Can it do harm to turn off Wii-U with orange light

technical-issueswii-u

I have my Wii U connected with a power strip with a switch. That switch is always off, except when I want to play a game, obviously. When I stop playing, the Wii U is updating most of the time (orange light). Can I harm my console by hitting the switch and thus removing power? Or is it recommended to wait for the light to turn red?

For clarification, I mean this little light (not my picture):

Picture of orange light

Best Answer

After doing a basic Google search (can i turn off wii u while it is updating)

It would appear that some users have in the past reported issues when the power has been lost to the console for some large firmware updates, Shutting Off Wii U During Massive Update Bricks Console

For instances other than firmware updates this site Wii U Forums indicates that the power light turns orange when the console is connected to the internet checking for updates/new content

It's sleepmode downloads.

and

The reason your Wii U sometimes has an orange light is because it's downloaded an update/patch/demo/game for you to use/play next time you get back on it, for example Nintendo has made it so it automatically downloaded Wii Sports Club into every Wii U.

and

It (by default) checks for internet connectivity once every 6 hours, and if there are updates, will download them.

It also states on that page that you can turn off standby updates in your settings therefore if you are worried about possible damage why not turn off the standby updates as then when you power off your console using the button on the console any downloads will stop and you can safely turn off the power strip.

guidance on how to do this can be found on Nintendo's website

Obviously if you have allowed an update which warns you not to turn off the console until the update has finished then you will need to leave the console powered up.

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