‘Super Smash Bros For 3DS’ Banning Players For 136 Years Thanks To Glitch
Glitches are common place in gaming, but some Super Smash Bros. for 3DS players are experiencing a glitch that bans them from playing the fighting game online. It’s not just a temporary ban. This ban lasts for 136 years.
Fans on the Super Smash Bros.sub-Reddit first reported the ban glitch and came together to figure out the possible reasons why it could happen. Oddly, it seems to occur when you attack a single opposing player by whatever means the game deems to be too much.
“I got banned from online for 136 years, what do?”
As of now, there’s no known solution. Just blame Sakurai for now.
“How do I prevent this glitch from happening?”
- Try not to target one player in Group/FFA.
- Just use 1v1 for the time being
- Don’t use online at all.
- EDIT:Don’t quit mid-match (Thanks /u/chrisx8x23x95!)
“Will removing my game/SD card and reinserting it stop the glitch?”
No, I’ve tried it with a friend’s DS who had the glitch. It does NOT solve the problem
There’s no official response from Nintendo about the reasons behind the 136 year ban glitch. Reddit user rstevoa thinks he has the answer though, and it has to do with how computers handle numbers.
The short form explanation is that the maximum number that a 32-bit processor, like the one in the Nintendo 3DS, can handle is 4,294,967,295. Anymore requires added work by the programmer. The 136 year ban translates to 4,294,962,000 seconds, which is close to that maximum number.
Some sort of programming is resulting in players being banned for -1 seconds. This results in something going haywire with Super Smash Bros. and the player being banned for 136 years.
Fortunately, Nintendo has caught up with its competitors in terms of patching games. When a patch for this glitch will be released is anyone’s guess at the moment. The other concern is obviously what happens if the same glitch appears in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. That consoles uses a 64-bit processor whose maximum number is 9,223,372,036,854,775,807. Naturally, that means a ban of approximately 292,471,208 years if the glitch carries over. Yikes.
Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U is part of Nintendo’s big push back to profitability. If this glitch becomes more widespread than it is now, the company risks some bad publicity during a critical sales period.
Have you been hit by this glitch? Are you concerned about being hit by this glitch? Sound off in the comments below.
[Images via Nintendo]
