maligned patch has bricked their unmodified gaming hardware. Don't be sad, our overseas compatriots! You're not alone in your anguish.

Fortunately, Nintendo recently confirmed to Eurogamer that the "very small number" of UK-based owners of 4.2-bricked Wiis can get the same free repair service we're eligible for. As long as you haven't diddled around with your console's guts or brains, you can send in your dead Wii for resuscitation at zero cost. Or rather, Wiisuscitation. (Man, Wii portmanteaus are never going out of style.)

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/03/ni...-bricked-wiis/

The way I've read it various places, for this Official Nintendo Update to fail and render consoles unusable has virtually nothing to do with the end user and everything to do with their buggy implementation of flashing low level firmware. I have nothing to worry but it's completely asinine that first Sony and now Nintendo are responsible for breaking their customer's property outright.